Love Beyond the Curve (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (20 page)

“Charlotte, no, I won’t. She liked you. Dad and Jake thought you were a real beauty. Elizabeth even commented to me on how pretty you are. Mother is fine with us. She said I looked very happy. I told you that’s all she wants for me.” Reed reached over and took her hand in his as he drove down the highway, headed for his house.

“She may have said all of that, but inside she was thinking I need to be about half the size I am right now. She is also probably hoping I’ll be called in to work or catch some virus, so she won’t have to explain me to her friends. You know, today is the most I’ve eaten since you invited me to this thing. I’m exercising and starving to try to look as good as I can for you and your family. Do you know how hard that is to do at Christmas?” Charlotte shook her head and looked back out the window.

“Charlotte, that’s ridiculous. Am I going to have to fix meals and sit and watch you eat them now? Do
not
starve yourself. I think you are gorgeous and perfect for me. That is all that counts. I’ve told you that, and I mean it. Now, stop this. I can’t start worrying about you. Gain a hundred pounds if you want to for all I care. You’ve got to get over this thing with your weight. You are the only one thinking about it.”

“I’m sure you’re right, Reed. It’s pretty hard to ignore when it’s a daily challenge. I’ll get it together. I’ll just focus on us. On you. And not worry about anyone else. I can do that.” Charlotte lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it. She smiled when he kissed the back of her hand in return.

Soon they were pulling up to the house. Charlotte had to go on in and get ready for work. Reed walked her to the bottom of her stairs and hugged her tightly.

“I was proud of you today. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”

“I’m glad you’re pleased. I still say you’ll get a call from your mother before the night’s over. Of course, I’ll never know, because you won’t want to make me feel bad. Good luck.” Charlotte kissed him and headed up the stairs, leaving Reed behind laughing at her prediction.

* * * *

Around ten, the phone rang. Reed was watching a sports program, which he muted as he answered.

“Hello?” Reed reclined back in his chair and took a sip of his beer while he waited for a reply.

“Hello, son. I just wanted to call and let you know what a nice time we all had at lunch. Charlotte is a lovely girl.”

Reed nearly spewed the beer out of his mouth when he heard his mother’s voice on the other end. He had been watching the show and not looked at the caller ID. He couldn’t believe his mother had called as Charlotte had predicted.

“Yes, Mother. She’s great. She has a wonderful personality and is absolutely gorgeous. I think I’m pretty lucky to have her.”

“She does have a very pretty face. She’s really not like any girl you’ve ever dated before though.” Mrs. Jackson paused, leaving the conversation open for Reed to fill in the blanks.

Reed couldn’t believe his ears. She was using the “such a pretty face” line that Charlotte had referred to before. He had to settle this once and for all with his mother. Charlotte was too important to him to let anyone from his family hurt her.

“No, she’s not like anyone I’ve ever dated before, because I’ve never dated anyone I truly liked before. Somehow I always ended up dating someone you introduced me to, or someone like the kinds of women you always introduce me to. Charlotte is the kind of person I want when I’m doing the choosing, Mother. She’s real. She caring, generous, loving, and she’s always thinking of someone besides herself. It’s never about her. It’s always about what’s best for everyone. She’s funny. She can laugh at her mistakes and at herself. She’s not stuffy and totally consumed with being what the rest of the world thinks is the thing to be. She’s a good person. I think she’s beautiful, just like she is. When I hold her in my arms, I’m not afraid she’ll shatter into a million pieces. I want you to like her, Mother, because I love her. I’m going to marry her if she’ll have me. It’s funny that she’s the one worried about your approval, but I don’t need it this time, Mother. I’ll go ahead and say what you won’t. She isn’t pencil thin. She has curves in all the right places, and I think she’s stunningly beautiful. I can see her being the mother of my children. She is strong and courageous, and she won’t break. She’ll stand beside me and give everything she’s got to support me and my dreams, while achieving her own. I couldn’t find a better woman on earth if I tried. She’s been right outside my back door, and I’m not letting her get away. I love you, Mother, but this time I’m going to have what I want, and I want Charlotte.”

“Well, then…I think you should have her. She sounds perfect for you. She does sound like an amazing woman who will love you and care for you. That’s all I ever really wanted for you, Reed. I never meant to interfere. I only wanted you to have someone to be there for you. Now, it appears you’ve found her. She sounds wonderful. I look forward to getting to know her better. Especially if she’s going to be the mother of my grandchildren. I love you, Reed. If you’re happy, then we’re all happy.” She sounded sincere and resigned to the fact her son had met his soul mate. Now he would be able to move on to the next phase of his life. Marriage followed by parenthood.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“You look stunning. I’m not going to be able to take my eyes off you all night. You’re gorgeous, Charlotte.” Reed was truly stunned at how truly breathtakingly beautiful Charlotte looked .

Her skin was glowing and her eyes were radiant. She had pulled her hair up, but allowed loose tendrils of curls to cascade down from where it was gathered. Her black evening gown had a plunging sweetheart neckline and a black lace overlay. The edge of the neckline had black pearls and sequins along it to add some sparkle. The neckline also was plunging in the back, revealing her toned shoulder blades. The three-quarter-length sleeves were of black lace, also with some sparkling beadwork. The gown flared out near the hemline, forming a slight train behind her. It hugged her curves, accentuating how deep set her waist was in proportion to her rounded hips, giving her a perfect hourglass figure. She wore her signature black high heels and carried a small satin-covered clutch. She wore dangling teardrop diamond earrings and the platinum bracelet with an inset of white diamonds that Reed had given her for Christmas.

“Don’t you dare leave my side all night. You’re what’s going to get me through this. Do you think your mother will approve? I didn’t want to look too daring, but I didn’t want to be dressed like your mother either.” Charlotte turned around for him to see her completely.

