Chapter 51
CHAPTER 51
Charlee
Well, here I am, standing in front of Drew’s apartment again. I decided to do some old-fashioned groveling before breaking out the grand gesture, like my brother suggested. If this doesn’t work, I still have an awesome Hail Mary pass in my back pocket. It took me two days to come up with the idea, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s the perfect play.
I raise my fist to knock, but the door opens before I have a chance.
Devyn flinches in surprise as she practically runs into me. “Charlee!” She widens the door to reveal Drew standing right behind her. “Well, this is convenient.”
Huh?
She steps into the hallway and laughs at the confusion on my face. “I was just leaving. Go on in.”
Drew and I stare at each other for a few beats while she ducks into the stairwell.
I fidget nervously. “Hey. Is it okay if I come in?”
“Yeah…sure.”
I step into the apartment, but I don’t attempt to go beyond the small foyer. “I was hoping we could talk.”
“About what?”
I nod in the direction of his living room. “Can we sit?”
“Sure.”
Drew drops into his recliner, leaving me to take a seat on the couch. I hate how awkward this is, how I can’t just fold myself into his lap. Yeah, yeah, I hear you. I don’t really have anyone to blame but myself.
I take a deep breath. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry for the other night. I was wrong.”
He cocks his head to the side. “About what specifically?”
I meet his eyes. “That walking away from you was the only solution.”
His chest rises and falls. “What made you change your mind?”
“Honestly? Brody.”
A crease forms between his brows. “Care to elaborate?”
I sigh. “I spoke with him. Turns out, you were right. About everything . The whole ultimatum thing was his way of testing whether your feelings for me were genuine. He never had any intention of actually making you choose between us.”
A muscle jumps slightly in his cheek. “I see.”
He doesn’t look nearly as happy about that as I thought he would. “So…”
He lifts a brow. “So… what? ”
Fuck, this groveling shit is hard.
I wave my hand through the air. “So…that means that you and Brody are cool, and we can be together.”
Drew runs his hand over his jaw. “I don’t know if it’s that simple, Charlee.”
I shift until my feet are tucked beneath me. “It can be.”
He contemplates that for a minute. “Not really. As much as I’d like that to be true, it doesn’t change the fact that you don’t trust me.”
I flick my wrists with my palms turned upward. “What do you mean? Of course I trust you.”
He releases a heavy sigh. “No, you don’t. You needed validation from your brother. You didn’t have enough faith in me to take my word for it. And as far as Brody’s concerned, I can’t say that I’m okay with his little…test. He could’ve been upfront with me—actually said that he needed to see it for himself rather than play games.”
“What do you want me to do, Drew? Tell me, and I’ll do it.”
“Honey, I wish I knew. I was actually about to come see you, to try convincing you to ride it out with me. If you would’ve come here before talking to Brody, it would be completely different. You can say you trust me all you want, but your actions say otherwise. Trust is a key component in a relationship, Charlee. You can’t have one without it.”
I sigh. “That’s fair. But I don’t want to be without you, Drew. I never did. And I know you feel the same, so can’t we at least try?”
He gives me a sad smile. “I don’t know. I think I need some time.”
“How much time?”
Drew shakes his head. “I don’t know. Just time.”
I hang my head in my hands. “Okay. I guess I’ll just…head out now.”
He gets out of his chair and walks me to the door.
I hold my arms out. “Can I…can I at least have a hug before I go?”
Drew wraps his arms around me, holding me tight. I lock my hands around his waist and just breathe in his woodsy cologne.
He kisses the top of my head. “I love you, honey. I don’t want it to be like this, but I need time.”
I sniff back tears, nodding against this muscular chest. “I understand.”
He releases me much too soon and brushes my hair away from my face. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
I nod. “Okay.”
As he shuts the door, I know what I need to do. I’ll give him some space, but then it’s time to break out the big guns.