“I know this isn’t enough, but I’m sorry. I’ve been nothing but an ass to you and you deserve so much better. Can you ever forgive me for the terrible things I’ve done to hurt you?”
Staring at him, my inclination was to wonder what he had up his sleeve. But I’d come here for the sole purpose of forgiving him and he was sitting here before me asking.
“Yes, Eric. I forgive you. That’s one of the reasons I came today. I don’t want any grudges in my life since I’ll be a mother soon.”
“Thank you,” he said. I could tell he wanted to reach out to me, but that was against the rules. I was grateful we had a table between us and guards watching. I might be able to forgive, but I wasn’t going to forget all he put me through both in the past and in recent months.
“So, what are your questions?”
“I really want to know why you sold out Lillian. You had a chance of maybe getting away with tampering with Mitch’s drugs. I could tell your lawyer wasn’t happy.”
Eric leaned back in his chair and pursed his lips together. “I looked back at you and could see your pain. I knew the plea deal was still on the table, so I decided to do the decent thing for once in my life.”
I soaked in his words, uncertain of whether or not to believe him, but no ulterior motive came to mind.
“I’m not sure what to say. Thank you for telling me the truth. Lillian would have gotten away with it if you hadn’t.”
“You didn’t deserve what she and I did to you and Mitch. My anger and need for control took over and I did something that has ruined my life. My pharmaceutical license has been revoked.”
Part of me wanted to feel sorry for him, but I was never quite sure if he was being real, or just working me.
“Anything else you wanted to know?”
“Yes, was our meeting at the Mexican restaurant random or on purpose?”
“Charlie, you’re so sweet,” he said somewhat smugly. “Don’t you know me better? Of course it was on purpose. Somehow I’d deluded myself into thinking that I could get you back if Mitch were out of the way. Bumping into you was part of the plan.”
“Wow, if only you used all your brainpower for good…” I said, trailing off.
“Instead of evil?”
“Yeah.”
“I know. But old habits die hard. I learned how to treat women from watching my dad control my mom. As a kid, I hated how he treated her, but by the time I became a teenager, I was just like him. Now I’m a man and I have to own up to my mistakes.” He stopped for a brief moment, almost assessing what he was saying. “I’m so glad you came to visit me today and have generously forgiven me.”
I nodded slightly. “You never talked about your parents’ relationship when we were together.”
“Well, I didn’t want you to figure things out and leave me, but you left anyway. I got out of control with manipulating you.”
The guard informed us visiting hours were over. I’d gotten more than I bargained for with Eric asking for me to forgive him and being so forthright. It seemed so out of character.
“Thank you for answering my questions. I guess I better go.”
As I stood, Eric said, “You’re gonna make a great mom. Mitch is really lucky.” His eyes were glistening and I could see him straining to hold back his emotions.
“Thank you,” I said, quickly turning, practically running for the door. Eric had no idea his kind words were like daggers stabbing my heart and the last thing I wanted to do was get emotional in front of him.
The guard handed back my personal belongings and another text came through. Three missed calls and four texts. Clearly my parents were worried. Reading the texts, I smiled to myself knowing I would’ve been worried too if my little nugget had to face someone like Eric. But a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders by talking to him today.
I texted my dad letting him know everything was all right and I was leaving the prison now. I’m sure they’d be upset with me when I got home, but it was too late for them to have stopped me. I was glad I’d made this decision to see Eric.
When I walked through the door, both my parents got up to hug me. My dad whispered, “Please don’t scare us like that again.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I just had to get closure where Eric was concerned. I can’t have anything hanging over my head.”
“We understand,” said my mom. She tugged at my dad’s arm softly and my dad nodded.
“I still have unfinished business I need to take care of…with Mitch. I’ve given him his space, but I think it’s time he and I talked.”
“What are you going to do?” my mom asked.
“I’m going to just show up at Kate’s house and make Mitch talk to me. He can’t hide from me forever. He might be angry with me, but I know he still loves me.”
“He does love you. You’ve given him time. Now you need to fight for what you want. It might take everything you have to get him to listen to you.”
“Good thing you made me a fighter, Dad. I’m going to go over right now.”
***
Arriving at Kate’s house, my hands were shaking and my heart felt constricted. Getting Mitch to talk to me may be one of the hardest things I’d ever have to do, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Turning off the car, I wrapped my arms around myself before getting out. I knew there was the possibility Mitch may say hurtful things if he were still angry, or worse, say nothing at all.
As I knocked on the door, a rush of heat surged through me and I felt a little clammy, sweat appearing at the back of my neck and underarms. Too late to go home and take another shower now. This might prove to be harder than I thought.
Neil answered. “Charlie, great to see you. Kate didn’t tell me you were coming over tonight. Come in,” he said, opening the door widely.
“Kate doesn’t know. I’m here on a whim.”
“Oh, well, she’s out doing some shopping. But I expect her to be back soon. I can text her that you’re here.”
