We sit in a hotel room, Charlotte’s idea of not tainting our house with any bad conversations or memories. We left Amelia with my mom because both of us have no idea how this is going to go down. I’m hoping what she is about to tell me isn’t so bad, and we can just be done with it so I can spend the night inside her.
“You first,” she says
“No, you.”
“Rock, paper, scissors.” She holds out her hand, and we shake until we both get scissors. How ironic, I think. Stabbed in the heart, it’s an omen. On our second attempt, she beat me.
Fuck.
Charlotte sits still, crossed-legged at one end of the bed staring at me. I think about complimenting her on her choice of blouse which will look nice on the floor but decide against it.
“You’re doing that lawyer thing you do in court. It’s freaking me out and turning me on.”
“It’s my coping mechanism because somehow, I don’t think I’m going to like what I hear and don’t try turning on the charm.”
I take a deep breath, and with my eyes never leaving hers, I tell her everything that happened the night with Montana. When I finally finish, I wait in silence for her reaction. I expect her fist in my face, not for her to hurt me with words.
“I’ll tell you what happened with Julian. He reminded me of how good we were together. He asked me to leave you, and I thought about it. I remembered how once upon a time my body craved him and gave into him, and there he stood, right next to me, offering to love me the way I deserved to be loved, and I thought about it, Lex. I thought about giving myself to him that night.”
The stabs are sharp, each one of them cutting through the scars that are finally healing, ripping them open. My body tenses, my adrenaline spikes, and my throat goes dry unable to say what I need to say.
How the fuck can she want another man!
I don’t know what’s worse, my physical indiscretion or her emotional one. They are on par. We were both hurting because of what we did to each other. It didn’t make it better that she didn’t touch him, it fucking hurt like motherfucking hell that she had a moment of wanting him for the rest of her life.
“It’s done, Lex. Now, tell me how strong our marriage is?” Her eyes fixate on mine. I can see she is praying we can get through this and restore all faith in humanity. We’ve gotten this far, defeated the odds, and our love should be able to stand any test of time.
“You’re a bitch for wanting him.”
“You’re a cunt for touching her.”
“I hate that word,” I grit.
“Used sparingly, for occasions like this,” she rebuts.
Emotionally exhausted, I want the book closed on this. We’ve lost so much time, torn apart by grief over the last few months, and I want more than anything to forget we were almost over.
“So, what happens now, Charlotte?”
I want her, and I need her at this moment. My eyes penetrate hers, attempting to cast that so-called spell she claims I do every time I look at her. C’mon, eyes, you can do it, make her see the light.
“Now, we fuck harder than we have ever fucked each other in our lives. I need to claim you just as much as you need to claim me. You got me?”
I put on a huge grin. Despite this mess I created, my fucking girl makes me smile. Best yet, I get to fuck her so hard and mark her as mine again.
“I got you… and I’m never letting go of you. Obsessed together forever.”
“Obsessed together forever.”
She winks.
CHARLIE
It’s Christmas Eve, and this year we are fortunate enough to celebrate with our family as well as with friends. Rocky, Nikki, and Will flew in early and are staying with us. I couldn’t have been happier. I missed Will so much. He has grown so tall and is at that age where hugs are awkward according to him. He has matured beyond his years, but deep down inside, he’s still that little boy who captured my heart many moons ago.
Kate and Emma also fly over but chose to stay with Eric. What the three of them get up to is beyond me. They are deemed the three musketeers, with their shenanigans always the talk of the town. Rocky whines