Chapter Nineteen
Charlie woke to the smell of freshly laundered clothes and sunshine, warmth pressed against his chest, and a sense of contentment and purpose he hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe not ever.
He thought of that day in the hammock, his chest so full he thought it would explode, the desire to kiss her so strong he’d nearly lost it and thrown caution to the wind and leaned in. But he hadn’t. And now, more than a decade later, here she was, in his arms.
They’d spent most of the night exploring one another. The first time was fast, a rush of hormones and emotions. But then he woke an hour later and traced lazy circles on her stomach, then her legs, and suddenly she was awake, too. She climbed on top of him, but this time it was slower, their bodies coming together, a new understanding forming between them. And so the night went on like that, reaching for each other, sleeping a little, then starting it all over again, like a fantasy come true.
Not wanting to open his eyes, he pulled her closer, tucking her against him, her slow, sleepy breaths warming him all over again. This was the real thing, right here, and unless God made him, he would never let her go. He kissed her cheek, prepared to try to fall back asleep, when a knock at his door, followed by another, had him groaning.
“Go away,” he called, then he realized the person could be the cops here to update them on the attacker. Slipping his arm out from under Lila, he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of gym shorts, then turned to look at her. Her dark hair spread across his white pillow, his sheet tangled around her legs and covered her bare breasts. God, she was beautiful. Smart and kind and funny—perfect. And she was his. The thought made him happier than he deserved to be, and he could stay there, watching her sleep all day. But then the knocking started up again, and he drew a breath for patience. This better be important.
Reaching the door, Charlie unlocked the deadbolt and opened it up, prepared to either tell one of his brothers to come later or to ask the officer to step outside so they could talk. But it wasn’t Zac or Brady or an officer.
It was Lucas.
“Uh, hey!” Charlie said, his voice too high, his brain still foggy from his and Lila’s night of exploration. He closed the door and stepped outside, unsure what else to do, but he needed Lucas far, far away from here. At least until Lila left or at the very least put clothes on. Then they could explain this to him together. That this wasn’t a fling; it was more. It was everything. She was everything.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asked. “I went to see Lila at Annie’s and she explained to me what was going on. Said Lila was staying here until they caught the bastard.”
Shit. Of course he would go see Lila first and hear where she was, and then there was the Honda Pilot in his driveway, obvious to anyone with half-decent sight.
“Right, yeah. She’s here, but she’s asleep, so I didn’t want to wake her.” All the truth, but Lucas stared at him like he could decode the deeper meaning in his words. Charlie drew a long breath, then two. Twenty-plus years of friendship meant they could read each other better than anyone, and if it was anything else, Charlie would have already unloaded the full story. The full, true story. But this wasn’t something else. It was Lila. And he was tired of trying to do the right thing by Lucas while destroying Lila in the process. He wouldn’t do that, not again.
So with that in mind, he sighed heavily, and forced himself to look his best friend in the eye. “Look, man, we need to talk. I—”
But before he could continue, his door opened and Lila stood there, wearing one of Charlie’s shirts and nothing else. “Hey, I didn’t know where you—” She stopped as her eyes found Lucas, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was looking at Charlie.
“You didn’t.”
“Let me explain.”
“Let you freaking explain? I ask you to protect my sister, and you take that as an invitation to take advantage of her?” He started for Charlie, but Lila stepped between them first, her hands braced on her brother’s chest as she lightly pushed him back.
“Stop.”
Lucas’s face turned red with anger, but he took a step back. “This is between Charlie and me.”
“No, actually, it isn’t. It’s between me and Charlie. Not you.”
He shook his head, so angry now that Charlie knew if Lila wasn’t standing between them, fists would be thrown.
“Look, we wanted to talk to you about this,” Charlie said. “Once you were back here and safe. This isn’t some casual hookup.”
A sarcastic laugh broke from his lips as he scowled at Charlie. “Right. Because you know so much about serious relationships. About commitment. How many have you had over the years? Oh that’s right. None. What evidence is there that you would take this seriously, that you would treat her the way she deserves to be treated? There is none!”
“I get that you’re angry, but if you could let me explain I—”
“Explain?” Lucas tossed his hands in the air. “There is no explanation. I trusted you! And you what, lead my baby sister into your bed?”
Lila’s hands clenched into fists as she lifted her head to face off with her brother. “I’m not a baby. I haven’t been a baby in a long, long time, and it’s time you stop treating me like I am one. I get that you love our family, that you feel it’s your job to look after all of us. I get that and I respect it. But I am an adult, and I make my own choices. And I choose Charlie.”
“You’re vulnerable right now. You don’t know what you want.”
“Lucas, look at me,” Lila said, and he placed his hands on his hips before forcing himself to look at her. “Now listen to me when I tell you this. Actually listen. I love him,” she said. “I have loved him since I was old enough to even know the meaning of the word, and now I’ve gotten to know the man he is, and I love him even more.” She turned to Charlie then. “I love you, and I know we’re not ready for those words, but I feel it and I can’t help it. I do.”
Charlie took her hand and pressed it to his lips, his mouth open to say it back, to tell her that she rebuilt his heart. That he never thought he’d care about anything again, not in any real, concrete way. But he cared about her, and now, more than anything, he wanted to give her the life she deserved.
But Lucas spoke up before he could say any of those things.
“This isn’t happening. She’s a doctor! She should marry another doctor or a lawyer or someone who is on her level.”
Ah, and now it was all becoming clear. “On her level? Right, so what you’re saying is someone who is good enough for her, because obviously I’m not.”
Lucas’s jaw ground together as he stared at Charlie. “No, you’re not. You’re a man who promised to protect her while I was gone, and I come back to find out you let that piece of shit get to her, get into her apartment. You decided it was more important to get her into your bed than to protect her.”
And Charlie didn’t know why, but those words from his best friend, from a man he had always considered a brother, tore through him. Of course she could do better. Of course. But he’d be damned if he would allow Lucas to claim that Charlie had been reckless with her safety.
“I guess that’s it, then,” Charlie said.
“Yeah, it is. Sorry, but you aren’t dating my sister.”
Now Charlie’s own anger rose up inside him. He reached out to take Lila’s hand. “Actually, I meant that you’ve said your piece. I hoped you’d support this, that maybe you’d be happy for us. Your best friend with your sister. Why wouldn’t you be okay with it? I own a successful business. I am financially stable, debt free, I always have been. You know this about me. What exactly about me isn’t good enough? But then I guess that’s the real problem: In your eyes, I’ve never been on your level either, have I?”
Lucas looked away, and Charlie had his answer.
“Enough,” Lila said. “You’re both just angry. You can’t end your friendship over this. I won’t let you. Lucas, I love you. I will always respect you and your opinion, but I can care for whomever I like. You have no jurisdiction over my love life. This is my decision, and I pick him.”
Charlie kissed Lila, and Lucas stormed off. Twenty-plus years of friendship . . . over.