Page 93 of More Than Friends

Her eyes scan my face, and for a brief moment, it feels like she just might tell me. Hope blooms in my chest as her shoulders relax and her eyes soften. I stay quiet, hoping that if I don’t break the silence, she’ll tell me whatever it is so we can handle it together.

“Can I ask you somethin?—”

“Everything okay out here?” my mom calls out.

Charlotte’s posture immediately goes rigid all over again. She swats my hand away and backs up until her body is pressed against her car.

My hand drops as I look over my shoulder at my mom. She’s walked out far enough that she stands on the sidewalk, her arms folded across her chest as she watches Charlotte and me closely.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” I assure my mom, unsure why she even felt the need to come out here in the first place. I know she means well to check in, but I was so close to getting Charlotte to just tell me what’s wrong, but the moment my mom showed up, Charlotte went back to shutting me out.

When I look back at Charlotte, dread seeps into my bones because it’s obvious the walls are back up. She stares at my mom, an unreadable look in her eye before she looks back at me. I get another fake smile from her, and I hate it.

“Go back inside,” she tells me, her voice shaking slightly. “I’ll see you later.”

I sigh, but with my mom still standing out here, I don’t want to make a scene. “But I’ll see you later?” I confirm, needing to know eventually she’ll open up to me about what’s wrong. “We’ll talk more about this then?” I ask, not missing how pitiful my voice sounds.

Charlotte pulls her bottom lip between her teeth but nods. “Ava went down not too long ago, so she should sleep for a while. Enjoy the time with your parents.”

Before I can even respond, she’s yanking open the door to her car and immediately shutting it. I hate that she doesn’t even spare me a second glance as she backs out of the driveway and leaves.

When I left this morning, everything seemed great. I had my girls, and I was able to get out and see my friends and finally accept there’s a way for me to balance my old life with my new one. Somehow, in the span of a few hours, everything seems to have gone wrong, and I don’t even know why.

“She’s a nice girl,” my mom notes, interrupting me from my thoughts.

I turn around and face her. I scan her face, wondering if she has any idea why Charlotte is acting weird. If my mom knows, she doesn’t give any indication. She stares back at me with a soft smile, acting as if nothing has happened at all.

“Yes, she is. She’s the best,” I say, watching my mom closely.

I want to add that no one compares to her. That she’s mine, but judging by the way she just ran out, I don’t even know if that’s the case. Iwanther to be mine. But the way she just looked at me makes it feel like she wants nothing to do with me.

“Let’s get inside and say hi to your father.”

I stare at my mom for a little longer. I search her face, trying to figure out if something happened with her and Charlotte. I don’t think so. They’re both so easy to love, I can’t imagine them not getting along. But I can’t help but shake the uneasy feelingthat something clearly did happen. I don’t think Charlotte would’ve run out the way she did if it didn’t.

I nod, knowing there’s nothing else I can do until Charlotte comes back home. When she does, I’ll ask her what’s wrong and what happened. Until then, I’ll try to enjoy having my parents here to meet my daughter and spend time with us.

For the next few hours, I can’t shake that even though it’s great to spend time with Ava and my parents, it still doesn’t feel like my entire family is together. It feels like there’s a missing piece, and that piece is Charlotte.

FIFTY-TWO

CHARLOTTE

JUDE

How are your errands going?

JUDE

Had to wake Ava up from her nap. This sleep schedule is really working, all thanks to you.

JUDE

Just checking in…

JUDE

Ordering dinner for all of us. What do you want for dinner?