Chapter 32
COLTON
The past few months had been a whirlwind of excitement. There was a certain anticipation that I hadn’t felt in a long time, which had me reverting back to a giddy teenager with a dramatic crush.
And it all came down to Charlotte.
Since Annette’s fifty-fifth birthday, we had fast become acquaintances, and I’d even have gone so far as to call us friends. That night, we spoke for hours. She gushed about her travels, and I updated her on the few years she had been away.
It was comfortable and so fucking easy. I lapped up every single moment in her presence, and I was reluctant to let her go at all.
After that initial meeting, we miraculously kept on bumping into each other—in town, on walking tracks, or at the care home visiting her mum. Annette called me a borderline stalker. I called it opportunity.
Over the following weeks, we became close, which only proved what I already knew—Charlotte was a good person, all the way down to her core. She held no airs, her genuine nature easily shining through, making her irresistible to my corrupt soul.
Despite my wanting to pursue more, I held back, for her sake and mine. In all honesty, I was scared. Terrified that I would rush in too fast, bulldoze, force the connection and fuck everything up, like I had so thoroughly done in the past.
However, others didn’t hold the same sentiment.
Avery now referred to me as Pussy, and declared he would not revert back to my given name until I grew some balls and asked her out.
While Annette was prone to meowing at me on the odd occasion—usually when she caught me staring after her daughter like a lovesick fool.
I didn’t care, taking their jest in stride, since it actually felt nice to have someone care.
Nevertheless, everything soon came to a head as Annette left Charlotte and me in the garden gazebo of the care home, making up some random excuse.
We sat in comfortable quiet for a minute or two, though that didn’t stop my knee from bouncing.
“Charlotte, remember when I asked what you’d miss most about Europe?”
She chuckled. “Yes. Pulpo a la gallega. So delicious. I’ve tried a few recipes, but it’s not the same.”
“Well, ahh. There’s this authentic Spanish restaurant I’ve been meaning to try out, if you wanted to join me for dinner?” Geez, did my voice just crack? Who am I?
“Dinner? Like a… date?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“Depends. How fancy is the restaurant?” I could hear the smirk in her voice. I refused to look her way in case I turned any redder.
“Fancy,” I said.
“Definitely a date, then. Hmm. I’ll think about it.”
My head whipped to her accusingly, to find Charlotte holding back laughter, which spilled over in reaction to my earnest expression.
“I’m sorry.” She cackled. “I couldn’t help myself. Of course I’ll go with you, Colt. How could I ever pass up the opportunity for good food?”
I huffed out a large gust of air in relief. This girl will be the death of me.
Our night was magical, filled with laughter, teasing and subtle flirting, which was slowly turning blatant. The wine helped.
Charlotte was absolutely stunning, wearing a sophisticated black dress that complemented her figure. However, it was her red lips that had me tuned in and turned on.
She took a sip from her glass, licking a stray drop of wine from her bottom lip, which nearly had me groaning. I completely missed what she had said.
“Sorry. Repeat the question,” I offered, drinking from my own glass, taking half a second to get a hold of myself.
“I asked how many long-term relationships you have had?”
I shrugged. “I had a handful of flings, only casual, never serious. So, none?”
“Why?”
That answer was way too complicated and telling. I didn’t want to place more pressure on her, so I flipped the same question in return.
“What about you, Charlotte? How many serious relationships have you had?”
“I’ve had a couple of boyfriends. Some serious, others not.”
“Until Gareth?”
“Yes. Until Gareth.”
I tilted my head, gauging whether I should dig deeper. She didn’t seem perturbed. Instead, she was open to the line of questioning.
“Do I have to worry about your ex popping up around town? Because I plan on continuing these dates,” I said with a smug smile.
“Is that so?”
“Yep.” I fucking mean it, angel.
She flushed, averting her gaze from mine to get lost in the bottom of her glass. “He won’t be coming back. Gareth had completed his residency before we went overseas.”
“What happened over there? You left here an engaged woman and came back alone.”
“There were two main factors. The first was location. He wanted to move across the country, live in a big city. Staying here was never his intention, you see. He was just passing through.”
“Let me guess. You said no, since you didn’t want to leave your mother behind.”
“Not just because of her. Yes, she was the main deciding factor. But despite that, I do love this town. Whenever I dreamed of my future, it was always here.”
“You said there were two main reasons behind your separation. What was the second?”
She shrugged. “That comes down to something as simple as incompatibility. On paper, Gareth was the perfect man. Intelligent, attentive, ambitious. Yet, there was always something missing… An innate spark, maybe?” Her finger tapped against her chin in thought.
“It’s hard to explain unless you’ve felt it yourself. ”
I automatically nodded in agreement, then my mouth took over. “Like a signature imprint… As if there’s an internal magnet pulling you towards that person.”
Charlotte’s face lit up. “You’ve felt it too? That… pull?”
I held her gaze, giving her my truest self. “Yes. Once before.”
She blushed. “Same. Only once,” she murmured, almost hesitant.
As soon as she said it, that same gravitational force pulled taut between us, a connection awakening from a long slumber. My pulse spiked in response.
I gulped. “What happened to him? The man you felt this for.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“He broke my heart.”
“Maybe he didn’t know how to look after one? Maybe he’s trying his hardest to learn how to now so he never fails you again, never hurts you again.”
A heavy seriousness had befallen us. One that was pulsing with a signature energy.
“I can see that,” Charlotte said softly, her honest eyes boring into mine.
“Can you?” I asked, gently grasping her hand on top of the table. “Would you be willing to give that man a second chance? A clean slate? If he promised to cherish you like you should have always been treated?”
I couldn’t determine how our conversation had pivoted so suddenly, but I didn’t dare breathe until she answered. Then, my beautiful girl rewarded me with the most precious gift.
“Yes.”
I lowered my head and kissed the back of her hand, my lips sealing a promise into her skin.
I won’t let you down, Charlotte. You are my future, my everything.