Unplanned Love

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “I get that you’re mad, but I’m not leaving!” she shouted. “This is my house, too, and I’m not going anywhere! Let’s just talk about this.”

  “I’m done tal—talking.” He kept walking until he disappeared down the hall.

  Charlee’s chest tightened. She messed up again, and this time she didn’t know how to fix it.

  What she did know was that if she left that house, there would be no coming back. He wouldn’t give her a third chance.

  No way am I leaving.

  She blew out the candles that were still lit in the dining and living rooms and put away the food. Once that was done, she shut off the music.

  Kicking off her shoes and curling up on the sofa, she made herself comfortable.

  It’s going to be a long night.

  *

  The next morning, Liam slowly lifted his heavy eyelids, blinking several times to push through the dense fog of sleep. Why did it feel as if there was drilling going on in his head? Without getting up, he glanced around. A sliver of light from above the closed curtains, cast just enough illumination to the otherwise dark bedroom, letting him know that it was a new day.

  What a night. Bits and pieces of the night before floated through his mind.

  No more hard liquor.

  While waiting for his wife to get home, he had gone through all types of emotions. Excitement. Frustration. Disappointment. Anger. He couldn’t remember if they were in that exact order, but he was pretty sure those feelings had been on rotation inside of him. At least until he started drinking. After the third or fourth glass of bourbon, he just didn’t give a damn.

  Now he felt like crap. Since his mind was awake and he was thinking hard, the excruciating pounding inside of his head was getting worse. His mouth felt as if it was stuffed with cotton balls, and his body throbbed. More than all of that, his heart ached at how he had treated Charlee.

  Get out of my house.

  It didn’t matter how angry he’d been, he couldn’t believe he had said those words to his wife. Unfortunately, mostly everything after that was a blur. He didn’t even remember getting into bed. What he did remember was how tired he was of trying to make their marriage work. Tired of being the only one to put forth an effort.

  Something had to change because divorce wasn’t an option. He loved her too much to live the rest of his life without her.

  A wave of concern pulsed through his body. “I gotta go find my wife.”

  He wasn’t sure where she would’ve gone that time of night, especially since they had rented out her condo. She wouldn’t have gone to her father’s house or Jerry and Rayne’s place. They had vowed that no matter what, they would always keep others out of their marriage. That meant if they had problems, they would work together to figure them out, not pull others into their issues.

  He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Where would she have gone? Wherever she was, he’d find her. First, he had to do something about his pounding headache and the awful taste in his mouth. Glancing down, he realized he hadn’t even gotten undressed.

  He lifted his head a few inches off the pillow, but the hammering inside of it forced him to lay back down.

  Definitely. No more hard liquor.

  He glanced at the clock. Ten o’clock. Liam couldn’t recall the last time he’d slept that late.

  He slowly sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed and froze. Laying on a makeshift pallet of blankets and pillows on the floor next to the bed was his wife. The covers had been kicked off and she was curled into a fetal position. Her wild curls hid part of her face as her head rested at an odd angle on the pillow. Dressed in one of his T-shirts, the cotton had ridden up to her waist, revealing tiny pink panties.

  Liam hadn’t heard her before, but now her soft snores reached his ears.

  Relief flooded his body at the sight of her, but guilt gnawed on his nerves. He was glad she hadn’t left, but he hated seeing her laying on the floor. Why hadn’t she just gotten into the bed? It couldn’t have been that she was afraid he’d kick her out of it. He hadn’t even heard her enter the room. She even could’ve slept in the guest room.

  Careful not to step on her, he clambered out of bed. An overwhelming feeling of protectiveness descended on him when he lifted her off the floor. Mad or not, going forward he had to take care of her. They couldn’t have a repeat of the night before.

  He laid her on the bed and stared down at her. A suffocating sensation clawed up his chest and tightened inside his throat. Had she done what he asked, he could’ve lost her for good. That thought left a hollowness within him. He didn’t even want to imagine a life without her again.

  We’re going to figure this out, he thought and headed to the bathroom. He took a couple of ibuprofens, showered, and climbed back into bed; glad it was Saturday. He didn’t know if Charlee had to be at work, but he had no intention of waking her.

  Liam pulled her against the front of his body. Having her right where she belonged, his eyes drifted closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When Charlee entered the kitchen, Liam was sitting at the table with a coffee mug in one hand and his cell phone in the other.

  “Good morning,” she said, hoping he wasn’t still angry with her.

  He glanced up and gave her a quick once over. “Morning.” He went back to reading something on his phone.

  She wasn’t sure if he was trying to finish what he’d been doing, or if this was his way of ignoring her. Either way, there was no way around this wedge between them. They had to talk.

  She tightened the sash of her silk robe before sitting across from him. “Liam, I—”

  “Are you hungry?” He was already rising out of his seat before she could answer.

  Charlee sighed. He wasn’t going to make this easy. “A little.”

  “Just a little? It doesn’t look like you ate anything last night.” He moved around the kitchen, pulling a box of grits out of the pantry and other items from the refrigerator.

