“Nikki, seriously, you need to come out here. Now!”
I don’t care for her disrespectful attitude, making a mental note to reprimand her after I sort out whatever it is that’s disrupting my urgent deadline. I walk outside only to be met with an angry Lex banging on Charlie’s office door. The security guards, the sad, pathetic, overweight donut-eating bunch of fuckers can do nothing to hold him back. I motion for them to leave, telling them I’ll sort it out.
“Lex, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I berate him, trying to keep my voice controlled. “You can’t come in here and disrupt our office with your personal problems.”
“Where is she? I’ve given her four days, and she hasn’t responded to any texts or emails, nor has she been home. Tell me where the fuck she’s staying, Nikki.”
“In my office, now,” I demand.
Lex follows me into my office, pacing up and down, not pausing for a second. His appearance catches my attention—the messy hair, crooked tie, and an overgrown beard—a telltale sign of a man’s sorrows.
I pull Emma aside for a moment as she hovers by the door.
“You make sure the office gets back to normal. I don’t want anyone mentioning this to Charlie. Warn everyone out there that anyone caught discussing this will have to answer to me. You find out where she is, and if you need Eric’s help, make sure she does not come into the office. You understand?”
Emma nods, scurrying out of the room, closing the door behind her.
With a restless week almost behind me and many sleepless nights, I’m officially over this bullshit. Charlie has chosen to ignore the problem rather than face it head-on, leaving me with a very devastated man inside my office.
“I don’t know where she is,” I tell him, calmly. “She won’t talk to me right now. I told you not to smother her.”
“Do you honestly expect me to sit here and do nothing? Let her believe all the fucking lies? I flew back in because I need to see her. I’ll not leave until I speak to Charlotte.” He bows his head, trying to gain some sort of composure. “I never wanted to leave her, Nikki. I always loved her. She doesn’t understand how much pressure I was under back then. We were both so young.”
I sigh, resting on the edge of my desk trying to listen without voicing my opinion. They have history, a lot of it, and Charlie only gave me bits of information whenever she felt like it. I don’t want to drag myself into their mess, but curiosity gets the best of me.
“What exactly happened, Lex?”
He walks over to the window, gazing out into the skyline. Clearing his throat, I sense his vulnerability, and no matter how I prepare myself for what he’s about to say, nothing can be stronger than the truth.
“It was exactly two weeks after prom, the night I told her I’d find a way for us to finally be together, whatever it took.”
He explains what happened when he found out Samantha was pregnant, the pressure his family, mainly his father, placed on him. If anything were to happen to this baby, it would be all Lex’s fault.
“Lex, I’m so sorry.”
I don’t know what else to say. I knew bits of the story but only from Charlie’s side. To think how Charlie must have felt, to place myself in her shoes for just a moment, I understand now why she struggles to trust him. The pain she endured was nothing that I’d wish on my greatest enemy, but I also understand the enormity of being a parent. If anything does go wrong, how easy you can blame yourself. The responsibility of parenthood far outweighs anything else I’ve ever experienced.
“I was trapped and weak. I tried several times to call her but would hang up like a coward. The damage was done. I knew I’d hurt her, I apologized and begged for forgiveness. But there’s something more, something she’s holding back. I don’t know what it is… please tell me what it is?”
He glances at me like a lost little boy desperate to find the place he calls home. What can I say? I have my suspicions because there are parts of her story which don’t add up, but this isn’t the place and this is not the person to be talking to. It isn’t even my story t
o tell.
“Charlie’s a very private person. It’s only now that you’ve come back that she has opened up about that time of her life. Look, go back to London and do what you need to do. I’ll keep an eye on her here. In the meantime, leave her the fuck alone.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because she deserves to be happy, Lex, and you’re it for her. That soul mate bullshit doesn’t just happen for everyone. Sometimes it does if you’re lucky, but you have to work hard at getting it right. It doesn’t always fall into your lap so perfectly. She’s my girl, so don’t do anything stupid to screw this up. You love her? Then make sure this doesn’t happen again, you understand?”
He nods, and hopefully, my words mean something to him. Otherwise, one push, and he’s lost Charlie forever.
***
Walking into my apartment an hour later, Will runs toward me, crashing his body into mine as he wraps his arms around my waist. I hold him tight in my arms, smothering his face with kisses. His smile, as usual, melts my heart. I thank my lucky stars this beautiful child was brought into this world. In a time full of chaos and uncertainty, I can always rely on Will to make everything seem insignificant.
Rocky follows, leaning in to kiss me. “Long day, babe?”
“Exhausting. I’ll tell you about it later,” I say, squeezing Will until he complains he can’t breathe.