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Ignatius managed a sniff and a quick nod in Carrie’s direction before turning on his heel and leaving the room.
It took a few seconds but then Carrie sagged against Charlie, the tension seeping out of her shoulders as the door shut. ‘Well, that was—’
Charlie cut her off with a kiss. His lips were urgent and hard against her mouth and she opened up to him with greedy fervour. It had only been days but it had felt like a year. His kiss was hot and hungry and she grabbed hold of his shirt as her world shifted on its axis.
‘God, I’ve missed you,’ he muttered, pulling away to rain kisses on her face and down her neck.
‘Oh, Charlie,’ she whispered against his mouth, before he obliterated all words, all thoughts with another mind-scrambling kiss. She knew she shouldn’t be complicating their separation any further, but it had been too long.
Charlie wanted to kiss her for ever. Go on for ever, but he knew there had to be words first. Talk first then kiss her. Never stop kissing her.
He pulled away reluctantly. ‘I reckon, apart from me, you’re the only person I’ve ever seen stand up to my old man like that.’
Carrie shrugged. ‘He was belittling the man I loved.’
The words kind of tumbled out unchecked. And she didn’t regret them. She had reacted to Ignatius Wentworth the same way she would have reacted to someone attacking Dana. Like a mother bear protecting her cub. She couldn’t believe that Charlie’s father was so blind.
‘Love?’ Charlie’s world stopped. Surely she wouldn’t jest about something this serious?
They looked at each other for a few moments. Carrie nodded. What the hell. It was out now. And she hadn’t dropped dead or turned into a pillar of salt. If she was truly going to turn her back on this, she had to know how he felt for once and all.
‘Thank God!’ He drew her into a fierce hug. ‘I love you, too.’
She pulled away, hardly able to believe her ears. Hardly daring to believe. She shook her head. After two years Rupert still hadn’t loved her. ‘You…you do? But this is so fast.’
He chuckled. Her whiskey gaze was muddy. Confused. And then he kissed her mouth and was gratified to feel her instant surrender, her pliant lips beneath his causing heat to pool in his groin.
‘I’ve learnt the hard way that life’s short and things can happen that you don’t expect. Thanks to you, I made up my mind recently to start living my life again. And every cell in my body tells me that includes you.’
‘What about Veronica?’
‘I told you—Veronica is my past. I haven’t loved her for a long time. I certainly never liked her very much. You’re the woman for me. The only woman for me.’
‘But your father…’
‘My father may be a brilliant thoracic surgeon with an unsurpassed international reputation, but he’s also a bigoted fool. If my father likes her so much, he can marry her. All I want is you. I promise you, Carrie, we’ll never have to see my family, my father again. I’ll never let him hurt you or Dana.’
And how would that make her feel? How could she ask that of him? To choose between his family and her? How long would their relationship last if she caused a rift between him and his family? Family was sacred—she only had to look around the centre to know that.
‘I would never ask you to do that,’ she said vehemently.
He shrugged, dropping his hands. ‘I wouldn’t worry. It’s a fairly loose association as it is. I haven’t felt like I belonged in my family for a long time. That’s why I enjoyed spending time with you and Dana. You two are what a family should be. I want that for me. For us.’
Carrie looked up into his eyes, not daring to hope that things could be this perfect. ‘Are you sure, Charlie? I know this has been a big problem for you.’
He nodded. ‘I’m sure. Am I scared? Yes. Am I worried that I’ll screw up? Yes. But every time I look into Dana’s eyes there’s this trust there. It’s like she knows I can do it. You know? And, frankly, life without you, both of you, scares me more.’
Her hands crept up to cradle his face. His stubble grazed erotically against her palms. ‘This is important, Charlie. Your father was right—you’ll be taking on another man’s child. Can you handle that?’
Charlie shook his head. On this he was definite. ‘Dana’s never been another man’s child. She’s been yours. She’s one hundred per cent Douglas. And if you let me and you’re willing to show me how to do it right, I’d like her to be mine also.’
Carrie nodded, tears blurring her eyes. ‘Anything.’
