Chapter 51
FIFTY-ONE
JUDE
The day at the club was just what I needed.
I was having so much fun that I even lost track of time talking with my friends after we finished the eighteen holes.
As soon as I realized the time, I raced home without even letting Charlotte know I was coming.
I was so excited to thank her for forcing me out of the house and for watching Ava that all I could think about was getting back to my girls.
Maybe that’s why I walked in the front door without even looking up first.
Or maybe why I didn’t even notice the fact that there was a car parked on the street that isn’t typically there.
Either way, finding my mom sitting in the living room next to Charlotte was the last thing I was expecting.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, setting my golf bag down in the entryway and closing the door. “Is Dad here? I thought you both were still out of the country.”
Mom immediately pushes herself off the couch and closes the distance to me.
“My boy,” she mutters, grabbing my face in her hands before lifting to her tiptoes to place a kiss to my cheek.
“We finished up our business early and couldn’t wait any longer to come meet our granddaughter.
We took the first flight home. We didn’t even go to our house here first; we came straight to your house from the airport. ”
I wrap my arms around my mom and pull her in for a hug.
I’m a little in shock to find her here. It was the last thing I expected, but I’m so happy to see her.
I hadn’t realized how much I needed the embrace from her until right now.
She immediately hugs me back, bringing me the relief only a hug from a mother can give.
I don’t know how long we stay that way. Eventually, I pull away and shake my head. “I can’t believe you were here and didn’t tell me. I would’ve left golf early or picked you up from the airport.”
Mom waves at the air dismissively. She takes a step back, but her gaze stays on me. “I wanted you to have the time out with your friends. If you’re going to be staying in the Hamptons for the summer with our granddaughter, then we plan on being here a lot. We’ll have lots of time together.”
“Does that mean you already met Ava?” I ask. Sadness tugs at my heart at the thought of missing that special moment. Guilt immediately follows when I realize I might’ve missed it because I was out golfing instead.
“We did—very briefly before she made it clear she needed a nap—but your friend Charlotte made sure to take photos of all of it. She said you wouldn’t want to miss it.”
Relief and another feeling I can’t put my finger on run through me at her words.
I look over my mom’s shoulder to Charlotte, who still sits on the couch with an unreadable look on her face.
Her hands are in her lap, and there doesn’t seem to be any color in her face as she looks between my mom and me.
“Thank you,” I get out, my voice suddenly hoarse. I’m sure it was a lot for my parents to show up unannounced, and I appreciate that even in the chaos, she thought of me enough to capture the moment so I can look back on it.
Charlotte gives me a forced smile, and I fight the urge to ask why she seems uncomfortable.
She lets out a long sigh before standing up and walking closer to us.
She stops a few feet away, clearly unsure of where she’s supposed to stand in all of this.
I want to wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side, but I don’t know if that’s something she’d want me doing with my mom here.
“It was no problem,” she mutters. “I really wanted you to feel like you didn’t miss anything.”
“Thanks, Char. I really appreciate that.” I stare at her, trying to figure out if she’s acting weird.
Maybe she just doesn’t know how to act with my parents showing up unexpectedly.
I feel bad she was here alone and that she didn’t have any kind of warning.
My parents love to get involved in my life, and they do meddle, but I thought they’d give me a warning before showing up.
Charlotte looks at my mom for a moment before her gaze returns to me. “Well, I’ve got to get out and run some errands, so I’m going to let you guys catch up while I’m gone.”
She grabs her keys and bag from the entryway table before slipping on her shoes and leaving without saying anything else.
I watch the door for a moment, wondering why I have a gut feeling that something is wrong.
I know my mom just got here, and I might be overthinking it, but I follow Charlotte out the front door anyway, leaving my mom standing inside alone.
“Hey,” I call after Charlotte, shocked by how far she’s made it in the little time it took for me to follow her out.
She doesn’t look back. “I’m just going to run some errands. The baby monitor is in the living room. Enjoy the time with your parents.”
A knot forms in my stomach because she hasn’t even looked at me, but I can tell by her voice that something is wrong. I grab her by the arm, needing her to look at me. “Char,” I all but plead. “Don’t go. You can stay.”
She turns to look at me, and it feels like a punch to the gut the moment her eyes meet mine. Something’s definitely wrong, and I don’t know what. When I left this morning, everything seemed perfect. Now, I can almost see her physically building back up the walls between us.
“You should get back inside,” she tells me, her voice composed but void of any emotion.
I shake my head. “Not when I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
She shakes her head, but it’s hard to miss the way her lip slightly trembles.
