One and Only

Charlotte

“None of you say a word, please. I feel bad enough and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I know I should have.” I felt terrible. They were all so worried. Tucker was all welled up and trying not to cry. If he cried, I’d start crying and if I cried, then Deacon would cry and then it would be a total sob fest in here.

Brody sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me into a hug. “I suspected something that first day, remember?” I nodded. “Matt said you were being followed. Yeah, sure it turned out to be Bethany and not that freak stalking you, but you weren’t acting right. I should have made you tell me. I should have tickled it out of you and made you move back to the house,” he teased.

“God, no.” I hugged him back. “I honestly thought I would be okay. He was an annoying creep. He never got close to me or acted threatening until tonight. Yeah, he scared me, but it was more because I didn’t know what he would do, rather than because of something he had already done to me.”

“Makes sense. Does it hurt?” Spencer gestured to my cheek. “Do you need anything? Say the word and I’ll do it.”

“It stings a bit, but Dr. Weaver said it will be fine and I won’t have a scar.”

Trent sat on my other side and swept my hair over my shoulder. “Good, you’re too gorgeous for a scar.” My dad and brothers had always known about Trent and me and our fake marriage, and they all loved him.

“Let’s get you downstairs.” The nurse who brought me up here was back with a wheelchair.

“Can I walk?”

She shook her head no. “This is our policy. You had a rough night. Don’t be surprised if everything hits you later.”

I sat in the chair, and we formed a sad, quiet little parade down the hospital halls until we reached the exit doors where Cade had his SUV waiting.

“Any news? Did they catch him yet?” my dad asked.

“Not yet. But Trevor is the best, so try not to worry.”

“Do you want us to come with you, Charlotte? We’ll follow along if you want us to,” my dad offered.

“No. I love you guys. Go home and get some sleep. I’ll be fine, I swear.” After hugging them all, Cade helped me into his vehicle, and we headed off to his place.

The drive was silent but not uncomfortable. He held my hand the whole way.

After arriving at his place, he’d carried me into the house, and now I was in his bedroom—the room we used to share—trying to fall asleep. This wasn’t the same bed I used to sleep in with Cade, but it felt like it. This room held some of the best memories of my life and as I sat here, I found myself wishing I had never left.

My life would have been so much simpler and easy instead of this wretched and dangerous mess I had stumbled into over the last few months.

I was in one of Cade’s Sweetbriar PD T-shirts, sitting up against the headboard with my knees to my chest wondering how in the heck I would get out of this and why, if I was this exhausted, I couldn’t seem fall asleep.

Cade was determined to crash on the couch tonight. He was all about no pressure and no expectations, he was sorry for walking out on me at Vi’s book club and blah blah blah. But I didn’t care about any of that. I didn’t want to be alone. There was no news about my stalker, and I was still pretty scared. Every sound outside made me jump. And since this property backed up to the forest, there were a lot of sounds out there. Animals didn’t give a crap about bedtime.

“Damn it,” I mumbled as I climbed back under the covers. I was bone tired, my eyes burned and my entire face ached. I needed to go to sleep so bad, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I tossed to my side, fluffing the pillow beneath my head with a curse. I could never fall asleep on this side, but I wasn’t supposed to lie on my stitched-up cheek.

The room was quiet, but my thoughts were loud and intrusive. Winthrop had been in my garage, listening and watching me for who knows how long.

Cade and I had made love together on the stairs, but we hadn’t been alone. Winthrop had heard everything, every private detail. Tears filled my eyes. He had ruined something that was special to me, and it made me sick. Suddenly nauseous, I got up and rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

Footsteps ran up behind me. “Charli, are you okay?” Cade bent and held my hair back. “What’s happening? Tell me what’s going on.”

When I finished, he passed me a tissue. I wiped my mouth and sat with my back against the tub. “He heard us. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t think of it until now. He was listening while we were together on the stairs at my place. I can’t stand the thought of it—”

“God, Charlotte. I don’t know what to say.” He looked as disturbed as I felt as he sat cross legged on the floor in front of me. “He’s a sick person.”

“I can’t get it out of my mind. He—he violated us, Cade. He intruded on our intimacy, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Help me get it out of my mind.”

“It was a definite violation, there’s no way around that. But he can’t take away how we felt in that moment when we were finally back together. It was beautiful, Charlotte, and it meant everything to me.” His face was adamant. “He has nothing to do with how it feels when we’re together, how right, and magical it is when we make love. He can’t take anything from us unless we allow him to do it. He’s nothing, Charlotte, just a sick little man who’s going to jail for a long time.”

I nodded. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to feel the same way he did. “I’ll try to see it like you do.”

“I know it’s easier said than done. And with all of that being said, the department always recommends therapy for things like this, and I think it’s a good idea that we both go.”

“I agree. I don’t want this coming back to haunt us someday. But mostly, I really don’t want to be alone tonight. Go to sleep with me? Please?”

“Of course. I didn’t want to—”

“Make me uncomfortable, I know. But I want you with me. Unless you don’t feel right about sharing a bed with me after everything—”

“I would love nothing more in the world, Charlotte. It’s what I’ve always wanted. Let’s go.” He stood and reached for my hands to help me up.

Cade waited in bed for me while I brushed my teeth and tried to convince myself I’d be okay.

Once I’d joined him in bed, he covered us in his blankets and wrapped me in his arms. “I’ve got you. You’re safe to fall asleep.”

I shivered in his arms. “Please don’t leave me alone. I know it’s not fair of me to ask after all the confusion with Trent and the secrets I kept from you.”

“None of that matters anymore. I’ll stay right here until you wake up, I swear it. You could ask anything of me, and I’ll do it. Please believe that.”

“Cade—”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Why are you so good to me when—”