Page 98 of Rival Hearts

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “I mean, I’m nervous as hell, but if we’re going to really do this, I’m going to have to meet them sooner or later, right? Besides, you already know my brother, so it’s only fair.”

She offered me a cheeky smile but my stomach twisted when I thought about Gabe.

She deserves better than me and you.

That was what he’d said to me when we’d talked about Charlotte, about who she knew and who was worthy to date her.

Maybe I would have been more confident about him knowing about this if I’d thought he was wrong, but a voice at the back of my mind screamed that he was right.

She thought I was such a great guy, and it was amazing to be seen like that when people never usually bothered to look. But she didn’t know me to my very core—not yet. And what if she did get to know me in time and found she didn’t like what she saw after all? What if she realized that deep down, at the depths of my being, I was rotten after all?

No one wanted to hitch their wagon to a falling star. No one wanted to be tethered to a bad apple.

And she deserved so much more than that.

We didn’t talk. We just lay together, skin against skin, kissing, relishing in our closeness.

I knew eventually I would have to get up, get dressed, and leave. But for now, I was going to let the spell that was Charlotte mesmerize me, and I would stay here for as long as I could.

But I was too fucking selfish to push her away, to let her go right now. I needed her, and for a while longer, I would hold on to her before I finally had to set her free.

27

CHARLOTTE

Maybe meeting Alex’s family was a bad idea. It meant that things were serious, didn’t it? It wasn’t just running into his brother on the street and saying, “Oh, have you met Charlotte?”

“It’s going to be fine,” Alex said when he drove through the streets of Newport, where even the air tasted expensive. The houses were nestled along the coastline, with expansive estates and sprawling mansions.

It was both intimidating, and it reminded me in a way of how Gabe and I grew up. Not that my dad had ever had this much money while we’d still been at home.

I didn’t know where my dad was now and what he did—maybe he lived in a mansion now too, or maybe he’d lost it all and lived in a cardboard box—and I didn’t care.

When we stopped in front of the Blackwood family home, we were greeted by an elegant mansion. Colonial with a grand face, towering columns, and intricate details.

“This is where you grew up?” I looked up at the incredible home.

The sweeping driveway led to the main entrance, and a porte cochere offered shelter to arriving guests. We were surrounded by landscaped grounds, with a sprawling lawn and manicured gardens. The trees dotted around the garden were old and cast patches of shade. It made me want to stretch out on the grass beneath them.

“Welcome, welcome,” a woman said when she opened the door, and she was the definition of elegance. Her auburn hair had a gray streak, and she was dressed in a linen suit that made her skin rich and vibrant. Her eyes smiled at me. “You must be Charlotte. I’ve been wondering who Alex was hiding all this time.” A smile played around her mouth, and I liked her immediately.

“I’m Eleanor.” She took my hand with her polished fingers.

“Mom,” Alex said and rolled his eyes before he hugged her.

“You look good, sweetheart. Come in. The boys are out back, building a fire.”

We walked into the house. The house was both warm and elegant. Big rooms with fine furnishings, and the living room had a beautiful chandelier. On the walls, pieces of art rounded it all off with taste.

“You have a beautiful home,” I said.

“Thank you.” Eleanor smiled at me over her shoulder.

“There he is,” an older man said, wearing a cotton button-down shirt and a pair of jeans. He shook Alex’s hand before he looked at me.

“I’m Charlotte.”

“Thomas Blackwood.” The older man shook my hand.