“She loved you, Charlotte. She’d only recently told us about you. Mama was afraid to look for you because she thought maybe you’d hate her. But she carried you in her heart.”
The tears that had been threatening started to stream down Charlotte’s face as she stared at her newfound brother. “Can I stay? Until . . . I . . . I want to spend time with her. And with you. And my other brother. If that’s okay?”
He smiled. “Mama’d like that. In fact, I can’t think of anything else in this world that might bring her more peace than having you here today.”
“How long does she have?”
Jason walked to the other side of his mother’s—their mother’s—bed and covered the woman’s other hand with his. “Not long. Weeks . . . days . . . maybe even hours. We’ve been struggling to take her off life support. We all had this feeling that it wasn’t time yet.” He looked up at Charlotte. “Now it makes sense. We were all waiting for you. She was waiting for you.”“Hey,” Charlotte whispered, blinking sleep from her eyes as she looked up at me. A few hours ago, she’d curled up in a ball on the chair next to her mother and fallen asleep. It was almost two in the morning, Texas time. She stretched her arms over her head and let out a big yawn. “How long did I sleep for?”
“Not long enough. A couple of hours.”
“Did Jason leave?”
My first impression of Jason had been right. He turned out to be a pretty decent guy. We’d spent the hours while Charlotte slept getting to know each other. At only twenty-two, he’d already served four years in the military and married his high school sweetheart. He’d also been the sole caregiver to Lydia the last few months since she’d taken a steep turn for the worse, and his mother clearly meant the world to him. I shook my head. “He went downstairs to get us some coffee. I didn’t want to go far in case you woke up and were confused.”
She gave me a sad smile. “Confused as to how I could be an only child pouring my boss coffee in New York yesterday, and tonight I’m halfway across the country and my brother is getting my boss coffee?”
I reached over and squeezed her knee. “Yeah, that, wiseass.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
“Not yet. But I booked us a hotel room nearby while you were snoring.”
Charlotte arched a brow. “A hotel room? As in one, not plural?”
“I booked a suite with two beds. I don’t want you to be alone.”
She leaned to me and whispered in my ear. “Or . . . maybe you were hoping I’d lift my dress for you again?”
Jason walked back into the room, saving me from having to answer that. I’d actually debated over how many rooms to book for an hour and a half. In the end, I figured I’d already seen her naked, tasted her pussy, and lost my mind over this woman. I’d crossed the line by a mile—comforting her and staying by her side as she struggled through this difficult time couldn’t dig me any deeper. Her brother handed me a coffee from the cardboard carrying container, then turned to Charlotte. “Got one with cream and sugar for you. Wasn’t sure how you took it. Me and Ma take it light and sweet, so I figured maybe the taste is hereditary or something.”
She smiled. “That’s perfect. Thank you.”
Jason took a seat on the other side of the bed. “Don’t know how long you’re planning on staying, but you should probably get some shut-eye. I don’t have much room in my little apartment. I live in a studio with my wife. But you’re welcome to stay at Ma’s place if you want. I have her keys, and it’s not too far from here. Maybe fifteen minutes up the road.”
“Thanks. But Reed booked us a hotel nearby already.”
“You have a good husband.” He looked at me. “Though I think he could use some sleep. He was watching you like a hawk while you slept and looked as stressed as you were when you were awake.”
It hadn’t occurred to me that we’d never labeled our relationship. Considering I’d been next to Charlotte the entire time, his conclusion was logical.
“Oh. Reed’s not my husband. He’s my”—Charlotte struggled—“boss.”
Jason raised a brow and sipped his coffee. “Boss?”
“Yes, he’s my boss back in New York. I work at his company.”
“From the way he looked like he might murder me when he found us dancing outside, and the way he watched you sleep . . . I just assumed.”
Charlotte glanced at me and then back to her brother. “It’s . . . complicated.”
He smirked. “I’d imagine it is.”
After we finished our coffees, Jason again suggested we go get some sleep. Even though Charlotte seemed hesitant, she agreed when he said that we should come back around ten in the morning, since that was when they did rounds.