The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) (11 page)

She barely noticed when they turned into Jesse’s driveway.  Ana stopped the car, and she got out to walk Jesse up to his door.  Charity watched them as they reached the front porch.  Ana wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed.  It was so easy for them.  She wanted that kind of love someday, but being let down by Joe, and then Derek led her to strongly believe she would never get there.  They stopped kissing, and Ana turned back around and headed back to the car.  She waved to Jesse before she got into the car.  After Jesse was in the house, Ana turned to Charity.

Charity turned away from her gaze.  “Don’t even…I know what you’re going to say.”

Ana didn’t say anything, even if she wanted to.  She started the car and backed out of the driveway, then headed back to their apartment.  The silence was strong in the car, and she would’ve given anything to hear a fly buzzing around her ear, or a cricket making an irritating noise.  She would’ve even settled for nails on a chalkboard.  She hated hearing the awkwardness between them, especially when she could sense everything Ana wanted to say to her.

Ana turned into the parking lot and parked, and they quietly got out of the vehicle and headed up to the stairs to their apartment.  When they reached their door, Ana unlocked the door with the keys she held in her hand.  Once inside, Charity started to head to her room, and that’s when Ana cleared her throat, stopping Charity from leaving the living room.

“What?” Charity asked, turning around to face her friend.

Ana had her arms folded in front of her like she was an angry parent that caught their child missing curfew.  “I just have one question, and then we can forget it if that’s what you want.”

Charity cocked her head and sighed.  “What?”

“how in the world can you be civil with Jesse and not with Derek?”

Charity couldn’t believe Ana wouldn’t drop it, and she couldn’t believe that Ana wouldn’t already know that answer.  “Ana, please just drop it.” Charity turned away from her but didn’t move out of that living room.  She took a deep breath and turned back around to see Ana eye to eye.  “Fine.  I can be civil to Jesse because Jesse isn’t the one that I fell in love with.”  Her voice raised, and Ana held a hint of a smile on her lips.  “Why are you smiling?” Charity asked.

“That’s the first time you said those words.  You’ve danced around them…sure, but that’s the first time you’ve actually said them.”

Charity looked down at the plush carpeting and started to run circles on it with her shoe.  “It’s not the first time I thought them,” Charity replied softly.

“He hurt you, but if you were sitting at that table like I was and you saw the pain you were causing him…I think even you would’ve felt sorry for him.”

Charity laughed.  “Highly doubtful.”

Ana grinned.  “You may be wrong about that.  Jesse asked him where he was going and do you know what Derek’s answer was?”

Charity shrugged.  “I’m getting away from the psycho that’s singing about me on stage?” she asked.

Ana laughed and shook her head.  “No, but that should’ve been his answer.”  Charity smiled, softening a little.  “His answer was that he was leaving because he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.  He said it’s not worth it.  He left because it was overly obvious how much you didn’t want to be around him.  That’s saying something, Char…you have to admit it is.”

Charity shrugged.  “I suppose so.”  She acted nonchalant about it, but it did play to her heartstrings.  She appreciated that he would leave just to make her more comfortable.  They had argued before going up on stage, and she said some things she regretted.  She thought the mall project was a necessity for the city, yet she couldn’t even tell him that.  She let her pride get in the way of being a kind human.

“How would you feel if next week you discovered that Derek had moved on, found another woman, and was happy.  Would you have any jealousy?” she asked.

Charity shook her head.  “I’d say I was sorry for the new woman, and I may have to make sure she knows about the inheritance, but besides that I’d say good for him.”

Ana raised an eyebrow and Charity said she meant every word, but Ana didn’t seem to believe her.  “I’ll remind you of that if it happens.”  Ana pushed past Charity and went into her own room.  Charity stood there, unmoving.  She wanted to believe the words, but there was a reason Ana didn’t.  Even saying the words didn’t sound real.  She couldn’t picture Derek with someone else, and it was going to be a long road for her to get over him.

