Love Beyond the Curve (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (18 page)

“Charlotte, it is no big deal to me. Really. I don’t believe Santa will be coming down the chimney to leave any presents for me, now that I’m thirty-eight, so there shouldn’t be a problem.” Reed tapped her on the tip of her nose and kissed her forehead.

“You have to have a tree. Let’s go get one tonight. It will be so much fun. It doesn’t have to be a huge one. We can set it up in the den by the fireplace. With the glow of the fire and the lights on the tree, the room would have such a romantic feel, and be perfect for snuggling.” Charlotte snuggled in closer to him, arching her eyebrow.

“Well, when you put it like that, having a tree might be a nice touch. Okay, let’s go. Grab your coat.”

* * * *

“Come on, Charlotte. How many trees do we have to look at to find ‘the right one’?” Reed let Charlotte pull him along through the tree lot until she found the one tree that suited her specifications.

“Reed, we’ll know it when we see it. It can’t have any gaps in it. It needs to be at least seven feet tall and have a straight tree trunk. And I think this may be it right here. Would you mind holding this one up for me?”

“I wouldn’t mind doing anything you asked me to do for you. Here, what do you think? Does it pass inspection?” Reed held the tree for her to check it out.

“This is the one. It’s perfect. We’ll set it up in the den by the window, otherwise you won’t get to enjoy it. You can turn on the lights and stretch out in your recliner to relax and enjoy the soft glow of the tree. It will be wonderful.” Charlotte stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips.

“You’re wonderful. You make it sound wonderful. I may get in the Christmas spirit yet.” He pulled her to his chest and kissed her deeply there in the middle of the evergreens with Christmas tunes playing in the background.

“Hey, Reed! How’s it going, man?” A man’s voice fairly boomed out as Reed kissed Charlotte. They broke the kiss at the interruption, but Reed kept his arm firmly planted around Charlotte’s waist. When he looked, he recognized his friend, Logan.

“Hey, there! What are you doing out here on a Friday night?” Reed shook his hand as he teased his buddy.

“The missus wants to get the tree up while the baby’s off at my mother’s for a few hours. A lot less hectic that way. You’ve met Joan.” Logan introduced his wife as she walked up to their group.

“Hello. Yes, we’ve met. This is Charlotte Hamilton. Logan, you know Charlotte.” Reed introduced Charlotte to his friends, still holding her close to his side.

“It’s nice to see you again, Logan. Joan, it’s nice to meet you.” Charlotte shook their hands and greeted them warmly.

“You, too. Did you have a hard time getting Reed to come out tonight? I had to promise a whole list of favors to get Logan out on a Friday night to pick a Christmas tree.” Joan rolled her eyes as she gave her husband a teasing jab in the ribs.

“Not too bad. I had to convince him he needed a tree in the first place, so getting him here wasn’t really hard after that.” Charlotte smiled up at Reed.

“I should have held out and asked for favors. That would have been interesting.” Reed winked at her and took her hand in his to warm it up.

“Maybe you can try to renegotiate. You guys take care! Reed, I’ll see you at work.” Logan took his wife by the hand and led them on to the next aisle, leaving Reed and Charlotte smiling at each other.

“You think that’s possible?” Reed tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“What’s possible?”

“To renegotiate for favors?” Reed picked up the tree and headed toward the cashier’s stand.

“I think we can work something out.” Charlotte arched an eyebrow as she answered the loaded question.

* * * *

“I have to admit the tree looks good. It brings back memories of Christmases here with my grandparents. I can’t believe that box of old ornaments was still up in the attic. I grew up with these ornaments. We weren’t allowed to touch them because they were so fragile. Grams thought we boys were too rough to know how to handle anything delicate.” Reed put one of the last ornaments on the tree and stepped back to check its placement.

“I think it’s gorgeous. These vintage ornaments are priceless. And you can touch them all you want to now.” Charlotte wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and smiled up at him.

“Well, you’re what I want to touch right now. I’ve been very patient, I think. I thought we’d never finish the first tree, and then we decorated another one. I didn’t interrupt your tree time, but now it’s
me
time.” Reed covered her lips and began to kiss her slowly, fully exploring her deliciously warm mouth. She tasted of cinnamon and cloves from the wassail she had insisted on making because it was “the tradition.”

I could live with some traditions. She has brought more warmth to this house than ever before. When she’s here, it feels like a home and not just Grams’s old house. I’m starting to hate being here without her. That’s a sign. Not a bad sign, but a sign. I believe I’ve got to have her in my life, so we can be together always. She makes me want to create more family traditions. I can see me with a family if she’s with me. She’ll make a wonderful mother for my children. She’s so full of life, love, and happiness. A home filled with laughter, loving, touching, hugging. That’s what I always wanted, but it wasn’t Mother’s style. My family will have it all, and Charlotte is the key to all of that coming true.

Reed had stretched out on the sofa and pulled her down beside him.

“Reed, there isn’t enough room on this sofa for both of us. Let me up.” Charlotte started to stand up, but Reed tightened his hold and threw his leg over her.

“Yes, there is, Charlotte. You’re not going anywhere. You’ll have to snuggle closer to me, that’s all. Don’t run away from me. I’m not like those others. Stay.” Reed reached out and placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face until she was forced to look him in the eyes.

“No, you aren’t like everybody else. You kept your arm around me tonight when Joan and Logan walked up. In the past, you could have driven a truck between us because the guy had jumped that far away from me. It had to appear we were just friends hanging out. No more, no less, but the minute we were alone again, the lovey-dovey stuff started again.” Charlotte combed her fingers through the thickening beard on Reed’s face as she spoke.

