“I wouldn’t count on it. Women don’t like cheaters.” Katy stands there with her arms crossed. “So, when you come to your senses about us, then you can have your daughter full-time.”
“You destroyed my relationship, and my whole life just to get me to what?” I don’t know if I want to know this answer.
“I made sure to have sex with you, when I knew that Charlie was calling, so she’d dump you, and I could take over, where I belong, in your bed.” Katy smirks. “Who knows that might’ve made Emma a little brother or sister. Wouldn’t that be great?” My mouth hangs open. I can’t believe I’m hearing this from here. I shake my head in disbelief.
“Oh, Mr. Livingston. Visiting hours are over. Your company has to leave.” The nurse comes in to check my vitals.
“Do you have to move her? Can’t she stay with me?” I beg the nurse, as she comes over, letting the bed railing up and moves it give us room. “Thank you.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Katy scoffs.
“Go home, and I’ll call you, when you can pick her up,” I tell her. The nurse goes about her business, as Katy walks out of the room. “My ex.” She acts like she understands, and I smile at her.
“The vitals look good. The doctor is usually in about seven, so you should be able to go home shortly after that. So, if you need to call for a ride, I’d do it now.” She leaves the room, and I grab my cell phone, as I hold it up to my ear.
“Did you hear that?” I ask.
“Every word,” Charlie replies. “She had to be planning this for a while. I bet it started the first time you met Emma, at the country club, and you made it known then that you weren’t going to go away anytime soon.” Charlie yawns.
“I know you were sleeping, but I needed you to hear her.”
“I’m glad that you called. How is my girl doing?”
“I’ll send you a picture. I know she’ll be mad that she missed talking to you. She keeps wanting to call you, but I didn’t want to use the Emma card in our fight.”
“Thank you for that because I’d probably never talk to you again if you did that. Have her call me tomorrow sometime, even if she gets voicemail. I’ll try to talk to her, but the meetings are all day. I fell asleep in one.” I laugh. “It’s a good thing I don’t snore. Wes kept nudging me. I think he bruised me.”
“I’ll beat him to defend your honor.” She laughs. “Alright, I need to call Tuck to let him know to come pick up Emma and me in the early morning.”
“Rhett, before you go.” She takes a minute to pause. “Just because Katy was calculating in her motives, you still fell for it. I’m pissed at her, and I’ll deal with her, when I can, but you hurt me on a completely different level. I know it’s starting to sound like a broken record, but it needs to start sinking in. It’s something that I’m trying to forgive, and it’s going to take time. I don’t know if we’ll come back stronger than ever, or if we will even come back. I’m willing to try, but it’s going to be a slow process, which actually might be a good thing, because we kind of skipped all of that.”
“I agree. I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I broke your trust, but I am willing to work on repairing that trust and earning that forgiveness. I know it could take years to get it back.”
“Thank you for being understanding. You have my heart Rhett. It’s just in pieces.”
“I’m quite handy with the duct tape, ma’am.” She giggles.
She tells me good night, and I hang up. I text Tuck about the early morning, and he reminds me that he’s a rancher, that’s midmorning to us. I lean back and snuggle into Emma. I need to get in touch with Quinn to start research on how to get full custody or at least primary custody of her. For Katy to be this calculating and manipulative, who knows what else she has planned. I kiss the top of her head, and I take a quick selfie of the two of us to send to Charlie. I add only missing you, and she replies back with a heart. I fall asleep dreaming of Charlie, Emma, and me, being a family at the ranch.
I wake up to hear Emma talking to someone.
“I miss you, when are you coming home?” She whines. “I know. Daddy said that he did something that was bad. He should be grounded!” She laughs, which makes me smile. I clear my throat. “Oh, Daddy’s awake. I love you, Charlie. See you later.” She hands me the phone, and I look, seeing that she’s still there.
“Hi,” I yawn.
“Hi. She’s quite talkative at five a.m.” Charlie laughs.
