Chapter 14 Charlie
CHARLIE
Everyone congratulated us as we walked down the church aisle, holding hands. Bennett kept my fingers firmly tucked between his, grounding me as I started to feel like I was floating outside of reality.
Was this what shock felt like? I was married to Bennett Forrester. The Bennett Forrester. As he’d so teasingly stated, I could now touch his abs because I was his wife.
My thoughts were like a word salad—all those words meant something separately, but together, they weren’t computing.
“We need to interview you both,” one of the camerapeople said.
“We want to get a shot of you walking out of the church together, and we brought flowers for the guests to toss over your heads. Then we’ll go to the wedding meal, get a few more shots of you two stepping onto the boat for your honeymoon, and our flights leave tomorrow morning. ”
I was grateful for their direction, especially since my mind was spinning too fast to land and stay in one spot. Bennett acted like he got married to his little sister’s best friend every day, like he knew exactly what to do in this situation and was comfortable.
I couldn’t stop staring at him—both during the ceremony and now, as we waited just inside the door of the church while our family and friends lined up outside with bunches of flowers.
“Your hair.” I gave in to the urge to run the backs of my fingers across the short beard along his chin. I could see his lips—had felt them just moments ago—but I couldn’t think about that. Not if my knees were going to keep functioning.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to look homeless for our wedding.”
“You didn’t have to cut your hair for me.”
His cheeks pinked in an endearing way. Second time I’d ever seen him blush. This was starting to become a pattern. One I liked very much. “It was time,” he said simply.
“I’m sorry,” I said, for the millionth time in the last four days. “Please don’t resent me for this.” My chest tightened at the thought of him hating me.
He brought his hand behind my neck and pressed me closer to him. The pressure was firm and warm and helped me catch my breath. “I will never regret this.”
The doors opened while we were standing like that, staring at each other, and we spilled out into the cloudy day, holding hands as petals were tossed around us. It felt like a dream.
Greg and I were supposed to have gotten married in his parents’ backyard today, to a string quartet playing Vivaldi. Bennett and I had moved the ceremony to the church, with someone playing “Canon in D” on the organ.
For my original wedding, I had a several-thousand-dollar lace gown—nearly impossible to walk in and a size too small—compliments of Greg’s mom. Instead, I wore my mom’s old wedding dress—slightly yellowed and outdated, but it made me feel closer to her and Dad in a way I hadn’t expected.
Greg’s parents had planned a huge dinner and reception in their backyard for after the wedding. Bennett and I were going to Icy Asps for Italian food and sodas that Bennett’s brothers were paying for.
My ring for Greg was still sitting on my dresser at home, a white-gold band with tiny embedded diamonds resting in a square velvet case. I had asked Bennett if we could skip the ring ceremony. It seemed too much of a lie to exchange rings in addition to vows.
We posed for pictures with our friends and family, and from the corner of my eye, I spotted movement.
Greg leaned against the tree, a thunderous expression on his face as he watched us.
I’d both hoped for and dreaded the idea of him bursting into the church to object to our wedding.
In my fantasy, he’d fall to his knees, apologize for what he’d tried to do to Molly, and promise to always love me, no matter what.
Bennett would graciously step aside, and Greg and I would have the simple wedding I’d wanted all along.
But he hadn’t come. He hadn’t objected.
He hadn’t tried to win me back.
Greg tilted his head and motioned for me to join him. I knew the second Bennett spotted him too, because his hand tightened on mine.
“What do you want to do?” he asked me, his gaze hard on Greg. It felt good—really good—to have someone on my side.
“Do our interview and then eat my weight in spaghetti …” I bit my lip as I watched Greg pace. “But I should talk to him first.”
“You don’t have to,” Bennett said.
“I know.” But I kind of felt like I did. Greg and I were supposed to get married today. We’d been together for a long time. I owed him that. He owed me that.
“Want me to come with you?”
“No. I’ll be okay.” I inhaled deeply for courage, especially as the stares of my closest friends and family burned pointedly into my back.
