Love, Honor, and Betray Roby, Lawson (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📖

the way she’d been acting toward him. As a matter of fact, he felt so different hewas going to hold on to this unexpected piece of correspondence. Not that he’d made the decision to contact the woman or takeher up on her offer, but he would file her information for safekeeping, just in case.

He would keep her name and number because one never knew what the future might have in store, and there was nothing wrongwith being prepared. He’d been out of the game for a long time now, but not so long that he’d forgotten how to play it. Hedidn’t want to fall back into the rut he’d once found himself in, God knows he didn’t, but Charlotte was making things verydifficult for him. She was distant and unloving, and truth was, Curtis had never been the kind of man who could be okay withthat. Yes, he’d turned his life completely around, but he had needs—the kind of needs that had to be met regularly, and hehoped Charlotte soon remembered that. Before it was too late.

Chapter 18

He actually chose that little heifer over me. Charlotte didn’t want to believe it, but now knew that Curtis would never change his mind. She’d gone back and forth, thinkingthat maybe he would and then thinking that maybe he wouldn’t, but now she knew for sure. When she’d left Michael earlier thisevening, she’d had a lot of time to think during her drive home, and she’d come to the conclusion that maybe her mother hadbeen right about her needing to present Curtis with an ultimatum, once and for all. She’d decided that she would put fortha very serious effort and would even plead with him if she had to. But it hadn’t worked. She’d called him in good faith, spoketo him with a nice, quiet tone of voice, and then told him her position. She’d even asked him to consider sending Curtinaaway on a temporary basis, just to give her more time to accept things. But he’d quickly dismissed her and made it clear thather attempt at trying to work things out this evening hadn’t meant a thing to him. He’d acted as though her visit to his officehad been a total waste of time.

So now that he’d called her bluff, which was what she’d told her mother she’d been afraid of, she didn’t know what to do.She didn’t know whether to pack her bags and leave the way she’d threatened or stay put and continue seeing Michael as wellas doing whatever else she pleased. Charlotte weighed the advantages and disadvantages, but for some reason the disadvantagesof leaving seemed to carry more weight. If she moved out, she’d have to find a much smaller house than what she was used to,file for a legal separation, fight Curtis about who Matthew was going to live with, and then deal with all the talk aroundtown once word got out that she and Curtis had split. She knew she shouldn’t care what anyone thought of her or what theyhad to say, but she did care. She always had and always would whether she wanted to or not.

So, no, she couldn’t leave Curtis. Not right now, anyway. Not until she put more thought into her future and how she wantedto proceed. She would think about her marriage to Curtis and a possible divorce more carefully. She would be smart about theway she handled things; she wouldn’t act too hastily and then be sorry for it.

After entering the house, Charlotte set her bag down on the granite kitchen counter and pulled a bottle of Fiji water fromthe refrigerator. She was also starting to feel a little hungry, but since it was already going on ten, she pulled out a cupof light vanilla yogurt and ate that. Actually, the calcium in it tended to help her sleep a little better whenever she hada cup of it right before bedtime, so she pulled out a second one as well.

“Hey, Mom.” Matthew walked into the room, bobbing his head to whatever song was playing in his iPod. Then he turned it offand pulled his earbuds out.

“Hey, sweetie,” she said. “So, how was your day?”

“Same ole, same ole. But it was good. I also filled out a couple more online applications not too long ago.”

“Just can’t help yourself, can you?”

Matthew smiled. “Nope. I just want to see how many of the really good schools, both academically and those that excel in football,I can get accepted to.”

“You’re funny. Because anyone who’s already been contacted by Harvard will more than likely be accepted just about anywherein the country.”

“I know, but I just like filling out the information and reading about all the different schools and majors available.”

“Well, just know that I am very, very proud of you, Matthew, and I don’t know what I’ll do without you when you leave.”

“I’ll miss you, too, Mom, but I’ll still be home during the summer and for all the holidays. And you, Dad, and Curtina cancome visit me, too.”

Charlotte forced a smile on her face, but it must not have been very convincing because Matthew said, “Mom, why is it thatwhenever Curtina is around or someone mentions her name, you seem upset?”

“Because it’s very hard for me.”

“But you’re so mean to her all the time.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure how to respond. She’d known for weeks now that Matthew had become more and more aware of her dislikefor Curtina, but she hadn’t thought he would go as far as confronting her about it.

“It’s complicated, Matt.”

“But why is it complicated? And why can’t you just love Curtina? Because I’m really scared about you and Dad.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you argue all the time, and you’re always mad at each other.”

“I’m really sorry that you’ve had to witness some of our disagreements, but please try not to worry. Everything will be fine,and more than anything, what I want you to remember is that we both love you and will always be here for you.”

“I love you, too, Mom. But