Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96600 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Right?
Fuck it.
“I want you to go to Connecticut with me.”
“Go with you to meet your family?” She said it like a foreign phrase she was trying to decipher.
“I know it’s a big ask. We’d drive up on Friday, spend dinner with my wonderful mom and shitty sister, do the whole society party thing on Saturday, brunch Sunday, and come back here.” If she even wanted to come back after she put up with my sister and her awful husband.
“I don’t know…” she winced at her own reluctance.
“If you don’t want to, I completely understand.” And I did. I would be bitterly disappointed if she went home early, but I would very much understand. If I could run away to California, I’d jump at the chance.
“Meeting your family is kind of…big. What if they don’t like me?”
“When it comes to my sister, it’s not an ‘if.’ She doesn’t like me, so she’s not going to like anyone I bring.” Maybe that type of negativity wouldn’t sell my family gathering to Charlotte, but she deserved the warning.
“You make it sound so tempting.” Charlotte sighed. “I guess it’s only fair if I meet your parents. You’ve met mine. And you’ve met my brother.”
“You’ll only be meeting my mom,” I clarified. “Unless you bring a Ouija board.”
“Oh. Ouch.” She grimaced. “Sorry.”
“If you’d met my father, you wouldn’t be sorry.” I didn’t want to tackle that particular subject first thing in the morning. “Speaking of parents… God, this sounds incredibly creepy, considering our age difference, but do your parents know where you are?”
She nearly choked on the drink she’d taken. “Don’t be gross!”
“Was that gross? It sounded gross in my head, but I thought it was that—”
“That our age difference is gross?” She challenged me with an arched brow. “Is that how you feel?”
“No, but I don’t have any shame.” I held up my hands in defeat. “Let me try that again. Do you have people worried about you?”
“Now, that sounds murdery.” She gestured vaguely in the air. “I texted my mom this morning. She knows I’m in New York, and she knows I’m with you.”
“Ah. And how does she feel about…” I pointed between the two of us.
“She doesn’t know that it’s serious yet.” Charlotte flushed as red as the strawberries on her plate. “Not that I’m assuming this is serious—”
“I’m in love with you,” I interrupted. “Is that serious enough?”
“I don’t talk to my parents about my love life. Do you?” she countered.
“Fair enough.” And I assumed Scott had already filled in their parents about the relationship details he did know. He seemed to love to tattle on his sister. It had been funny to listen to all the stories about Charlotte before I was a part of them.
“You don’t think I’m the kind of person who would capriciously disappear, right? Leave everyone to worry about me and not give a shit?” she asked.
“No. You strike me as someone who goes out of her way to make sure she’s pleasing everyone.” Which might make the weekend hell on earth for her. I didn’t want this party, the company my family kept, the society standing that I wanted no part of, to chase her off. “And I don’t want you to feel that way around me.”
“I don’t need to feel that way around you. I know you’re happy to have me around.” The way she said it almost convinced me. But I knew too much about her past and her private pain to naively think she’d changed her entire personality because of me and after one conversation about it.
“I am.” I made sure she could hear the emphasis in my voice. “I am happy to have you around. Just you, and not some version of yourself that you’re performing.”
She reached across the corner of the table and put her hand over mine. “You’re the only person I might be able to believe when you say that.”
“So, I’ve proved that I love you?” As damaged as Charlotte was, I wasn’t sure she’d ever actually accept that I loved her.
She pretended to consider. “Mmm… I might need another seven days to convince me.”
I took her hand and squeezed it. “If that’s what it takes.”
I was prepared to give her the rest of my life. I could think that without breaking into a cold sweat, so that made it official, as far as I was concerned.
In the grand scheme of things, another seven days was nothing at all.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
(Charlotte)
“Bad news.”
I looked up from my breakfast. It’s possible that I’d miss Matt’s personal chef more than I’d miss Matt when I went home. My omelet was so good, I almost forgot he was there.
“I have to go to the office today. If it weren’t important—”
I waved my hand. “You have a job. I knew that when I came here. And honestly? I’m glad you’re going back to it. I want you to get back to your normal life and stop running away from shit.”