by Swan, T L
I squeeze his hand and he gives me a sad smile.
“Every year it got worse. I began to beat myself up about being like him. I didn’t want to be near anyone on my birthday. I hated who I was becoming, and I would pretend to my family that I was away so I didn’t have to act happy.”
“Spence,” I whisper sadly. “So, you spent every New Years alone?”
“I did for a long time, until Masters’ wife died. Then Seb and I would spend it with him and the kids. He was in a darker place than I was.”
I smile softly. They are such good friends to look after each other. “What did you do last year?”
He smirks. “Played board games at Masters’ house. Such party animals.”
I pick up his hand and kiss the back of it again. “Can we come back here to Santorini for your birthday this year? We could bring Seb, Masters, and their family, if you like?”
He reaches over and cups my face in his hand, dusting his thumb over my bottom lip. “Do you know that I love you?”
I climb beside him on his deck chair and hold him tight. I get an image of him all alone for so many years on his birthday. New Year’s Eve! It makes me so sad.
“From now on it will be different, Spence,” I whisper as I hold him tight. “Now you have me, and I will never leave you alone.”
He crushes me to him and holds me close. “All this time, I thought I was broken. It turns out I was just waiting for you.”
My eyes fill with tears and we kiss. It’s long, tender, and perfect. “You should take me home for some intimate relations,” I whisper.
He smiles and his eyes widen. “Is it one day?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
* * *
We stumble into the bar on our last night in Santorini. It’s late, and we are messy. By messy, I mean we’ve had way too many cocktails and we’re laughing like fools.
Everything is hilarious.
I can’t remember ever being this relaxed and carefree. I don’t think I’ve looked in the mirror for three days. I don’t need to. Spencer makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world just as I am.
I’m wearing a short yellow beach dress, with my hair down and messy. I have a red flower tucked behind one ear—a flower Spencer picked from a garden for me. He’s wearing a white linen shirt with the top buttons undone, and pink shorts with white hibiscus flowers on them. He’s also donning a bright green dinosaur cap that he bought for his niece.
The bar is practically empty, and there’s a one-man band playing on a small stage. He has a harmonica on a stand, a set of bongos, and a guitar. His long brown dreadlocks give him the ultimate hippy vibe, and his voice is beautiful.
Spencer’s eyes light up and he drags me to the dance floor. He grabs my hands, pushes me out, and then slams me back to his body. “I love this song.” He smiles down at me.
“I’ve never heard this before in my life.”
“Me neither.” He pushes me away and spins me again.
“Then how do you know you love it?”
“I love everything I do with you.” He smirks down at me, and the air swirls between us. Even drunk and disorderly, he’s the most perfect man in the entire world.
The song finishes, and we both clap and cheer to make up for the lack of enthusiasm from everyone else.
“What do you want me to play?” the singer asks in his thick accent.
Spencer points at him and his eyes widen. “Aussie?” he asks.
“Yeah, man.” The guy laughs.
Spencer high fives him as if they are long lost best friends. “I fucking love Australians.”
I turn to see Wyatt and Anthony snickering from the corner. They can deny it all they want but I know they like Spencer, too, now. How could anyone not? He’s the friendliest person I’ve ever known.
“What’s your name?” Spencer asks the singer.
“Reg.” The guy smiles.
“That’s a great name!” Spencer cries, as if it’s the most exciting piece of information he’s ever heard.
I laugh out loud again. Oh man, we are so drunk.
“Play us a song, Reggie.” He picks up my hand and kisses it, waiting for the song to start.
Reg takes a sip of his drink and picks up his guitar. “This song is called ‘Dream Catch Me.’”
Spencer smiles down at me and gives me one of his swoony winks. The song starts, and he begins to move me side to side to the beat. As the words pour out of Reggie, Spencer sings them to me, but with a delay. He’s listening to them first and then repeating everything clearly.
His timing is completely off.
There’s a place I go when I’m alone.
Be anyone I want, be anyone I want to be.
But it is us I see.
We begin to really sway side to side as our dancing gets a bit out of control and I’m laughing as Spencer sings the wrong words as he dances and swings his hips.
His big beautiful smile covers his face as he sings to me and I laugh up at him in the goofy dinosaur hat as he swings me around like a ragdoll.
I cannot believe I’m falling.
Hold me close, don’t let this go.
Dream catch me when I fall.
The chorus breaks out and Spencer lets go of me. He begins to bop, jumping up and down, having the time of his life.
“Jump.” He laughs.
I find myself mirroring his dancing, bopping along with him with a huge goofy smile across my face. What must we look like? Who even cares?
This is so much fun.
The music begins to wind down. “Great song.” Spencer claps. “Play it again.”
“Yes.” I laugh. “Again.”
Reg laughs with us and begins the song from the beginning. This time Spencer sort of knows the words and sings to me as he holds me in his arms.
Be anyone I want to be,
But it is us I see.
There is nobody else on earth tonight.
