Bennett (On the Line 2)

Charlotte: No. I have money saved that I planned to pay school loans off with. Please don’t worry about money, I’ll be fine. And I’ll do my best as a mom. Always.

I felt a burn in my chest that reached all the way up to my throat as I read her words. Charlotte could do this alone if she had to, and something told me she’d rock it. She was so strong. And her love for our unborn child made me feel a bone-deep yearning for her. We were bound together forever now, and if that was supposed to scare me, it didn’t. It made me feel like a lucky son of a bitch.

Me: I know you will. I miss you, Char.

Charlotte: I miss you, too.

Me: Be with me, Charlotte. All the way. Let’s date.

Charlotte: Where is this coming from?

Me: Are you wondering if it’s my dick or my heart?

Charlotte: I like the bluntness of that assessment, yes.

Me: Well, I could’ve gotten laid easy in the past 3 ½ months but I haven’t.

Charlotte: Not at all?

Me: Not at all. I was trying to get you out of my head the night you came to tell me you were pregnant.

Charlotte: Really?

Me: Really.

Charlotte: Why don’t you ever say things like that in person?

I smiled at my phone. It was so like Charlotte to redirect my attention to avoid answering me.

Me: You know that cartoon, Peanuts?

Charlotte: I do, random subject-changer . . .

Me: I’m Charlie Brown. Pretty cute, lovable guy, right?

Charlotte: Okay, yes. You are.

Me: And Charlie’s a whole-heart kind of guy, don’t you think?

Charlotte: I don’t know him quite that well, but I’ll take your word for it.

Me: You’re Lucy. Holding that football, waiting for me to come kick it. And I want to. I want to kick it bad. But if you pull it away at the last second, I’ll be flat on my back.

Charlotte: I’d love to have you flat on your back right now.

Me: Thanks for the hard-on.

Charlotte: Sorry.

Me: No, really. I knew you had it in you to let your guard down and just have fun with me.

Charlotte: You think I’m the sort of woman who pulls the football away?

Me: I think you’re afraid to find out what it feels like to not pull it away.

A couple minutes passed before she responded.

Charlotte: Sometimes you leave me speechless. No one’s ever done that.