COMPLETE ✓| Charlotte Hastings found herself between a rock and a hard place when she aged out of the foster system. With only a car to her name, she set out on the open road, hoping to find long lost relatives. Winter hits her hard. When she meets...
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR| WONDERLAND OF SNOW
Charlotte Hastings
Eli's promise was still playing on repeat in my head, "We could make it work, because I love you. I can promise you that." And even though I knew that he meant it, I couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that it would all fall apart. I was just hoping that with time, it would fade. Maybe telling Eli what happened with my birth mother would help the doubt wash away. The truth was healing after all, or so I was told. As I stared up at the ceiling, I was working myself up to telling Eli everything, no matter the consequences. The fact that he was hugging me tight made it easier, his arm draped around my waist.
I felt him snuggle in closer, if that was even possible and lay a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Morning," he said, his voice full of early morning rasp. The deep tone sent butterflies dancing around in my stomach. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," I muttered, feeling a smile pull at my lips. I turned toward him slightly and my eyes locked with his. "Thanks to you."
"You give me too much credit." His low chuckle made his chest vibrate against me and a shiver ran down my spine as he ran a hand through my hair.
My teeth grazed my lip as I felt a pang of guilt. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I'd probably be in some shelter or in a tent out in the cold. You don't give yourself enough credit, Eli and I love you for it."
A big smile appeared on his face and as his gaze fell, his eyelashes brushed over my cheek. "I love you too," he muttered under his breath.
I gulped. There was no better time to tell him the truth about why I left and what happened with my mom. Sure, he knew some, but he deserved to know it all. He needed to know what he was getting himself into. I was like a snowball of doubt, rolling downhill only to crash at the bottom. "So uh, Eli, you know how I said yesterday there was something I wanted to tell you..."
"Yeah," he said, meeting my eyes once again as his hand stroked my arm, gently. A silent, but welcomed reassurance.
"Well, uh-"
Just as I began, the ringing of the phone cut me off. "Sorry, I'll be right back," he jumped out of bed and rushed into the kitchen for the phone. The breath that I had been holding inside my lungs, slowly escaped, although the tension in my shoulders didn't seem to want to leave. Not until Eli knew everything.
I pulled myself upright and leaned back against the headboard. Even though Eli was on the phone, I could still hear Jan's voice on the other end, laughing about something her son had said. Time passed slowly as I waited for him to come back, even if it was just mere minutes. His footsteps drawing near brought a smile back on my face. He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms and his feet.
