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Chapter Thirteen
It had been almost 2:00 p.m. by the time I got home to Billie, but we had the rest of the day alone because Colby was at Logan’s place with his grandparents. They had been made aware of his dad’s situation and were visiting Logan for the weekend.
This had given Billie enough confidence for Colby have a sleep over with them, and although the following day was a school day, she was more than happy to let him have a night with his dad under the supervision of everyone else. Especially, when Keith, his grandfather had agreed to take him to school the following morning.
“Well?” Billie asked, anxiously as she met me in the hallway.
Shrugging out of my jacket, I glanced at her and smirked. “You were right, as usual.”
“Right? About what?” she asked, excitedly.
“That I should have listened to him. From what I saw today, he’s not the same guy as he used to be, so in that sense Charlotte has done him a favor.”
Stepping close to me, Billie wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’m so proud of you for facing James, I know how difficult that must have been.”
“And Charlotte. I saw Charlotte today as well.” Billie’s body immediately stiffened, and she leaned back to look up at me.
“He brought her with him?”
“Christ, no. When he told me what happened, something inside of me shifted and I really wanted to believe him, but …” I sighed, feeling guilty when I remembered the conversation. “I asked him to call Charlotte out, because I had to hear what he’d told me from her. I needed her admission to back up his words.”
“So, what happened?” I went on to explain what had gone on and how she admitted blackmailing James with threats, the tantrum that followed, and how we’d left her.
“What a piece of work,” Billie spat, as she shook her head. “How did you live with that girl and not know her? Never mind,” she muttered, holding her hand up. “Love is blind, I know that from experience. How did you leave it?”
“After James and I left the house, he hugged me and told me he wanted to make it up to me.”
“And?” she asked, her bright blue eyes shining with hope. I knew what she wanted me to say, but I’d had a long time of hurt about James that wasn’t connected to his incident with Charlotte, as well. When I couldn’t commit to one thought, I knew she’d read the mistrust that lingered inside of me. She pressed her lips into a line like I’d disappointed her. Drawing in a deep breath I exhaled slowly and tried to keep my feelings in check.
“I can’t just forget everything that’s gone before, when we were growing up. However, I’m certain I can get past this incident for sure. I feel angry about what Charlotte did to him and I have nothing but hate for her now. You asked me if I still loved Charlotte. When I gave you an ambiguous reply, that was nostalgia talking.”
“I get that. I didn’t want to believe it of Logan either. I was convinced Poppy had hypnotized him for him to do that to us. In spite of all the horrible situations I’ve been in since he got with Poppy, my heart still clung to the slim good times we had, otherwise marrying him would have felt pointless.”
“Well, now I can answer your question with a categoric no. I don’t want her anywhere near me, and I know now I was a fool to ever have been with her in the first place. I’m only sorry I didn’t reject her more publicly at my parents’ place. That was my upbringing and keeping the peace for my parents’ sake when I shouldn’t have. Perhaps I hadn’t wanted to believe she had it in her. I owe you a huge apology for allowing her to use that to her advantage.”
Her eyes softened in compassion. “No one gets relationships right one-hundred-percent of the time, and although I hated her hanging on you, I suppose it was a testament to my confidence in what we had that I let her do that. We both could have stopped her,” she said, as I sat down on the chair and pulled her onto my lap.
“I guess I should thank you for calling me out on my promise to meet with James, because I finally feel there’s no more to learn and I can bang the door closed on that part of my life.”
“Good, because after you left this morning, it gave me time to think about us and everything that happened on the two occasions I met Charlotte. I’m not one for drawing attention to myself or for ultimatums, for that matter, but I don’t wish to be in the same room as that woman again.”
“So no wedding invite then?” I teased and she batted my chest with her hand. “You were the reason I agreed to try to resolve this. I don’t think I ever would have listened otherwise. I never realized how stubborn I was until you tore me a new one about how I had dealt with Logan.”
“In terms of our relationship we’ve come so far, but we have a lifetime to find out about one another. We still have loads of things to learn. So far nothing about us being together has been straightforward, but I was naïve to think I was the only one with baggage, when in fact, you’ve had this incredibly complex situation to handle as well.”
Cradling her head to my chest, I let out a sigh. “Mindfucks aren’t as pleasurable as physical ones, huh?” I chuckled and she sighed, her silence told me she was with me on this.
“Okay, the wedding,” she started to say, and I instinctively knew where she was going and tensed.
“I know what you’re going to say—James.”
“Yeah, I’ll ask Lorna to be the second bridesmaid since she is the only one of your sisters not married, but I’d like you to do the right thing and have him present, even if it is only to spite Charlotte. Think about the message you’d both be sending to her.”
“Hammer’s the best man,” I confirmed, decisively. “James can be … present.”
“By present, you mean second groomsman?”
“Last man,” I said, conceding tongue in cheek.