“Sweetheart, I
assure
you I am not going to be thinking of my mother when I look at you tonight. My problem is going to be not getting angry at all the other men looking at you. And they
will
be looking. They might be standing beside a size 0 or 2, but when they see you and these ‘come and get me’ curves, they are going to wish they could touch you. You’ve been working out, babe. It really shows in this gown. Please tell me you aren’t going to try to be skinny. I don’t want you to lose any more weight. You look great.” Reed rested his hands at her waist, feeling her hip bones more pronounced than usual.

“Honey, when this is over, you may have to take me through a drive-thru to get a double cheeseburger on the way home. You have nothing to worry about. Are you ready?” Charlotte grinned as she thought of herself biting into a juicy burger wearing this gown.

“Let’s go. I can hardly wait to show you off. This is going to be an evening we’ll never forget.”

Chapter Forty

Charlotte sat alone at the table with Reed’s sister-in-law, Elizabeth, while he went to the bar to get them a drink. His parents were out on the dance floor taking advantage of a slower tune. His brother, Jake, was talking to a group of friends not far away. Charlotte was having a good time in spite of her apprehensions about the evening.

“That dress is fabulous. You look great in it, too. Reed hasn’t taken his eyes off of you all night. I’ve never seen him so taken with a woman before. You seem to be really special.” Elizabeth spoke casually as she sipped her glass of wine.

“He is sworn to not let me out of his sight tonight. I have to confess I’ve been very nervous about this dance since he invited me. I wanted to make a good impression, more for the family than him.” Charlotte looked down at her glass, avoiding eye contact with Elizabeth.

“Why? You met with everyone’s approval the day we had lunch together at his parents’ house. You have nothing to worry about. All we talked about is how happy Reed seemed to be now. Even Andrea told me she talked to Reed that night about you. He told her he was happier than he’d ever been, so she was happy, too.
That
has never happened before, so you can relax now.”

Charlotte smiled to herself at the mention of the phone call between Reed and his mother as she had predicted. It seemed she had passed the first test. Tonight would be the second to see how well she interacted socially. She wasn’t a clinging vine with Reed. That had to count for something. She had held her own with his family when he had stepped away from the table. They had mingled with old family friends, and she had been able to carry on conversations while Reed talked with those he hadn’t seen since last year’s dance. She thought she had done a pretty good job.

Reed walked back to the table and handed her the drink he had gotten for her. The band began to play Shania Twain’s song “From This Moment On.” Reed stood and held his hand out to Charlotte, who looked up at him with bright, expectant eyes. “May I have this dance, Ms. Hamilton?”

“I would love to dance with you.” Charlotte placed her hand in his open palm and stood to follow him out onto the dance floor.

There were only a few couples out on the floor, but Charlotte was not worried. She was entranced with the look in Reed’s eyes. He was vaguely smiling, and his gaze was intent. She expected him to take her into his arms, but instead, he placed a hand at her waist and took her hand in his in a waltz position. Because of his extreme height, she placed her hand on his arm rather than shoulder. He began to step in time with the music, and Charlotte didn’t miss a beat. She followed his lead in perfect sync. She began to smile as he glided her fluidly across as the floor, twirling her away from him and back again. As the music began to swell and crescendo, their movements became larger, moving over the floor like they had been dancing together for years. The other couples stepped back, and soon everyone’s attention was riveted on the beautiful dance taking place in the center of the room. When the song began to slow, Reed guided their steps back to the center of the floor where they began the dance. As the last bars of the song played, he dipped her gracefully and brought her back up to her feet. The crowd broke out into applause as he took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. The next song was a slow one, and he continued to hold her close and dance.

“That was so much fun. I loved it.” Charlotte grinned up at him as he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her.

“So did I. Where did you learn to waltz like that? When I saw you could follow my lead like you were reading my mind, I went for broke. We were pretty amazing, weren’t we?”

“Yes, we were. Those lessons I took in college with a friend paid off tonight. He was a great dancer, and we went out all the time. He liked to learn different kinds of dances, and it was exercise for me. That’s when I started dancing for a workout.”

“Remind me to thank him if I ever meet him. I’ve enjoyed that habit of yours a few times already. You are responsible for my midnight smoking sessions on the back porch, you know.”

“Oh, really? How’s that?”

“I figured out you like to dance especially on Friday nights when you get home. I can see your shadow through the French doors.”

“Are you kidding me? How many of these ‘shows’ have you seen exactly?” Charlotte could feel the heat on her cheeks as he looked down at her with a knowing smile.

Reed leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Enough to know installing a pole in my bedroom wouldn’t be a wasted investment. You are one hot woman.”

Charlotte threw her head back laughing and shook her head in disbelief. “You are so full of it, Reed Jackson.”

“No, Doll Baby. I told you, didn’t I? I know men, and I know a wolf when I see one. This room is full of guys who would kill to have one dance with you. They’d love to be able to rest their hand at the curve of your hip like mine is. They’d die to have your, shall we say, ‘ample’ breasts crushed against their chest like this. But that’s too bad. I get you all to myself. Can you tell how badly I want you? This dress is gorgeous, but I know what’s underneath. That’s what is killing me right now.” Reed pressed her even closer to him, so that his hardened shaft rubbed against her lower abdomen.

“You know that’s what I want, too. I’m thinking it’s the best way to ring in the New Year. What do you think?” Charlotte arched her eyebrow and moved her hips so that she brushed against him even closer.

Reed closed his eyes and moaned in response to her hip action. He leaned down and whispered softly in her ear, “I like the way you think. I believe we’ve been here long enough. Why don’t we say our good-byes and head home to create our own private celebration?”

Charlotte nipped his earlobe and whispered back, “Lead the way.”