Charlotte
Spencer’s chin immediately rises in annoyance. I can see he’s clenching his jaw.
“It’s just semantics, Spence. We’ll stay at your house together or at my house together. It won’t change a thing.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because my father doesn’t want me to rush into anything. He said that he will accept our relationship if I’m not living with you straight away.”
He stares at me.
“Please try and understand, my family are so important to me and they’re just worried that I’m going to get hurt.”
He licks his lips, and I know he’s choosing his words carefully.
“You even said yourself that if you were me you would get your own apartment. On some level, you know what they’re saying is true.”
He rolls his eyes.
“But I won’t have my own apartment-not really. We’ll just have two apartments between us. Six months down the line, after a little independence, I’ll officially move in here.”
He sits on a stool and then scratches his head, remaining silent.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“Does it matter what I think?”
“Of course it does.”
He shrugs and pours a glass of wine.
Just say something… anything.
I sit down beside him. I think that at any moment he’s going to go crazy, watching as he sips his wine.
“Do what you want,” he eventually mutters.
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“I mean do what you want.” He shrugs.
“Are you angry with me?”
“Angry, no. Disappointed… yes.”
My heart drops. “You’re disappointed,” I whisper. I think I would prefer him to be angry.
He cups my cheek in his hand. “Yeah, I’m disappointed.” He exhales heavily. “I wanted to start our life together right now, but I also understand.”
I’m losing track of this conversation. “What do you understand?”
“I understand that your family comes first, and that you will always, on some level, do what they want you to do.”
I frown.
“It’s okay.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip and stares at me for a moment. “I’ll just have to learn to deal with it.” He shrugs. “As long as they’re happy, you’ll be happy, right? I’m going to take a shower now.” He turns and, without another word, he walks away to make his way upstairs.
I stare at the refrigerator, his words playing on repeat in my mind.
As long as they’re happy, you’ll be happy, right?
Is that true?
Will I only be happy if my family accept Spencer?
What if I do this for them, and then they never accept him anyway? What if I let them drive a wedge between the two of us?
I do want to keep my father happy. It’s how I am… but should I want that at Spencer’s expense?
They don’t even know him. What gives them the right to judge him?
We’re so happy together.
He did everything right. He got a prenup to protect me, he tried to be civil while Edward was just attacking him non-stop. What was he supposed to do? Of course he was going to fight back eventually.
I drop my head into my hands.
I’m so confused.
I’m going to have to think about this. I don’t want to just push Spencer’s needs aside because my family doesn’t want to be embarrassed by the tabloids. It’s what he does from here on in that matters to me. I don’t care about his past, I want his future.
I finish my wine and head upstairs to find Spencer in the shower. He’s washing himself when he turns to me and smiles sexily. He has no idea of the turmoil I’m in.
“You getting in?” he asks.
I give him a lopsided smile, undress, and get in under the hot water. His big arms come around me and he holds me tight.
“I love you.” I smile up at him.
“I know you do, angel.” His mouth takes mine, and his tongue slowly slides through my lips.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, Spence,” I whisper.
“Baby, you could never truly disappoint me. I know where they’re coming from, and to be honest, I would give anything to have a father who loves me as much as your father loves you. It’s a blessing.”
My eyes fill with tears, My poor man.
My heart breaks for him and the pain he has been through at the hands of his so-called father.
We kiss again, and it’s long and deep and tender and I feel my arousal burn deep inside me. His erection is up against my stomach. He motions to lift me, but I stop him.
“Spence, I can’t.”
“What?”
“I have my period.”
His face falls and he drops my feet back to the floor. “Oh.” He frowns.
I smile softly up at him as I push the hair back from his face. “I thought you couldn’t wait for my period to come. Remember, you thought your life was over last week.”
He chuckles. “Hmm.” He holds my face and kisses me again. “After my initial freak out, I kind of liked the idea of having my baby inside of you.”
My heart stops, and my eyes search his. This is it, everything I ever wanted is here with me.
The water runs down over his face. I’ve never seen a more beautiful man.
“I’ll give you a baby one day,” I whisper.
He smiles. “Promise?”
I nod and wrap my arms around him tight. Oh, this feeling of closeness between us is so strong.
It’s a tangible force… all encompassing. We hold each other close for an extended time.
His hand eventually slides down and grabs my behind. “Is it one day today?” he asks, his playful tone returning.
I pull back and frown. “That depends on which one day you’re meaning.”
“The one day when you give me anal?”
I laugh out loud. “You idiot.” I flick water at him. “This is a romantic moment and you’re wrecking it.”
His eyes blaze with mischief and he pins me to the wall. “I’m deadly serious. We need to fuck, angel. You have three choices of where you get it.”
He bites my neck and I laugh as he ravages me. “Spencer Jones, you are a sex maniac.”
He growls, causing goose bumps to scatter up my spine. “But I’m all yours.”
* * *
I punch the code into the security gate.
1105
The large metal gates slowly open and I feel my nerves rise. The boys are in the car behind me. I’m driving Spencer’s car today. I wanted to drive myself to Nottingham this time.
Don’t ask me why, because I don’t even know what significance me driving myself here even has.
But it matters somehow.
Spencer doesn’t know I’m here. I dropped him off at work this morning and told him I would pick him up. He didn’t ask questions as to why I wanted his car but that’s Spencer for you. He’s supportive of my every decision, even if he doesn’t know the reason behind it.
I didn’t sleep last night. I watched the beautiful man beside me instead, going over his childhood and the way he suffered at his father’s lack of conviction.
The way he cares for me, the way he makes me feel, the way he’s tenderly teaching me about myself and my body…
I love him.
And sometime in the middle of the night, I had an epiphany.
I will never lack conviction in my love for him. I will never put him second… not even for my family.
I’m here to move my stuff out. I’m moving in with Spencer today, and if they don’t like it, they can lump it.
I will not be held responsible for their fears.
Because I have none.
He is my soul mate. He is the man I’ve been waiting for, and I won’t cower to their demands. Not for anything.
I crawl up the driveway and park outside the front of my house. I have no idea what I’m going to take, but I just know I had to come home to make it final.