Deadly Inheritance (completed)

Chapter 17

Thank you for reading please remember to vote ! Who do you think set the fire? Sarah? Dale? Steven? Charlie's father?

Enjoy 😉

Ryan

I have never been so nervous in my life as I was opening up my heart and telling Charlie that I love her. I laid here in silence for too long waiting for her to say something after I admitted my feelings but she's just looking at me. Her hairs a mess, eyes big as if this was the last thing she expected to hear. I'm not sure if I should blow it off or repeat myself or take it as she doesn't feel the same way. I'm thinking I just made a huge mistake. Maybe it was too early for me to tell her how I feel about her.

"Charlie, could you please say something? You're making me a little nervous here." I ask hoping that I'm right about how she feels. Natalie said she loves me too, was she wrong?

"Sorry, I wasn't sure I heard you right. Could you say that again? Please." Charlie smiles softly at me and I realize she probably has only heard these words from Gramps and her grandmother. Has no one else ever told her that they love her? Has no one ever told her how special she is? I smile and nod to her moving myself as close to her as I can get. I kiss her nose, each of her cheeks then rest my forehead to hers.

"I'm in love with you." I tell her again and smile at her. She pulls back and looks hard at me. She searching for something. I'm wondering if she thought I was lying and she was searching my face to see if she could tell the truth from a lie. How many times has she been lied to? This time when she searches my eyes she grins back at me.

"I did hear you right." She murmurs to herself. I see she taken back by my words. She wasn't expecting to hear this from me or from what I can tell anyone. I reach up cupping her face, bringing it a breath away from mine before I pause.

"I love everything about you. The way you cook, the way you sleep, the way you fight with me, the way you kiss, that little line on your forehead when you get confused." She touches her forehead when I say this. "I love everything I know and everything I don't."

"Really?" She asks surprised at me. I nod and kiss her softly once lingering there. Taking my time with her, this moment needs to be taken seriously slow. I can't rush this. I want both of us to remember every second, I don't plan on saying these words to anyone else.

"Really. I've never said this to another girl, Charlie. I was always told if you tell someone that you love them, then you better mean it. I mean it, sweetheart. I love you." I tell her softly and kiss her once more.

Charlie snuggles into me, wrapping her little body around me as close as she can get. Her arms wrapped around my neck, her leg over my waist. Then she nuzzles into my neck and I feel her smile against my skin. "I love you too, Ryan. Everything about you, I absolutely love." Her voice is soft like she's afraid to tell me.

We stayed wrapped in each other until early morning. I was awake early and knew it was going to be a long hard day. We need to sort out the damage of the fire and see what if anything can be salvaged. Then we need to rebuild. We have a lot to do and wanting construction to begin on the new areas for the new business was just going to have to wait until this was taken care of.

I slipped out of bed got dressed and got my coffee started before Charlie came out dressed in one of my T-shirts. She was still sleepy and had a bed head when she walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee for both of us.

"We have to check out the damage this morning." Charlie said softly.

"I can do it. You don't have to come down." I start telling her, but she's shaking her head at me. I want to take care of this for her. I want to take care of her.