Page 42 of The Awful Truth

At the time, she was overcome with both frustration and relief, and was left shocked at how two opposite emotions could be battling it out inside her. After that night, the tension between them grew by the day, until they finally gave in on a trip to New York.

And now, here they were, all these months later, and he had been right. She couldn’t care less that Ian was with someone else. He was a total stranger to her. A child who played Call of Duty. A poser whose guitar collection was built to impress, not be used.

She wiggled herself over his mouth, his tongue doing things Ian’s never did to her. He loved her. And he wanted to make a life with her. So why not let him? He could figure out the logistics. She could wait. And Ted would make all her dreams come true. Every last one of them. The thought of it had her coming undone, writhing and shaking as the yacht gently rocked in the waves.

When she was finished and he lifted himself off of her, she flipped herself over onto her stomach, how she knew he liked her best. “God, you’re perfect,” he said, his hands running over her ass.

A moment later, he made his way inside, pumping and pressing into her, kissing her neck and her back, moaning and breathing heavier and louder as he worked. It didn’t take long for him to climax, and he called her name, like he always did. And she knew that was a sign of a man who loved a woman. He didn’t call her baby or call out “Oh God.” He said, “Oh, Charlotte.” He was a man in love.

Collapsing next to her on the bed, he pulled her close while they panted and sighed with delirium. “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

She smiled at him, feeling loved. Her heart pounded in her chest at what she was about to say. It was something she swore to herself she wouldn’t. Something she wouldn’t allow herself to feel. He was married, after all. “I’m in love with you, Ted,” she whispered.

Closing her eyes, she kissed him quickly on the mouth, terrified of hearing his response in case he had changed his mind since that afternoon. A swell of courage came with her next inhale, and she pulled back and went on. “You’re everything I’ve ever needed. I want this. I want you. And I know I don’t deserve you, and I know it would be complicated, but if there was a way for us to be together permanently, I would be the happiest woman in the world.”

His eyes narrowed when she said the part about not deserving him, and he shook his head. “I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you. You’re incredible, Char. You’re every man’s dream—you’re gorgeous and smart and talented, but you’re also fun and understanding, and you’re so full of love. Everyone loves you.”

She cringed. “Your kids won’t.”

“Yes, they will. It’ll take time, but once they see how happy you make me, they’ll come around. They know their mom and I are miserable. She’ll be better off too. She really will be much happier without me,” he said, nuzzling Charlotte’s neck. “She and I grew apart years ago, but we’ve been forced to stay together. But now, I’ll be looking for the first opening, or, if there isn’t one to find, I’ll damn well make one.”

She pressed her hand to his jaw, pulling him in for another lingering kiss. “I’ll wait, Ted. I can be patient because I know at the end, we’ll be together.”

“I love you so much, Charlotte. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears, even though there was a skeptical voice in the recesses of her mind calling bullshit.

“It’s true. What I had with Antonia has always been…a meeting of the minds, not one of two souls.” He gave her a lopsided grin, as if he was suddenly unsure of himself. “Does that sound corny? I don’t want to be corny.”

“Not at all,” she answered, even though it was most definitely very corny.

Laughing, he said, “No, that was corny. I know it. And your generation doesn’t do corny.”

“That’s why I loved it. My generation is…afraid of sharing how we really feel. I’m sick of it. I just want to be real with someone. I can do that with you.” She ran her fingertip along his strong jawline.

“Yes, you can. You can be yourself with me, and I will love every moment of it. I want to hear everything you have to say about every topic under the sun. I want to explore the world with you and watch your face light up when you see the Eiffel Tower for the first time and wrap my arms around you as we float down the canals of Venice.” He kissed her again. “I want to spoil you and make you the happiest woman to have lived.”

She grinned at him, touching his cheek. “You already have.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea. I’m just getting started.”

THE DAY BEFORE THE INCIDENT

“There are two great tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

4:40 A.M. — TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

OLIVER

“Coffee?” Indira held a mug up to Oliver as soon as he entered the tiny staff room below deck.

Captain Ben, who was seated at the table, dipping a piece of a pastry into his espresso cup, looking relaxed (as always), smiled up at him. Oliver forced the corners of his lips up, and wished them both good morning, his voice gruff.

He took the coffee from Indira. “Thank you. I’m going to need about a dozen of these today. It was nearly two by the time I got everything ready for today.” He had a sip, then sat down. “I should’ve cut the line before that idiot could pull that fish onto the boat.”

“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” Indira said, setting a plate of pastries and fruit in front of him.

“I had a bad feeling about it,” Oliver answered.