Loving Charley (6 page)

“Hello?”

“Dustin, can you talk?” I
ask.

“Hold up a sec.” I hear him
fumbling with something and then hear his mama in the background.
He says something to her about having to get something for one of
his friends and that he will be right back. Once I hear a door
shut, he speaks, “Are you freakin’ crazy calling me?”

“No, I’m not crazy, but I
believe
you
might
be. What the hell? My sister is a total mess! I just need to know
one thing. Did you mean it?”

Dustin begins to talk, but
then stops. “Things are really bad here right now. I can’t be with
her, but it’s to protect her. I have no idea what would happen if
she showed up at my house right now.”

“So, you didn’t mean it?
Can I at least tell her that?”

“Yeah, and tell her I do
love her. Give me a few days to see how things are around here.
Just let her know as soon as I can see her, I will, but I had to
make that look real to my parents. I gotta go.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her. Oh, and thanks
for not being like your brother.”

We disconnect, and a wave
of relief washes over me. Thank goodness! I have got to let Tessa
know. I text her to call me ASAP. She calls within
seconds.

“Everything okay?” she
questions.

“Better than okay for you, I’d say. I
talked to Dustin.”

“You did what?!” she
yells.

“Bring it down a notch. You
might want to hear what I have to say.”

“Spill it. We’re about to
pig out on ice cream and watch a sappy chick flick.”

“He still loves you, and
he’s gonna call you as soon as he can. Tessa, he just said that
because he had to make it look real to his parents.”

She pauses. “Are you
serious?”

“Yeah.”

“If it’s true, I hope he
calls soon, because as much as I love him, I can’t wait on him
forever.”

There it is. The sister I
know. She’s strong, independent, and not going to let anyone, even
the one she loves, hold her back.

“I just wanted you to
know.” I inhale a deep breath. “I’m waiting to hear from Cash. I
hope he doesn’t have to stay there long.

“Me either. I’ll see you in
a little while. Love you.”

“Love ya, too.” We disconnect, and I
go to pacing the floor.

I have no idea how much
time has lapsed as I continue to pace, running different scenarios
through my brain. My mind begins to run wild when the most
beautiful voice begins to speak.

“Slow down there,
Char-coal, before you wear the floor out.” I freeze. It can’t be
true. Oh my gosh, but it is. I stop, turn on my heels, and see the
most perfect man to ever exist on this Earth.

“Cash…” I manage to utter
before he rushes toward me and swoops me up into his arms. We don’t
use words; we use actions to show our emotions. I never want to
risk losing him again, even though I know that possibility is still
in the future. So, until that day, I’m not going
anywhere.

Chapter 10

Cash and I spend the
remainder of the day doing what we do best, spending time with each
other on the farm. We take rides on the four-wheeler, fish, and
attempt to keep our minds off things.

As nighttime approaches, we
have a decision to make. Do we go home to our own houses, or do we
stay here?

“Cash, you’re not leaving me
tonight.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. I
do need to go home for a little while. You wanna go?”

I nod in agreement, and we
make our way to his house. We have been avoiding the conversation
about our future. Instead, we focus on the here and now.

Opening the screen door to
Cash’s house, we are hit with the wonderful aroma of his mama’s
cooking. Needless to say, she and my mama are neck and neck with
who’s the best. I look at him, and he knows what I’m
thinking.

“Wanna stay for supper?”

“I think that’s obvious, don’t
you?”

“Yeah, I figured.”

Walking in, Cash hollers to
let his mama know we are here. We enter the kitchen, and she is
drying her hands with a dishtowel. Then, she walks toward me and
embraces me in a tight squeeze.

“Charley, I want you to
know I don’t blame you for anything. No one understands why we’re
at this point now, but God knows and has a plan. You have always
been my Cashy’s favorite; therefore, you will always be my
favorite. He loves you, and we do, too. We’re all in this
together.”

“Thank you,” I reply as she
lets me go, and we set the table.

When Mr. Montgomery enters
the kitchen, he is taken aback when he sees me. “Charley,” he says
with a nod before he excuses himself to clean up for
supper.

I’m uncertain of how to
take that, as Mrs. Montgomery gives me her two cents. “He just has
a lot to understand, take in, and figure out. Regardless, he feels
the same way that I do about you. He is just dealing with things
differently.”

When Mr. Montgomery
returns, we all fix our plates and eat. Things are quieter than
usual, but not uncomfortable. At the table, they discuss what the
plan is for the future and possible outcomes for Cash. I don’t say
much; it’s not my place. In fact, I just want to disappear at the
moment.

After supper is finished,
we help clean up, and then I walk upstairs with Cash to pack a bag
and gather a few other essentials for the club.

“Are you sure they’re all
right?” I ask as I help him stuff a few movies into the
bag.

He stops, walks around to
my side of the bed, and turns me to face him. Taking my chin in his
hand, he tilts my eyes to his. “They’re fine. It’s a lot to take
in. Remember, we are all that matters. When this is over,
everything will be exactly like it’s supposed to be.”

“I just don’t know, Cash
Money. I feel like this might make things different.”

“What do you mean?”

“I feel like after this is over,
people aren’t going to look at me the same. Do you think people
‘round here will believe me?”

He wraps his arms around my
body. “I know it’s true, and that video proves it to all that
weren’t there. If they don’t believe it, then they’re just as bad
as him.”

We finish getting
everything together and go by my house to pick up a few things as
well. When we walk inside, Mama has a basket packed.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“Sweet girl, I’ve known
y’all long enough. I’ll see you in the mornin’,” she says with a
wink.