“Everyone!” Rosie clapped a few times to get their attention. “Icy Asps is ready for us! Let’s give Bennett and Charlie a few minutes.” Bless her. We took our mics off and handed them to the camera crew, and Rosie effectively corralled them toward their rental cars.
The murmuring crowd dispersed with a few glances back at me and Greg—and I’m pretty sure my grandma flipped him off—and then it was just the two of us.
Greg sneered at something over my shoulder. “Are you going to call off your husband?”
I turned, surprised to find Bennett standing about ten feet away, his arms folded, watching us. A sheepish smile crossed his face, as if he hadn’t expected to get caught sticking around. But by his firm stance, I could tell he wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.
“No. I don’t think I will,” I said with newfound courage.
Greg’s frown deepened. When was the last time I’d said no to Greg? Had I ever done so? My heart raced as he moved into my space and lowered his voice. “How long have you two been together behind my back?”
I stumbled back a step, shocked. “We weren’t.”
“He agreed to marry you on a whim.”
“Yes.”
He scoffed.
A comfortable, familiar urge to make nice with Greg—to make sure he didn’t get upset and to keep him happy—washed over me. “I would never do that to you.”
“You’d just marry someone else on our wedding day instead?”
Raw emotion clogged my words. “You didn’t come after me.”
“I thought I had time, Charlotte!” The words exploded from him, and he threw his arms out. “I didn’t think you’d run off and marry the first willing victim you found.”
I heard a shifting behind me. Bennett had to be bristling with this conversation, but I appreciated that he wasn’t intervening.
“You knew I was getting married today.” My voice shook, but I wasn’t going to let him put this entire thing on me. He’d been sent the contract termination agreement from Wild. He’d signed it. And in a town this small, nothing was a secret.
Obviously he knew. He was here.
He pressed his fingers into his closed eyes like this entire conversation was giving him a headache. “Yet another test I’ve failed.”
“What?”
His mouth curled down in contempt. “You make me choose between you and everything else, over and over again—it’s a classic Charlotte move.”
I reared back. “That’s not true.”
“Insisting we stay here for your work when you know I’d be more successful in Juneau.
Giving all your time and energy to your strays and expecting me to support it.
Applying for Married in the Wild without telling me.
And now, with this dog that attacked me, you can’t even take my side.
” Greg’s muscles were taut as he stared down at me.
He was so much taller, bigger, and so angry that I struggled not to shrink away from him.
“I’ve done nothing but give in this relationship, and I’m exhausted from trying to prove to you how much I love you.
You either believe me or you don’t, and it looks like you don’t. ”
I sank deeper into myself with every accusation hurled at me. The false high I’d been riding from telling him no at the beginning of this conversation now felt embarrassing. Juvenile.
I’d married Bennett before Greg had a chance to even attempt to make things right. I’d begged Greg to stay here in Winterhaven so I could have my dream job, even though it meant fewer opportunities for him.
The last few days, I’d been thinking of all the things Greg had done wrong in our relationship, when maybe I was the one at fault.
“Charlotte, I didn’t stop your wedding because for the first time in a long time, I feel free.” His smile held no happiness. “The truth is, you’re hard to love.”
It was the kill shot, and I stumbled backward, into a firm body. When had Bennett gotten so close?
I glanced up to see his thunderous expression directed at Greg. The veins in his neck were tight as he carefully shifted me behind him, standing as a barrier between me and Greg. My heart raced as the two stared each other down.
“Do you actually believe your lies?” Bennett stepped closer to Greg. I placed a hand on his back, feeling the taut muscles through his suit coat.
“This is between me and her, Forrester. So. Back. Off.” He gave Bennett a small shove that sent him stepping back into me.
“Whoa, man.” Bennett turned toward me and took my face gently in his. “Are you okay?”
I blinked back the tears just on the surface. “Yeah.”
He kissed me gently on the forehead. “Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded, ready to get as far away from Greg as I could to process everything he’d said.
Greg grabbed my arm in his bruising grip, pulling me to a stop. “I’m not done talking yet.”
“Don’t touch my wife,” Bennett growled.
Greg slow blinked. “Or …”
Muscles taut, Bennett slammed his fist into Greg’s nose.