Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Charlie
The next several months passed in a blur.
Olivia wasn't exaggerating when she said she was overwhelmed and behind. After seeing how much she's been doing alone, I'm shocked it wasn't worse. She’s running a multi-million-dollar company by herself and as much as I love Dan, he’s solely focused on his career right now. I haven’t minded the challenges it’s all brought, though.
It’s kept me plenty busy—a respite from everything that happened in South Carolina.
I drove the motorhome back to Heartsville a few weeks ago.
The detective on the case, Detective Paul, thought that it was important that I be at the trial and give my victim impact speech.
Carter never stopped looking at me—the obsession still lurking under that creepy smile.
The way he watched me even had Detective Paul on edge, so I left immediately after I gave my statement.
To my relief, Connie stayed and was the one to tell me he would be going to prison.
Evidently, I wasn't the first of Carter's victims. When he was a minor, he was stalking a girl he went to high school with.
Because of his age and social standing, he barely received a slap on the wrist. This time, though, he wasn't so lucky.
The same judge who presided over his original case, Judge Shapiro, was appointed to this case.
Not only did she remember him, she was determined to ensure justice was served this time around.
Carter received the maximum sentence—five years— and was ordered to undergo mandatory counseling for his behavior.
I was on a flight out of there the day after the judge gave her ruling. Back to my new home. My safe place.
I'm not going to lie and say it hasn't been hard to readjust back to normal life, but it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Especially now that the contractors have finally finished making our office building beautiful—if you can call a brick building beautiful. The second floor has the set-up of most people’s dream home. The full kitchen itself is a masterpiece—I don’t even like cooking but I might start just so I can use all the fancy equipment.
The game room has a huge TV, bean bag chairs, and a Lego table that is bigger than my kitchen.
Our actual "office" has views of the Cascade Mountains that take my breath away every time I look out the window.
Olivia and I have been exhausting ourselves the last few weeks, making sure we have everything we could ever need for the office and a new baby.
Her due date is next week, but that hasn't stopped her from working.
She walks up and down the stairs, carrying “light” boxes, claiming she's trying to induce labor. Meanwhile, it only worries Dan and me that she’s overexerting herself.
We both end up doing double the amount of work so that it's done faster and she will just sit. So far, it isn't working.
Finally, after an exhausting number of trips up the stairs, Dan couldn’t handle it anymore. "Olivia! Please, baby, just stay up here and start organizing. We know that you can handle all of the work, but Charlie and I can't handle watching you do it."
Her eyes narrowed in response, looking fully pissed off.
I almost laugh every time I see her so angry. She's been like this for the last three weeks. Everything he says sets her off, and I can tell he's scrambling to appease her.
"I'm fine!" She growls out.
"Yes, you are!" I offer my insincere support. "Get things moving! That way, when it's time, you'll be so tired that they'll have to give you a c-section. Just lay back and let them do all the work." I shrug nonchalantly, knowing that's exactly what she doesn't want.
She huffs at me but takes a seat at her new desk. "Whatever."
I make eye contact with Dan and wink. His shoulders visibly relax, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s stressing himself out, watching her stress out.
One a.m., and my phone starts ringing, startling me awake from a nightmare that Carter was in my bed again.
Only this time, to add an extra layer of horror, it was my bed in Three Sisters.
I don’t have nightmares that often but when I do, my entire day is ruined.
Shaking off the vivid dreams isn’t an easy feat.
Especially because the threat is still there.
Someday, Carter will get out of prison and I highly doubt he isn’t going to be looking for revenge, or even worse, still be obsessed with me.
I see Dan’s name on the caller ID and immediately answer.
“Char, it’s time. Pop is staying with Ben, and we are almost to the hospital. Olivia wants to know if you’ll meet us there.”
The emotion from the dream must still be coursing through my veins because all of a sudden I’m crying as I throw my shoes and winter jacket over my pajamas while rushing out the door.
In such a short amount of time, the Turners have become my family. Inviting me to see the birth of their new child feels like the biggest blessing I’ve had in a long time. Since I first met them, really.
I made it to the hospital in Bend in record time, practically skidding into the parking lot. Levi follows suit, backing his behemoth of a truck in next to my car.
