Mr Spencer(131)

“She left work early today, so she’s been home for a few hours now.”

I frown, that’s strange. “Have a good night,” I say to them before I walk into my apartment.

The television is on, the lights are off, the apartment in darkness. A feeling of unease fills me.

“Angel?” I call.

No answer.

I walk out into the living room to see her sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face. My face falls.

“What’s wrong?” I crouch beside her and notice that there are boxes of Christmas decorations sitting next to the Christmas tree box I got out of storage yesterday.

I pull Charlotte onto my lap and hold her tight, listening as her quiet sadness turns to loud sobs.

“Baby?” I whisper as I rock her.

After a moment, she speaks quietly. “I just don’t think I can do it.”

“What?”

“Can we go to Santorini now?”

“What… why? What’s happened?”

“How can it possibly be Christmas without your family?” she whispers through her tears. “Can we just skip it this year? I promise, next year I’ll make it up to you.”

My heart drops. She can’t stand the thought of having a Christmas with her family not talking to her. “What did you do today?” I ask, looking around helplessly.

“I bought Christmas decorations.”

“Do you want to put the tree up?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

I watch her for a moment. I remember how hard this time of year used to be for me, too. “Do you want me to put the tree up naked?” I tease. “You can drink wine and watch.”

“No.” She wipes her eyes. “I just don’t want to have Christmas this year, Spence. Let’s just leave it.”

She doesn’t want to have Christmas?

We remain silent, both of us lost in our own thoughts until I can’t stand the quiet a moment longer.

“Why don’t you go home to Nottingham for Christmas, babe?”

She frowns up at me in question.

“Go home for Christmas and spend it with your family. I’ll see you after,” I offer.

“I’m not having Christmas without you.” She gasps, as if shocked by the mere suggestion of it.

“There’s no other way around it, Charlotte. They don’t want me there and I hate seeing you like this. I’d rather spend Christmas alone than see you hurt.”

“I’m staying with you, Spencer. Don’t you see?”

“See what?”

“This is a no-win situation. I can’t be without you, so I have to learn to live without them.”

She curls herself into my chest and holds me tight as she cries. Loud, uncontrollable sobs make her entire body shake.

All I can do is sit and hold her.

The room becomes a shady haze of red as I feel the adrenaline begin to pump through my veins.

“What can I do?” I whisper. “I’ll make you some dinner.”

“I’m not hungry, thanks.” She kisses me as she tries to pull herself together. “I’m just going to go to bed, baby, is that okay?”

I brush her hair back from her forehead. “Of course, it is.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I kiss her. “I’ll be up to tuck you in in a minute.” I help her off my lap and watch her walk up the stairs until she disappears out of sight.

I pour myself a scotch and drink it down. Anger is coursing through my veins like wildfire. The only thing she ever did wrong was fall in love with me.

I drink my scotch with a shaky hand.

Who the fuck do they think they are?

1105





I punch in the code to the gates of the estate and drive through to the main house. I shouldn’t be here but I’m past caring what they think of me.

I hardly slept last night. I stayed awake watching my angel cry.

I can’t do it anymore. I have no patience and no fucks left to give.

I park the car, and Harold’s guards appear out of nowhere. “What do you want?” one asks me.

“I want to see Harold,” I announce, despite it being early morning. The earlier my arrival, the more chance I had of them being home.

“He’s not here.”

“Then I’ll wait. Or… find him,” I snap. “Better still, get Edward out here.”

One of them scurries into the house leaving me to stand at the bottom of the porch steps. It seems a lifetime ago when I was at the bottom of Charlotte’s steps on that first date, begging her to let me in.

If only I knew what kind of Heaven awaited me, I would have stayed that night and saved us both a lot of time.

The front door opens, and Harold’s face comes into view. I glare at him and storm up the stairs, brushing past him to enter his house.

The guard tries to stop me but Harold holds his hand up. “He’s fine.”

I soon find Edward in the living room. “You fucking prick.” I growl and I push him hard in the chest.

“What the hell?” He staggers back before regaining his composure and pushing me in return.

“Stop it.” Harold growls. “I’ve had enough of you both!”