Chapter 7
Charlotte
Nine Months Earlier
I’m curled in Xander’s arms when my phone buzzes. I crawl over him to pick my phone up off the table then snuggle back into him.
He wakes up and yawns. “Everything okay?”
I pull open my messages. An unknown number is on the screen. I pop my code into the phone and read the message that also has Vivian and Quinn’s names on it. “It’s Piper. Does one of you have my phone?”
“Vivian has it,” I type just as Quinn and Vivian respond as well.
I show Xander. “I’m assuming this is Noah’s number?”
He glances at it. “Looks like it.”
I save the number under Noah.
Xander snatches my phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Making sure I have your number.” He grins at me, sends himself a text message from my phone, then programs his number in.
“I already told you I’d give it to you.”
He’s about to hand my phone back to me when a YouTube notification comes across it. He swipes the announcement, and a video of a doctor removing a cyst pops up.
“So, you really do love this stuff.” He grins at me.
“Yep. I get sucked into it.”
“You are seriously the hottest girl I’ve ever met, in so many ways.”
My cheeks heat.
We watch a few minutes of the video, commenting on things and laughing until he throws the phone on the bed and turns into me, resting his face on his elbow. “Do you ever go to New York?”
“Only once. I went with the girls to Times Square for New Year’s Eve.”
He rolls his eyes. “That is not the way to experience New York.”
“It was okay. I take it you don’t like drunks throwing up and peeing in the streets?”
“I always hated New Year’s Eve. The ambulance could hardly move.”
“Surgeons go in ambulances? Is that a New York thing?”
He strokes my hip. “No. Noah and I were paramedics. It’s how we paid for school.”
I jerk back in shock. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“Wow. That must have been a crazy schedule.”
He shrugs. “It was worth it.”
“So you were a paramedic and in med school. How is that even possible? Did you ever sleep?”
He grins. “I can run on very little.”
“So, when you leave my place, you won’t go crash at Noah’s?”
“Probably not. Speaking of Noah, what’s up with him and Piper?”
“Honestly, no clue. She said he’s an asshole. Is he?”
Xander shakes his head. “Not that I’m aware of. Noah said she hates him?”
“She didn’t act like she did.”
“Sounds messed up to me,” he comments.
“You said you move in a few months?”
“Probably four. Dr. Richardson hasn’t set his retirement date yet.”
“Dr. Richardson is who you’re taking over for?”
“Yeah, you know him?”
“I do. I assist him in his surgeries.”
Xander’s face brightens. “So, we might get to work together?”
“Probably.”
He licks his lips. “I guess I have even more to look forward to when I move to Chicago.”
I laugh as Xander’s phone buzzes.
He groans. “Ten bucks, that’s Noah.” Reading his phone, he puts his forehead on my chest, groaning again.
I kiss his forehead. “What’s so horrible?”
“Noah wants to meet up for breakfast. Piper slipped out on him. He’s freaking.”
I run my hand through his hair, disappointed he has to leave, but I put a smile on my face. “Sounds like he needs a friend right now.”
Xander picks his head up and kisses me. “He can wait,” he murmurs, and I once again get lost in a perfect storm of Xander and Charlotte.
I get a text from Xander later that day. “Noah’s a right mess.”
“What happened? Piper isn’t answering our calls or text messages.”
“She told Noah she has a hot date tonight and to stop bothering her.”
I roll my eyes and feel bad for Noah. “I am 99 percent sure that Piper does not have a date. Tell Noah to chill. She’s just trying to get under his skin.”
“Mission accomplished,” Xander writes back.
I send some crying emojis.
Xander sends a GIF of a knife stabbing a heart.
I text Piper. “You need to respond to us. What is going on?”
Xander sends me another text. “It appears I’m on friend duty all night. I want to see you before I go back. Can I take you to breakfast, or brunch, or whatever people do in Chicago on a Sunday?”
Excitement shoots through me, and it’s replaced with disappointment when I remember I have to work. “Sorry, I’m in surgery all day tomorrow. I won’t finish until two or possibly even four.”
Minutes go by then he responds, “Bummer. My flight leaves at four thirty. What time do you start work?”
“Four.”
“Early day. So what time do you leave your place to get to work by four? Just wondering for future reference.”
“Around three thirty.”