Charity wanted to put Saturday out of her mind because she didn’t want to show her feelings.  So, she made sure she spent every waking minute with Damian.  On Sunday she went to Damian’s house, and after they had supper together, they were immediately back in the throes of sex.  They didn’t even make it out of the kitchen as it was like some romance movie and Damian shoved the dishes off the table and laid her down on top of the table.

The dishes shattered once they hit the floor and he didn’t even care.  They spent two hours in that kitchen until he pulled Charity off of the table and they carefully maneuvered around the broken glass, left the kitchen, and headed upstairs to his bedroom.  His lips went back to hers, and they kissed, slowly he lowered her down to the bed.  Her raspy breathing was clear as she stared at him.  He reached across the bed and grabbed another condom.  He had them stashed everywhere.  She was two seconds from telling him he didn’t need to bother when he sheathed himself and propped himself above her.  She didn’t bother.  His lips slowly went down to hers, and they gently kissed. 

His erection slid across her stomach and then his tip was gently touching her opening.  “You know how to make me forget my problems,” she softly whispered.  Her hand stroked the nape of his neck, and she brought him down so they could kiss.  His tongue slowly slid across hers and she let a moan escape between their lips. 

Derek’s face drifted into her mind, and she pictured it was him she was feeling on top of her.  She tightly closed her eyes to force him out of her thoughts and Damian’s cock slipped into her.  She bucked her hips hard against him, and they got back into the methodic rhythm of fucking one another.  Her arms hung around him while they didn’t break their embrace, their kiss, or their connection.  She needed this feeling and Damian was the perfect man to get it done.

She clung onto him as their rocking grew stronger and another orgasm swept over her body.  “Ahhh…” she moaned.  Her nails dug into his back as his tongue crashed against hers.  “Oh God…” she whimpered.  She broke from his kiss and her head fell into the crook of his neck.  Her mouth hungrily kissed his skin, while his breath brushed shivers over her body.  Her juices slowly enveloped his manhood and she kissed him one last time on the neck, before falling back down on the bed and gasping for air.  Her chest was inflating and deflating as she stared up at the ceiling.  His mouth never left her body as she ravished each part of her, tediously weaving his lips from one spot to the next.  While she wanted to think about the man that was in bed with her, she found her mind still wandering back to the Mayor. 

“Damn, Baby…you get sexier and sexier every day.”  His smooth words washed over, and she smiled.  Their eyes connected.  She wanted to repay the compliment, but she didn’t know what to say so it wouldn’t come across as her just saying it because he did.  His mouth touched hers, and she just laid there. 

“Damian…” she whispered, breaking from the kiss.

He groaned.  “I know…you need to leave because you have work early.”  His words were filled with disappointment, and it hit her that all this time she’d never told him she quit her job. 
Why?
The question entered her mind, and she couldn’t pinpoint an answer, but it was time to be truthful about that.

She shook her head.  “I quit my job.”

He raised an eyebrow.  “You quit?  Why?” he asked softly.

She shrugged.  “Wasn’t getting enough time with you,” she lied.

He smiled.  “Baby…that was sweet.”  She felt like a heel lying to him.  She kept her face looking bright.  “What are you going to do?”

“I got an amazing job at the daycare.  I start a week from tomorrow.”  Her words sounded overly excited, but he didn’t catch on.

“Awesome, Babe.”  He kissed her and she sighed heavily.  She couldn’t believe she was lying to the one guy that had only been truthful to her.  She just couldn’t tell him that she quit because she was madly in love with Derek and he broke her heart.  When they stopped kissing, his grin remained big.  “So, does that mean you’re spending the night?”

She laughed and pretended to think about that, even though she had every intention of spending the night.  She even brought a change of clothes, but she had left it in the car.  “You have to work tomorrow, so maybe I should go home tonight.”