“Actually, I came over to see Mitch. He and I really need to talk. Get some things out in the open. I hope he’s willing to listen to me.”
Neil’s face dropped. “Why don’t you have a seat? Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water would be great.”
“Coming right up.”
I sat on the sofa while Neil played host. He returned with a somber look on his face and sat beside me.
Looking at him, I could tell he had something to say, but maybe didn’t know where to start.
“Is Mitch here?” I asked.
“No, Charlie. He’s gone.”
“What do you mean by gone? Where is he?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but he’s in Dallas.”
“Dallas?”
“Yes, his company has an important project they’re putting together and they offered him to be part of it. He left yesterday.”
“Yesterday.” Time seemed to have slowed down—everything around me felt as though it was in slow motion. Momentarily, I had thought I might get him back, but now it felt as though he was really gone. I knew he loved me, but he wasn’t going to forgive me. How am I going to do this alone?
“He made Kate promise not to tell you.”
“Neil,” I said, my voice trembling. “Did he say it was over between us? Did he say anything?”
“Mitch and I had some long heart to hearts, but he didn’t give Kate or me a message for you if that’s what you’re asking.”
I lay my head on the back of the sofa, no longer having the strength to keep it upright. “I don’t believe this. How could he leave without telling me?”
“Charlie, Mitch needed to get away from things for a while. He’s overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. He broke down a couple of times because of it. He just…he just needed this right now,” Neil said, taking my hand. He was always so kind and I was glad Mitch had confided in him.
“Neil, how was Mitch handling what happened between Garrett and me? Did he sha
re any feelings about that? About what I’ve done?” As the words came out of my mouth, a searing pain ripped through my abdomen, causing me to grab onto my stomach and cry out.
“Charlie, what is it? The baby?”
“I don’t know. I’m having a severe pain,” I said, then cried out again.
“I’m taking you to the hospital.” Neil scooped me up in his arms and began carrying me toward the garage. He placed me in the backseat. “Just hang on, Charlie. I’ll have you there in no time.”
Shards of pain ripped through me again as I lay on the backseat. Neil was already driving and was talking to someone.
“Yes, we’re on our way. She’s about five to six months pregnant. We’ll be there in ten minutes. Okay, thank you.”
“What did they say?” I asked, almost screaming.
“Someone will meet us at the emergency entrance with a wheelchair. It’s going to be okay. Try to relax.”
I didn’t answer Neil. Relax? Has he lost his fricken’ mind? There was way too much pain to relax. But what did he know? He was a man.
Neil was right. He got me to the hospital faster than I thought possible. I was glad I was lying down and not watching him drive. All I could concentrate on was the baby and what might be going wrong. My skin prickled at the thought of something happening to my baby. It was way too soon for him or her to enter this world.
Neil carefully got me out of the car and the nurse wheeled me into the emergency room. Another sharp pain surged through me and I held my stomach as if that were going to help. I heard Neil behind me saying he was going to get Kate and my parents here and not to worry.
All I could do was worry. I desperately wanted Mitch here with me, but he was gone. He’d run away from me and our life together and there was nothing I could do about it. It felt like I was falling apart everywhere. In my heart, in my mind, and now my body. When will this nightmare be over?
I was put into an exam room and a doctor came in immediately. He introduced himself, but I really couldn’t concentrate on his name. He asked me a bunch of questions about what I was experiencing while a nurse took my blood pressure. After thoroughly checking me out, he concluded I had Braxton Hicks contractions due to stress. As I began calming down, the pain lessened.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Mitch
I was eager to make a good impression so I arrived to the office early. The opportunity to work with the Dallas team had come at just the right time. Sinking my teeth into something new could help, and I was only going to be here for a couple of months. Plenty of time to figure things out, I hoped.
I felt bad for not at least texting Charlie, but she probably knew by now from Kate that I was here. The elevator doors opened and I was looking directly into my company’s lobby and the receptionist who was on the phone. I walked up to her desk and waited for a moment.
“May I help you, sir?” she asked. It felt slightly strange to be called sir, but I was in Dallas where people had old-fashioned values and manners.
“Good morning. I’m Mitch Hawkins. I’m here to report to Devin Sanders.”
“Yes, she’s expecting you, Mr. Hawkins. I’m Janet,” she said, extending her hand to shake mine. “Let me direct you to her office.”
Janet got up and I followed her down the hall to the end corner office. “Ms. Sanders emailed me that she was stopping on her way in, but to have you wait in her office.”
“Thank you, Janet,” I said. “And please call me Mitch.”
Janet smiled, but I had the feeling she’d be staying formal, even though she was old enough to be my grandmother.
“Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like coffee or tea?”
“I’m good for right now, thanks.”
She nodded and began making her way back to her desk.
I took out my laptop and debated on the email I wanted to send Charlie. It would’ve been good if I had written this last night, but I couldn’t find the words. She deserved some explanation, so I needed to buck up and provide one for her.
