Revel (Second Chance Romance #1)(23)

When she finally pulled away, he continued, “Wow. That was good. Okay, so yeah. My parents want to meet you, and they’ve invited you to dinner tomorrow night. It will be here; Antonia is going to make a Lowcountry boil so it’s nothing fancy. Very casual. They just want to make sure you’re not a psychopath. But…” He smiled, taking her hand. “I think I want to also tell them you’re my girlfriend.”

Charlotte shifted nervously next to him, “I mean, won’t they think it’s kind of strange that your girlfriend now technically lives with you?”

“You’re in separate quarters,” he pointed out. “Is it too soon to tell them?”

Charlotte shook her head, “No. Definitely not. But I guess I should maybe think of living somewhere else. So it’s not too weird.”

Declan nodded, “I mean, I don’t care. But usually we only rent out the carriage house for the summer anyway. Which I should have probably mentioned. But don’t worry! I’ll help you find a place; I know everyone in this town. And if worse comes to worse, you stay with me for a bit.”

“At a frat house?” she asked. “No thanks!”

He laughed, “Okay, I get it. But no worries, I know I can find you a new place, with a much nicer roommate than Allyn Legare ever was.”

“I wish I could afford to live without a roommate,” Charlotte sighed, laying down on the couch, her head in Declan’s lap. “I can’t wait until the day I can truly be on my own.”

He ran his fingers through her hair, “Why so eager to be a loner?”

Charlotte looked up at him, “I don’t know. I guess I like the thought of being beholden to no one but myself. I want to revel in the freedom of living how I want and where I want. That’s what money is at the end of the day. Freedom. To make any choice you want.”

“Money isn’t always freedom,” he replied. “It can come with a lot of strings.”

“Well, not the kind of money I want,” she said. “Money that comes from my own hard work doesn’t come with strings attached to it. Which is why I can’t quit Dixie Garden. I’ve learned in the last few years that it’s always best to count on just yourself. Other people can let you down.”

Declan stood up, gently lifting Charlotte off of him as he did.

“Not everyone will let you down, Charlotte,” he said. “I never would.”

She smiled at him sympathetically, “You wouldn’t mean to. I don’t think you would ever purposefully hurt me. But there might come a time where you don’t have a choice. And if it happens, I always want to be prepared.”

Declan shook his head, angry now, “How can you say that? I’m telling you I wouldn’t. I love you, Charlotte.”

Silence. The sentence hung in the air, a sentence thick with meaning. She never would have expected him to say it.

“Declan…” she said. “I can’t…”

“It’s fine,” he said, coldly. “You don’t have to say it back.”

“I want to say it back,” she explained. “I’m just not- “

“I said its fine,” he replied. He looked at her with a sadness she’d never seen in his eyes. “I’ve never said that to anyone before. And maybe it’s fast. Maybe you don’t feel the same way. But it doesn’t change it. I do love you. And I would never let you down. I hope one day you’ll finally realize that.”

He walked over to the front door, “I’m going to take a shower and maybe sleep over at the main house tonight. If it’s okay.”

Charlotte was crestfallen, “If that’s what you want.”

“Just for tonight,” he walked back over to her and kissed her quickly on the lips. “But tomorrow night, we’ll make it fun. My parents aren’t so bad. They’ll like you. You’ll probably like them. But as long as you at least like me, I can live with that.” He smiled, something she was glad to see.

“Goodnight, Declan.”

“Goodnight, Charlotte.”





Chapter Eleven


Charlotte watched from the window as Declan started walking across the sand toward the house next door.

She was relieved to see he wasn’t coming to her door. Or was she relieved? Part of her wanted to talk to him, to show him she was beyond what he did to her, beyond the heart break of losing him. She would tell him about her successful practice, that she had graduated from Vanderbilt at the top of her class, that she had been at the top of her class in med school as well.

She’d pretend to be confident. She’d stand tall with her shoulders back, her hair no longer a wild mop of curls and waves. She was sleek now, more chic than she was back in the days when they were together. She longed to be aloof with him, to show him she barely thought of him anymore.

It would be a lie, but it would feel good to tell it.

But no, it was better that he hadn’t come to her door. She wasn’t the best at pretending she felt a way that she didn’t. She had no poker face.

What would really happen if Declan came to her door-she’d feel nauseated. She’d cry. She’d scream at him for killing her heart, for making it so that she could never love again. Men had approached her over the years, good men, with good intentions. But she was constantly rebuffing, constantly (but gently) declining dates. She stopped even the most innocent flirtations in the guise of wanting to stay professional. But really it was just her staying guarded. She never wanted to go through a break up again. She’d rather just never love at all.