Seasons of Sorrow (35 page)

C
harlotte took the pen Nora held out and signed the papers on the table in front of her. Then she handed the pen to Derek and watched as he signed them too. Without another glance at her, Derek moved to the side of the room with his attorney, speaking softly.

She looked at Nora and rolled her eyes. Since the day she forced Derek’s hand in regards to the company he once owned with Greg, he barely spoke to her. It seemed she was correct in her assumption about his apology. He hadn’t been sincere. His only concern was trying to lessen the trouble he was in.

Derek was still out on bail, awaiting the trial for his embezzlement. Charlotte heard that Danielle had finally give birth to a little girl. That knowledge stung, but she had to let it go. The baby had been five weeks early. Last she heard, the little girl was doing well. For the child’s sake, she hoped Derek would be a better father to her than he had been to Adam.

On Christmas morning, Charlotte had woken up naked save for her engagement ring and a diamond pendant that she hadn’t been wearing when she went to sleep. How Greg managed to get it on her without waking her, she didn’t know. She hadn’t even noticed until she went in the bathroom to use the facilities. After she was done, she was washing her hands when something shiny caught her eye.

Charlotte realized she was wearing a diamond pendant that had to be a least two carats and she froze. She lifted the necklace from her chest so she could look at it. The diamond winked at her.

“Merry Christmas,” Greg said from behind her.

Charlotte looked up and met his eyes in the mirror. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered in awe.

He smiled and she faced him, took a step, and hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist. His smile broadened as he caught her.

“So you like it?” he asked.

“I love it!” She kissed him. “It does seem a little excessive to get an engagement ring
and
a necklace.”

Greg was still grinning when he answered, “Well, the ring was free, except for the sizing. It belonged to my great-grandmother. The antique look was never my mother’s style so the ring came to me.”

That made Charlotte’s eyes tear. She was sentimental. It made her feel special and cherished to know that he was sharing part of his history with her.

They had gone back to bed for several hours. After they made love, Charlotte dragged Greg downstairs and made him open the rest of her gifts to him.

Later, she felt a sharp pang of sadness when she thought of Adam and knew that she would feel that every Christmas until the day she died. She missed him and she always would.

Greg did what he could to make their Christmas special and Charlotte appreciated it more than she could say. She was his priority and he made that perfectly clear. He made her breakfast and catered to her every whim that day. It was probably the best Christmas she had since she was a child, save Adam’s first Christmas the year before.

Two days after Christmas, Nora had called Charlotte and said that everything was set to finalize her divorce to Derek. They set a meeting for January second and Charlotte found that strangely fitting. Her new life would begin with the new year.

She tried not to dwell on the fact that the anniversary of Adam’s death was just fifteen days later. The first anniversary and, likely, the hardest. Whatever happened, though, she knew Greg would be right there with her.

Now the papers were signed and the divorce would officially be finalized the next day.

Charlotte looked up at Nora and said, “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done, Nora.”

Her attorney smiled. “It was my pleasure, Charlotte. I only wish I could have nailed the bastard to the wall.”

Charlotte smiled back. “Either way, I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”

Nora gave her a quick hug. “Call me and we’ll meet for lunch some time.”

She nodded and gathered her things. As she walked to the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Derek with his attorney and Danielle. That wasn’t so bad. What was hurtful was the sleeping baby in the car seat at Danielle’s feet. Charlotte felt her heart seize at the sight of Derek’s little girl. She had to get out of there. With the anniversary of Adam’s death so close, she was too exposed, too easily injured, to deal with the sight of Derek with his new family.

The elevator arrived to the floor and the doors opened. The first thing Charlotte saw was Greg standing in front of her. She blinked several times to be sure she wasn’t imagining things. He was still there when she opened her eyes.

He stepped out and took her hand. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

Charlotte hadn’t expected him at all. He’d said that he had some work to take care of, but he would try to make it.

She leaned her head against his chest. “I’m so glad to see you. Please get me out of here.”

Greg wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the still open elevator. He didn’t say anything on the ride down, seeming to sense that Charlotte didn’t want to talk about it in front of others.

She rested her weight against him. His warmth and size made her feel safe and calmed the crazy rollercoaster inside of her. When they got out to her car, Greg put her in the passenger seat and climbed into the driver’s side.

“What about your car?” she asked.

“I had a one of my employees drop me off.” He pulled out of the parking garage and pointed the car toward Charlotte’s home. “What happened, Charlie?” His hand reached out and grasped hers.

She took a deep breath. “I just wasn’t expecting to see Danielle and the baby there. It hurt. Not necessarily to see Danielle, but to see the baby and to know that I didn’t have that any longer.” She wiped away a stray tear that had slipped past her defenses. “I don’t know that I will ever have that again.

Greg squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry you had to face that alone. I should have been here.”

Charlotte shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay, Greg. Other than the surprise, I can deal with it.” She looked to him. “Actually, it hurt so much less when I saw you standing in the elevator.”

