Page 47 of The Rest is History

Charlie

T hree more weeks of term to go.

Then I’m out of there. I can walk away from Hampton Park knowing Elodie has her dream job to return to in September.

I can do this.

I just need her to quit as Anne Boleyn too.

Then I’ll be free of her. Not as free as if I’d left her to find herself a new job, hopefully far from here.

By securing her a job at the school, I’ve significantly increased my chances of running into her in the neighbourhood, but at least I’ve assuaged my conscience.

She and her family are in good shape now. And it alleviates the dull ache in my heart slightly to know I played a small part in that.

The doorbell goes, and I sigh and haul myself off the sofa. I check the video phone linked up to the front gate.

Jesus Christ.

It’s El.

I press the button to open the gates and head straight out to meet her, the dogs jumping around me, barking with excitement. They beat me to it, throwing themselves at her, hurling their bodies around in ecstatic circles as she bends to hug them and rub their ears and stroke their fur.

I approach with caution. ‘Hello.’

‘Hi.’

She straightens up. She looks like heaven in a long, pale pink sundress with buttons all down the front. Lord, give me strength. What is it with this woman and easy-access dresses?

‘I need to talk to you,’ she says.

I nod. ‘Come on through.’

I lead her awkwardly into the house. Last time she was here, we were very much together, so having her here and not being able to go to her, to touch her, is fucking brutal.

I’m not sure why she’s here. She’s already thanked me for putting her forward for my job in an awkward and painful exchange earlier this week.

‘Do you want a drink?’ I ask.

She shakes her head. ‘No. I’ve come to ask you something. Three things, in fact. And I’d appreciate it if you’re truthful—you just need to answer yes or no.’

She takes a seat on the sofa and I raise my eyebrows.

‘All right.’

‘Sit.’

She points next to her. I settle a safe distance away.

‘Okay.’ She takes a deep breath and looks me squarely in the eye. Fuck, she’s beautiful. ‘Is it true you can’t have children?’

What the fuck ? Where did that come from? ‘El, I?—’

She holds up a hand. ‘Yes or no.’

I sigh. ‘Yes.’

She nods to herself. ‘Good.’

Good? ‘How did you find that out?’

‘Emmy and Stacey may have come to see me today.’

‘Jesus Christ,’ I mutter. Traitors.

‘Second. Is that why you broke up with me? Because you can’t have kids? Be honest.’

My gaze roams over those beautiful green eyes, currently reflecting the emotion spreading through my entire body. I nod. ‘Yes.’

Her chin quivers, and she presses her lips together before continuing. ‘Third. Do you think you might… love me, at all?’

I gaze at her without blinking. ‘Sweetheart, I love you more than I ever believed it was possible to love anyone.’

Her entire face crumples, and she covers it with her hands. ‘Oh my God.’

‘El. Come here.’ I go to pull her to me. I have no idea what I’m doing. All I know is I can’t watch the woman I love cry on my sofa and not take her in my arms. But as I do, she lashes out and thumps me on the chest. Hard.

‘Ow. What was that for?’

‘For being a stupid fucking idiot.’ She’s crying hard now. ‘Charlie. You’re so stupid . I can’t believe you did that.’

I tug her up and over me so she’s straddling me and fold my arms around her narrow back. ‘Did what, sweetheart?’ I whisper.

She pulls back, tears streaming down her face. ‘You dumped me because you thought I couldn’t handle you being infertile.’

‘I knew you’d be able to handle it.’ My hands stroke down her arms. ‘You’re strong.

Amazing. I know you can handle anything.

But it was a lose-lose situation. Either you would have chosen to walk away, like my ex, which I didn’t think you’d do, but it was a chance I couldn’t take twice. I wouldn’t have survived it.

‘Or worse, you’d stay and choose me, and I couldn’t let you do that, El. Couldn’t let you give up your dreams.’

‘You’re my dream, you infuriating, obtuse dickhead.’ She whacks me again, but it’s ineffectual. ‘You don’t get it, do you?’

‘Get what?’

‘Jesus.’ She shakes her head like I’m the thickest person on the planet and takes my face in her hands.

Her touch is warm, and her face is open.

‘You are enough, Charlie. You’re enough, all by yourself.

I don’t need anything else. All I need to be happy is you.

Kids, yeah. I’d love kids. But I want you more.

I can’t live without you. I love you far too much. ’

I nod, overwhelmed, and grip her hips tightly as something in my chest loosens. You’re enough, all by yourself. Her reaction is so different from Adeline’s. So generous. Accepting of me, and what I can and can’t offer her.

‘So the kid thing we can figure out down the line, all right?’ she continues.

‘No kids. Sperm donor. Adoption. Whatever. It’s all up for discussion.

What is not up for discussion is you walking off and leaving me to die of a broken heart and not letting me be part of your decision-making process again. Got it?’

‘Got it,’ I murmur dazedly, and she smiles at me.

‘I can see you don’t. But I’m going to tell you every day until you get it into that head of yours and you feel it in your heart.

’ She puts her hand over my heart with such tenderness that the tears trembling against my eyelids break free and roll down my face.

‘It’s such a lovely heart,’ she whispers.

‘You’re the kindest man I’ve ever met. But I’m not going to let you sacrifice your happiness for some crazily inaccurate estimate of what I want in life. You’re not getting rid of me again.’

