Charlotte
Two months later
"Char, please tell me you aren't actually entertaining this idea?" Ever the optimist, Rachel chooses this moment to try to knock sense into me.
The front door swings open, and a loud thud rings through the apartment as it hits the wall, nearly cracking the sheetrock.
"Babe, does this one work?" Duke saunters over in all his deliciousness to where I sit on the floor. His fitted black slacks are perfect for his body. His rolled-up sleeves pull off the relaxed look. He tosses the pink bow in my lap, kissing the top of my head as I peel the sticker and press it to the present.
“Are you seriously going to this thing, Duke? This is weird, you know this, right?” Rachel plops down on the couch and nudges my ribs with her toes. I slap behind me to stop her assault.
“It’s a celebration. You of all people should be jumping up and down.” I hand the present to Duke, and he grins, knowing I love tormenting Rachel. We’ve become quite the tag team against her.
“Is there going to be tequila?” Rachel flips through the television channels. Even though its nearly noon, she’s still wearing her red plaid pajama pants.
“It’s a baby shower.” Duke laughs.
When I first mentioned going to Stacey’s baby shower, Duke tried to talk me out of it. Then, he pulled out all the stops when I informed him it would be a joint shower, meaning he was invited as well.
A lot has changed over the past three months. The night of his embarrassing karaoke, Duke and I walked out of Murphy’s and started living our lives with no secrets. After a rather lengthy toe-curling breakfast, we laid in bed and told each other everything.
He divulged what lengths he went to with Ari and told me a few of Jacob’s secrets that stunned me truly stupid. Luckily Duke talked some sense into Jacob, and now, Ari is the last of any of their worries. Duke’s devotion to those around him made me fall in love with him even more. He’s a protector by nature, something I’ve known since our first meeting. This was reaffirmed when he opened his door to his mom and listened to her for the first time in years.
I confessed why I kept my break-up with Jacob a secret, even when I found myself falling for him. It took a while to comprehend, but now I know I can’t always put everyone else first, especially when it means putting myself last. Everyone deserves better than that, and Duke has made it his goal to remind me every day.
“Let me just state for the record that I think this is a bad idea, and you should stay home and watch Pretty Little Liars with me,” Rachel whines, puffing out her bottom lip.
Duke’s hand rides low on my back as I open the front door. “No can do, Rach. One of us has to act like an adult, and since you’re hiding from Wes, it has to be me.” I wave over my shoulder.
Rachel has made it her mission to stay as far away from Wes as she can. Their heat fizzled after a few weeks. I made sure it had nothing to do with me. Wes may have been an asshole to me, but he was protecting his brother. I can’t fault a guy in that, even though I tried.
Duke closes the door and sets the present on the hall floor. My back hits the wall and delectable pain sears through my body.
“So...” Duke whispers, kissing along my jaw and down my neck. The coolness from his ring tickles my skin.
“So...” I turn into his lips, connecting us for a second before pulling away to look in his emerald eyes. They tell me everything he feels.
“We sure we want to do this?” My hair is brushed from my face and tucked behind my ear. His touch is something I’ll never get used to. Every time his skin presses against mine, I know it matters, and I never have to question the love and intent behind it.
“I’m not hiding you anymore. We are a couple, a package deal, and if they can’t handle that, then they shouldn’t have invited us to their baby shower.” I laugh, shaking my head at the absurdity of that statement.
“Okay, then lead the way.” He skims his arm through the air in the direction of the parking lot.
“Are you having me lead the way so you can look at my ass?” I check over my shoulder, and his devilish grin gives me my answer.
“Did you have to wear that skirt?” Duke shakes his head and moves his eyes up my body.
“If I remember correctly, you like this skirt.” I shake my butt, teasing him, and he groans, running his hands over his face.
“On my living room floor, Charlotte. I like it on my living room floor.” He growls my name like a promise he’ll never break.
“Well then, I guess that’s where it will end up, huh?” I hold out my hand, and he encloses it in his.
