She shook her head. “No … I mean … at first it … but now.”
“Now?” I asked, trying to keep my balance. “What? Did you change your mind? Did you even fucking plan on ever telling me we got together because of some fucking twisted mind game of yours? Hell, maybe you planned on keeping up the charade. We’d get married, and what, you’d have your guys on the side? How many times have you fucked guys at your job?”
Her hand came up and slapped me across the face so hard I saw stars.
“Fuck you, Tucker! I wanted to tell you, I was going to tell you! I almost told you several times, and the last was right before Linda found you.”
Forcing an evil smile, I replied, “Yeah, I was about to tell you what it was that I knew. Saved by my father dying. Classic. Well, fuck you, Charlie. Fuck you and your little games. But listen, I tell ya what, I’ll keep going along with this little game of yours. I’ll marry you, and you can sit at the head of your daddy’s company and play God. That’s what you want, right? You get off telling all those old men what to do?”
The moment I saw the tears slip from her eyes, it felt like I sobered up. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Before I could tell her I was sorry and that I didn’t mean any of it, Charlie spoke first.
“Shut up. I’ve never in my life hated anyone like I hate you right now. And to think I was going to tell you I loved you this weekend. Tell you everything and how I even thought about walking away from CMI for you!”
That got my attention. “What?” I asked, her words rattled around in my head. Love me? Leave CMI?
“Talk about a hypocrite. How long have you known?”
More guilt hit me. Charlie was better off without me. She deserved someone who would be honest and up front with her.
“The night you told Terri in my office. I have cameras in my office and heard the whole conversation.”
A loud gasp caused me to look her in the eyes. My chest squeezed in the most painful way as I watched more tears spill from her eyes.
“Oh my God. You’ve known the whole time? Was this your way of getting back at me? What were you going to do? Make it all the way to the wedding and what? Leave me?”
I didn’t answer her because that had been my first thought, but I would never hurt he
r like that. Ever.
Her hands covered her mouth. My silence was her answer.
“No, I wasn’t going to do that. I’d never do that to you.”
Holding up her hand, she shook her head, her other hand still covering her mouth. Charlie turned and walked toward the front door. She stopped and looked back at me.
“Wait, baby, wait.”
“Don’t ever call me that again. I’m nothing to you. Nothing!”
Her voice screamed the last word before she slammed the door shut.
I wasn’t sure how long I stood there staring at the door before I dropped the bottle of Jack and grabbed my phone. Everything was blurry, and my shaking hands couldn’t figure out how to pull up her name.
“Siri, call Charlie.” My words were so slurred that I was surprised my phone understood my ass.
The phone rang once before I heard her voicemail. Stumbling back to the sofa, I kept calling her, and she kept sending me to voicemail. I wasn’t sure when my phone died, but when it did, I buried my face in my hands and cried for the first time in seven years. In a way I felt like I’d died right along with my phone … and my father.
THE POUNDING SOUND sent a jolt of pain through my head. Slowly sitting up, I saw I was on the floor of my living room.
“Jesus Christ. Look at you.”
The sound of Nash’s voice filled the air.
“Oh my God. Tucker!”
Lily was down on the floor next to me, pushing my hair back and looking at me.
“What are you doing? Why are you doing this?”