Page 39 of Shadowing Charlotte

Chapter thirty-nine

Charlotte

I shifted restlessly, blinking against the morning light and straining my ears.

For a moment, I thought I heard a car honk outside.

Lex was asleep beside me, his dark hair hanging over his eyes.

I smiled, shifting beneath the covers and burying my face against his bare chest. The steady rhythm of Alexander's heart quickly lulled me back to sleep.

"Charlotte Reneé Emmerson!" My eyes flew open, and I bolted upright, my back ramrod straight as I yanked the sheets up to cover myself.

"Oh, fuck…" I breathed as I stared up at my father standing in the doorway. Lex rolled over, rubbing his eyes, going rigid as he looked up.

"Get dressed and get your ass in the living room. Now." Daddy commanded, slamming the door closed behind him.

"Fuck, fuck, Fuck!" I whispered, raking my fingers through my hair in panic. He was going to kill me.

"Charlie, baby, relax."

"He's not supposed to be here!" I replied my voice coming out shrill. "I was going to tell him when—"

"I know… But he's here now," Lex answered calmly. "So, get dressed, and we can go talk to him." My hands shook as I rifled through my drawers and pulled on a t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Give me a minute to gauge his reaction before you go out there.

I don't need you to be murdered by my dad.

" My voice quivered, my heart sitting in the base of my throat like a dry swallowed pill.

Lex nodded, reaching over the side of the bed for his clothes as I stepped into the hall and closed the door behind me.

"Hi, Daddy…" I whispered as I padded into the living room.

"Don't 'hi, Daddy' me, Charlotte!" my father snapped, his eyes blazing as he stared at me. "Why don't you explain to me what the fuck is going on? Why you have a man in my fucking house?" he demanded.

"Well…" I hesitated for only a moment, "he's my boyfriend, Daddy."

"Got over Adam rather quickly," he commented sarcastically.

"That's not fair. You know what Adam did. And Alexander—"

"Yes, Charlotte. Tell me about Alexander and how you wound up in bed with the same person who bought my car." The venom in his tone made me cringe, but I didn't look away. "You called me, asking about him," he recalled suddenly.

"Well, yeah. I ran into Alexander at the smoothie shop, and I recognized the car." A half-truth. "I didn't catch his name, but I found him on Facebook. We started dating a little while after…" Truth, even if I had left out some key details.

"Don't you think he's too old for you?" The question hit me like a freight train, voicing the same concern that had bothered me for so long.

"He's twenty-six, Daddy." Was I reasoning with my father or trying to reassure myself that the age difference was unimportant?

"Twenty-seven in three weeks," Alexander interjected, suddenly appearing behind me. "Mr. Emmerson…" he greeted, sounding completely unrattled by the situation, "It's good to see you again, sir." Lex offered his hand and Daddy shook it, but the sour look remained on his face.

"How are you treating my baby?" he asked, his hold on Alexander's hand tightening.

"The Camaro, or Charlotte?" Lex countered with a crooked smirk. I sucked in a horrified breath, only releasing it when the corners of Daddy's mouth twitched. "I can assure you, sir, both are in good hands."

"They better be. The last thing she needs is another—"

"Daddy, can we not?" I grimaced, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. "Alexander already knows about Adam and I don't want to spend another second talking about it."

"Maybe we should, Charlie," Lex replied, glancing at me. "Adam was here yesterday." I bit back an expletive, glaring at Lex. "That's actually why I've been sleeping over. I'm worried about his obsession with your daughter."

I couldn't hold back a snort of disbelief. Lex was the last person who should have been allowed to talk about anyone's obsession with me.

Daddy glanced as me, sighing. "I never liked that kid from the first. He was polite enough, but… Something about him…"

"He's just being an asshole," I protested, hating the way they were leaving me out of the conversation. "He paid for all the damages—"

"Andrew paid for the damages," my father corrected. "And if Adam is still hanging around, you should call the police the next time he comes here."

"Okay, Daddy," I murmured, staring at my feet. I wasn't about to argue with him.

"So, since you two are dating, maybe we should go out for lunch and get acquainted?"

"I would love that, sir. But I think we'll have to take a raincheck," Lex replied, "We already have plans to see my mother today."

"Oh, I'd love to meet your mother."

"Daddy—"

"My mother lives in a care facility," Lex explained calmly. His voice was steady, but I could see the way his entire body tensed.

"I see…" my father replied with a frown. "Next weekend, then?" he offered.

"Sounds great," Lex agreed with a smile.

"What are you doing here, anyhow?" I asked, taking a step forward and catching hold of Lex's hand behind my back.

"Rebecca called and said she was worried about you."

"I haven't talked to Becca since I moved out."

Of course… Adam was still fucking with me. He'd just found a new way to do it. Becca and I had never been particularly close. In fact, I often thought she disliked me. I wondered if she and Adam had been fooling around. How else would he have convinced her to contact my dad?

"Maybe that's why she's worried," he suggested. I didn't respond, gnawing on the inside of my cheek.

"I guess we can talk about it next week," I suggested, wanting nothing more than to change the subject.

"Sure, sweet pea," Daddy agreed, holding out his arms. I allowed him to pull me into a hug, smiling as he squeezed me, the way he always did when he thought something might be wrong. "Call me if you need anything, pea pod."

"I will," I murmured, standing on my toes to peck his cheek.

"If you're staying in my house, I suggest you help her take care of it," he stated, throwing a pointed look at Alexander.

"I'll treat it like my own," Lex agreed solemnly.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief when Daddy was finally gone, locking the door behind him.

"That went better than I expected," Lex told me, combing his fingers through his hair. "Coffee, babe? "

I followed him into the kitchen, sinking into the chair at the island. "I don't know how you're so calm about this…" I muttered.

"The only thing I can't be calm about is you, princess," he replied with a smirk, sticking a pod into the coffee maker. "Your dad seems like a good guy. I half expected him to knock me out when he found us in bed together."

"So did I," I replied with a small, relieved giggle. "Are you worried about seeing your mom?" I asked, sobering at the thought.

"No, I'm used to it," he replied, shrugging. I adored that he wanted to be brave for me, but I could see the lie in his blue eyes.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," I assured him, pulling the creamer out of the fridge as he set another mug below the coffee maker, passing me the full one.