Dear Charlie,
I’m sure by now Kate has told you I’m in Dallas. I needed a change of scenery to get my head on straight. So much has happened and honestly I’m still messed up over it. I promise I’m not trying to run away from you and I apologize for not talking to you directly before taking off. I still love you, but I don’t know if I can be with you. Hopefully over the next couple of months I’ll be able to figure it out. Please give me the chance to do that. I’d prefer if you don’t respond to my email or try to contact me in any way.
Mitch
I hit the send button, knowing my letter was cold and would most likely cause Charlie more sadness, but at least it was an explanation. I hadn’t contacted her since I woke up and found out about the pregnancy. She’d texted me and left voicemails, but I wasn’t ready to speak with her. I took the cowardly way out and had Kate relay that message to her.
“Mitch, hi. I’m Devin,” a tall, beautiful blonde woman said with an outstretched hand.
“It’s great to meet you, Devin,” I said, taking her hand in mine. She clearly wasn’t married and had cougar written all over her.
“I’m glad you made it here all right. How are your accommodations?”
“They’re great. I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable for the next couple of months.”
“Glad to hear it. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you. We have an empty office across from mine you’ll be working out of. Let me show you.” I followed Devin across the hall. “Why don’t you get settled in for a few minutes and I’ll be back to get you for our meeting,” she said, looking at her watch. “It’ll start in about ten minutes.”
“Great, thanks.”
Devin turned and walked out. I took out my laptop and cell. I hadn’t checked it since I turned it off on the flight. There was something soothing about being a little off the grid. Once it came to life, I saw seven text messages. All of them were from Kate.
Shit. What the hell is going on? Charlie’s in the hospital? As I scrolled my way down to the last one, I was so relieved to read that Charlie’s contractions were a false alarm and she was okay. If anything happened to her…
The feelings surging through me were so confusing. I wanted to go to her, comfort her, make her feel safe, but at the same time the pain of what she did was still severe. Damn it. If only I could forget Garrett was the baby’s father. This should be a wonderful time for us, planning to bring a child into the world, but instead I was thousands of miles away, trying to decide if I could live with all that’d happened. Not just live with it, but somehow forget my brother had sex with my fiancée. The image was just too hard to move past. I knew Neil had said I could be the father, but I couldn’t go there. Not yet. Plus, with everything that’d happened it was pretty clear I wouldn’t be that lucky.
My talks with Neil had been helpful, but maybe he was a bigger man than me with a larger capacity to forgive. Hard to say since no one really knew what they’d do unless they were in my position. Does it feel worse because I now knew Heather was unfaithful and aborted a child and had lied to me saying it was mine? I just felt so wronged.
Devin popped her head in. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I said, getting up from my desk. We walked down to the other end of the floor and entered a large conference room. Over half the seats were already taken. Devin and I sat down while additional people were coming in to join the meeting. The chair directly across from me was vacant until…no, this wasn’t happening. Heather. She sat down, placed her tablet in front of her, and looked straight into my eyes. Her lips parted for a fraction of a second and her brow knitted together. Neither of us had a happy look on our faces.
Devin must have noticed, because she leaned over and whispered, “Is everything okay?”
All I could do was nod. This was a disaster. How did Heather end up working for my company?
The meeting began and I mustered all my energy to focus. Would I ever catch a break? I had no clue how
Heather ended up here. I was beginning to feel paranoid when James, our director, announced it was time to break for lunch. Lunch already? I must have missed half of what was going on from my mind spinning out of control.
Devin told me a group of people was headed down to the sandwich shop on the first floor. I told her I’d meet her there. I had the urge to check my email and see if Charlie had emailed me back. I was torn on what I wanted her to do.
I’d no sooner sat at my desk than Heather showed up, walked in, and closed the door behind her.
“Did you follow me here, Mitch?” she asked curtly.
“What? I thought you followed me,” I shot back at her.
“I told you in the hospital I was moving to Dallas to be near my family. I just got this job and I don’t want it to get messed up.”
“You told me when? When I was in a coma? And I’m supposed to know what you said?”
Heather paused for a moment and bit her lower lip. “I guess not.”
“I remember bits and pieces of what people said, but much of it is dreamlike. I can assure you I had no idea you’d be here.” Why the hell would I remember anything she’d said?
Heather exhaled loudly. “That’s a relief.”
“I’m only here for this project. I should be gone in a month or two, so do you think we can manage to be civil to each other while I’m here?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. And if I wasn’t so freaked out that you’re here, I probably would’ve asked you how everything is going. With Charlie, I mean.”
There was a loaded question. “We’re not together right now.”
Heather’s face looked contorted while she processed my statement. “But you two are meant to be together, Mitch. She’s the one for you. I saw it the first time I met her.”
“Well, things are complicated.”
“Then un-complicate them. You can fix whatever the problem is. Don’t lose her. I know she can make you happy. You deserve to be happy and you deserve a wonderful woman like Charlie.”
Forgotten By You (Redeeming Love #2) Page 18