“Good to know. Noah’s freaking out again, so I have to go.”
“Have fun.”
He sends me a kiss emoji.
I send him one back.
I want to see Xander again. It sounds like the only way I’ll get to before he goes is if Piper answers her phone, and we can all somehow meet up. I call Piper again, but it goes to voice mail.
Damn it. I really like this guy, and four months will be a long time to wait.
It’s 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, and my phone rings. Xander’s name pops up on the screen.
Why is he calling me this early?
“Hey, is everything okay?” I answer.
“Your chariot awaits,” he says.
“My chariot?”
He laughs. “When you’re ready, come down. I’m in the black car outside your front door.”
I go to the window and peer down. It’s pitch-black except for the street lights, but I faintly make out a car sitting at the curb.
“You’re waiting for me?”
“Yep. Come down.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes I just need to finish getting ready.”
“No problem. See you soon.”
My heart beats faster, and I look in the mirror. My hair is in a bun for work, and I pull it out and try to make it nicer, securing the hair tie over my wrist for later.
A million thoughts are racing through my mind.
He came to see me again.
Is he seriously in the car?
Is this really happening?
Who is this guy?
Within minutes, I’m outside, and he steps out of the back of the car. He wraps me in his arms and kisses me. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. And especially not this early.”
“I told you I wanted to see you before I left.”
I’m smiling so big my face is hurting. “Well, it’s nice to see you again.”
He steps back, opens the door, and motions for me to get in.
Is this guy for real?
I get into the car, and he follows. The dividing window is closed.
“How do you take your coffee?” He opens a brown paper bag. I notice two cups in the holder.
“Cream, two sugars, not the fake crap.”
He mixes them into my cup, puts the lid back on, then adds the stopper to it. In one swift move, he pulls me onto his lap.
“You’re crazy,” I tell him.
“Crazy about you.”
My face flushes.
“Do you have a busy day?” he asks.
“Probably. I don’t know the full schedule until I get in.”
He nods.
“Did you get any sleep?” The back of my fingers graze his cheek.
He chuckles softly. “Nope.”
“You stayed up all night to surprise me?”
A cocky grin of pride floods his face. “Yep.”
I lean in and kiss him. He wraps his arms around me, as I part his lips with mine, slipping my tongue next to his. Flutters erupt in every cell of my body, and he pulls me in tighter against him.
“Thank you,” I murmur against his lips. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I lace my hands behind his head and melt into him, knowing in my heart he is special, different from all the other men who have ever been in my life, and that I want to see more of him.
We make out the entire way to my work. When the car stops, I don’t notice until the driver opens the door.
I pull back in surprise.
Xander looks at the driver. “Give us a minute, please.”
The driver nods and closes the door.
Xander pushes my hair back from my face. “I’ll text you his number. Text him ten minutes before you’re ready to leave, and he will drive you home.”
“I can get an Uber or cab,” I tell him quickly.
“No way. The driver will take you home. It’s already arranged.”
“All right. Thank you.”
He kisses me again.
I sigh. “I have to go or I’ll be late.”
He pecks me on the lips. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
I take the coffee from the cup holder. “Okay. Thanks for this and the ride.”
He winks at me. “Anytime.”
When I turn to go, he spins me back around and kisses me so passionately, my knees would buckle if I wasn’t seated.
“Don’t forget me.”
“I won’t.”
He pecks me one last time and I go into work. Inside the locker room, I run into Damon, my ex, who scowls at me. I ignore him and go about my business but can’t help feeling his scrutiny.
As quick as I can, I get ready, grab my coffee, and read the schedule. I leave the locker room and Damon’s nasty glares then head off to my first surgery.
I spend the day in several operations, trying to concentrate and not think about Xander, but it’s tough. He’s in my mind, and I can’t get him out.
When I’m done with my shift, I go to my locker and pull out my phone. He has texted me the driver’s number, and I notify the driver what time to pick me up.
The car is sitting at the curb when I step outside. The driver opens the door and I get in. On the seat is a massive bouquet of pink roses and a note.
I open the envelope.
Charlotte,
Don’t forget me.
XOXO,
Xander
PS - I miss you already.
Forget about him? As if that would ever be possible.
I glance at the time on my phone and know he’s on his plane, already in the air. I send him a text. “Don’t forget me. And I miss you, too.”