  “After ruining our evening, I didn’t deserve to eat last night.”

  Whatever else he was about to pull out of the refrigerator, he stopped and looked at her. “Babe, don’t—”

  “It’s true. I will never be able to apologize enough for the way I’ve been treating you,” she choked out, batting away tears that suddenly filled her eyes. “I feel awful, and I’m so sorry.”

  His slow gait carried him across the kitchen to where she sat.

  “C’mere.” He tugged on her hand, pulling her out of the seat. When he opened his arms to her, she went willingly.

  This time Charlee couldn’t stop the tears. For much of the night, she feared that things were over between them. That he wouldn’t forgive her. She shuddered at the thought that she could’ve lost him for good. The same way she had before.

  His hold on her tightened, and he kissed the side of her head. “I hate it when you cry.”

  “And I hate disappointing you.”

  It seemed that all wasn’t lost. Considering he was there, holding her, and was about to prepare something to eat, meant he hadn’t given up on her completely. She wanted to vow never to hurt him again, but what if it turned out to be more empty promises? What if she never learned how to juggle her marriage and her career?

  “Once I fix you something to eat, then we can talk,” Liam said, rubbing her back. After a few minutes, he loosened his hold. “Give me about fifteen or twenty minutes. Any special requests?”

  Charlee wiped her face. “No. Whatever you make will be fine. I’ll go and get dressed.”

  While showering, Charlee thought about what she’d say to him. Short of quitting her job, what could she do to prove that he was the most important person in her life? She already knew delegating some of her work was vital, but what would it take to keep that going? The first month of their marriage, they had gotten into a nice rhythm. Most days she arrived home between seven-thirty and eight, but on date nights, she p
ulled in around six-thirty, determined to abide by their original agreement.

  How could she recommit to their agreement and maintain it?

  A short while later, the smell of bacon and something sweet like cinnamon rolls, lured her back into the kitchen.

  “It smells wonderful in here.” She eyed the sweet treat on the counter, next to the bacon and eggs. “You were able to make cinnamon rolls that fast?”

  “Nah, Gram made them for you yesterday,” he said of his grandmother. “I went by and picked them up before dinner.”

  A twinge of guilt crept back in, but Charlee pushed it down as she fixed her plate. Neither of them spoke until they carried their food to the table.

  “I owe you an apology,” Liam started. “It didn’t matter how disappointed I was, I shouldn’t have ever asked you to leave. That was out of order, and I’m glad you stayed.”

  Charlee nodded but didn’t look at him. Shame consumed her. Here she had this amazing man who loved her unconditionally, cooked for her, and made her feel special, and she almost threw it all away.

  She bit her bottom lip before finally meeting his gaze. “I couldn’t leave. I know I keep screwing up, but I just couldn’t leave. I love you. I know I have a funny way of showing it, but you’re my everything, Liam. I don’t want to walk through life without you.”

  He wiped his mouth with a napkin and covered her hand with his. “I feel the same way. I just don’t know what else to do. Your career is important to you. I get that, and I want you to be happy. I also want our relationship to continue to grow stronger. That’s not going to happen if we don’t spend time together.”

  She turned her hand over and squeezed his. “I don’t want you to think this is yet another empty promise, but you have my word that there will be changes, starting today.”

  “If you’re thinking about quitting your job, don’t. That can’t be one of the options. You love what you do.”

  “I love you more. I don’t want to quit, but I want you to know that I will if it means keeping you.”

  “We have to come up with another way.” They went back to eating. “Am I being unreasonable?”

  “You haven’t been unreasonable about anything. Putting in twelve to fifteen-hour days, six days a week is ridiculous. I know that. It’s just sometimes I get caught up, but not anymore. Whether I become CEO or not, my work hours are not going to exceed ten-hour days during the week. As for the weekend, unless it’s an emergency, I won’t be going into the office.”

  “Wait. Of course, I’d love to have you home early. What I don’t want is for you to start putting restrictions on yourself that you might not be able to uphold. Let’s start first with going back to our original agreement. Wednesday date nights, and we spend Sunday or at least part of Sunday together.”

  “Okay.” Even though she was serious about getting strict with her hours, her response sounded unconvincing to her own ears. She was pretty sure Liam had picked up on it, too.

  He searched her eyes as if they would tell him what he needed to know. “If that’s not what you want, tell me.”

  “I want every night with you. I’m just afraid I’m going to mess up again.”

  “You won’t. We’re in this together. We’ll get it right. Even if it takes the rest of our lives.”

  Charlee smiled for the first time that day. “I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you. Thank you for not giving up on me,” she whispered, getting choked up by the words.

  “What do you want to do about the wedding?” he asked. “Do you still want a formal ceremony?”

  “I do. Your grandmother mentioned that we might be able to use the church that she and your grandfather attend. Would you be okay with getting married in November, before Thanksgiving?”

  “I’ll marry you again anytime, but that’s less than a month away. Can we pull everything together by then?”