“She didn’t wake you up did she?” I look at Emma, and she hides her face.
“No, I was awake. I like the early mornings to shower and take time by myself, before the day starts. I guess working on a ranch has that effect on me. I was never a morning person, but if I sleep past five-thirty now, then I feel lazy. If I ever get a different job, I’m screwed.”
“I hope you never do. Ah, here comes Tucker and my doctor. I’ll talk to you later. Enjoy the meetings. I love you, Charlie.”
“I love you, too, Rhett. I’ll text Emma later.” She hangs up, as Tucker raises his eyebrow, and I shake my head.
The doctor releases with me a prescription for Xanax for when an anxiety attack starts to see if that helps. I also have to call my family doctor to get in for checkup.
“Alright, let's get out of here.” I text Katy to let her know that we are leaving, and I’m taking Emma to breakfast, then back to the ranch for a day of rest.
“You and Charlie are talking again?”
“Dude, we have so much to talk about.” I laugh, as I slap him on his shoulder. I tell him that we’ll talk later, and I point to Emma. I don’t want her to know about the adult problems.
Charlie
Oh, my heart! I can feel myself falling again. When I got the call from Maddie, about them taking Rhett to the hospital by ambulance, thinking he had a heart attack, I cried so hard and prayed even harder not to take him from me. Even with everything, I know he’s it for me. When I got to hear his voice tonight, I felt calm.
I’m sitting at the hotel dining room, telling Dana and Wes about the talk with Rhett, and then the conversation he had with Katy, while I was on the phone.
“Wow. She’s a piece of work. I never liked her with him growing up. He was always trying to prove himself to her father, and he was never good enough,” Wes tells us.
“Why get him to sleep with her, though? Is this a rebellion against Daddy?” Dana asks, and I shrug.
“I don’t know to be honest. I thought being with Rhett was her rebellious stage, but I guess she never grew out of it. She’s always been a daddy’s girl.”
“So, does that mean you two are back together?” Dana asks hopeful.
“Um, yes and no. It’s going to take some time, and like I told him, I don’t know if we can be Rhett and Charlie again, but at least, we’ll be friends.”
“Very mature of you. How did he take it?” Wes asks, as he sips his coffee.
“He claims he understands, but it’s hard to really know. I know that I want him, as my husband, but I don’t know if that can happen anytime soon.”
We finish up and head to the meetings. We all want to leave, but we need the training. The morning training is about three hours with a twenty-minute break, but my mind is back on Rhett and Emma. Finally, there’s a break in the meetings, so I go out to the refreshments table.
“Excuse me.” I hear a voice from behind me, and I look up to see that it’s Michael Randall from my culinary days. “I thought that was you. How are you doing, Charlotte?” We hug each other.
“I’m doing wonderful. How are you?”
“I’m well. I didn’t know that you were living in my neck of the woods.” He smiles. I didn’t remember that he was from Texas. He didn’t have the accent that the Livingston boys have.
“I just moved here this year. I’m working over in Lakeview. Where are you working?”
“Oh, I’m in charge of putting these trainings together. I like to come and see how they’re doing. What’re you doing in Lakeview?”
> “I’m a chef at a ranch that has this wonderful summer program for children. It’s one of the reasons I’m here with a volunteer and one of the owners.” I smile, as I take a sip of my water, hoping that someone in my party comes to rescue me, but I see Wes is on the phone, and Dana is flirting with some guy.
When we were in culinary school together, I had a huge crush on Michael, but he turned out to be a complete man-whore. He seemed to be into hooking up with whoever was the teacher’s favorite at the time.
“I thought you would’ve had your own place by now. Didn’t want the responsibility?” Yeah, he’s still a douchebag.
“I’m still going to own my restaurant someday, but right now, I’m enjoying being able to plan my own menus, teach children about cooking, having a garden, and watching the kids feed farm animals for the first time.” I chuckle at the thought of Rhett having me help with the feeding of the animals, when I first started staying at the main house. “It’s a lot of fun.”
