Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Not even on his worst days at work did Morgan remember feeling as angry as he had the day he'd witnessed Charlie talking about her desire to sleep with other men.

Almost an entire day had passed since then, and still, he still hadn't been able to completely calm down. Whether it was packing, giving the attention Sawyer was increasingly demanding, or simply standing there, waiting for Charlie to finish getting dressed so they could drive to the airport, that fury he had felt at the thought of Charlie with another man still raged through him. Enough even to make him and Charlie end up exchanging few words in the last few hours, which was unheard of. They hadn't exactly fought, but he had to admit that the mood between them hadn't been the same since that had happened. And as much as a part of him wanted more than anything to make amends with Charlie and get things back to the way they were before, there was another part, more stubborn and primal, that didn't want to put up with it while she didn't promise her, in so many words, that she wouldn't get involved with any other man while they were married.

Never before in his 34 years of life, as far as he could remember, had he felt a serious and almost uncontrollable urge to kill someone. But it was enough for Charlie to say that he wanted to find out what it was like to be in a man's arms, that he had almost completely lost his composure. Nothing had happened and that hypothetical man Charlie wanted to get involved with didn't even exist, yet he wanted to punch him until his face disappeared for daring to touch Charlie. And as much as he tried to kid himself, Morgan knew this wasn't the anger an older brother or a best friend would feel at the thought of their precious sister/friend being seduced by an asshole. It was the kind of anger a man felt when he considered the possibility of his woman finding another.

Jealousy was the name, or so he believed. Morgan just didn't expect that feeling to be so intense. Or that he would steal her usually unshakable control so easily.

Sighing as she felt Sawyer begin to rub against her ankles and purr loudly, demanding immediate attention, Morgan picked him up and began to run her nails down his neck, at almost the exact same moment that Charlie finally left the room, wearing a white shirt. of buttons and a light skirt that made her absolutely stunning. For a moment, he forgot even that he was still a little angry and just admired her for a long time, while the two remained staring at each other in silence, until Charlie looked down at the cat in his lap, which at that moment was already gone. it was on its back, purring as loud as an ambulance siren.

“Traitor. “ she grumbled, putting her hands on her hips “ I feed him, clean the litter box and give him every box I can find and he still has the audacity to prefer you."

“You must be his second favorite, I'm sure. “ he joked, after a long moment of silence.

“Is that your way of saying you're not mad at me anymore? “ she questioned him shyly, going to sit next to him on the sofa, where the two small hand luggage of the two were waiting for them, with just the necessary for them to spend the night in the hotel they had rented in Las Vegas.

“I was never really mad at you, Charlie." he admitted, with a sigh “I'm sorry if I made you think that, it was very childish of me. We are about to make a very important commitment together and we need to trust and support each other. Especially me."

“Sorry if I said something that made you feel bad." she rested her head on his shoulder, while murmuring “ But it hurts me to know that you still see me as a child. I don't want to be by your side for you to take care of me and protect me even from my own shadow. I want to marry you and be by your side because I trust you and I want to be your partner. I want you to trust me too and see me as an equal." He felt as if a dagger had been plunged into her chest as he saw the glint of tears gathering in her sad eyes “ Will… Will it always be like this between us? Will you always see me and treat me like a child? Why, if so..."

“I don't think you're a kid, Charlie." he assured, with all sincerity “On the contrary, you are one of the most mature and courageous people I know, much more than people older than you and me combined. The thing is... I can't even deal with the possibility that you'll be hurt." plus the possibility that she might one day love someone else, but obviously hasn't admitted that to anyone but himself “And that makes me a bit... overprotective. And I know how suffocating that can be. I'm sorry if this ended making you suffer. I did not mean that."

“I know it wasn't. “ Charlie offered her a brittle smile, still muttering “And I don't mind you taking care of me. Damn it, Morgan, you know you're the most important person in my life still alive, don't you? It may sound like I'm overreacting, but I literally wouldn't have survived these past three years without you. Every day except Anthony was there to tell me that I was a nuisance to him and that he never wanted me to live in that mansion. No matter how good my day at school or later at the animal shelter was, Samantha always had an insult or a way to humiliate me, to make it clear what I despised." she recalled, making his rage flare once more, turning into that blinding rage that would make it possible for him to tear those two wretches apart, if they were right there in front of him.

" I wish I had done so much more for you back then..." he whined through gritted teeth, feeling guilty.

“But you did." she smiled shakily “Don't you see? I pretended not to, but there were times when I couldn't help but wonder if they weren't right. If I wasn't really spoiled, insufferable, stupid, insensitive and all the other things they kept repeating. I no longer had my grandfather, or close friends, or anyone else. During the first months in that place, there wasn't a moment of the day when I didn't think about running away. In my mind, anything that could happen to me on the streets would be better than continuing to put up with it." she confessed, making Morgan's blood run cold with what could have happened if she had put that plan into practice “But then I met you. And every time we met, you defended me, you made me smile, you took care of me... " she opened a tearful smile " You helped me remember that I was important and that I had done nothing to deserve that they do that to me. You saved me."

“Oh, Charlie…” he swallowed emotionally, “If you only knew how you saved me too. After my mother's death and spending my entire life living up to my father's expectations, preparing to take over his business... I hadn't even noticed what a cold and hopeless person I had become. Before you jumped into that fountain in front of me, I didn't even realize if I was still living or not. I just existed, repeating the same things every day, not expecting anything from the future other than continuing this cycle. But then. You appeared. And from the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew you were special. And I knew I would do anything to protect you."

Sincere sense with himself, still silently, he could now realize that a part of him had begun to love her in that very moment, even before passion or respect had welled up in his chest.

“I like to know that you care about me. I just hate it when you act like you know what's best for me and what I want." she argued vehemently, emphasizing every word “That's why I can't help thinking that you think I'm an immature girl. How could I think otherwise when you reacted that way when you found out I wanted to experience what sex was like?"

“Charlie…” he wailed, feeling the jealousy start to gnaw at him again.

“I can make my own decisions, Morgan! “ she exclaimed, ignoring his pleading “I know what's best for me and I know what I want. So if you really like me and you really want this to work, then please... Promise me that you'll come to believe in me. “ she asked, with a lone tear running down one of her cheeks “Promise that you will accept my decisions and support my choices, instead of simply telling me that I am doing the wrong thing, just because you do not agree with me."

“Oh, Charlie…” he swallowed hard, hugging her, “I'm so sorry I made you feel this way. I promise I'll do my best to never act that way again. Whatever you choose or decide, I promise I won't judge, just support."

“I will enforce that promise from you, in the future." he got the impression that she was smiling against his chest, albeit sadly.

“And I'll make sure you cover." gently, he kissed her forehead and wiped away the other tears she had shed. “There is nothing I wanted more than to dedicate my life to stopping people from harming you, Charlotte Foster, and that includes myself. So the next time I hurt you, don't hesitate to make my life hell."

“I don't know if I could do it. “ she gave that sweet laugh he loved, making his heart warm “I'm not Samantha."

“See, that's what I'm talking about. “ he chuckled “ Only you could make me laugh in such a situation."

“So… Does that mean we're okay now?" Charlie questioned him, touching his cheek “Are we partners again?"

“We will always be partners, Charlie." He promised, pulling her hand away to kiss her palm tenderly "I promise that you can always count on me… And I know that I can always count on you." leaning his forehead against hers, he smiled “We'll always be here for each other, won't we?"

" Yes! “ She celebrated, moved, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, in a tight hug that he returned with all the love he had inside of him “Always!"