20. Charlie
20
Charlie
I told her. At first, she was scared—I could see it in her eyes. But then, something shifted. That fear melted into something else, something I recognized instantly. She was flattered. Tipsy, sure, but I knew my Ana. She was thrilled. And then she teased me so fucking hard I fell in love with her all over again.
I had to turn our phones off as she drifted off to sleep. After my grand display of affection for over fifteen million people, the constant buzzing and lighting up of notifications drained the batteries quickly. My team knew where I was. Hers would know too.
I stared at her olive skin, the faint moonlight seeping through the window as she slept soundly. I couldn’t stop thinking about how incredible she was. Tonight had surpassed anything I could have dreamed of. The way she controlled me completely—it was everything I could have ever wanted. I surrendered entirely and she still wanted me, even after what she learned. That was just another sign that she could understand me, love me, despite everything.
And I realized I would do anything to keep what we had. Anything.
I fell asleep at some point, anxiety coursing through me. What if she changed her mind in the morning? What if, sober, she realized how horribly I had behaved?
When she stirred in the morning, my eyes bolted open, bracing for an inevitable argument.
“Good morning, mi diosa ,” I whispered, trailing kisses from her arm to her neck as she stretched lightly, her eyes blinking open.
Her expression was a storm of emotions.
“Good morning, mi vida ,” she murmured, though her face didn’t match the gentleness of her voice.
“How did you sleep? How are you feeling?” I asked, the knots in my stomach tightening as I rested on my elbow, watching her.
She sighed heavily. “We need to address last night, Charlie.”
I knew it. She’s going to end things. I nodded, already bracing for whatever she had to say, arguments forming in my head.
“You can’t be surprised I declared my love like that.” I grinned, trying to distract her. “In fact, I’m sure you expected it, didn’t you?”
She blinked, unamused. “It’s not that, Charlie. And I think you know that,” she said with mild annoyance as she sat up, her bare body exposed as the sheets fell.
My grin disappeared and my heart continued its rapid pace.
“You have to stop this, baby,” she said softly. “Trying to protect me from danger that isn’t even there. Things are getting ugly and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
I felt tears well up. “I know,” I said, my voice cracking. “Forgive me, Ana. I just…” I shook my head. “I just love you so much. It’s making me do crazy things, things I never thought I was capable of.”
She gently cupped my cheek and I leaned into her touch, closing my eyes.
“I love you, Charlie. But I’m safe, baby. I’m safe with you.” Her words sent a wave of goosebumps over my body and I pressed my lips to her palm.
But then a sudden, loud knock interrupted us.
“Fuck!” I snapped, my head whipping towards the door as I jumped up to look out the window.
The view was blocked by the dense greenery surrounding the cottage. Beside me, Ana sighed, grabbing her robe from the closet.
“Who is it?” she asked, peering outside.
“Mom!” came an angry voice.
Sloane .
“ Ay, mierda ,” Ana muttered, tying her robe as she walked into the living room.
I looked down at my nude body and cursed under my breath. This was the downside of being in the same city as her family. I couldn’t wait to get back to our bubble in New York.
I slipped on a pair of sweatpants and stayed back, listening as Ana opened the door.
“Mom! I’ve been trying to reach you since last night. What the hell?” Sloane’s voice rang through the small space.
“My phone died, Sloane,” Ana replied, exasperation clear in her voice.
“So charge it!” Sloane snapped.
I was about to walk into the living room but stopped myself, wanting to hear as much as I could before they noticed me.
“That’s the least of my worries right now,” Ana responded quietly.
Sloane’s voice dropped to match hers. “The least ? You mean after Charlie confessed his love for you in front of the entire world?”
“Why do you say it like that?” Ana asked defensively.
“Because it’s so fucking intense, Mom,” Sloane bit back. “ He’s intense. I feel like he’s…”
“He’s what ?” Ana’s tone sharpened.
“He’s too much for you. How long has it been since you split from Dad? How long have you actually been on your own? I thought he was just some fun little rebound while you figured things out, but now he’s telling anyone who’ll listen that he’s in love with you.”
What the fuck is wrong with that?
“So what’s wrong with that? Don’t I deserve to be loved?” Ana snapped.
“Of course you do, Mom. But I feel like you’re losing yourself in him,” Sloane said after a pause.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I walked out into the hallway and into the kitchen, letting my footsteps creak on the old hardwood floor. They both went silent as I poured myself a glass of water, taking my time before turning to go into the living room.
“Good morning, Sloane,” I said with a smile, sliding my arm around Ana’s waist.
“Hey, Charlie,” she muttered, her gaze flicking to my shirtless chest before returning to Ana. What would Callan think of that?
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” I asked, glancing around. “Where’s your fiancé?”
Sloane crossed her arms. “In the car. I told him I wouldn’t be long. Just wanted to make sure my mom was still alive after not hearing from her,” she said sarcastically, her gaze narrowing on Ana.
