Charlie’s body language changed at the mention of his dad, but it didn’t stop him voicing his opinion.
“I was the kid who got shipped off to eat lunch or dinner away from the adults. Be careful, James, because one day, that little girl will grow up and be a queen, in charge of an army or multimillion-pound business, and she won’t give you the time of day.”
James’ anger spiked, and he slammed his hand on the table, making Ari burst into tears as the nanny lifted her from Elise’s arms. “Do not tell me how to raise my own child. What gives you the right?”
Charlie held up his hands before thanking the maid, who filled his coffee as we all started another awkward meal.
As I finished eating, I placed my knife and fork down on the white bone china plate and Charlie reached for my hand, leaning his mouth to my ear. “You wanna get out of here and go for a walk? You never know, we might get mauled by a bear, which would be less painful than this.”
I tried to hide the laugh that threatened to spill from my lips, nodding. “We’re going for a walk. We’ll be back for lunch,” I announced, feeling James’ eyes on me as we stood.
Back in our room, we both changed separately in the bathroom, layering up in the winter clothes Neo sent before stepping out into the freezing Scottish air.
I pushed my sunglasses up my nose to hide my eyes from the bright sun reflecting off the untouched snow. I’d hated coming here as a teenager—separated from my friends, no phone signal, stuck with my parents and whatever staff they’d brought with them. But now, seeing it through adult eyes, I loved it. Not the house; which was too big and cold, but the space the house occupied, which was stunning.
“Come on.” I started to walk and Charlie followed, muttering something about how his balls would go blue from the cold that I chose to ignore.
We walked for about ten minutes in total silence before Charlie let out a giant sigh.
“You good?” I asked, turning to find him with a huge smile on his face that I wasn’t expecting.
“The silence is nice. I don’t get much of it these days.”
I scoffed. “You’re in a rock band, so I don’t expect you do. You’re a noisy trio.”
His eyes narrowed. “I know you might think I’m this Zen, in control, man, but my head is a loud place to be.”
I wanted to laugh as he was anything but Zen, but I sensed the super-confident Charlie Wyatt was showing me a glimmer of vulnerability with those words.
“You live alone, don’t you?” I asked finally, the sound of our feet crunching in the snow punctuating our conversation.
“I do.”
“So, don’t you get time then… I mean, time to be alone?”
“I get to be alone, but that doesn’t mean it’s quiet.”
“Ah yes, I forgot… singer in a band, man whore, party king. You must have people over all the time.” I hated how judgmental I sounded, but it was exactly how he appeared to the world and he’d never given me a reason to think any differently about him.
Charlie didn’t reply, but even without looking at him, I could feel the shift. Anger saturated the air, and I was glad when we broke through the trees and arrived at the loch. Despite his mood, he gasped as he took in the mirror-like flat surface of this huge expanse of water.
“Wow, this place is stunning.”
“It’s great for swimming in,” I said, taking off my sunglasses and folding them into my pocket.
“Fuck off if you think I’m getting in there in this weather.” He laughed, the tension seemingly slipping from his body.
“Wuss.”
“Nope, just don’t want to lose my toes or have any other appendages falling off because they get too cold.”
This time it was me who laughed.
“Suits you, princess.”
I frowned.
“The smile. The natural look. The glint that’s in your eye that I’ve only ever seen when you’re berating some poor soul at work. Relaxed is a good look on you.”