“Your excitement for the program is just what I need.” I raise an eyebrow. “I’m looking for some fresh ideas. I never thought about teaching the kids how to grow a garden. Do you think that we could do some brainstorming over dinner?” He smiles, as I look at him up and down. “Come on. I’m not that guy from school anymore. This is my job, and I take pride on training chefs like you to give back to the programs that are the best available for the kids. What do you say?”
“We are staying in the hotel, and if creepy Mikey shows up, I’m gone, and I’ll make sure everyone gets an email about your time in school with me. I have the proof.” I hold out my hand for him to shake.
“Were you always this stubborn?”
“Yes.” I smile.
Wes starts walking over, and Michael’s phone starts to ring. He tells me that he has to go put out some fires, but he’ll meet me at seven. “Okay, see you then.”
“Are we trying to get even with my brother?” Wes sounds upset with me, as I shake my head no. He stands there, rocking on his feet, and I take another sip of water, before grabbing some cheese and crackers to snack on. I explain to him how I know Michael and about meeting for him dinner.
“Do me a favor don’t try to go tit for tat with Rhett. It’s only going to lead to heartbreak for everyone involved, especially Emma.” He walks away, and eventually, I follow him into the conference room, taking my seat towards the back. Dana has moved to be closer to the guy she was flirting with earlier.
I sit down next to Wes and lean into him whispering, “I love your brother, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, despite what he did to me. Michael’s character from school was one of being a user, and he didn’t care who he hurt in the process. I’m not worried about being hurt by him. I know him.”
“I care about you, and I hate seeing you hurt.” I nod, as we both sit back and pay attention to the training. After lunch, we sit through another three hours of training. It’s a long boring day, but it’s finally over.
We ride the elevator back up to our rooms with a couple of people from the training.
“When they do this training, they better get some good-looking speakers.” I chuckle. Dana agrees with the lady, who made the comment, as Wes stands there on his phone with his ears turning red. “Like this guy, he could teach me nothing, but damn, I’d show up for you before sunrise, if you ask me.”
“He’s single,” Dana mentions.
“Oh honey, I’m married, or I’d be trying to be with you, baby.” The woman’s southern accent is thick, as she winks at Wes.
“Well, he’s very lucky, and if any man is making you get out bed before sunrise, he’s not doing it right.” Wes winks at her, before exiting the elevator, after Dana and me. We hear the women giggling. “I couldn’t help it.”
“I’ll see you two later. I’m meeting Michael at the hotel restaurant, if you want to babysit.” I tell Wes, before walking into my room. I shower and get dressed in a black sundress that I brought with me, and then throw my hair in a ponytail.
As I’m riding down the elevator, my mind wanders to Rhett, and I look down at my phone, and there’s not one call or text from him. I need to hear his voice.
I really want to go home. We have to be here for another one and a half weeks. I walk into the restaurant to see Michael, sitting there on his cell phone, so I clear my throat. He looks me up and down, checking out my legs longer than I like.
“My face is up here.” I kick his shin, when I sit down at the table. He curses at me, while rubbing his shin. “They have an amazing cedar plank salmon that I had last night.” I look over the menu, ignoring his whining. The waiter comes over to take our orders, and I take out the notebook that I was working on all afternoon, but he puts his hand over my hand that’s resting on the notebook. I’m staring at it for a few seconds, before pulling away.
“Let's talk about that after dinner. Can’t we catch up on each other’s lives?”
“Sure.” I move it to the side. “What’s new with you, Michael?”
“Oh, you know a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.” His pointer finger draws circles on the back of my hand. I try to move it, but he squeezes it harder. “Charlotte, come on. You’re not married, and I’m not married. Why not have a little fun, while we’re here?”
“I have something you don’t.” I finally get my hand free of him. “Morals. I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole. I didn’t in culinary school, and I won’t do it now.” I start to get up.
