Chapter 20
Charlie
The following morning, I was in the shower when the door opened, and Marley stepped in.
“Sorry, but I need to take a quick shower. I have a lot of things to do today.”
“You do know that you standing there naked is not going to get you out of this shower fast.”
“I’m not in the mood, Charlie.”
“You’re not?” A smirk crossed my lips as my hands groped her breasts.
“No.” She closed her eyes.
Wrapping one arm around her waist and holding her in my grip, I dipped a finger inside her.
“How about now?”
“Oh God,” she moaned.
“And now?” My lips wrapped around her hardened peaks.
Her hand wrapped around my hard cock and stroked it up and down as the hot water beat down on us.
“I need to be inside you right now,” I whispered as my tongue trailed across her neck.
“Then, by all means, enter.”
With a growl, I turned her around, and she placed her hands firmly against the tiled wall. Taking my cock, I thrust inside her as moans escaped both of our lips. With a slight turn of her head, our lips met as I moved in and out of her with my arm securely holding her. Her orgasm gripped me, and I exploded. We stood there for a moment, breathless, as I strained, making sure every last drop I had was inside her. I loosened my grip, and my hand stopped on her belly. I felt the bump, and my hand froze.
“Are you okay?” she asked as I stood there, not moving.
“Yeah. I’m great.” I kissed the side of her neck and pulled out of her.
I finished my shower first and climbed out. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I gripped the sink and stared at her as she washed her hair. Swallowing hard, I finished getting ready for work.
“What time is your doctor’s appointment?” I asked.
“Two o’clock. Why?”
“I suppose I can meet you there.”
“You don’t have to, Charlie. I know you’re busy. Don’t worry about it.” She walked past me.
“I said I’ll meet you there,” I spoke in a commanding tone.
“Okay. If you really want to. I’ll text you the address.”
“Okay.” I grabbed my briefcase. I’ll see you later.”
I was sitting in my office when a call came through from Grant.
“Hey, Grant.”
“Hey, Charlie. I found an apartment that I think you’ll really like. Do you have time to see it today?”
“What time were you thinking?” I asked.
“Around three o’clock.”
“I have an appointment at two o’clock, and I’m not sure how long it will take. How about I text you when I leave my appointment?”
“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Was that Grant’s voice I heard?” Chase’s brows furrowed when he walked into my office.
“Yeah.”
“You planning on moving again?”
“No. I’m having him look for an apartment for Marley.”
“Oh. Does she know?” He took a seat.
“No. Not yet.”
“I thought things were going good between you two,” he said.
“Things are okay.”
“Then why are you kicking her out?”
I stared at him and didn’t say a word.
“Enough of this crap, Charlie. I know exactly what’s going on here.”
“You don’t know shit, Chase.”
“Yeah. I do. You’re falling in love with her, if you’re not already, and freaking the fuck out.”
“I am not in love with her.”
“Yes, you are, my friend. Fuck. Just admit it. Stop trying to deny it. Loving someone is being human. You’re human, Charlie. As I’ve said before, I know the reason you are the way you are. You don’t think I know, but I do.”
“And like I said. You don’t know shit.”
“Fuck, I do, man.” He shook his head. “Do you remember back in college when you were fucking that chick named Grace, and she told you that she loved you, and you flipped out on her?”
“Barely. If I recall, I was a drunken mess that night.”
“You were, and I picked your ass up off the steps of our dorm and took you back to our room. You told me that love will never be part of the deal for you in your lifetime because you’re too scared of losing someone like you did with your parents. You said that the pain and suffering of losing someone you so deeply love isn’t worth it and that you will never allow it to happen again because you can’t control what happens in the outside world, but you can control your feelings and emotions.”
I stared at him in shock because I had no idea I’d ever spoken those words to him.
“So when I tell you that I know why you’re fighting your feelings about Marley and the twins, I know what the fuck I’m talking about.”
I brought my hand up and ran it down my face.
“It’s too much, Chase. Too fucking much. I’m not denying I have feelings for Marley because I do. But I can’t be a father.”
“But you can be. You’re just too scared of what might happen. It’s not because you had a bad father figure. From what you told me, your father was an amazing man, and the two of you were very close. He was your role model, Charlie. God, I can only imagine what he’s thinking about you right now up in Heaven and hearing you say this shit. You told me he and your mother were always so proud of you and showed it. Do you think they’d be proud of you now?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“No, I won’t. It’s the goddamn truth, and you know it.” He pointed at me.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me what I said to you that night?” I asked.
“Because I knew you would never say that sober, and I didn’t want to upset you. So, I kept it to myself until I knew when the time was right to use it. Now is that time.”
“You’re an asshole.” I shook my head.
“I know.” He grinned, standing up from his chair. “I’m your best friend, and I’ve stood by you all these years and watched you become a man who deserves so much more in life than just this company. I’ve never really said much to you about it, but now I am because the time has come, my friend, for you to step into reality and out of that place you’ve been hiding in since the death of your parents—the place of fear.” He turned and walked out of my office.
Glancing at the time, I had to leave for Marley’s doctor’s appointment. Climbing into the back of the sedan, I gave Mateo the address.
When I opened the door to the practice, I saw Marley sitting in a chair. Walking over, I sat next to her and stared at all the pregnant women waiting. One man was sitting next to his wife, softly stroking her belly as she looked like she was about to give birth any day.
“If this is making you too nervous, you don’t have to be here,” Marley said.
“Nervous?” My brows furrowed. “No. I’m fine. You’re the one who should be nervous.”
“Why me?”
“Because you’re pregnant with twins. I can only imagine how hard that will be delivering two babies.” I smirked.
“No. No. No.” She shook her head. “I’m having a C-section. There is no way these little ruga roos are coming out of my vagina.”
“Marley?” The nurse called her name.
We stood up and followed her back to a room. After she took Marley’s blood pressure, she told her the doctor would be in soon. I sat in the chair and stared at the pictures on the wall. I never thought I’d be sitting in an OB/GYN office with a woman in a million years. But here I was.
“How is Mama doing today?” The doctor smiled, walking into the room. “Oh, hello. Dr. Gregario.” He extended his hand.
“Charlie.” I lightly shook it.
“Father?”
“Yes.”
“Very good.” He smiled. “So, Marley. How are you feeling?”
“Still nauseous all day, not vomiting as much, but still tired.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. Lie down on the table and lift up your shirt,” he said. “Ah, look at that. The baby bump has appeared.”
“Isn’t it kind of early?” Marley asked him.
“Not with twins. We’re going to draw your blood and run some genetic tests to make sure there aren’t any abnormalities.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We’re testing for genetic disorders. It’s just a precaution. We’ll also be able to find out the twins' genders if you’re interested. After you get your blood drawn, Marley, the nurse will take you down to the ultrasound room, and we’ll see what your babies are up to.” He smiled.