Last Name

Chapter Eleven: Part I

Brantley's POV

"Dammit Charli!" I yelled pushing to my feet with a growl as she ran towards the house. I chased after her catching her since my legs were longer. I wrapped a hand around her arm tugging her back to me causing her to stumble and me to trip over her. I reacted quick enough to turn her so I landed first taking the brunt of the fall onto the sand. Charli landed on my chest with a gasp then pushed at my shoulders trying to scramble away from me. I gripped both of her arms as I rolled her beneath me, pinning her on the sand with a growl.

"Let me go!" she snapped through bared teeth. If I hadn't been holding her arms I am sure I would have gotten punched.

"No," I barked leaning down to glare at her. "You are gonna tell me why you left."

"What does it matter!" Charli ground out eyes glittering with tears. "You got what you wanted! A convenient fuck a few weeks before moving on to your next conquest I am sure. Should have blast huh BG with no wife tying you down now!"

"You think that little of me!" I snarled. "Dammit darlin, I've been going out of my mind since you left! You signed the goddamn papers and walked away without a second glance!"

"What, mad because I had the balls to do it first!" she sobbed. "I heard you on the phone that day! You were talking about signing them! I did what I had to do to protect myself Brantley!"

"Charli...." I ground out shaking her arms to get her attention and pressed closer to her as I softened the tone of my voice. "You only heard half of it. I was telling Kolby that I would sign if that was what you wanted. That I would do it without a second's hesitation because I didn't care how we did it as long as we were together. I was gonna talk to you the next day about it. We could sign, get divorced and start over from the beginning, or just stay married. Dammit baby, there's a ring in the safe at the house I had bought to surprise you with! I knew I wanted you in my life no matter what!"

"I can't," Charli whispered shaking her head back and forth as tears slipped down her cheeks. "I can't do this with you. I'm not going to get sucked back in. Just let me go!"

"No," I said calmly but sucked in a gasp when Charli punched me in the stomach hard enough to make me loosen my grip. She quickly wiggled out of my arms darting to her feet and flying up the steps. I took off after her wrapping both arms around her waist pulling her to my chest when I caught her. She fought me for a minute and I only tightened my grip on her further. After a second, she relaxed in my arms as all the fight went out of her and the sobs took over. I molded my body around hers burying my face in her neck trying to get control of my emotions. It killed me to see her like this and I didn't know what to do. I was angry slightly that a simple misunderstanding had been what was keeping us apart. I brushed the hair away from her ear, so she could hear me. "Shh...its gonna be okay. We'll figure it out. But you've got to talk to me. Please Charli.....I love you."

"Don't come out here throwing out the words you think you need to," Charli said quietly sniffling. "I can't bear it. I feel like I have been tossed aside not once but now twice." She turned in my arms looking up me. Her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she lifted a hand up to rest on the side of my face. "I do love you. Hell Brantley, I had to be a little bit even then to marry you all those years ago. I don't do things lightly in life and even if it hazy there had to have been something there. Then seeing you again, everything that happened, the way you stepped in and put me first even though all I did was disrupt your life, made me fall for you. No one has ever done that for me. Daddy tries the best he can, but the good ol USA will always be first for him. You didn't want anything from me."

"I do," I said tugging her closer. "I want you to love me as much as I love you."

"I already to," Charli murmured then braced her hands on my chest pushing away. "But so much has changed now. I can't do this. I have to think about me for a change."

Charli turned on her barefoot heading to the house as I stood there watching her. I lost my temper then. No way in hell was she walking away from me again.

"DAMMIT CHARLOTTE DIANA!" I roared making her jump as her hand touched the handle for the back door. The rain that had been threatening started to fall in slow sheets as I stomped closer. She spun around to look at me. Charli's chocolate eyes widened at the thunderous look on my face. "I'm not giving up easy this time dammit. I love you! I don't throw those words around lightly and you fucking know it. You better tell me what your hold up is now so we can work through it or I will toss you over my knee tanning your ass! You better get to explaining what your hold up is now!"

"I'm pregnant B,'' she said looking down at her feet as my knees threatened to give out on me at her words. I was so far gone on being mad, I couldn't have stopped the next words from flying out of my mouth even if I wanted to.

"Well whose the fuck is it then?" I yelled. Then for the second time in twenty four hours I saw a fist flying at my face as Charli nailed me in my mouth hard enough to rock me back on my heels giving her enough time to dart in the house slamming the door as I stood there in shock holding my bleeding lip.