“Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up.”—Tate Linden
Charlotte tried to ignore the nerves jumping in her belly and concentrated on putting the last touches on her wall mural. It was all coming together. She had to finish sanding and staining the floors, paint the entire house, and deal with the property. She wasn’t the best at landscaping, so she’d have to get someone to do some magic. And of course, the roof. Unfortunately, she was low on funds, even by saving on some other projects. She’d had to replace the refrigerator and stove, which came out higher than she thought after deciding to get a higher-level brand. The kitchen was the core of the house, and damned if she’d offer crappy appliances to a family. She’d have to wait a bit longer to save up for a roof, but she’d get there.
There was no reason Brady needed to be here to paint or work on floors. The main portion of the renovation was behind them, which meant his time was coming to an end.
And their time together.
She’d left before he woke, slipping out of bed around dawn.
She dragged in a breath, trying to ignore her aching heart when she thought of not being with Brady. Last night, she’d told him the truth. She was in love with him. What she hadn’t expected was the words given back with a truth that devastated her. But she had already made her decision, and nothing would change her course.
Brady had always been truthful about his needs. He had a right to marry someone who would fit into his family. Someone who wanted kids quickly and embraced the role of housewife and mother. Someone happy without a career or the constant need to challenge her husband’s leadership.
Someone who wasn’t her.
They were opposites, a complete mismatch of wants, and furthering their relationship would only hurt them more when it ended.
She couldn’t do it. Every day she fell deeper in love with the man. He spoke to her soul in a way she’d never experienced and transported her body to places she’d never gone. He was the man of her dreams, but because she loved him so much, she needed to let him go.
To find the woman who was meant for him.
“You did it.”
She spun around at his familiar voice. He was looking at the mural, his expression full of respect and a touch of awe. Her voice was a bit creaky when she forced herself to speak. “You like it?”
He walked farther into the room, taking in the picture. She’d stuck with a Tuscan theme, but instead of gently rolling hills and distant colors, she’d created a pop-out graffiti effect of a house with a red tiled roof perched on the top of a tall hill. Earthy colors and splashes of burgundy contrasted with dots of stark white. It was a piece of art that seemed to pull a gaze and hold it; a mural that would never get boring and always be a conversation starter. The colors and image blended with the wood and white cabinets and gave the room a completely new look.
“Yes. But I’m not surprised. I should’ve learned to trust you from the beginning.” He paused, then met her gaze. Her chest ached with need for him when she looked into his beautiful, dark eyes. Those lush lashes. Brown skin. Cleft chin. Wavy black hair. He was so gorgeous everything hurt just to look at him, because yesterday she had the right to touch him, kiss him, laugh with him.
“You could say the same with me,” she said quietly. “I guess we changed each other’s minds.”
“I guess we did.” He studied her for a while. “You left.”
“Yes. I had to.”
“Why?”
Her voice was steady but her heart was already in pieces. “Because I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
He jerked back, pain flickering over his face. She tamped down the need to go to him and soothe the hurt. Take her words back and say she’d do anything to make it work. But this was the only way and she had to follow her gut.
“Why?”
“I can’t do this anymore. Please understand. You said it well. I’m ten years younger than you. I don’t know yet what I want or when I even want to settle down. If we stay together, you could lose too much time looking for the woman you’re meant to marry. A woman like your family wants.”
“We can take it slow. Take more time. See what happens.”
He winced, as if knowing his tone sounded desperate. Knowing he’d give up his pride to fight for her made her want to cry out, but she had to see it through. “Nothing will change. It’s better this way. If we keep going, it’ll get harder for me.”
He took a few steps forward, then stopped. The scant distance between them yawned like a canyon and tore at her insides. His voice broke. “You said you love me.”
This time, she couldn’t hold back the tears that stung her eyes. “I do. But you were right. Sometimes, it’s better to plan and follow your head so things don’t get chaotic and end up destroying the very person you love. We want different things. It’s time to be realistic and do what’s right for both of us.”
He spun around. Curses blistered the air. Her entire body trembled, waiting for him to come to the only conclusion left.
“We need to finish the house.”
His flat tone ripped through her with sheer agony. She practically choked on her words. “I only have the floors and the paint job and minor landscaping.”
“The roof needs to be replaced.”
“I know, but it’s not in my budget right now so I have to wait. Jackson can help me paint and do the floors. Gage said he has a guy who does good outside work for cheap. I’m almost there.”
“You don’t need me any longer.”
She bit her lip, hard, to keep from crying out. God, how she needed him. Even now, she was practically shaking with the need to touch him, stroke back that unruly curl, smooth her palm over his forehead, and press her lips to his. He’d become a part of her in a few short months, and she had to relearn how to live without him.
She opened her mouth to respond, then fell silent. There was nothing else to say, and she was a few seconds from breaking down and begging him not to leave her.
“Very well. I’ll see you back at the office.”
And then she watched him walk out the door and out of her life.
* * * *
“Why aren’t you at the house with Charlie?”
Brady glared at Cal and snarled his response. “Because the job is practically finished. Because she doesn’t need me anymore. Because I’m trying to get this fucking plan together for Tristan, who didn’t give me enough notice. Does that answer your question?”
Cal narrowed his gaze. “Yeah, it does. Get your ass in the conference room.”
