Page 23 of Merciless

“How’d you meet Charlotte?”

My lips tilted upward. “We met over a year ago. Charlotte was my mother’s nurse up until she passed.”

“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. You’ve raised an amazing daughter.”

“Don’t I know it,” she said, voice laced with pure love and admiration. “She never wanted to send me here, you know. After we lost Robert, Charlotte wanted to look after me herself, be my primary carer. I refused. That’s probably the biggest fight we’ve ever had.”

“Why didn’t you want her to take care of you?”

“Because I didn’t want to burden her. I know my girl. She would have sacrificed everything for me, and I love her for that. But I want more for her. Charlotte deserves to live her life to the fullest without her mother holding her back.”

“I doubt she sees it that way,” I said, knowing I would have given anything for my mother as well. Everything.

“I know that’s not how she sees it, but that’s not for her to decide. I am still her mother. Just because I’ve lost the use of my legs doesn’t negate that role.”

I smirked, which prompted her to ask, “What?”

I shook my head. “You’re both so selfless and caring. It’s fucking sickening.”

We both cackled, our joint laughter filling the gazebo.

Once we sobered, I confessed and gave her a part of me. “I wish my dad had the same mentality. But since my mum died, he’s become someone I don’t recognise.”

“Grief can transform the best of us, distort who we are, who we always thought we were.”

I tilted my head in agreement, knowing that to be the irrevocable truth.

We stood there a couple of minutes longer, soaking in the setting and company, when she broke the silence.

“We’d better get back. Time for lunch.”

As I readied to leave, Annette placed her hand on mine, squeezing just a little. “Charlotte has been through a lot these last few years, which has made her resistant to change or anything new. It takes a lot for her to trust, to let people in.”

Everything she said was so fucking relatable. I suffered from the same demons, faced the same hurdles. And I’d conquered the first one last night, with the same girl who had always been there for me.

“I understand,” I said, with the utmost sincerity.

“Bringing you here is a big move, Colton. Don’t make her regret it.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to protect Charlotte. I’d never hurt her,” I vowed.

If only I knew that declaration would be tried and tested much sooner than I expected.

Chapter 15

COLTON

I sat in the fancy office with a sense of trepidation, second-guessing the whole meeting until a middle-aged gentleman walked in.

I felt underdressed, my jeans, tee and sneakers casual compared to his expensive suit pants, button-down shirt and patent shoes.

“Thomas,” he said, extending his palm in introduction.

“Colton,” I replied, returning his offering with a solid handshake.

Thomas didn’t waste time, settling behind his mahogany desk as he slipped on stylish black glasses and placed a thick file on the surface between us.