“What’s your problem? Are you too good for me?” Michael sounds pissed off, and I think that all of my rage with Rhett has finally came up.
“I am too good for you, Michael, and do you want to know why? I’m a woman, and I deserve to be treated like one. I’m not here to service you and your dick. I’m a smart woman who has a lot to offer someone, so take your small dick and stick it in someone else.” I dump my iced tea on his crotch. “Oh, and I expect that my ranch will be reimbursed for our three weeks, including hotel, meals, and the training, or I’ll sue you for sexual harassment. I also know that I can find multiple women to testify for me.” He nods, and I walk towards the elevator seething, as I keep hitting the button to go upstairs. Instead, I message Dana and Wes to ask them to dinner and shopping. They agree to it. I’m waiting for them to meet me in the lobby. I need to focus on something else, besides limp dick back there.
Rhett
It’s been about a week, since my anxiety attack, and my doctor did say that my heart is strong, but there is also some weakening. Now, I have to be monitored every six months.
Tucker let me take it easy today, which annoyed me, since I woke up not feeling the greatest. Emma and I had a great day of being lazy. Katy was out all day, which was good for me, and Maddie has been here checking in on us.
“Do you need anything, before I leave?” she asks.
“Have you talked to Charlie today?” I ask, feeling hopeful.
“Yeah, she had boring training, and then she was having an even more boring dinner with an old friend from culinary school. I guess, he runs the event and wanted to get caught up.” She sounds annoyed.
“I hope she has a good time. I’ve put her through hell, and she deserves the best,” I sigh, trying to believe the words that I’m saying out loud.
“She doesn’t like him. He’s a creep. She sees the good in everyone, and he runs a great training program, but it’s for the good of the training and nothing more. She thinks that he needs to bring it closer to this century. It’s strictly business for her. Rhett, you have her heart.” She squeezes my shoulder. “We’re ordering pizza for dinner tonight, and Tucker’s picking it up, so I’ll see you later. Bye, Emma,” Maddie yells upstairs to Emma, who is making me a present.
“Bye, Maddie! Are you coming back?”
“Yes, I promised Charlie that I’d feed you, because your dad can’t boil water.” I hear her laughing so hard, like she’s being tickled at the bottom of the steps with Maddie, and I smile. I wish Charlie was here for all of
this.
Me: I know you said not to text, and I respect that, but Maddie just told Emma that I can’t boil water, and she’s laughing like you do when I tickle you.
I put my phone down, and I pick up my Stephen King novel to finish reading it. Emma comes into the den with me and brings all of her crayons and coloring books. She lays on the floor and starts to color.
“What are you doing, peanut?” I ask her, sitting my book down on my lap.
“Coloring like you’re reading.”
“Can I color with you?” I ask her, and she shyly shares her crayons with me, as I get on the floor with my legs crossed.
“Daddy, you need to be like this to color.” She’s laying on her belly up on her elbows, as I laugh. I groan, as I get down on my stomach. We color for a few minutes, before Emma puts her hand on my paper. “Can I live here with you and Charlie? I don’t want to leave,” she asks, avoiding eye contact.
“I’m sure you can come visit anytime you want, honey, but you and Mommy are staying for a while.” She gets sad and starts to cry. “Peanut, what’s the matter?” I push back her hair off her face.
“I heard Mommy telling Granddad that we’re moving away. She said something about Paris and not Paris, Texas. I asked.” She gets up and comes to me, and I sit up and cradle her in my lap, as I let her cry. My blood is boiling right now. Katy and her dad are always playing with people and their emotions. It needs to stop. I’ll fight until the ends of the earth to keep Emma near me.
“I’ll talk to Mommy, peanut,” I tell her. My phone’s FaceTime starts going off, and I see it’s Charlie. Emma peers, too, and she clicks the button. While we wait for it to connect, she wipes her face off, so she isn’t crying.
Cross My Heart Page 12
