Chapter Fourteen
That was twice he said my name instead of Daddy. Bloody Charlotte! Spencer was right. She’s being a brat. So why is it so hard for me to agree with him? Because she’s always been my little girl, a proper daddy’s girl, until I broke the family apart. I’ve been trying to get my little girl back ever since. I’ve ignored her bad behaviour and paid for whatever she wants. What’s worse, I brushed aside her rudeness about Spencer when I should have called her out. She flaked on tonight because she knew she’d get away with it. Well, not anymore.
I get out of the car, pull out my phone, and call her. It rings half a dozen times. Is she asleep already?
“Hello?”
Music and lots of talking sound in the background. It’s obvious she is out somewhere. So she isn’t too busy studying and can’t go out after all.
“Charlotte, it’s Dad.”
“Oh, shit.”
She mumbles something I can’t hear. “Hi, Daddy, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
She can’t fool me anymore with the air of nonchalance in her voice, an “I can get away with this because it’s my dad” tone.
“Come to my office tomorrow at twelve, Charlotte. Don’t be late,”
I snap and end the call. I head to the lift, but Spencer has already gone.
By the time I reach my apartment, the place is dark and quiet. Is he here, or has he decided to leave when I was on the phone? He’s probably in bed. At least we’ll be able to talk. I am an idiot not to see how I hurt him by disregarded his valid points.
In my bed is a Spencer-shaped lump. I let out a relieved breath. I quickly finish my nighttime routine, dump my clothes into the laundry basket, and walk naked to the bed.
“Spencer.”
I stroke my hand down his arm. He lies on his side, his back to me, but I don’t miss the way he tenses under my touch. “Please, little one, let me apologise to you.”
It takes at least a minute for him to answer. “What are you apologising for?”
That’s a fair question.
“I’m sorry I dismissed you. That I brushed aside your feelings and defended Charlotte. She was wrong to behave like she did, and I was wrong to allow it.”
I want to touch him again, pull him into my arms, kiss him.
Spencer slowly rolls over to face me. “She ruined what was supposed to be a wonderful night. I told you I loved you. I’ve never said those words to anyone. You may think I’m the selfish one for wanting the night to be about me, about us. But even when she wasn’t there, she managed to get between us.”
“I know, little one. You’re not selfish for wanting us to have a great night. For me, it was still a wonderful evening. If Charlotte had turned up, I doubt Nate would’ve told us what Morgan was to him. He would’ve carried on saying he was a friend. It was you who encouraged him to be bold and own his life. That was amazing, Spencer. You’re amazing.”
“Can we drop this now? I’m sure you’ll be in touch with her, and what you say to her is up to you. I just want to go to sleep.”
“I don’t want to end tonight without you knowing how much I love you. Please, little one.”
“I do know.”
He moves in to kiss me, a brush of his lips over mine and finished far too quickly. He rolls over again, but it allows me to slot in behind him and pull him close to me.
I check the time. Dammit, Charlotte is late. She really is pushing her luck. After waking up with Spencer still against me, I took my time to rouse him and show him exactly how much I love him. We don’t talk about him moving in again, but I want to tonight.
Charlotte finally turns up nearly twenty minutes late. Even though she’s dressed in jeans and a white shirt, she looks every inch the rich girl. The cut of her clothes gives away the designer labels. She’s pushed her sunglasses up on her head, and her make-up is subtle, but it has probably taken her a long time to get that look. She’s the opposite of her brother. Nate is open and approachable with an easy smile. Charlotte goes through life as if she would brush aside anyone she doesn’t think is worthy of her attention.
Why had I never seen this? I give her an allowance because I don’t want her to have a job to get through university so she can focus on her studies. I also pay the rent on the house she lives in, but I doubt that’s all she spends the money on.
She chats with Debbie for a few minutes and eventually makes it to my office. Without knocking, she saunters in and gives me her “I’m your princess” smile.
“You’re late, Charlotte. Why?”
Her smile falters a little. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m here now. What did you want to see me about? Can we go to lunch to talk?”
No explanation as to why.
“Where were you last night?”
She tugs on her ear. “Yeah, sorry about dinner. I’d forgotten I’d already had plans. I’m sure you had a nice time with Nate and…”
She frowns. She’s forgotten Spencer’s name. With a flick of her hand, she dismisses him. “So, shall we go to lunch?”
“No. I’m angry with you, Charlotte. I invited you because I wanted you to meet Spencer. Yes, that’s his name. You embarrassed me in front of the man I love, and that is not acceptable.”
She reels back as if I slapped her, then bats her eyelashes. “I didn’t think it was that important. I thought it was just dinner. Nate was there, so it wasn’t like a total waste.”
“I want you to apologise to Spencer, and you’d better mean it. He’s going to be in my life for as long as he’ll have me. So drop the spoilt little girl act and grow up. I’ve given you whatever you want, but that’s stopping now.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Now she’s taking me seriously.
“I mean that I’m stopping your allowance. I’ll continue to pay your rent but nothing more. You’ve got away with far too much. If you want money, ask your mother. She has enough.”
“You can’t do that. What am I supposed to do?”
“Do what your brother did, get a job.”
“If I apologise to—”
She’s forgotten his name already. But she can wait a long time before I tell her. “To your boyfriend, I get my allowance back?”
“No, that’s stopping. You’re nearly twenty, Charlotte. I’ve mollycoddled you for too long. It’s time you stood on your own two feet. My boyfriend, whose name you’ve forgotten, worked all the way through uni and now works two jobs so he can save up for another course he wants to do. Take a leaf out of his book and take charge of your life. I expect to see you at my place tonight at six o’clock. Don’t you dare be late.”
I check my watch. “I have an appointment now. I’ll see you at six.”
I round my desk, give her a kiss on the cheek—which makes her flinch—and extend my arm to show her out.
She walks out the door, her face a mix of fury and “what the fuck just happened.”
Later in the afternoon, Nate rings. “Hi, Dad, well done. And if I may say so, it’s about time too.”
I sit back in my chair and chuckle. “You’ve spoken to Charlotte.”
“Not really. She spoke to me. For about twenty minutes without drawing breath. Are you really stopping her allowance?”
“I am. Not just because of her disrespect last night, which was appalling, but when I called her, she was out at another bar. Spencer was right when he said she was spoilt. I’ve told her to be at my place at six tonight with a full apology.”
“You know Mum gives her an allowance too?”
What the hell? That’s news to me. “No, I didn’t. I wonder if your mum knows Charlotte was getting one from me.”
“Oh, she knew. She said you should be paying after what you put us through. I’m sorry, Dad, but she still hates what you did.”
That isn’t news to me, but the fact that Nate knows hurts. “I’m sorry, Nate. I’d hoped she’d change when she met Cliff. I almost feel sorry for him.”
Nate laughs. “Anyway, I want to say thanks for a lovely night. We both had a good time, and Spencer is cool. I can see how in love you are with each other. It’s great, and I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Nate. That means a lot to me, and Morgan is a smashing guy.”
Nate’s support has given me something to smile about after a shitty day.