Free

Chapter 46

FORTY-SIX

Nick

I stare into the mirror, and I barely recognize the man looking back. My eyes are shadowed, my jaw tight, my expression a mix of regret and exhaustion.

My phone buzzes, the vibration sharp in the silent bathroom.

I pull it out to find Charlie’s name on the caller ID and frown. I’m supposed to pick her up for Dad and Uncle Lucas’s retirement party in a couple hours. Something about the timing of the call feels ominous.

“Hey, gorgeous,” I say, cringing at how forced I sound.

“Hi, Nick.” There’s a pause and then, “I’m sorry to do this last minute, but I don’t think I can go tonight. I’m just not feeling up to it.”

I glare into the mirror at the wounded man staring back at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just, I’m gonna stay home tonight. Give your dad a big hug for me?”

“Yeah. Sure. Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask when I really want to know what the hell is going on.

There’s another long pause and then, “I’m fine, Nick. Promise.”

I hear how hollow the word sounds.

I know how it feels to say I’m fine when deep down, I know I’m not. Placating, a desperate attempt to fend off questions I don’t want to answer.

Was I that transparent to everyone this whole time? Why they kept pushing and pushing until I thought I’d go crazy?

“It’s okay if you’re not fine,” I say, remembering how quickly I bristled any time someone said that to me.

“Really,” Charlie responds, “I’m fine.”

I give her the grace I wish everyone would have given me and let the statement slide… for now.

“Okay, Wildrose. But I’ll swing by after? Check in on you.”

“Sure. Yeah. We’ll see how it goes. Hey, Nick?”

She sounds like there’s something heavy on her mind. I brace for impact. “Yeah?”

Instead, Charlie swallows hard, then sighs. “Have a good night, okay?”

The chances of me having a good night died the moment the phone rang. Instead of telling her that I say, “I’ll give Dad that hug for you,” then hang up the phone and glare at the mirror.

The Hutton Hotel ballroom is packed with family and friends. The ambience gives the room a soft glow, light reflecting off the polished wood floors and the shimmering decorations. Tables are adorned with elegant centerpieces—glass bowls holding floating candles and sprigs of greenery. The air hums with conversation, the clink of glasses, and the soft strains of a jazz trio near the bar. But the festive atmosphere feels distant, like I’m watching it through a pane of glass.

With a family as large as mine, you’d think it’d be easy to fade into the crowd and draw little to no attention to myself. But the minute Angela walks in, she not only sees me, but she beelines across the room, her pretty face drawn into a frown.

“All right, Nick. Spill it. What the heck is going on?”

I feign surprise and glance around the room. “It looks like a retirement party for our dads because you and Garrett are just so gosh darn good at running the hotels. Or am I missing something?”

“Don’t play coy with me. You look miserable. Charlie looks miserable. I don’t think I’ve seen you two not together since her wedding, and everyone knows she uses our family events as excuses to see you. Yet, she’s at home, pretending to be sick and you’re here. What gives?”

My parents see us talking and head our way. I hug them each in turn, congratulating Dad before giving him a second hug. “That one’s from Charlie. She’s sorry she couldn’t make it but wanted you to know how happy she is for you.”

Mom furrows her brow. “So spill it, son. What gives with you two? I haven’t seen you look like this since she came to the Keys, and I can’t remember the last time we had a Hutton family gathering without Charlie hanging on your every word.”

“That’s exactly what I said!” Angela exclaims.

“Well, not exactly …” I joke, hoping to change the topic. “Some of the words were different.”

Both Angela and Mom lift unamused eyebrows. I turn to Dad for help, but he appears to be on team Not-Nick.

“Things are just, I don’t know. They’re weird right now.”

Angela pops a fist onto her hip. “Weird like you getting into an accident and pushing Charlie away because no one really understands why? Or did you manage to take weird to a whole new level?”

Indignation flares, hot and bright, but dies quickly. Suddenly, I find myself telling them about the call from my CO and the conversation that followed. “I told Charlie I was going to ask her to move in with me that night, that she was what I wanted. She countered by asking me why we never had the conversation. And it was a good question.”