Only him.
The chorus rings out again and he begins to bop once more.
I throw my head back and laugh, unable to stop myself from joining in. He looks utterly ridiculous in that dinosaur hat, yet he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. His huge smile is infectious. I glance over to see the boys are laughing out loud at the spectacle we are making of ourselves.
Spencer spins me around the entire dance floor. “Be anyone I want to be!” he sings to me. “But it is us I see… and I cannot believe I’m falling.” The song begins to wind down and he pulls me close. Our lips touch and he dips me back.
“You know what else I’m going to do one day, angel?” he whispers.
“What?” I smile up at him.
His eyes hold mine. “Marry you.”
My heart stops.
“What?” I whisper.
The chorus kicks in again, and Spencer kisses me quickly, pulling me up to bop around, once more.
“Jump!” he cries.
This isn’t even a song you can jump around to. It’s a ballad, and I begin to laugh so hard that I can hardly stand. He begins to dance like he’s crazy, jumping from side to side with his hands in the air like he’s at a rock concert. This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I laugh so hard I have to rest my hands on my knees to hold myself up.
The song finishes, and we both clap with our hands in the air.
“Bravo, bravo.”
I laugh as I continue clapping.
“Brilliant, mate,” Spencer cries in excitement. “Best fucking song ever.”
Reg laughs and shakes his head at the lunatic in the bright green dinosaur cap. “You’re hectic, man.”
I’m laughing when Spencer drags me from the dance floor and signals to the door to the boys.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“We need to go home.” He turns and puts the dinosaur hat on my head. “That dream song made me horny.”
“You’re always horny.”
He turns and takes me into his arms. “I’m
only horny for my dreamcatcher.”
I smile up at him and my heart swells. He could say the word potato and I would find it romantic.
“I love you.” He smiles down at me.
“I love you more.” I run my hands through his hair.
“Oh, Jesus,” Wyatt moans behind us.
“Dream catch me when I fall,” Spencer sings at the top of his voice. “Or else I won’t go home at all.” We stumble outside the front steps and Spencer raises his hand like he’s drawing a sword. “To the kebab shop!” he cries.
* * *
We’re waiting in the boarding lounge, and I’m staring at the beautiful man in front of me. He’s more dishevelled than I’ve ever seen him and hungover like nothing else. I’m dreading going home and back to reality. We’ve had the most beautiful weekend in paradise, and I want to stay here in our little love bubble.
Spencer rebooked the villas for two weeks over New Year’s. I can’t think of anything more perfect.
My phone begins to bounce around the table as it vibrates. The name Edward lights up the screen.
My stomach drops.
I stare at it as it rings for a moment, and Spencer frowns in question when he looks over at me. I know I can’t avoid this call for forever.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Where are you?” Edward growls.
I close my eyes, hearing the obvious anger in his voice. “Greece.”
“Get your fucking arse back to Nottingham now!”
He hangs up, and my heart constricts. I look over at Spencer with fear running through me. I swallow the lump in my throat.
They’ve seen the magazine story.
“I need to go home to Nottingham,” I whisper. “Tonight.”
18
Charlotte
“Who was that?”
“Edward.” I rearrange the napkin on my lap, trying to calm myself. “They’ve seen the story, I have to go home.”
“We’ll go this weekend,” he says flatly.
I frown. We?
“No, that’s okay, you can come up at the weekend to see me.” I pull my fingers through my hair, trying to sound casual. “I’m going to head back tonight.”
His eyes hold mine. “No.”
“What do you mean… no?”
“You’re not going on your own.”
“Spence,” I sigh. I need to go and see them alone first. I don’t need him coming in like a bull in a China shop. He’ll ruin everything.
“This is my mess, Charlotte. I’ll be the one to clean it up.”
“Spencer, I want to see them alone first.”
“That’s not happening.” He clenches his jaw and stares at me. “You stay in London and I’ll go alone.”
“What?” Has he gone mad? “You’re not going alone. We haven’t even discussed this.”
“We’re discussing it now. I go with you, or I go alone.” He stands, and without another word, he walks off to the bar.
I begin to hear my frantic heartbeat in my ears, what a mess. My worst nightmare is for him to go there and face them alone. He has no idea who he’s dealing with here. I just want to keep them apart so I can live in peaceful denial for the rest of my life.
Spencer orders two drinks and returns to the table. He hands me a glass of wine and I glance down at his.
Scotch. Gone are the cocktails and fun drinks, he’s back onto the hard stuff. I exhale heavily, unfortunately life is back to the hard stuff.
Spencer grabs the leg of my chair and pulls me closer to him. He rests his hand on my lap under the table, and I force a smile his way.
“I don’t want you to fight with them,” I whisper.
“I don’t want to fight with them, either.”
“I think it’s better if I see them alone first.”
He sips his scotch and then swirls it around in his glass. “And I told you the answer is no. I’m not leaving you alone to deal with this. The story is about me, let me defend myself. Why should you take all the heat alone?” He squeezes my thigh in reassurance. “Why wouldn’t you want me to deal with them?”
