Chapter Twenty-Six
Charlotte
“I’m going to miss you.” Emily gave Charlotte a big hug. “You have to come back to take me prom dress shopping. Promise.”
“I promise.” Charlotte squeezed her sister tight. Emily had driven her to the airport, and it was really hard to let go, knowing she wouldn’t be back for a while. “And you promise to call me if you need me.”
“I will, but Charlotte, we’re doing okay. I was scared last week when Mom fell, but she’s strong, and I can be, too.” Emily let her go and smiled. “Good luck with Luke. And, if you ever take a picture of him with his shirt off, you better text it to me.”
Charlotte laughed. “Okay, that’s a little weird. Besides, you’re dating a football player. I don’t think you need any more encouragement.”
“True.” Emily kissed her cheek. “See you soon.”
“Love you, sis. Be good.”
Charlotte turned to walk into the airport, and Emily called, “Love you, too. And you don’t be good!”
Charlotte waved over her shoulder. “Count on it.”
The flight back to Aspen seemed shorter than the flight home. Charlotte had taken her mother’s advice to let Luke be Luke and to worry about what she wanted. And what she wanted was to pass her MCAT…and see if she could make things work with Luke. That didn’t mean her heart wouldn’t be in her throat every time he competed, but watching him out there was sexy as hell. She didn’t want to give that up, even with the risk.
Besides, she liked him. A lot. This wasn’t something she could just let go because of an argument.
She gathered up her bags and followed the line of people into the terminal. Fumbling with her phone to find the Uber app, she pushed through the security doors. A man in a hurry bumped into her, mumbling an apology, and she dropped her phone.
“Shit!” Charlotte bent to pick it up, but someone got there first.
She recognized the hand…and the bit of wrist showing beyond the cuff of his flannel shirt.
Charlotte straightened up slowly. Luke held out her phone, giving her a crooked smile. “It looks fine. No scratches or anything.”
“I buy good cases.” Yeah, because that’s what’s important right now. “What are you doing here?”
“Evangeline wanted to pick you up, but she’s out with Kit, so I came.”
It was stupid to feel disappointed, but Charlotte’s stomach clenched. Was he only here because Evangeline had asked? “Oh. Thanks for covering for her.”
He reached for her carry-on. “I wanted to. I needed to see you.”
Charlotte met his eyes, seeing an apology there. And more. “I wanted to see you, too. We could go to my place, have some coffee?”
Or whiskey. I could really go for a shot or two.
“Sounds good.” He led her out of the main terminal to his Jeep. “I wanted you to know I heard what you said the other day.”
Once he hopped into the driver’s seat and started the car, she asked, “What did I say?”
“About being safe. Taking the concussion seriously.” He shifted into reverse. “I’ve been seeing a sports medicine specialist at the hospital. He’s a doctor Michael knows. I’m going through the ImPACT protocol. I go back the morning of the walk-through, and he thinks I’ll be cleared to race.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s great!”
And it was—if he passed the protocol, they both got what they wanted. He’d be able to race, and she’d have the relief of knowing he wasn’t snowboarding while impaired. He’d be fit and ready, and she’d be there to cheer him on.
“Yeah.”
“Still…” She swallowed hard. “What about all that ‘You’re a distraction’ crap? I don’t want to hang around if you still think I’m going to mess you up.”
“Charlotte…” He glided to a stop at a light outside the airport and turned to meet her eyes. “You’re not a distraction. Not a negative one anyway,” he added with a lopsided smile. “I let a few people get into my head and was stupid enough to listen, but I’m done with all that. I was an asshat, and I’m so damn sorry. I don’t want to lose you.”
They started moving again, and Charlotte was glad for the distraction. This way, he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “You sure?”
He nodded, staring straight ahead. His hands were tight on the steering wheel. “Absolutely.”
She let out a shaky sigh. “To be fair, I kind of let myself get distracted, too. I wasn’t studying enough for the MCAT, and I’m all sorts of freaked out about it. I can handle it, though. I can handle this. Let’s both agree it’s bullshit and try to make this work.”
He flashed her a relieved smile. “I’m good with that.”
“So, uh, how’s your head now?” She wasn’t going to comment on the fact that he was driving, but she wanted to know either way.
“Much better. Before, I wasn’t thinking straight for a day or so. After I came to my senses, I realized I should’ve listened to you. Since then, I’ve been good, and made progress. Still, the USSA probably knows about the concussion by now. I wouldn’t put it past Tucker to report me after Kit roughed him up in front of everyone. But if I have clearance from the doctor, there’s nothing he can do to stop me.”
Except send Luke sprawling. “Hopefully he’s learned his lesson.”
“Doubtful. But it’s fine. I’m faster, bigger, and stronger. The only reason he got the jump on me is by coming up behind me and hitting me blind. He’ll be disqualified if he tries that shit at the race, so all I have to do is stay in front of him.”
“Which you will,” Charlotte said. “You’re going to beat him and put him back at the kids’ table.”
Luke laughed. “I think you’re more pissed at him than I am. Want to be my bodyguard?”
“Yes, because it’s a nice body, and I don’t want anything to happen to it,” Charlotte blurted out.
Luke gave her a sidelong glance, his gaze searing. “You think so, huh?”
Charlotte flushed from her forehead to her toes. Just one look, and she was ready to throw herself at him. “Yes. Yes I do.”
“I feel the same way about yours, you know.” Luke’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, and Charlotte noticed their speed had jumped up a bit. “I feel that way about all of you. Your strength, your brains, the way you don’t bullshit anyone. You’re you, all the way through. That’s something I’ve struggled with, but you make me want to try harder.”
Her jaw fell open. “You mean that?”
He pulled into a space in the resort parking lot and turned to look at her, his expression dead serious. “Yeah.”
She leaned across the console and kissed him. He seemed a little surprised by that, so it was a second before he caught on and kissed her back. He was more tentative than he had been before, and it was sweet.
Have I domesticated a former player? Charlotte let out a soft chuckle against his mouth.
Luke broke away and pressed his forehead to hers. “What?”
“Nothing.” She kissed his jaw, loving the way he tensed up at her touch. “Let’s go inside.”
The café was dark and quiet when she let them in through the front door. Charlotte took a deep breath of cinnamon-, coffee-, and bacon-scented air and realized she’d missed it more than she’d expected. She’d needed a dose of Arizona, and being home had calmed something inside of her, but now she felt like the café was welcoming her back, glad she’d come home.
“What is it? You look a million miles away,” he said. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” She took his hand. “I’m fine.”
More than, really.
“Oh, okay. Good.” He held up her suitcase, his voice hopeful. “Should I carry your bag up? Or do you want me to stay down here?”
A weight lifted from Charlotte’s shoulders. She wanted to give this—them—another try. “Come up,” she said. “Let’s talk.”