Letting Go (Thatch 1)

“Because I finally have the girl I’ve been waiting for my entire fucking life, Charlie! Now what is your deal?”

“Have her?” she asked quietly. “You’re together?”

I blew out a slow, steadying breath and stared at the car in front of mine. “Yeah, in a way.”

“When did you start dating?” she asked, her voice rising.

“Seriously: What. Is. Your. Deal?”

“Just tell me, Jagger!”

“We didn’t start dating, and I don’t think either of us is going to consider this dating. It’s not like we tried to make it official . . . there’s not really a need to. She knows how I’ve always felt, and I know how she feels, that’s all we need.”

Charlie was silent for so long I started to say her name when she spoke again. There was an odd pain in the tone of her voice, and for the life of me I couldn’t understand it. “I just—I don’t understand . . .” She trailed off.

“What don’t you understand? What is there to understand?”

“Nothing, it’s not a big deal.”

“Really. You sure about that?” I bit out. “Because I could’ve sworn you felt differently.”

“Yes, really. And I am happy for you, Jagger . . . I am.”

“Then wh—”

“You know, I should probably get going,” she said, cutting me off. “We need to check out of this place and I haven’t packed yet, so I’ll talk to you later.”

“Charlie,” I groaned.

“Tell Grey I said hi, okay?”

I shook my head as my confusion grew. “Yeah, all right. You guys be safe, okay?”

She laughed softly and sighed. “Of course. See you in a couple weeks.”

Once the call ended, I blew out a harsh breath and dropped my phone back onto the passenger seat as I pulled up behind Grey at her parents’ house. Stepping out of my car, I rested my arms on top of the door, waiting for her as she walked toward me with a shy smile on her face.

“Charlie says hi,” I told her once she reached my side.

“Yeah?” she asked, her eyes brightening. “Is she having fun?”

I nodded and brushed back some of the hair that had fallen out of her bun, keeping my hand there so I was cupping her cheek when I finished. “Do you need help taking your stuff in?”

“No, I’ll be fine, it’s only one bag. Are you not staying?”

“I’m gonna go home and shower, and you should probably spend some time with your parents.”

She took a step closer to me, closing the di

stance between us, and her lips parted on a soft exhalation as her body pressed up against mine. “And what about you?”

I looked up to find her eyes locked on my mouth, and a crooked smile pulled at my lips. “What about me?”

“What about spending time with you . . . ?” She trailed off, leaving the end sounding like a question.

“I can wait for you.” Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to her forehead and left them there when I said, “Spend time with them, I know they’ve missed you. When you’re done, you know where to find me.”

As much as I wanted to keep her next to me forever, I couldn’t, and I couldn’t rush this. Even though I knew this girl was finally mine, I still needed to give her time to come to me.