Reed covered her hand and kissed her palm and said softly, “I’m thrilled for any and everybody to know we are together. I am a man, not some boy needing the approval of other boys. My approval is the only one that counts. These last couple of weeks have been the best I’ve ever had. Hell, since you arrived in June, I’ve had more fun and shared more laughter with you than anyone I can think of. You make me happy, Charlotte. I also think you are gorgeous. Each time I see you, I think you are more beautiful than the last time I saw you. You’ve brought warmth and a freedom to be myself that I didn’t know I was even missing. When I’m with you, we share the time together. I don’t spend it following you around, doing everything you want me to do to keep the spotlight on you. I am through with ‘high-maintenance’ women. That isn’t being in a relationship. It’s being in servitude. We actually interact with one another, and you care about what I think and what I want. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You have had anybody you wanted, and
can
have anybody you want, Reed. Have you seen yourself? You are what women dream of at night. You are a fantasy. I know that this is just for fun and not for keeps. You think this is good because it’s different. You will wake up one day and ask yourself, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ You will begin to see the look on people’s faces and figure out they are thinking, ‘Why is he with her?’ Someone with a perfect figure, gorgeous face, and a brain to boot will walk past you one day, and it will hit you out of the blue that that is what you were made for and I’ll get the ‘hope we can still be friends’ speech. Or, worse than that, you’ll stick by me, but wish you could undo ‘us.’ I have accepted that I will always have to fight weight issues. Sometimes I win, but more times I don’t. You’ve known me for six months. I’m winning right now. Wait until you’ve shared a losing streak with me and see what you think then.” Charlotte pushed against him and got up. She walked over and grabbed her coat and purse. She walked to the door with Reed following behind her.

“Don’t go. I don’t want you to go. How can I make you give me a chance? I’m serious about you. About us. Charlotte, I’m falling in love with you.” Reed held her by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes.

“I feel the same way, but I’m afraid to let go. Some people you can lose and get over them. You’re different. I don’t think I could recover. You’re all the things I find I need in the man in my life, and that’s not even counting the fact you are easy on the eyes. Sorry I ruined the evening. I guess the closer we get to becoming intimate, the farther away I want to run. It’s self-preservation, not you. Good night. Thanks for your help.” Charlotte kissed him and let herself out, leaving a bewildered Reed behind to think about whether or not she was right about him.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Reed showered and put on a pair of black knit sleeping pants and a gray T-shirt. His stomach was growling, and a sandwich was what he wanted to stop the roar. He made a grilled cheese sandwich and poured himself a tall glass of cold milk. The tree lights were glowing, so he headed for his recliner to eat his late-night snack and contemplate his earlier conversation with Charlotte.

They both had been very honest with each other. They both wanted each other. They were happy with each other. There was a mutual appreciation for the qualities of the other. Both of them found the other person to be attractive. The time they spent together was rich and filled with the things people search for when looking for someone to share their life with. It was damn perfect. Except Charlotte didn’t trust him to know his own feelings, or rather the longevity of his feelings for her.

“You like this because it’s different.”
Could she be right? Had he been so sick of Candace that he went for the opposite of end of the spectrum?

“
Wait until you’ve been through a losing streak with me, then see what you think.” How much weight has she lost? How big are we talking about? Would it make a difference in how I feel about her as a person? Would I still be sexually attracted to her? I can’t imagine not being attracted to her. It’s not her body I’m in love with anyway. It’s her spirit. I’ll want her no matter how big she gets. I have to keep steady and she’ll finally see I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got to love her even harder to make her see she can trust me. I’ll wait as long as it takes. She’s worth it.

* * * *

I really blew that. I’m sure he’ll become quite scarce now that I’ve bared my fears to him. Well, if he can keep seeing me after that, it’s a sign he isn’t too shallow. If he says he cares and accepts me, I am only sabotaging my own happiness. I need to be glad for whatever amount of time I can have him. Do I want to live my life wondering if we could have had it all, but I was too afraid I might lose him to try?

He wasn’t ashamed of me at the tree lot. He kissed me right in front of everyone. Even his friends saw us, and he was as natural as always. It’s me that is putting the stress on the weight issue. I’ve got to let it go. He is right. He’s a man and I’m a woman. We aren’t school kids anymore. We do what makes us happy, and if that is each other, then so be it.

He loved the sight of my body in that whirlpool, and I’ve toned up significantly since then. If I have a good-looking man in my life, then I better make sure I don’t fall off the wagon so I maintain a figure that keeps him coming back for more from me. Everything is about choices. I can have it all if I choose to. I have to want it bad enough, and I do. I’ve got to reprogram my thinking and believe there is no reason he wouldn’t want to be with me. I’ve got to be confident. I’ve got to trust he knows what he wants and be that woman.

He said he was falling for me. I’ve already gone head over heels for him. I’m the only thing standing in our way. Guess I’ll have to step aside and proceed to be happy with the idea that Reed Jackson has chosen me as his significant other.

Charlotte turned over onto her stomach and hugged her pillow as she drifted off, smiling at the thought she might get to have it all in spite of herself.

Chapter Thirty-Six

“Knock, knock! You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked. Strange men could just wan…oh, my. It must be my lucky day. Tell me you’re not naked under that towel.” Reed closed the door and leaned back against it, slack-jawed at the sight of Charlotte standing in the kitchen wrapped only in a navy-blue towel. Her long, wet hair hung in curling tendrils down her back. She stood frozen, wide-eyed with a glass of water to her lips.

She nodded and set the glass down in the sink. Swallowing hard, she cleared her throat and held her hands protectively across the front of the towel. “Surprise! I must have forgotten to lock the door after I hung the wreath on it this morning. I had something stuck in my throat and had to come get a glass of water.” She began to back away toward the direction of her bedroom as Reed slowly rounded the corner of the counter, never once breaking eye contact since walking in unannounced.