He tickled her hips, and she laughed as he flipped her onto her back.  “I can miss one day.”  With his hands still holding onto her hips, he lowered himself down and their lips connected once more.  She instantly forgot why she had said his name earlier.  She didn’t want to stop this, no matter how much her head told her otherwise.

****

Derek peered out at the crowd.  Half the town showed up, but the one person he wanted there…he couldn’t see.  He didn’t expect her to come, especially after they left things on Saturday night, but he had hoped she would consider it.  She was one of the reasons the project was happening when it was.  He turned away from the crowd and looked down at his notes, and he closed his eyes and tried to remember his speech, but it all seemed a blur. 

“This is it!”  He looked up as Jesse and Ana approached him.

He put on a smile.  “Thanks for coming…” he glanced at Ana and nodded slightly, “both of you.  I really appreciate it.”

Jesse smacked him on the back.  “We wouldn’t miss it.” 

A part of him wished that was how Charity felt, but it was over and done with, and clearly she wasn’t interested.  “A lot of people showed up!”  Ana enthusiastically exclaimed.

He snickered and glanced back to where people were filling empty seats and then the rest lined up behind the chairs.  “Yeah…I noticed.”  He wasn’t much for getting up and making speeches, and this bothered his stomach, but it would soon be over.

“We’ll let you go, Bud, but break a leg.”  Jesse chuckled and punched Derek into the arm.

Derek nodded.  “Thanks,” he mumbled.

He read through his notes once more, then he heard Rebecca Sampson, the woman that won the Ms. Buxton contest only two weeks earlier, speaking.  She turned around and watched her introduce him.  He took a deep breath as she continued.  “So, it is with great honor that I call Mayor Derek Worthington to this podium.”  She turned around and clapped, as the crowd erupted into applause. 

He slowly moved to the podium and smiled at her.  “Thank you, Rebecca.”

She smiled and stepped away from the microphone.  Derek turned to the people that took their time out of their schedules to be there.  “I want to start off by thanking everyone for coming out today.”  He scanned over the audience once more.  He felt a knot in his stomach.  He let a slow breath escape his lips and forced a smile.  “This project has been a long and bumpy road to get here, but with perseverance from so many and hard work from everyone involved, I stand here to say that we are bringing hundreds of jobs to this city and helping our community.”  The crowd applauded, and several people screamed out their excitement.  He glanced down at his notes and scanned through so he didn’t repeat his words.

He found the spot on his cards and looked back up.  That’s when he noticed her.  She was standing next to a tree, nearly in the back row, but her eyes were intently watching him.  He cleared his throat, forgetting what he was about to say.  He quickly looked down at his cards so the audience wouldn’t get restless.  He was surprised she came, but mostly…he was thankful she cared enough to come.  Then he worried it was only a dream, so he quickly looked back up and saw she still remained next to the tree.  She nodded slightly as if egging him on to continue his speech.

“I am proud of this city, and everything we’ve accomplished and I know that there will be many more opportunities to excel here.”  He pushed his cards away, as he forgot where he was in his speech and it didn’t even matter.  “Today we are breaking ground on new opportunities…new adventures…and new visions for what Buxton can and will be.”  Another moment of erupted applause sounded at the site.  “I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”  He stepped away from the podium and walked over to the poles that held a cloth from one pole to the other.  He turned his head, and a pair of scissors was handed to him.  “Thank you.”  He turned back to the audience with one more phrase for them to think on.  “I give you all the future site of Buxton Mall.”  He cut the ribbon, and everyone jumped up and applauded. 

He took in the vision of rows and rows of cheering people, all on their feet and celebrating a new chapter in the life of Buxton.  He relished the moment for only a split second because he wanted to talk to Charity and he couldn’t let her get away.

****

Charity clapped, as did the rest of the audience.  It was clear he’d seen her, but she had no intention of sticking around.  She started to leave the safety of the tree when she heard her name being called out.  “Charity!”  She saw Ana running towards her.  Ana through her arms around her, before Charity could get away.  “I thought that was you.”  Ana pulled back from the hug.  “I’m so glad you came.  When you didn’t come home last night, and you didn’t answer my call and text, I thought maybe you left the country.”  Ana laughed.

