a soft spot for Charlie, treats her like a sister, and I love him even more for it.
“Where’s Lex?”
“Still sleeping, I guess.”
“Shit, Rocky. What did she say? Was she upset?” Clenching my jaw, I mirror Rocky’s pacing, desperately trying to think of how to fix this. “Of course, she’d be upset.”
Rocky stops me, latching onto both my arms to still my movements. “Babe, calm down.”
I grab my phone and try to dial her number—voicemail.
Leaving a brief message, I text her as well. Lex needs to wake up. As the thought leaves my mind, he walks into the kitchen looking very content. He looks different, jubilant, like a man who got laid by the woman he’s in love with.
“Morning. Have you guys seen Charlotte?”
If this were two weeks ago, I’d have gladly thrown the paper at his face and told him he was nothing more than a selfish manwhore, but like I said, something changed. He’s different. I see this side of him that Charlie was once, and still is, in love with this happy, carefree, fun-loving guy who adores her. I wasn’t surprised they were fucking all over The Hamptons. I wondered if they did it in the hot tub after we did. I told Rocky it was gross to jizz in the water, but he said with my tits bouncing in front of him all wet, he couldn’t help himself.
Rocky and I glance at each other as Lex asks about Charlie again. With my arms folded, preparing for the worse, Rocky passes him the paper. Lex stares at it with confusion before his eyes dart back and forth. I brace myself as his skin flushes, the paper crunching into his fist as he throws it onto the floor. Grabbing his phone, he mutters the words ‘you stupid bitch,’ then he dials the number.
“Kate. Get me Victoria on the phone right now.” He hangs up abruptly, leaning on the table for support. “Where is she?”
“She went back to the city.”
“How long ago?”
“About half an hour.”
“Fuck!” He slams his fist against the counter, startling the both of us. “This is the fucking press. Victoria is a business colleague and nothing more. These pictures are completely out of context. I’ve never touched the stupid bitch, nor would I ever.”
I don’t know why I believe him. The thing is that even though I disliked him, he proved me wrong, which is something quite unheard of. He loves Charlie. And yeah, I know the past was fucked up, but that was years ago, and they have both grown since then.
I just didn’t understand why Charlie had this massive trust issue, and why she couldn’t see how much he loved her. I also know tabloids can spin shit out of their asses and manipulate photographs. I learned that the hard way when there was a picture of Rocky a few years back at a sporting event, and it looked like a chick was blowing him.
This isn’t about taking sides, but Charlie is stubborn, and right now, I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Not that I’m going to tell him that.
We need to get back to the city as soon as possible and fix the damage that’s been done. Charlie will shut everyone out, including me, because it’s her defense mechanism. I try her number again—still voicemail. I ask Rocky to get Will from next door. It isn’t long before Adriana and Elijah walk into the kitchen.
“Hey, guys, what’s happening?” Adriana takes a seat at the table, grabbing a banana and peeling it. She glances from me to Lex, confused by our silence.
“Charlie’s gone,” I tell her.
“Gone? Where?”
I hand her the paper from the floor, watching as Lex is standing at the window gazing outside. His eyes are glazed over, his expression heartbroken. Maybe he knew, just like me, how Charlie would take this.
“Lex, is this true?”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Adriana?” he shot back.
“But the photos look, well—”
“What, Adriana?”
“Well, they look like what the article says.”
“Fuck, Adriana!”
“Lex, calm down,” Elijah warns him.
“Don’t you get it? She finally fucking told me she trusts me and wants a future with me, and then this happens. This is so fucked up!” He slams his fist on the counter again, startling us. “Last night…”
Adriana puts her arm around her brother’s shoulder, attempting to comfort him. “Last night, what?”
“Lex, we need to head back,” I tell him, noticing the time. “Let me deal with her in the meantime. She needs to calm down. You need to make