  “I think so. Jada and Rayne agreed to help with anything we need. If we can’t get the church, your grandmother mentioned that we could use their ballroom.”

  “But you wanted a church wedding.”

  “I know.” Charlee had been blown away by the size and the elegance of his grandparents’ ballroom, but she had envisioned getting married in a church. Since she was already married, it really wasn’t as big of a deal. “It’s not that serious,” she finally said.

  “Yeah, it is. I want you to have what you want. I’ll find another church if it doesn’t work out with Gram’s.” He sat back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest, studying her. “What else? What do you need from me to ensure that we stay together forever?”

  Charlee rubbed the back of her neck, trying to work out the stiffness. There was something else she wanted. She just hadn’t planned on bringing it up yet.

  “Tell me,” he said as if reading her mind.

  “When you told me to get out of your house…” She broke eye contact, struggling to tell him how she felt without getting emotional. “You hurt me.”

  She stood abruptly with her almost empty plate, prepared to take it to the sink. He stopped her, his arm blocking her path. Pulling her back toward him, he took the plate from her hands and sat it back on the table. Then he pulled her onto his lap.

  “Sweetheart, I am so sorry. I never want to do anything to hurt you. Last night, I’ll admit I was disappointed and drinking didn’t help matters.” He held her closer and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. “You have my word that I’ll never say that to you again. I hope you can forgive me.”

  Charlee cupped his cheek, glad they were having this time together. “Of course, I forgive you.”

  “But?”

  She shook her head. He was too perceptive.

  “But I want us to move. I want us to buy a house together before the end of the year.”

  He nodded, looking deep in thought. “All right. I’ll call Sumeera,” he said of Nick’s wife who was a real estate agent. “Do you already know what you want in a house?”

  “Yes, but before we discuss the house in detail, I want us to kiss and make up.”

  That sexy grin that always made her all tingly inside made an appearance.

  “I think I can handle kissing and making up.” He brushed his mouth over hers, but then turned serious. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

  “I do, and I want you to know that I’m crazy in love with you. I don’t like it when we fight.”

  “Yeah, me either.” He touched his forehead to hers. “No more getting drunk and going to bed mad.”

  “Good. Now, can we kiss and make up?”

  “Anything you want, baby.”

  He captured her mouth and kissed her with a passion that left no doubt about his feelings for her. She was the luckiest woman alive, and couldn’t wait to marry him again.

  Epilogue

  One month later…

  “Okay, you have something old, the pearls that Gram gave you to wear. Something new is your wedding dress. You have something blue, the garter belt,” Rayne said, ticking off the items on her fingers.

  Charlee wasn’t a traditional person and didn’t really believe that she needed something old, something new and all the other stuff. All she wanted was to marry her husband again. This time in front of their family and friends.

  Well, most of their family.

  Pain squeezed her heart, and an emptiness she’d felt earlier in the week settled around her. There had definitely been one advantage to eloping. When she and Liam married in New York, it was all about them. All about starting their lives together. Just the two of them.

  With a wedding, there were so many moving parts. So many people playing various roles, whether helping secure a location, or assisting with decorations. As they started making plans, Charlee realized her mother wouldn’t be there to help shop for a wedding dress. She wouldn’t be there to fuss over all the small details of the wedding and the reception. She also wouldn’t be there to give last minute advice.

  “I know you m
iss your mom,” Rayne said, sitting on the pink settee next to Charlee.

  They were in a small room in the church that Liam’s grandmother, Gram, had dubbed the bridal suite.

  “I wanted to give you that something borrowed.” Rayne pulled a familiar looking silver pouch from her purse, and Charlee smiled through the tears she’d been trying to hold back. “I’m going to let you borrow the friendship locket that you gave me before you moved to Cincinnati. We can wrap it around the stems of your bouquet.”

  Charlee accepted the dainty jewelry, the locket dangling from a silver chain. The locket had been too small to inscribe a message inside, but on the back read: Friends are just like family.

  “I can’t believe you still have this.” She recalled the day she gave it to Rayne.

  They had attended a couple of years of high school together. Growing up, their lives couldn’t have been more different. Charlee had parents who adored her and could give her anything she wanted, while Rayne had grown up in foster care. She had bounced from one home to the next until she was in high school, then she lived in a group home.

  Their differences actually bonded them most. It wasn’t until Charlee lost her mother, did their similarities come to the forefront.

  “After your mom died, and I found out you were moving to Cincinnati with Kingslee, I think I cried for a week,” Rayne said, grabbing the box of tissue that sat on the table in front of them. She snatched out a few sheets and handed some to Charlee.

  “Yeah, those weeks that followed felt like the end of the world. Remember how I begged my dad to take you with us?”

  Rayne smiled. “I do, and I loved you even more then. I never felt wanted, but the way you pitched a fit when your father told you that it wasn’t that easy to take a minor out of town, made me feel as if you couldn’t live…” Rayne visibly swallowed, her tears causing more to leak from Charlee’s eyes. “You made me feel as if you couldn’t live without me. You’ll never know what that meant to me. You were the first person to make me feel wanted.”