Except for Savannah.
She’d been hanging back the entire time, watching her intently.
Charlotte’s heart jumped into her throat when the curtain swished open, and Savannah stepped in. Her fingers trembled as she pulled the curtain shut and pulled the stool across the floor. Savannah stopped to glance over her shoulder and then breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked back at Charlotte, she noticed the tight lines on her face and the lack of color there.
“I know you and I haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately,” Savannah began, pausing to take both of Charlotte’s hands in hers. “But you scared the bejesus out of all of us.”
Charlotte squeezed her hand. “You didn’t have to come.”
Even though Charlotte’s heart swelled with joy and pride at seeing her there.
No matter their differences or how badly they fought, Charlotte knew Savannah had her back and vice versa.
Savannah leaned forward and sighed. “I wanted to. I know I’m the least qualified to be here, and I don’t have a vested interest in any of this, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
Charlotte winced. “I know you do.”
“I’ve been hard on you; I know. It feels weird having the shoe on the other foot, huh?”
Charlotte’s lips lifted into a half smile. “It does.”
Savannah paused, and a shadow settled over her face. “I know how much you gave up when Dad died. And I know you did it happily to make sure Mom and I were okay, but I just… When you told me about the surrogacy thing, I thought you were putting your life on hold again. I don’t want you to put your life on hold, Charlotte. You deserve to go after what you want.”
A lump rose in the back of Charlotte’s throat. “Thisiswhat I want. I know it’s difficult for you to understand, but this is making me happy.”
For the first time in a long time, she understood where Savannah was coming from. If the roles were reversed, Charlotte’s reaction would’ve been worse, and she wouldn’t have been able to stomach the thought of Savannah taking on such an endeavor. Not at first, at least.
Not fun being in the hot seat, huh?
“I’m trying to see that,” Savannah admitted after a brief pause. “I’m not quite there yet, but when Mom told me what happened to you…suddenly, nothing else mattered. All I could think about was finding you and telling you how sorry I was.”
Charlotte let out a choked sob. “I’m sorry too.”
Savannah looked over her shoulder and then climbed onto the bed. She tucked herself against Charlotte’s side and buried her face in the crook of her neck. Charlotte draped an arm over her shoulders and squeezed, just like she used to do when they were kids.
They hadn’t curled up to each other like this since the night they found out about their dad. Ever since that night, Charlotte had been trying to stay one step ahead of everything, and everyone, just to avoid anything else sneaking up on her and turning her world upside down.
But as she exhaled, and the scent of her sister’s peach-scented shampoo filled her nostrils, Charlotte realized she was tired of running.
Savannah wasn’t the only one who’d spent all of those years on the move.
“I still can’t believe you’re going to carry someone else’s baby for nine months,” Savannah whispered with a sigh. “But I have to admit, if I were ever going to consider surrogacy, I would do it for a couple like Addison and Mason. They’re good people, and they deserve to catch a break.”
Charlotte stroked Savannah’s hair. “They are, but it’s not the only reason I’m doing it.”
Savannah tilted her head back to look at her and studied her face. “I know. I’m glad you found this, Char. I really am.”
Charlotte smiled. “Me too.”
Savannah blew out a breath, and her eyes darted all over the room before they swung back to hers. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what about Patrick? I overheard Addison and Mason saying he’s the one who called the ambulance.”
Charlotte used her free hand to rub her face. “He was. We were talking, and things got heated. That night after our fight, I went to his place, and I came clean.”
Savannah let out a low whistle. “Man, you’re braver than I’ll ever be. I would’ve put it off for as long as possible.”
“I wanted to,” Charlotte admitted, pausing to toy with a loose thread on her blanket. “But I also knew you were right. Patrick deserved to know the truth.”
“He didn’t take it well, huh?”