My eyes search his. “I’m terrified that they are going to scare you away,” I whisper.
He puts his drink down and takes my face in his hand. “Angel, I will not be forced from your life against my will. Not by anyone. You are the only person who can end what we have.”
“Promise?”
“I don’t need to, you already know it’s true.” He kisses me. “Don’t you?”
I smile softly, knowing he’s right. I do know he wouldn’t cower to Edward like everyone else.
Spencer Jones may be a lot of things, but a coward isn’t one of them.
“Do you love me?” he asks.
I nod.
“So, trust me. Tonight, we deal with your brother, whether he likes it or not.”
He makes it all seem so simple.
“Okay?” he asks.
I nod. “Okay.”
* * *
I’m freshly showered and dressed back in my sensible clothes—black Capri pants and a cream woollen jumper that sits off my shoulders. My hair is in a high ponytail, and I’m wearing black ballet flats. Gone are my sundresses from Santorini, along with any relaxation I had while I was there. My father and Edward have cut their trip short by two weeks to come home, and I know they mean business. Spencer is upstairs getting ready while I am sitting at the kitchen counter of his apartment, looking at the stories on my laptop.
The more I read, the sicker I feel.
Every tabloid has reported us over the weekend. There’s headline after headline about how the love rat Spencer Jones has struck again, how he will break my heart, how he is after my money, how there’s a huge Prescott family divide.
How he has been pursuing me for months. It’s complete rubbish. I didn’t even know him months ago.
I know my family will have read all these stories, and what hurts the most is the niggling little voice in my psyche screaming at me to listen to the warnings.
What if it’s all true?
It’s not. I know Spencer. I love Spencer.
This is what they do. They poison your thoughts with false stories.
My mind is in overdrive. I have no idea what’s going to happen tonight when I walk into my father’s house with Spencer in tow. I don’t know whether to call my father and pre-warn him, but then they’ll be ready and they’ll attack him with all guns blazing.
I’m confused what way is the right way to go about this. I still think it would be better if I went alone. But Spencer won’t allow it. What the heck happened in his office that day when he kicked Edward out, anyway? I want to know what was said, word for word. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to calm myself down.
“You ready?” Spencer asks.
I look up to see him dressed in a navy suit, white shirt, and a tie.
“You’re wearing a suit?” I ask.
He smooths his tie and shoves his hand into his pocket. “I feel more comfortable in a suit.”
My heart drops. What he means is that he feels more equipped to fight in a suit. “You said you didn’t want to fight with them?”
“And I don’t.”
“So why are you wearing a suit?”
“I’m not taking any shit tonight, Charlotte.”
“They’re my family, Spence.”
“I know that. But they need to know that you’re my future and you won’t be kept from me. I won’t stand for it.”
“Promise me you won’t fight with them.”
He picks up his keys. “Let’s go.”
“Spencer, promise me.”
His eyes meet mine. “I can’t do that. Let’s go.” Without another word, he walks towards the front door. I stare at the kitchen counter for a moment with my heart hammering hard in my chest.
Please let this go well.
* * *
Two hours later, we pull up at the large stone gates of my father’s estate, and Spencer punches in the security
code. It was so long ago that he was here. How on earth does he even remember it? Wyatt and Anthony are in the car behind us, and I know they are feeling my nerves right along with me.
Their heads are about to roll, too.
The gates slowly open. “Main house?” he asks, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Yes.” I nod and stare down at my hands in my lap. We’ve said two words to each other on the whole trip here. Actually, we’ve said five. He asked me if I needed the bathroom when he stopped for petrol. It’s like he was already angry before he even got here.
I have a bad feeling about this. “Just let me do the talking,” I say.
Spencer’s jaw clenches as he looks through the windshield.
I watch him. “Spence? Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard you. I didn’t agree with you, that’s all.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t fight with them. In time, they’ll calm down and be reasonable. If you fight with them tonight, you’ll start a war and I’ll be so mad with you.”
His tongue comes out and trails over his bottom lip.
He’s arrogance personified.
“I mean it, Spence. Please, for me. Don’t fight with them.”
He reaches over and picks up my hand to kiss my fingertips, his eyes still glued to the road.
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
“Because I’m not promising you anything.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, let’s turn around and go home then. I don’t even want to go in if you have this attitude. This is my family, of course they are worried. How do you expect them to react to these magazine stories?” I snap. “I’m not exactly thrilled about them myself.”
He tilts his chin to the sky in defiance and gives a subtle shake of his head.
“What?” I snap.
“And there it is. You haven’t even seen them yet and already you’re beginning to side with them.”
“I’m not,” I snap angrily.
He smirks. “Whatever you say.” He pulls in and parks the car. My heart begins to thump hard in my chest. I grab his hand and look over at him as panic begins to set in. Is he right? Are they going to change the way I see this?
