Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

“Better?” I prop my hands on my hips, pretending to be annoyed.

“I’ll be better when you lose the clothes and get up here.”

“I’m not losing the clothes because we need to talk.”

“We can’t talk naked?” He crooks an eyebrow.

“Not the way I want to.” I crawl in and sit cross-legged next to him, wincing at the sting between my legs. “How’d you know what was happening at the salon? Did Stephanie message you?”

“Yes, but she was far down in line, and her message was a little more graphic in nature.”

“What do you mean?”

“You want to talk about this tonight? We haven’t seen each other in over a week.”

“That’s why we need to talk about it. You blindsided me today. I thought you finally saw my reasoning about our impossible reconciliation. Then you walked in, swept me off my feet—literally—and probably brought a world of hell upon yourself.”

His lips form a hard line, and a flicker of irritation flames in his eyes. “Apparently, you do want to talk about this tonight.”

“Of course, I do.”

“First of all, I never agreed with your reasoning because this reconciliation has already happened. You’re the only one who isn’t seeing it. Secondly, my world has been hell for a long time, and today didn’t add anything new. But I’m not living that life anymore, and I’ve been working my ass off this last week to make sure of it.”

I take a deep breath, clap my hands together in my lap, and tell him, “Explain that.”

“When you told me about Brasher’s offer, I knew I couldn’t ask you to give that up for me, but I’m not willing to lose you again. Stephanie had said something earlier that day that clicked into place, and I knew I had to be proactive. Connie’s been a bitch since she found out you were back in town, or I should say, more of a bitch. That’s why she was at dinner that night at Rosen’s. She has no problem using my kids to her advantage. Maya and Cole had already hinted at coming to stay with me earlier than usual. The timing was perfect. It sucked I couldn’t be with you, but in the long run, it was a good step in the right direction. When I have my kids, I’m in charge, and Connie knows to back off. It’s one reason Maya has a phone. Connie can reach them, but my time is my time, and she knows better than to question me.”

Like always, when his kids are mentioned, my body tenses and I clasp my hands stronger, digging my nails into the skin. “I wouldn’t know anything about parenting, but I’m sure it’s tough.”

He studies my face and sighs. “We’ll talk about that statement another time. Right now, I need to know you’re focused on what I’m saying, not the fact that I have kids with another woman.”

It would be easy to tell him that fact is never going to change, but I nod my understanding so he will go on.

“Being part owner in the company has a lot of perks, and one of them is adjusting my hours when needed. It’s easy when they’re in school. But the last few days, with school out, my mom helped me. I’d pick them up afternoons. We’d do our thing, and then they’d need their own time. They’re independent kids. It fucking killed me staying away, but our nightly conversations became one of my favorite parts of the day.”

“I liked them, too,” I say, loving the way his eyes go soft.

“Outside of planning the trip to Aspen, first up was making amends with Evin. I called and asked for an appointment, and we met. Things weren’t easy, but we both unloaded. In the end, we decided to bury the hatchet.”

“What? You met with Evin? Why didn’t he tell me?”

“Because he was step one in my plan, and out of respect, he gave me the time to get my shit together so I could tell you myself.”

‘That explains why he’s going to help with the horses tomorrow.”

“I’m pretty sure, if I didn’t make the first move, Edward was going to throw us in a boxing ring and make us fight it out.”

“Dad was involved?”

“I had to contact Annie to help with my travel, which meant Edward was blowing up my phone.”

“I can’t believe my entire family was keeping this from me.”

“Don’t get angry with them. I may have used emotional manipulation and asked them to let me get things straight on my end.”

“And they fell for it?”

“I can be pretty convincing.” I almost want to slap the smug grin off his face… almost.

“Go on.”

“Evin, Edward, and Annie are all on the same page. Then it was time to cover my ass with Connie.”

“Oh, God,” I tense.

“I met with my lawyer. He’s a smart guy and totally out of the gossip loop in Charleston. He knew a little about you from his wife, who, by the way, is a nurse at the hospital, but otherwise, he’s clueless of our history. After I explained my concerns, he’s now on call.”