Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
I follow instructions, and I’ll be damned, the simple act of faking laughter relieves a bit of my stress. Or maybe it’s simply Auggie’s strong arms around me that’s calming me down. Whether that’s one of Mr. DiMarco’s goons or not—and at this point, I truly don’t know—having Auggie here with me makes all the difference. I’m deeply sorry I’ve dragged him into this mess; but now that he’s in it and I can’t undo it, his presence at my side is a balm for my ragged, tortured soul.
Auggie takes my face in his hands. “I’ve got you. I’m going to peck your lips now, like we’re having a great ol’ time. And then, you’re going to smile and laugh again.”
He kisses my lips, exactly like he said he would, and I do my part. Actually, I do more than my part: I smile broadly at him in return. Genuinely. Simply because looking into Auggie’s ocean-blue eyes makes me feel genuinely safe and grounded again.
Auggie takes my hand and we start walking back to our building with Lucky hopping along happily behind us. “He’s not following us,” Auggie murmurs after a few minutes of walking. He stops in the middle of the sidewalk, so I stop, too, since he’s holding my hand. “Whether that was him or not,” Auggie says, “I want you to know I won’t let anyone hurt a single hair on your beautiful head, Charlotte McDougal. That’s a promise.”
“Thank you. I won’t let anyone hurt you, either.” We’re not bulletproof, so I’m not sure how either of us could possibly make good on these promises, if push came to shove. But if Auggie can make promises that can’t be kept but feel amazing to hear, then so can I.
To seal our pact, apparently, Auggie leans down and kisses me tenderly, causing my heart to flutter in my chest and butterflies to ripple inside my belly. I slide my arms around his neck and deepen our kiss, feeling swept away by the energy coursing between us. When we pull apart, my legs feel wobbly. My heart is pounding.
“I’m so sorry I dragged you into all this, Auggie.”
Auggie slides his fingertip underneath my chin. “Don’t apologize to me anymore. I wouldn’t change a thing, Charlotte. I’ve never felt more alive, or had more fun, in my whole fucking life.”
21
AUGGIE
“Do you have any photos of Billie?” Charlotte asks, referring to Ryan and Tessa’s brand-new niece who arrived today. We’re at Ryan and Tessa’s dinner table, having just finished a great meal, and Ryan’s making everyone laugh with the story of Billie’s birth, as it was relayed to him earlier today via FaceTime by his younger brother, Keane, Billie’s smitten new daddy.
“I’ve got a bunch,” Tessa says excitedly. She swipes at her phone. “Here’s a cute one of all three of them, right after Billie was born. Look at Keane’s face. He looks equal parts elated and terrified.”
“Sounds about right,” Ryan says, and we all chuckle.
Tessa hands Charlotte her phone, and Charlotte gasps and coos at the photo. “What a gorgeous family. Oh my gosh. Billie’s beautiful.” To Claire in her lap—Ryan and Tessa’s adorable two-year-old—Charlotte says, “Are you excited to meet your new cousin tomorrow, Claire Bear?”
The little girl nods enthusiastically. “I’m going to teach her how to draw.”
“Well, she’s not big enough to draw just yet,” Tessa says. “But you can certainly give her a gentle hug and tell her about how you’re going to do that with her when she’s older.”
“You’re coming, too, right, Auntie Charlotte?” the little boy, Zachary, asks Charlotte. He’s seated next to her at the table, at his request.
“No, not this time, buddy,” Charlotte says. “Auggie and I came over because we’re going to watch Rudy while you’re all in LA visiting Billie.”
“Oooooooh,” Zach says. “I thought Auggie was here to watch Rudy, and you were coming with us to meet Billie. Can you come?”
“I wish,” Charlotte says. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll meet Billie one of these days. Maybe her parents will bring her to Claire’s next birthday party.”
The little boy replies to that, and I’m struck by how enmeshed Charlotte is in his and his sister’s lives. Zachary assumed Charlotte would come on a family vacation, and now, it’s also clear it’s a perfectly natural thing to expect Charlotte to attend his sister’s next birthday, too. Plainly, Charlotte’s a full-fledged member of the family, as far as these kids are concerned, and that fact only makes Charlotte even more attractive to me.
Kids can’t be bribed into loving you, in my experience. They only feel genuine love for an adult, the way these two obviously feel for Charlotte, when that adult invests time in them. I know this, due to my close relationship with my own niece and nephew, Ripley and Marcus; so I’m positive Charlotte has made a real effort with these kids. It’s yet another reason to feel things for Charlotte I probably shouldn’t.