Charity chuckled lightly.  “I should’ve called you last night.  I was…uh…detained.” 

Ana nodded, recognizing what she meant by that.  “No worries.  I’m just glad you’re here.”  She grabbed Charity’s arm and started pulling her into the crowd.  “I know that Derek will be even more pleased.”

Charity dug her heels into the ground so she couldn’t budge.  “I…I…I really need to go,” she stammered.

Ana twirled around and stared at her.  “Since you came, I just thought that meant you were ready to really talk to him.”

Charity rolled her eyes.  “Ana, I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I think I have forgiven him, but that doesn’t mean I want to be around him.”

Ana scrunched up her nose.  “Come on Charity…cut the guy some slack.  We can all go out for lunch and slowly you can put this behind you.”

The words that came out of Ana’s mouth irritated her more than anything.  She didn’t understand why she was expected to automatically accept his lies and move on.  She could forgive, but she wasn’t about to forget and seeing Derek only made her remember it that much more.  “I’m cutting him some slack,” Charity quickly defended herself.  “You saw it at the Karaoke Bar.  We could barely be around each other for five minutes without throwing rude comments around.”

Ana tilted her head.  “We’re all adults, Charity.”

Charity nodded.  “Yet, when I’m around him I tend to forget that.”  She shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Ana, but I really need to go.”

“Fine!” Ana reluctantly replied.  “Will you be home tonight?”

Charity nodded.  “At some point.  Goodbye.”

Charity twirled around to hurry away before Derek could find her and corner her into talking him, and she landed right in Derek’s arms.  His hands held firm to her elbows and their eyes locked.  “Hello,” he softly said.

She pulled herself back and strategically slipped her arms out of his grasp.  “Hello.”  She side glanced at Ana to see if Ana had any idea he was standing right behind her.  Ana bit her lower lip like she was trying not to laugh, but it was still too hard to see if this was another setup.  She glanced back at Derek.  “Nice speech you gave there,” she replied, keeping her tone friendly.

“Thank you.”  He hesitated, before stating, “Thank you for coming.  It means a lot to me.”

Her eyes felt a twitch as she stared at him longer than the average kid that was playing the staring contest.  She looked away from him, only to find that Ana was gone and most likely giving them some privacy.  “I figured half the town would be here, so I might as well be here, too.”

He nodded.  “Right!”  He awkwardly looked away, but that gave Charity the escape she needed.

“Congratulations, Derek.  I’ll see you around.”  She started to leave, but he soon had her turning back around.

“Go to Supper with me.”

It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement.  Charity found herself laughing harder than Derek probably thought she would, but she couldn’t help herself.  “I’m sorry.”  She coughed, trying not to laugh anymore.  “Is that supposed to be a supper invitation or a supper demand?” she asked.

He fidgeted in place, before shrugging.  “I would like you to go out with me…just the two of us.”  He stopped fidgeting for a moment and added, “Or, you could come to the house, and my housekeeper will fix a meal.  It’s your call.”

Charity shook her head to immediately say no but then stopped herself.  “Why?” she asked.

When he didn’t answer right away, she crossed her arms in front of her and gave off the vibe she wasn’t messing around.  “Fine.  You wanna know why?  I thought maybe if we started off brand new then we could get past this lie.”

She opened her mouth, but an elderly woman interrupted their conversation.  “Mayor Worthington that was a breathtaking speech.”  He smiled and turned his attention to the female.  He shook her hand and thanked her.  “Your father would be so proud,” she continued.

Charity saw the strained look on his face as he responded to her.  “I hope so.  Thank you so much for coming.”  The woman left, and he turned back to Charity.  “Let’s just move past the inheritance.  I would like to spend time with you, so we can talk and really try to put this behind us.”