He jumps out, wearing sweatpants and a short-sleeve tee. Apparently, he was in the same rush that I was to get here. At least I grabbed a jacket, though.
He flings my door open and gasps in pretend shock. “Thought I was the only one invited to this shindig!”
“I can’t believe you were even invited at all!”
He laughs, “Technically, I was invited to wait in the waiting room. Total B.S., if you ask me. I’ve delivered babies before, and I know how all the parts work.” He hints suggestively.
I roll my eyes as we walk up to the hospital. “Yes, that’s exactly what your sister-in-law wants to hear.”
“Told her the same thing when Ben was born but she wouldn’t let me in then either.”
Levi greets the staff by first name as we walk through the sterile halls. Everyone here loves him, smiling and waving, congratulating him on being an uncle again. He’s got a big heart, hidden beneath all that sass and sarcasm.
“Think you’ll settle down? Maybe have kids someday?” He’s a few years from thirty, but his brother has been married for almost five years.
He gives me that signature lopsided grin and wink. “You offering?”
Chuckling, I shut him down with ease. “You’re too old for me.”
“True and you're still wrapped up in that ex of yours.” Isn’t that the truth?
Levi’s always been a flirt, but he flirts with everyone. He’s like a golden retriever that wants to be loved, but the second he gets attention, he’s on to the next. Almost like Everett. Matter of fact, that's probably why I like him so much. He’s just easy to be around.
“To answer your question, though, probably not. I’ll leave the marriage and babies to Dan. At least we know he won’t fuck it up.”
I almost get a chance to question him on what that means, but we get to labor and delivery and he takes a seat in the waiting room.
Knocking once, I open the door to Olivia’s dark and quiet room.
She’s bouncing on a large ball next to the bed and gritting her teeth. “Why the hell don’t I want the drugs again?”
Dan places his head into his hands before groaning. “Don’t answer that. It’s a trick question.”
Walking up to her, I gently put my hand on her shoulder. “You said that you want to have the most natural birth possible, but if that’s changed, we can grab the doctor and get that needle jammed right into your spine.”
She looks at me with horror in her eyes and then sighs.
“No, I’ll be fine.” Right as she gets the last word out, a contraction hits, and she doubles over in pain.
A slew of curse words that would put my brother and Hayes to shame are released from her.
I glance at Dan, who looks both amused and terrified.
The nurse comes in, helping to guide Olivia back to the bed and check her dilation.
“It’s time!” The nurse sings songs as she takes off the gloves that she just put on. “Let me grab the doctor and we can deliver this little girl.”
Within fifteen minutes and a couple pushes, a tiny baby is placed into Olivia’s arms.
Dan cuts the umbilical cord and I try to take several photos but honestly, they’re probably blurry with how much I’ve cried.
“Want me to go tell Levi?”
Dan nods as he blinks away tears. “Thanks, Charlie.”
I walk out to the waiting room with tears still streaming down my face.
Seeing a dad so happy to welcome his baby girl into the world has me choked up.
I can’t help but think of my dad and how much I miss him.
I’ve seen all the photos of my birth, and my dad looked the same way; starstruck and glowing with love and adoration.
Of course, my thoughts also went to Hayes.
Will he be this happy someday? Will it be me he’s looking at like that, or another woman?
Levi jumps out of his chair when he sees me in a panic and I run into his arms. “They’re okay! One healthy baby, and her mom did amazing!”
He squeezes his arms around my shoulders tighter before relaxing his shoulders and pulling back.
“What’s with the crying, then?”
I fan my face and a sad laugh bubbles out. “It was just so sweet, ya know? Seeing Dan with this tiny baby and how proud he was of Olivia.”
“Shit.” He looks toward where I walked from. “I’m gonna cry too.”
“Probably, you’re even sappier than I am.”
“Says the woman with snot running out of her nose.” He grins back.
We both go back into the room after we’ve given them some time with Ellie. Eleanor Anne Turner, to be exact. Levi coos at her and holds her like he’s done it a thousand times. I don’t know why he’s so hell bent on thinking he wouldn’t be a good dad, because he’s a really great uncle.