“Nothing’s wrong. Nothing’s happened. I just feel like you should have some time with Ava and your parents that doesn’t involve me.
” The smile she gives me is completely fake, and I don’t want it.
I want the one she gave me this morning.
The one that reached her eyes. The one where she looked at me like I was something special.
Now, she looks at me like all she wants to do is get away.
“You’re lying,” I say, hating the hurt that’s clear in my voice. “Is it my parents? I’m sorry. I’m sure it was a shock for them to just show up, and I’m sorry you were alone when they arrived. I shouldn’t have left; I should’ve been home.”
Charlotte’s eyes soften slightly as she shakes her head again. “No. They were insistent they were happy you got out. Everything’s fine. I just need out of the house to run some errands.”
My jaw clenches as I fight the urge to press her for more.
I know her well enough to know that something had to have happened and that something’s bothering her.
There’s nothing I want more for her than to just tell me so we can figure it out together, but if she doesn’t trust me enough to confide in me, then there’s nothing I can do.
I hate the feeling of her keeping something from me.
I thought we were working past that, but it’s clear she doesn’t want to tell me what’s upset her, and I can’t force her to want to talk to me.
I reach out and cup her cheek. She flinches at first, and it breaks something inside me. Still, she leans into my touch and doesn’t pull away. I soak in the feeling of my skin against hers, trying to tell myself that everything will be fine.
“Whatever it is, just talk to me. We’ll figure it out.”
Her eyes scan my face, and for a brief moment, it feels like she just might tell me. Hope blooms in my chest as her shoulders relax and her eyes soften. I stay quiet, hoping that if I don’t break the silence, she’ll tell me whatever it is so we can handle it together.
“Can I ask you somethin—”
“Everything okay out here?” my mom calls out.
Charlotte’s posture immediately goes rigid all over again. She swats my hand away and backs up until her body is pressed against her car.
My hand drops as I look over my shoulder at my mom. She’s walked out far enough that she stands on the sidewalk, her arms folded across her chest as she watches Charlotte and me closely.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I assure my mom, unsure why she even felt the need to come out here in the first place. I know she means well to check in, but I was so close to getting Charlotte to just tell me what’s wrong, but the moment my mom showed up, Charlotte went back to shutting me out.
When I look back at Charlotte, dread seeps into my bones because it’s obvious the walls are back up. She stares at my mom, an unreadable look in her eye before she looks back at me. I get another fake smile from her, and I hate it.
“Go back inside,” she tells me, her voice shaking slightly. “I’ll see you later.”
I sigh, but with my mom still standing out here, I don’t want to make a scene. “But I’ll see you later?” I confirm, needing to know eventually she’ll open up to me about what’s wrong. “We’ll talk more about this then?” I ask, not missing how pitiful my voice sounds.
Charlotte pulls her bottom lip between her teeth but nods. “Ava went down not too long ago, so she should sleep for a while. Enjoy the time with your parents.”
Before I can even respond, she’s yanking open the door to her car and immediately shutting it. I hate that she doesn’t even spare me a second glance as she backs out of the driveway and leaves.
When I left this morning, everything seemed great. I had my girls, and I was able to get out and see my friends and finally accept there’s a way for me to balance my old life with my new one. Somehow, in the span of a few hours, everything seems to have gone wrong, and I don’t even know why.
“She’s a nice girl,” my mom notes, interrupting me from my thoughts.
I turn around and face her. I scan her face, wondering if she has any idea why Charlotte is acting weird. If my mom knows, she doesn’t give any indication. She stares back at me with a soft smile, acting as if nothing has happened at all.
“Yes, she is. She’s the best,” I say, watching my mom closely.
I want to add that no one compares to her. That she’s mine, but judging by the way she just ran out, I don’t even know if that’s the case. I want her to be mine. But the way she just looked at me makes it feel like she wants nothing to do with me.
“Let’s get inside and say hi to your father.”
I stare at my mom for a little longer. I search her face, trying to figure out if something happened with her and Charlotte.
I don’t think so. They’re both so easy to love, I can’t imagine them not getting along.
But I can’t help but shake the uneasy feeling that something clearly did happen.
I don’t think Charlotte would’ve run out the way she did if it didn’t.
I nod, knowing there’s nothing else I can do until Charlotte comes back home. When she does, I’ll ask her what’s wrong and what happened. Until then, I’ll try to enjoy having my parents here to meet my daughter and spend time with us.
For the next few hours, I can’t shake that even though it’s great to spend time with Ava and my parents, it still doesn’t feel like my entire family is together. It feels like there’s a missing piece, and that piece is Charlotte.