“I’m busy.”
“Tough shit. Now.”
He turned and Brady cursed at his back. All he wanted to do was concentrate on his damn job and he kept getting distracted. He was not in the mood to get into it with Cal, but he got out of the chair and marched into the conference room. Instead of sitting, he began to pace, needing to move. Lately, his skin felt stretched too tight over his body. He hadn’t slept for over a week. He’d locked himself in the office until late, then went straight home and stayed there. He was either hopped up on caffeine or having too many beers at night.
He was fucking miserable.
Cal shut the door and took a seat at the head of the table. “What’s going on?”
“I told you. Nothing. I’m busy. Charlie’s at the end of her renovation. There’s no danger—she’s made friends with some of the neighbors and can take care of herself.”
Cal rubbed his hand through his hair. “I’m missing something and you’re gonna tell me. You’ve been a bastard this week. Sydney said you yelled at her regarding the new plans for Summit Avenue.”
“They weren’t ready to be filed.”
“Syd showed me your handwritten note clearly telling her to file it.”
“Fine, I made the mistake then. You wanna crucify me? Kick me off the board? Do whatever the hell you want—just leave me alone.”
Cal’s mouth dropped open as he stared in astonishment. “Holy shit, you slept with Charlie!”
Brady simmered with anger, treating his friend and partner to a nasty glare. “That’s none of your business.”
“Of course it is. You’re like my brother.”
The simple words were so truthful, the fight drained out of him, leaving him empty.
“Tell me what happened. You can talk to me.”
In that moment, he realized he needed to dump the whole story to someone he trusted. So he did. He talked at length for a long time, confessing the ups and downs of the relationship and the final scene between them. When he was done, he felt a bit lighter. He forgot how Cal was able to listen and understand him as only a long-term best friend could. He’d been so careful to keep Charlie a secret, he’d stripped himself of an important support system in his life.
Cal tapped a finger on the mahogany table. “You know, Dalton bet me you had a secret crush on her but I told him he was crazy. Now all that animosity makes sense.”
Brady sighed, dropping into the seat next to Cal. “Yeah. I wanted to deny the whole attraction because I knew it would change my life. And it did. Reminds me of Sydney and Tristan. They’re so cold to each other, it’s obvious something big is going on.”
“They’ll be forced to deal with their past sooner rather than later.” Cal paused, cocking his head to study him. “You know, I see why you and Charlie ran into a problem. Would be so much easier to just stay in bed with our women, wouldn’t it?”
Brady laughed. “Hell, yeah.”
“I felt the same way when I first met Morgan. The problem doesn’t seem to be how you feel about each other—that’s the simple part. It’s more about expectations of the future. Listen, Brady. I’ve known you a long time and you’ve always had a specific idea of the perfect woman in mind. You got thrown a curve ball. I guess you have to ask yourself, will this curve ball make your life better? Make you happier? Can you step away from what you thought your future would be and embrace what it could actually be? There’s no guarantees with Charlie.”
“I know and it’s haunted me. I always wanted what I grew up around. Clear roles. Clear leadership. It seemed easy.”
“Did you ever talk to your parents about their relationship?” Cal asked curiously. “As a child, you may have seen things a different way than what they did. Maybe you need to talk to them about Charlie.”
Brady shook his head. “They adored her, but once they learn she’s not going to be the traditional wife, they’ll tell me to break it off. I know them.”
“Sometimes people can surprise you. Remember when Morgan and I first got together? It took us a while to work things out, but I almost walked away when I found out she couldn’t have children. My vision for my future included a bunch of kids and I didn’t know if I would be okay accepting a different path.”
“You’re going to marry her this year. Do you have any regrets?”
His friend broke into a smile reflecting pure joy. “Not one. Not ever. Because I realized she’s my person. My soul mate. She was my curve ball and it was the best thing that ever happened. She’s my family, with you and my brothers and my dogs. And maybe we’ll adopt or foster kids in the future. Your life can be anything you want it to be, Brady. As long as you’re happy.”
Brady stared at his friend for a long time, feeling something shifting inside.
Cal leaned over, clapping him on the shoulder. “Think about talking to your parents. In the meantime, I’m here for you. I don’t want to step into your business, but I also want Charlie to know I’m here for her, too. Whatever you both decide, she’s a part of the team, and we need to find a way to make things work.”
“We will.” Brady stood up. “There’s one thing I need to do for her, though. The house is almost done but she can’t afford a roof.”
Cal frowned. “Are you kidding me? For everything she does in the company, I can send her some workers and get the roof done quickly. We’ll give her a loan with no interest so she can pay it back whenever she wants.”
Brady shook his head. “No, Cal. I’m already taking care of it. I need to. What she’s done with this house is amazing. Her talent is something I rarely see—she sees things no one else can. I want to give her the damn roof, I just need the go-ahead to use some of your crew to schedule the work this week.”
“Of course.” He tilted his head, regarding him. “Did you ever think you’d be bored to tears with a traditional type woman? It’s pretty rare we’re able to find partners with the same passion for our work. I love working with Morgan. I know Dalton loves working with Raven. You share a special bond that many don’t realize. Just a thought.”
Cal walked away, leaving Brady with a lot to ponder.