Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

“She knows the truth now.” My mouth tastes like I’ve swallowed acid.

“Well, I’m glad you cleared things up. It’s very good for both of you.”

“That’s it?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I need to know what kind of fight I have on my hands here.”

“What are you fighting for?”

“I’m fighting for Darby. For us. For the life we should have been living all these years. I want it all back.”

“Does she know this?”

“She’s in denial.”

“She would be. You both bring a lot of baggage to the table, and yours have names and a mother that Darby hates.”

I grit my teeth at hearing her refer to my kids as baggage. But it wouldn’t be smart to piss off the person who holds the answers I need.

“I didn’t say it’s going to be easy, but what am I going up against in Charlotte? As her best friend and her lawyer, tell me what kind of life she has in Charlotte, because I sure as hell can’t move, and the last thing I want to do is ask her to give up what she has there. Only you can help guide me.”

The line goes silent again, and this time, my brain picks up on the unspoken words. It becomes clear. “She’s not planning on going back to Charlotte, is she?”

“You need to talk to her.”

“Dammit! Why the hell can’t anyone—”

“Pierce,” she cuts in, “I want to tell you more, but there’s a very fine line between her lawyer and her friend. Answering that question pulls me over the professional line. You say you want her back? A lot of time has passed.”

“You don’t have to remind me of that.”

“Do I have to remind you that you spent all of that time angry at her?”

“Do I have to remind you that I was kept in the fucking dark?”

“How can you be sure this isn’t old feelings resurfacing and mixing with the heartache of knowing what she went through? Just because you had sex doesn’t mean you have a future.”

Her insinuation sends my blood pressure soaring. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from lashing out. “Did you give me your number so you could bust my balls? You don’t know the kind of man I am. If you did, you’d know sex has nothing to do with it.”

“I’m hardly busting your balls. It’s a legitimate question. Why do you want her back?”

“I love her.”

“That’s all you’re going to give me?”

“That’s all your gonna get.”

“Fair enough, I guess that will do. I’m glad to know I didn’t spend the last four hours wasting my time.” She mumbles something under her breath, and the sound of papers rustling fills the line.

“Am I supposed to guess what that means?”

“No. You called for advice, and here’s what I’m going to suggest. You need to talk to Darby and go into it with an open mind. She may have lived with the emotional scars of your history, but she threw herself into DG Creations and has built an amazing business. People took notice.”

“People? What people?”

“Can’t cross that line, Pierce. It has to come from her.”

“I’m beginning to regret this phone call.”

“Remember that chip on your shoulder I mentioned?” she goes on, ignoring my comment. “Ditch the attitude. I haven’t heard the whole story from Darby, but from her brief details, along with a morning spent on the phone with Evin, I understand most of your conversations have escalated to explosive levels.”

“That changed two nights ago.”

“Good to know. I told you the morning we met that I saw the chemistry and connection. Let’s hope that has the magic healing powers it’s going to take. She’s going to need that.” Her voice grows softer, and I know immediately what she’s referring to.

“Connie isn’t going to touch this, Stephanie. I can assure you of that.”

“Pierce, I’m going to go off-character here and step into your corner. I’ve already told you how close Darby is to me, but for some reason, I have a soft spot for you. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can shield Darby from the wrath that is going to rain down when news hits about your reunion. You said earlier it wasn’t going to be easy, and you thought you were competing with Charlotte. Charlotte isn’t in the equation; it’s much more. Outside of Darby, you should start with Evin. You need him as an ally. From what I know, Darby set him straight the other day about what happened and told him that you never blamed her. I think that helped pave the way for forgiveness from him.”

“Forgiveness? He was one of the people who kept her from me.”

“He did what she asked, and you have to respect that.”

“Fine,” I grit out. Logically, she’s right, but it stings like hell to think of what could have been prevented if Evin had talked to me.