He glanced at her. “What?”

She smiled slightly. “You, Gregory Swift, are my safe place. I saw you and that was it. I knew that all I had to do was ask and you would get me out of there.”

Suddenly, Greg pulled the car over.

“What are you doing?” Charlotte asked.

He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward. He kissed her and Charlotte’s head spun. When he released her, she put a hand to his cheek.

“What was that?” she asked.

“You’re my safe place, too, Charlie.”

She smiled and felt the last vestiges of pain from the sight of Derek’s little girl fade to the background. Her life was going on without Derek and, sadly, without Adam. But she had no choice but to make the most of it. Living in the past would only serve to make her bitter and miserable.

“So what’s next?” she asked.

Greg kissed her forehead, then her mouth. “Whatever you want, as long as you’re with me when you do it.”

Epilogue

December 18, Three years later

“W
hat are you doing in here?” Greg asked Charlotte.

She raised a finger to her lips. Softly, she said, “I’m watching her sleep.”

Her husband of two and a half years didn’t say another word. He merely came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

“She is beautiful, isn’t she?”

Charlotte nodded and continued to stare down at her six month old daughter as she slept in her crib. In fact, she was six months old that day.

When Rena was born, Charlotte had been terrified. Her pregnancy had been easy, as had Rena’s delivery via C-section, but she still worried that something would happen to her baby. The same thing that had happened to Adam. When they had been married a year, her husband asked her how she would feel about having children. Charlotte had said no, flat out, no discussion. It had taken Greg the better part of a year to talk her into trying to get pregnant. Her first instinct was always to say no because she didn’t know if she could open herself up to the potential for that kind of pain again. He didn’t push, but somehow he knew that she would regret it if she never had another child.

Finally, it had been his question that changed her mind.

“Do you regret having Adam?” he asked.

Charlotte had stared at him as though he’d slapped her. “Of course not.”

“Do you think you would regret having children with me, even if something happened to them when they were two months old, two years old, or two hundred?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“Then please think about having a child with me. I want to build a family with you, Charlie. You and I have so much love to give and our baby would be beautiful.”

It was then that Charlotte had decided that Greg was right. She couldn’t miss out on having a child with the man she loved because of fear. So, they tried.

To her surprise, Charlotte got pregnant right away. Even though she worried incessantly the entire time, her pregnancy was healthy. She chose to have a C-section since Adam had been born the same way and the doctor said it would likely be easier on her body.

The first three months after Rena was born, she barely slept. She checked on her daughter every two hours. Well, every hour at first. Finally, she had relaxed a little by the fourth month. Now that Rena was six months old, she would sometimes sit by her during her nap times and watch her sleep. There was nothing quite as beautiful as Rena’s eyelashes fanned over her round baby cheeks, her tiny pink mouth open and relaxed in sleep, her lips slightly puckered. Charlotte wanted to commit every detail to memory. Her baby girl was growing up so fast and she never wanted forget a single moment.

Charlotte could spend hours watching Rena sleep. Not because she was afraid any longer, though she did still worry, but in order to marvel at what she and Greg had done. Somehow the two of them had made something incredibly beautiful.

She cherished each day with her daughter as a gift. Charlotte couldn’t believe that God had chosen to grant her such beauty and love twice in her life. When she said this to Greg, he merely replied that he hoped they would experience that joy and wonder at least once, if not twice, more. Though she still felt a twinge of fear at the thought of more children, Charlotte’s heart yearned and she knew she would want to try.

So, she decided to live her life, one day at a time. And, each day, she thought of Adam more than once. Now she understood that she would always carry him in her heart, but that life was meant to be lived. Because she had learned the hard way that life was a precious gift and precious things should never be wasted.

And, at that moment, the feel of her husband’s arms around her and the sight of her daughter in slumber were the sweetest gifts of all.

The End

This book was extremely difficult for me to write. I could not have done it without the help of several people.

First of all, I have to thank my hubby and my father for taking over baby duty so I could do what I needed to work on this book. I never would have finished it without your help.

Thank you, Lola Stark, for your input and suggestions. You are an amazing lady and I appreciate your friendship so much. Love ya, babe!

Also, I would like to thank my Sexpots for their awesome beta reading and suggestions. You ladies rock! While I’m at it, I’d also like to thank my street team, C.C.’s Sinners, for all your pimping and support. You put together an awesome team, Ricki!

Thank you, Donna and Chas, for teaching me so much about the book business. Your guidance has been invaluable.

I also have to thank all my Facebook friends, bloggers, and even my real life buds, who have always encouraged me, laugh at my stupid jokes, and done everything they can to help me in this insane endeavor called writing.

And, lastly, to Kerry. You are the best editor a girl could ask for. Thanks for everything you do to help me with my screw-ups. And my overuse of commas. I’m so grateful for your editing skills and, most importantly, your friendship. I love your face…and all the rest of you!