Ana sighed heavily, putting a hand on her hip.
“Nothing to worry about when she’s with me,” I teased, though Sloane didn’t crack a smile.
“I’m leaving,” she said abruptly, uncrossing her arms and heading for the door. “Call me when you charge your phone, Mom. Bye, Charlie.”
The door slammed behind her and Ana sighed heavily again.
“She’s just being protective,” she said, as if she already knew I’d have something to say.
“Protective?” I repeated. “That’s what you call barging in here and basically telling you I’m not good enough? That I’m too much ?”
“Charlie,” Ana said softly, her eyes narrowing just slightly. “She’s my daughter. She worries about me. She’s allowed to have her opinions.”
“Opinions?” I scoffed, shaking my head. “Ana, what she said wasn’t just an opinion—it was a warning. She thinks I’m dangerous for you, like I’m some…problem you’ve decided to take on.” My voice was rising and I could feel the anxiety building in my chest. “And you didn’t even stand up for me.”
Ana furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. “Don’t put this on me,” she snapped. “Sloane has seen me at my worst, Charlie. She’s watched me get hurt and she’s scared it’s going to happen again. That’s where this is coming from.”
“So I’m just some ticking time bomb in her eyes? Something you need to be careful around?” My voice was sharper than I intended but I couldn’t stop myself. “How is she ever going to come around if you don’t push back? If you let her think it’s okay to—”
“Charlie, stop.” Ana’s voice cut through my rant like a knife and I froze. “You don’t get to tell me how to handle my daughter. She’s protective because she loves me. She doesn’t know you like I do, and she’s scared. But that doesn’t mean I love you any less or that I don’t defend you in my own way.”
I swallowed hard, guilt and frustration clashing in my chest. “I just feel like…she’s trying to sabotage us, Ana.”
“That’s not fair,” Ana snapped, her voice trembling. “She’s my child, Charlie. Of course she’s going to be wary of someone new in my life. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t want me to be happy. It means she cares. And you pushing me like this is not helping.”
Her words hit me like a slap. I saw the flicker of hurt in her eyes and my chest tightened with panic. “Ana,” I said quickly, stepping forward and grabbing her hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just…” My voice cracked and I shook my head, feeling the weight of my worries crashing down. “I’m so scared of losing you. I can’t stand the thought of anything, or anyone, getting in the way of what we have.”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly, but she didn’t pull her hands away. “You’re not losing me, Charlie. But you have to understand that Sloane is my daughter. She’s always going to be a part of my life, and if you want to be in it too, you have to find a way to coexist with her.”
I’m pushing her again. I’m making this worse. Stop, Charlie.
“I will,” I said desperately, squeezing her hands. “I swear, I will. I’m sorry, Ana. Please don’t be upset with me. Please.”
Her gaze softened, though the tension between us didn’t seem completely erased. “I’m not mad,” she said after a moment, her voice gentler now. “I just need you to trust me. Sloane will come around. She’s stubborn, but she will. I know she will.”
I nodded quickly. “I trust you. I do. I just…” I trailed off, my words faltering. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”
Ana exhaled and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around me. I buried my face in her shoulder, holding her tightly as if that could erase the mess I just made.
“I love you,” I murmured shakily into her neck.
“I love you too,” she replied softly. “We’re a package deal, Charlie. You have to remember that.”
“I know. I’ll remember,” I promised, though the knot of doubt in my chest didn’t entirely fade.
As she held me, whispering reassurances I didn’t deserve, my thoughts turned sour. Sloane wasn’t the problem. She was protective and I couldn’t fault her for loving her mum enough to worry. But I knew Callan was a different story. I could feel his fingerprints all over this. He probably had been dropping hints, making little comments to Sloane about how I wasn’t right for Ana, how I was “too much.” He barely hid his disdain for me since Ana and I have been together, so why wouldn’t he use Sloane to make his point?
He had no right to weigh in on Ana’s life or shape how Sloane saw me.
It made my skin crawl. Callan didn’t know me. He didn’t see what Ana and I had. All he saw was an opportunity to plant doubt, to play the steady, reliable presence while I got painted as some reckless wildcard. And Sloane probably didn’t even realize she was carrying his words when she called me intense, when she told Ana I was too much. She didn’t deserve my anger.
I forced myself to push the bitterness down. Ana didn’t need to see me tense and wound up. She had already forgiven me for what happened with Sarah, then reassured me after Sloane’s visit, and the last thing I wanted was to give her more reasons to doubt me.
But as I held her, burying my face in the curve of her shoulder, I couldn’t help the thought: If it weren’t for him, maybe Sloane wouldn’t even have these doubts in the first place.
My need for digging up something on Callan was now my priority. I didn’t know what I was looking for yet. Maybe there was nothing at all to find. But I wasn’t going to sit back and let him sabotage me in Ana’s life. If there was a weakness in his armor, I’d find it.