My hand drags over the curve of her ass and down her thigh. Her words are a balm to the wounds I’ve carried around with me for so long. They give me hope. That I can be happy, and far more importantly, that I can make her as happy as she deserves to be.

If all she wants is me, then I’m going to work every day to make her so damn happy.

Her hands are still on my face as she smiles her angelic smile through eyes sparkling with tears, and she’s never looked so beautiful. One hand brushes up her back and finds that little neck of hers as I tug her face to mine.

‘I don’t deserve you,’ I murmur against her lips.

‘Stop it. You deserve everything. You don’t get to say things like that anymore. Now kiss me, for fuck’s sake.’

I don’t need her to ask me twice. Our mouths crash together as I marvel at the taste of her. I have no idea how I thought I could live without this. Without her. I couldn’t, of course. I haven’t been living at all these past few weeks.

I suck on the plump perfection of her lower lip before releasing it and driving my tongue into her mouth.

She moans as she catches it lightly between her teeth, and that’s all it takes to get me hard.

My head’s spinning at the wonder of having her on top of me, all around me, her hands on my skin and her hair tumbling around us, creating the best kind of cocoon.

Our tongues dance and clash and tangle and pull as our kiss escalates from dreamy to desperate.

I can’t get enough. Need to consume her completely.

Be consumed by her. She’s bearing down on me, rolling her hips against my erection as her breasts smash against my chest and her fingers drag my shirt collar away from my skin.

‘Did you wear this dress to fuck with me?’ I pant as I push it up her silky thigh. This woman of mine may have the warmest of hearts, but fuck if the outer package isn’t the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, too.

‘I wore it to strengthen my case,’ she says laughingly. ‘Figured if I couldn’t get through to that stubborn brain of yours, I’d appeal to other body parts.’

‘A two-pronged attack.’ I grit out the words because I’ve found the elastic of her panties. ‘I didn’t stand a chance.’

‘No, you didn’t.’ She sets about unbuttoning my shirt, her fingers grazing the smattering of hair on my chest. ‘I wasn’t leaving until I’d got what I wanted. And I want you.’ She pauses. ‘And your extremely nice dick.’

I groan out an agonised laugh, because her praise has gone straight to my dick’s head. It’s straining painfully against my zip. I tighten my grip on the back of her neck as my other hand strokes her through the thin cotton of her panties.

‘You know I’ll give you everything you want,’ I say.

‘I’ve missed you so much, darling.’ She pushes my shirt open and bends to drop kisses on my pecs. ‘God, I’ve missed the smell of your skin. I want you so badly.’

‘Me too, sweetheart,’ I whisper. I take her arms and hold her away from me. ‘I need you naked for a very, very long time. Unbutton that pretty little dress for me, will you?’

She shoots me a seductive smile and starts unbuttoning. I watch greedily as my favourite pale pink lace bra comes into view. I drag my teeth over my bottom lip.

‘Fuck.’ I flex my hips under her. ‘You really did mean business, didn’t you?’

‘Never underestimate me,’ she says, making quick work of her buttons.

I shake my head. ‘Believe me, sweetheart, I won’t.’

She gets all the buttons open, and I take a moment to appreciate her flawless body as I slide the dress down over her shoulders.

I reach around and unclasp her bra, and holy fuck.

Her breasts are full and lush and the perfect weight for my hands when I greedily cup them, strumming my thumbs over her perfect pink nipples and watching with delight as they harden under my touch.

There’s no part of this woman I could have lived without.

I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.

All this time, I should have been coming clean and begging her to stick with me and promising her that I’d give her the world if I couldn’t give her kids, but like a total muppet I ran for the hills and found a cave of misery and buried myself in it.

I exhale heavily. ‘Fuck, I’ve missed your tits so much. You’re so beautiful.’

She sucks in a breath through her teeth and grinds down more heavily on me. ‘Roll them harder, Charlie. Oh God, just like that.’

‘You need to take it easy on me,’ I warn her. ‘I won’t last.’

She grabs my belt buckle and gets it open in record time. ‘Been punishing that wrist of yours much?’ she enquires sweetly as she unbuttons my shorts.

‘You know I have,’ I grunt. I don’t mention that almost every climax has brought tears, too.

‘Well, you can give it a rest now. Because I’m here to help.’ She tugs down the waistband of my boxer briefs, freeing my erection and closing her hand around it, and holy fuck. I arch off the sofa in ecstasy.

‘Off,’ I order.

She releases me and stands, an utter fucking vision in just her little pink panties, and I grab her hips and press a kiss to her stomach, peeling them down her legs before I stand and lose my shorts and underwear.

I yank my shirt off and pull her to me, the sensation of skin on skin along the entire length of our bodies probably the best feeling of my life.

My cock strains against her stomach as I run my hands over her skin and kiss her deeply. Like I want to shut out every part of the world that isn’t her. Disappear inside her body.

‘Bed,’ I say, and I grab her under her ass, pulling her up into my arms. She wraps her legs around me and giggles into the crook of my neck.

‘You seem to have lost the power of speech.’

‘Ug,’ I grunt, and she giggles again. I set off up the stairs with Elodie wrapped around me like a koala, and damn if I don’t feel euphoric.