Fucking hell. As if tonight could get any worse. “Isla, you weren’t meant to see that.”
Her head falls back as she shakes it. “Of course. Let me guess, it was a surprise.”
The sarcasm and pain in her voice is unfamiliar to me. And I hate it. “I can explain. Just give me a chance to explain.”
She lowers her head and looks at me. And even through the screen, I can see tears welling in her green eyes. “We can talk when you get home. I…I need to go, Luca.”
My computer screen goes black before I can tell her I’m sorry, or that I love her, or anything else.
“Fuck,” I yell, slamming my computer shut.
I came to Toronto thinking everything was good. Great, even. I’m working on making Charlie’s dreams come true and giving Isla what she wants and deserves. And somehow, it’s all crashing down around me.
All because I was a fucking idiot who thought keeping shit to myself and making it a surprise for them both was a good idea.
I mentally berate myself for a while longer before picking up my phone and opening my messages with Charlie.
LUCA: Charlie, I’m so sorry about today. I had it in my calendar wrong. I would never have missed your game otherwise. Can we talk when I’m back, so I can apologize again? I want to explain why I’m out of town.
It takes a while before he responds. It’s only one word, but it’s a lifeline I’m happy to cling to.
CHARLIE: sure.
That’s one Forrester hopefully on the road to forgiving me, time to focus on the other. I open a text thread with Gabe and Dom. After quickly typing a brief summary of my fuckup, I explain exactly what I need them to do, and emphasize the need for it to be done quickly.
Gaberesponds first.
GABE: On it boss. And I’m sorry. It’s my fault. She saw the paperwork on my desk, and I didn’t realize she wouldn’t know the whole picture.
LUCA: It’s okay. I should’ve told her what I was planning from the start.
DOM: Coral says you’re a dumbass and need to learn to communicate.
GABE: I would concur. Minus the insult since you’re still my boss - for now.
LUCA: Just get everything I need done, please.
DOM: We will. It’ll all work out, Luca.
I fucking hope so.
40
LUCA
It wasn’teasy convincing myself to stay in Toronto and finish my work here instead of flying home to Cedar Creek immediately following the imploding of all my plans. But I’m determined to make this microchip a reality, and I had full trust in Gabe and Dom to set everything up for me.
I’m still home a day earlier than I intended, however, when I finally drive back into town. And my heart is set on one thing: getting my wonder woman to forgive me. Which means fixing things with her son first.
It was surprisingly easy to get Charlie to agree to meet me for lunch today, made even more so by him having a day off from school. Even though secrets and surprises are what got me in this mess, I couldn’t avoid one more. Which is why I asked him not to tell his mom about our meeting.
I pick him up at their house, knowing Isla is at work. The drive to the pizza parlour he wanted to eat at is quietand tense. Charlie answers my few questions with the shortest responses possible, staring out the window the whole way there. By the time I pull into a parking spot, my nerves are shot.
I turn the engine off but make no move to get out of the car. After several seconds of silence, Charlie turns to me at last.
“Are we gonna eat?”
I nod. “We are, but I’m really hoping that when we sit down and have some food, you’re no longer hating my guts for missing the game.”
