“Do you remember what you said?” I needed to know. For some reason, this mattered a lot to me. When he thoughtabout that night, did he repeat the cruel words? Or did he block them out?
He sighed. “I said whatever I needed to push you away. Something about never falling for you or thinking of you that way.”
Don’t be foolish, Charlotte,you’re like a kid sister to me.“When I told you I loved you, you laughed at me.” My voice shook. I hated showing emotion, and I hated crying even more, but all the pent-up feelings from that night returned as soon as the high of the kiss had disappeared. “This is why I assumed you regretted kissing me again. Old wounds resurfaced.”
“I wish I could take those words back and we could redo the last three years. I wish that more than anything. I’m so fucking sorry, Charlotte.” His voice was firm and steady. He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it. “I knew I should’ve told you the truth, but a few weeks later, Simone told me I had a daughter and that derailed my life. All my focus was on my daughter and surviving being a single parent. I put every ounce of myself into being a good father, and I always told myself I’d find you once I figured my life out. I’d have told you the truth, but news flash, Char, I’m still a mess.”
My eyes prickled at the weight of his words, the depth to them, the slight tremble in his voice. “Oh.”
He slowly released my hand. “It’s midnight. It’s been a long-ass day. You should get some sleep.”
On cue, I yawned.
“Come here.” He hoisted me up into a bear hug. He enveloped me in his arms, his scent and warmth surrounding me. He cradled my head against his chest as he sighed.He felt so good, and I breathed him in. I could live in this cuddle and be content forever.
He kissed my head and gave me one last squeeze. “We’ll talk tomorrow, okay? We have an interview to work on, right?”
I nodded. There was so much to unpack here. I needed a week away just to digest everything that had happened. He let go and walked toward the door, stopping and turning around one last time. It was almost like he didn’t want to leave.
“I don’t know what tonight means, and I stand by what I said: I’m still a mess. But I’m done pretending I’m not into you and don’t want to be with you. We have some things to discuss, but I’m gonna be dreaming about that kiss for a long time. Sleep tight, Charlotte.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HAYDEN
Who the fuck was I?
I woke up smiling and rested. It had been years since I slept this much. There were no sore muscles or exhaustion headache. There was an energy there that wasn’t there yesterday, and it all had to do with Charlotte.
That five-second kiss three years ago was nothing compared to last night. All my blood traveled south as I remembered the feel of her body against me. The softness of her lips, the little moans that escaped when I nipped her skin. She was the definition of perfection, and my body buzzed with a need to feel her again. I wanted to see her hair down, her skin pressed against mine, and—Calm down. I didn’t need to get a boner right now.
I needed to shower and surprise her with coffee. It wasn’t every day I slept that damn well, and I was calling it the Charlotte Effect. There was no tossing or turning, no lying there thinking about life’s meaning. I had dreamed of her lips against mine and how we could make this work between us.There were a hundred unanswered questions, but I wanted to figure them out. The first step would be getting her coffee.
Charlotte was a fiend for caffeine. The rhyme made me smile as I threw on a hoodie and made my way toward the small café at the hotel entrance. Char preferred oat milk lattes and anything with chocolate. Literally anything. I even requested her drink kid temperature. The first time I heard her order a tea kid temperature at a Starbucks, it confused the hell out of me.
Whistling a Christmas carol, I marched toward her room. Maybe the holidays had finally gotten to me.Or maybe it’s Charlotte.
I knocked on her door and waited. My pulse sped up at the thought of seeing her again. Would she be happy to see me? Or did we need to talk about what happened again? I’d do it if she asked. I never wanted to see her face fall in disappointment again. Knowing I put the frown on there fucking ate at me.
The door clicked, and I adjusted my stance as nerves rippled through me.
“Hi.” Charlotte pushed the door open and smiled shyly at me before her gaze landed on the coffee. “Did you… did you bring me caffeine?”
I nodded, not able to fight my smile. She looked adorable. She wore an extra-long T-shirt with the softball team logo on it and red-and-white-plaid pajama pants. Sleep lines covered her face, and her long, curly hair hung in messy waves around her shoulders. Even in pj’s, she made me want her. My skin heated as I thought about kissing her, and I held out the drink and food to stop myself.
“I brought you an oat milk latte and a chocolate croissant. Your favorites.”
“Wow, uh, thank you.” She cleared her throat and ushered me in. “I’m still in my pj’s, sorry. I wasn’t… I didn’t know. I should go change—”
“No.” I set both our drinks on the counter, along with the croissant, and took her hand, lacing our fingers together.
She stared up at me, her cheeks blushing. “What are you… doing?”
“Saying good morning the right way.” I cupped her face and kissed her softly. She tasted like toothpaste, and her lips were so warm. “Mm, that’s better.”
I ran a hand down her back, guiding her toward the sofa where she sat last night. Then I grabbed the food and handed her a drink. Despite the fact that I wanted to spend hours kissing her and removing every piece of her clothing, we had to talk.
“You seem in a great mood.” Charlotte hummed into her cup. “I don’t recall you being much of a morning person. In fact, I remember you being quite a bear before nine a.m.”