We walk hand-in-hand into Greystone Country Club, ready to face whoever and whatever is thrown our way. I wasn’t lying when I said I’m not willing to hide him. For our own sanity, we’ve stayed quiet but not unseen.
“Charlotte! Duke!” Stacey waddles over to us, the cutest pregnant belly sticking out. “I’m so happy you two could make it.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” I offer, handing her the present. She sets it on a table already packed full of boxes topped with pink bows. “How are you feeling?”
Duke fidgets, unsure of where to go or what to do. I squeeze his hand in reassurance that this will be okay.
“Ready, if that’s even a thing.” She sighs. “Now, if I could get Jacob to build the crib, we’d actually be ready. I keep telling him we only have a few months until she’s here, but still it sits in the box.”
“Good luck with that. I bought him a box car kit for his eleventh birthday that I’m pretty sure is sitting in his closet somewhere collecting dust.”
“She’s right. It’s still in the basement of my parents’ house.” Jacob slips into the conversation and rests his hand on Stacey’s hip.
Since their announcement, Stacey and Jacob have become closer than ever. Jacob is coming to grips with his new reality, and he adores Stacey. Weirdly enough, this makes being here easier, knowing the heartache and anger weren’t for nothing. This little girl is going to be raised by two people who love her and each other.
As I look around the room, one face is thankfully absent. Ari St. James was never charged with being at fault for Jacob’s accident, but we all know the truth. When I refused to finish my piece on him, Mr. Johnson pulled my first chance at being a published writer. But none of that matters. I always knew I wanted to be an honest journalist, and I couldn’t for the life of me come up with one nice or interesting thing to say about the man.
“I better go check on the food.” Stacey turns on her heels and escapes the awkwardness, and with it being the three of us now, it multiplies tenfold.
“Charlotte,” Mrs. Matthews squeals and wraps me in a hug. “I was hoping to see you today. How have you been?” Her hand rests on my back, and she leads me away from Duke, forcing me to release his hand.
“I’ve been great, actually.” For a split second, the knee jerk reaction is to downplay my happiness, but then I look over my shoulder at Duke and see his stare fixated on me. Those green eyes of his know how to make a girl’s heart race.
“I’m glad to hear it, sweetheart. Even though my son made mistakes, you’ll always be family.”
“We all made mistakes.” I need out of this conversation. I hug her again and congratulate her on becoming a grandmother before turning back to Jacob and Duke.
“Thank you for loving her like she deserves,” Jacob says, patting Duke on the shoulder and offering me a faint smile. He walks over to Stacey and helps her arrange the plates of food on the tables.
Duke turns to me, and happiness radiates off of him. “Falling in love with you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, Charlotte.”
He’s right. We fell in love like a cool, fall rain. It started out slow, barely registering its change, and then before we knew it, we were drenched to our bones. He’s one thunderstorm, I’m willing to sit through.
When I look around this room and see everyone smiling, I know we’re where we belong. In this lie, we are to blame for where we end up, and I’m in the arms of a man who puts me first.
“Who do you think we can blame to get out of here faster?” I ask. Duke’s heart beats against my ear and I inhale a deep breath, relaxing into his side.
“Let’s blame Rachel.” He laughs and pulls me towards the door, allowing us to escape unnoticed.
With our arms wrapped around each other, we never look back. All the hurt and pain is left where it belongs. In our past.
Duke and I are two people who were never supposed to fall in love, but we found each other anyways. It took me a while, but now I know sometimes it’s not about the perfect version of our lives we map out in our heads.
Every ounce of pain has been worth it to feel the way he makes me feel and I’ll never apologize for the blame we’ve placed on each other.
“Charlotte,” Duke calls out, pulling me back from my memories. The corner of his lip twitches, amused with my daydream.
“Yeah?” Every time he says my name, my heart skips a beat.
“What now?” His grin pulls tight to its full potential.
“Forever?” I reach out for him.
“Forever.” With our hands linked, Duke squeezes, reminding me he has me.
And then we lived happily ever after... at least our own version of it.
Who can blame us?