Chapter 14
COLTON
I woke up as if I were in a dream. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so at peace.
My appointment with the Tems’ lawyer was scheduled for late afternoon, so I had the rest of the day to fill. Usually, that would have imbued me with dread, feeling trapped with no exit or escape.
However, any sense of pressure had vanished, replaced by the impression of a certain woman cuddled into my side.
Charlotte stirred, her sleepy brown eyes opening to mine, swallowing me in their creamy depths.
“Morning,” she said, a shy blush staining her cheeks.
“Hi.” How can she be so freaking adorable?
She smirked, unconsciously pressing in closer. “What are your plans for today?”
“Nothing until later.”
“Well, I’m going to visit my mum this morning. They have a post-Thanksgiving lunch at her care home, and I offered to help. You’re welcome to come, but if you—”
I was starving for more of her. Anything she was willing to give. So, I cut her off and said, “I’d love to come with you.”
I soaked in her bright smile and stepped into the morning with renewed optimism.
We showered and shared breakfast together, then jumped in her car, where she gave me the rundown of her past.
Her parents had been involved in a terrible car accident three years before. It was a concoction of icy roads, bad weather and a wrong turn that resulted in her losing her father, and her mother losing the use of her legs due to a spinal cord injury.
The retelling was devastating, yet Charlotte seemed composed, saying she had become accustomed to her new way of living.
“Except for certain times, like you saw last night,” she said, referring to the late-night cemetery visit.
“Someone once told me, ‘Healing is not linear or straightforward.’”
She chuckled. “That person sounds like a genius.”
“Well, she is ancient. Super old. I think she has dementia now.”
She scoffed, shaking her head in amusement.
Annette Chambers, Charlotte’s mother, was a mighty force all on her own. Being confined to a wheelchair didn’t diminish her boisterous nature or sharp wit. I liked her.
Annette had coerced me into pushing her around the beautiful gardens out the back of the facility while her daughter volunteered to help set up for lunch. I didn’t mind, soaking in the fresh air and new company until her voice cut through the ambience.
“What are your intentions with my daughter?” Annette asked, glancing over her shoulder.
“Ahh. Charlotte’s a good friend.”
“Hmm, she must consider you the same, since you’re the first boy she’s introduced to me.”
I smiled. “Honestly, I think she felt sorry for me. I’m alone for the holidays, and Charlotte, being the person that she is, took pity on me.”
Annette soon motioned for a vacant gazebo. I parked her wheelchair looking out at the grounds, as I leant my elbows on the railing beside her to take in the view.
I could sense her eyes drilling into the side of my face, scoping me out. I didn’t mind. There wasn’t much to look at.
“How’d you meet Charlotte?”
My lips tilted upward. “We met over a year ago. Charlotte was my mother’s nurse up until she passed.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. You’ve raised an amazing daughter.”
“Don’t I know it,” she said, voice laced with pure love and admiration. “She never wanted to send me here, you know. After we lost Robert, Charlotte wanted to look after me herself, be my primary carer. I refused. That’s probably the biggest fight we’ve ever had.”
“Why didn’t you want her to take care of you?”
“Because I didn’t want to burden her. I know my girl. She would have sacrificed everything for me, and I love her for that. But I want more for her. Charlotte deserves to live her life to the fullest without her mother holding her back.”
“I doubt she sees it that way,” I said, knowing I would have given anything for my mother as well. Everything.
“I know that’s not how she sees it, but that’s not for her to decide. I am still her mother. Just because I’ve lost the use of my legs doesn’t negate that role.”
I smirked, which prompted her to ask, “What?”
I shook my head. “You’re both so selfless and caring. It’s fucking sickening.”
We both cackled, our joint laughter filling the gazebo.
Once we sobered, I confessed and gave her a part of me. “I wish my dad had the same mentality. But since my mum died, he’s become someone I don’t recognise.”
“Grief can transform the best of us, distort who we are, who we always thought we were.”
I tilted my head in agreement, knowing that to be the irrevocable truth.
We stood there a couple of minutes longer, soaking in the setting and company, when she broke the silence.
“We’d better get back. Time for lunch.”
As I readied to leave, Annette placed her hand on mine, squeezing just a little. “Charlotte has been through a lot these last few years, which has made her resistant to change or anything new. It takes a lot for her to trust, to let people in.”
Everything she said was so fucking relatable. I suffered from the same demons, faced the same hurdles. And I’d conquered the first one last night, with the same girl who had always been there for me.
“I understand,” I said, with the utmost sincerity.
“Bringing you here is a big move, Colton. Don’t make her regret it.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to protect Charlotte. I’d never hurt her,” I vowed.
If only I knew that declaration would be tried and tested much sooner than I expected.