After I hurry upstairs to
grab a few items, we are on our way. I’m so ready for this, and I
know Cash is, too.

Today, we drive his truck
out there instead of our ATV’s. There is a chill in the air when we
reach the club. I pick up the basket while Cash gathers our bags.
He goes up first and then takes the basket from me so I can make my
way up.

Once we are situated for
the night, we take a look inside the basket, and I can’t help but
smile. PB&J’s, Choice Cherry Gold, and Mama’s homemade peach
cobbler. I laugh when I look at what else she put in there. A bag
of popped popcorn with M&M’s.

“What’s so funny?”

“Mama. She knows us too
well.” He smiles when I pull it from the basket.

“Yes, she does.”

Cash takes a blanket and
lays it on the floor while I move the basket beside us. I stand
after I place it on the floor, and I’m met by warm, rough, yet
tender, hands reaching under the hem of my shirt. Cash wraps his
arms around me from the back, and I turn my neck to meet him. As I
do, he places a tender kiss on my neck.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were
you.”

With a smirk, he replies,
“Why’s that?”

“‘
Cause stuff like that can
lead to trouble.”

“After the past forty-eight hours, I’m
up for a little trouble.”

“‘
Bout damn time,” I say as
I turn to face him and take charge.

For the first time in a
long time, Cash lets me take the lead. My lips press his firmly and
forcefully. The hunger I feel for him has only increased with our
current situation. I’m not willing to put off showing him how I
feel.

Unable to control himself
any longer, he lifts me off the ground, and I wrap my legs around
his firm body. It’s very evident how much he is enjoying this. He
takes me to the futon and lays me down as he hovers on top of
me.
This is it!
We continue to explore each other’s body, and when I go for
his belt, he stops.
OMG! He’s killin’ me
here!
He shakes his head no. Looking into
those beautiful eyes, I give him the saddest face possible and try
to work my magic.

Cash places his hands on
each side of my head as he looks directly into my puppy dog eyes.
“Char-coal, I’ve already told you about that.”

“Can’t we just mess around or
somethin’? You’re killin’ me!” I exclaim.

“We could, but not right
now. I don’t want our emotions to be the reason things happen. If I
know you, you’re thinkin’ about a million what ifs in that cute
mind of yours.” I can’t say anything because he’s right. He bends
down to my lips and kisses them quickly. “That’s what I thought.
Come on,” he says as he stands and pulls me up.

Crossing my arms and
pouting my lip, I respond, “You’re no fun.”

“Oh, Char-coal, I’m too
much fun. You might not be able to handle all of this.”

“How about let’s just see
about that?” I smirk.

“We will one day …
soon
,” he says with
emphasis.

Soon? What does that mean?
Is he already planning this out in his mind? I start to get giddy
inside.

“Slow down, Char-coal. I
see those wheels spinning. You’re never gonna know when it’s gonna
happen, but I promise you, it will be sooner rather than later,” he
says as he steps closer to me. “One thing I’ve realized is that I’m
not takin’ anything for granted. Life is precious; you are
precious, and our forever is gonna be sooner rather than
later.”

As his hand grazes my cheekbone, I get
weak in the knees. “I can’t wait until our forever is really
forever.”

“Me either.” He seals the
deal with a kiss. “Now, let’s eat. Whatcha say?”

“Well, I guess since you
aren’t gonna let me have what I want…” I say with a
wink.

He grins and takes me by
the hand, and we sit on the blanket and enjoy our picnic basket
full of goodies that Mama has prepared. While we eat, we talk,
laugh, and dream. No matter what is going on around us, when we are
inside the club, we are in our own world.

We clean up our trash and
go down to the pond. Cash places his hand in mine, and we walk
around. The sound of nature is peaceful, and it allows us both to
think about what is really on our minds.

“Cash Money, what do you think the
judge is going to decide… for you, I mean?”

“It can go two ways, an
easy way out or serving some time. Char-coal, it was a felony to do
what I did. If I wouldn’t have put him in the hospital, I’d have
been a lot better off.”

“What did your lawyer say?”

“He felt like since I have
a clean record and I was trying to protect you, the judge will take
that into account. He said I better be ready to get ripped to
shreds on the stand, though.”

“Yeah, I got told the same
thing. It amazes me that even though we aren’t guilty, we’re going
to have to go through hell and back to deal with this. I’m so sorry
I waited, but I just couldn’t go to the police back
then.”

Cash stops walking.
“Char-coal, you want my real opinion?” I shake my head yes as he
replies. “I’m glad it happened this way. I believe this is how it
was supposed to happen. Imagine if it was just you and me against
Dylan? How do you think that would have turned out? Now, the world
knows. Charley, you made him famous in this small town in a way
that he never wanted. Every girl that might have come in contact
with him should be grateful.”

We finish our walk around
the pond and then make our way back to the club. Cash pours the
movies out onto the floor and lets me choose. “You know what I want
to watch, but why don’t we watch something different? What
about
Ghost Rider
?”

“I mean, if that’s what you
want. I’m not gonna complain about watching a non-chick
flick.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Cash takes the DVD and gets
it ready while I grab our drinks and M&M popcorn. We find our
spots side by side on the futon. The spot where I fit perfectly in
his arm. As I let my head rest on his shoulder, he kisses my hair,
and we enjoy the remainder of our night in each other’s
arms.

When we wake up the next
morning, I know it’s time to return home. I have a major decision
to make today. Do I return to Southern, or do I not? I love it, but
I love Cash more.

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”
Cash questions as he moves my hair from my shoulder.