“It is a good question.” Dad wraps an arm around Mom’s shoulder, drawing her close. She never wanted me to join the Marines in the first place. She’s doing her best not to show how my news is affecting her, but I know she’s hoping I’ll turn the offer down.

“Do you know why you didn’t ask her to move in?” Mom asks.

I explain the yoga studio for sale, which sets Dad’s head bobbing in understanding before I even get to my motives. “I think I was afraid to get in the way of something so good for her. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to stay just for me.”

“Did you tell her that?” Mom presses.

“No. And the crazy thing is, the second I saw Charlie standing there, I knew I didn’t want to take the offer from my CO. I don’t want to go back to the way things were between us. I want her in my life, day in and day out. And I didn’t tell her that either.”

Angela slaps me in the arm. “You idiot. She doesn’t want to go back to Wildrose, but because you didn’t say anything, she thinks you want to take the consulting job. You’re both being so conscientious of the other that you’re gonna let something amazing slip through your fingers. I’m just saying, you ghosted her once, she might need you to fight for her this time.”

“Hell, son,” Dad says, “she could open a studio here, or expand the yoga program at The Hut. She doesn’t have to go back to Wildrose Landing to live the dream.”

“Exactly!” Angela exclaims. “Garrett told her they’re doing a whole peach water thing…”

Mom gasps and agrees, but I barely register what they’re saying. I glance around the room, my mind racing, and suddenly I know what I have to do.

Mumbling an excuse, I rush toward the exit. The noise of the party dims as I step into the hallway, the soft hum of the hotel’s air system filling the void. I round the corner, ready to head outside—and run directly into someone tiny, someone walking almost as fast as I am. I grip her arms to keep her from falling, then freeze when I see who it is.

Charlie.

Her dress flows in soft waves, the fabric catching the light with a subtle shimmer. The moment she looks up and our eyes meet, my breath catches.

“You keep doing that, I’m gonna think it’s on purpose,” she says with a gentle smile and a catch in her throat, a callback to something I said the day of her wedding.

“You’re here,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.

“I couldn’t just sit at home,” she replies, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need to tell you what I really want and not sulk, waiting for you to read my mind and say what I want to hear.”

Her hands are trembling slightly, and I reach out instinctively to steady them. The contact feels electric, grounding us both in the moment.

“I was just coming to find you,” I admit.

For a moment, neither of us speaks. The tension is palpable, a fragile thread stretched between us. Her eyes search mine, and mine search hers and any remnants of doubt fly from my mind. She’s what I want.

“Look, I—” I begin at the same time she says, “I don’t want?—”

We laugh, the tension easing.

“You first,” she says with a smile.

“Charlie,” I start, my voice low but firm, “I don’t want to take the offer. I don’t want to go back to the way things were before. I don’t want anything that takes me away from you. You’ve changed me in ways I can’t explain, and even if I tried, words couldn’t do it justice.”

Her breath hitches, tears well in her eyes. “Then why didn’t you just say that?”

“Because I was afraid,” I admit. “Afraid of holding you back. Afraid of being selfish when I know you have dreams of your own. But the truth is, the only dream I have now is you. You make me want things I didn’t even know I needed. You make me want a forever I never thought I deserved.”

Her lips part, as if to respond, but the words don’t come. Instead, she steps closer, her hand sliding to my chest, resting over my heart. “I don’t want to run a yoga studio in Wildrose Landing. I want to stay here, with you.”

“Then stay,” I whisper against her hair. “Move in with me.”

Charlie pulls back. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure about something in my life. I didn’t know how lost I was until I found you. You didn’t just show me the way; you became my home.”

A wide grin breaks across Charlie’s face. “I love you, Nick Hutton.”

“Every time I think I’ve figured out how much I love you, you smile, and it’s like I’m falling all over again.”

“You’re on fire tonight, you know that?”

“Well then we better find Micah so he can put me out.” I take her hand and lead us back into the ballroom while she groans something about ultimate cheese.