Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 315

CHAPTER 176-2

“You do?” She asked.

“Yes, but being sorry is only the beginning.” I said and Charlotte nodded.

“I know.” She said as I reached for her hand.

“I love you, Charlotte, but loving you doesn’t mean pretending you did nothing wrong.” I said as she squeezed my fingers.

“I wish you had told me that years ago.” She said.

“So do I.” I said.

The door opened later that afternoon, and Charles walked inside.

He stopped when he saw both of us sitting together.

“What happened?” Charles asked as I looked at him.

“We are finally talking about the things we should have talked about years ago.” I said and Charles slowly nodded.

“I suppose it’s my turn.” Charles said and Charlotte looked at him.

“Dad, you don’t have to.” Charlotte said.

“Yes, I do.” He said as he sat across from us.

“I believed you too easily, Charlotte, and I blamed Paige when I should have listened to her.” Charles said

as Charlotte looked down.

“I lied to you.” Charlotte said.

“You did, but I also wanted to believe the lies because believing them meant I didn’t have to admit I had failed Paige.” He said.

The words settled heavily over the room and Charles looked toward me.

“We both failed her.” Charles said as I nodded.

“Yes, we did.” I said and Charlotte started crying again.

“I never wanted it to become this bad.” She said as Charles looked at her.

“But it did.” Charles said.

“I know.” Charlotte said.

“We cannot change what happened.” Charles said.

“I know.” Charlotte said.

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“But we can stop pretending it didn’t happen.” Charles said.

Charlotte nodded through her tears.

The three of us sat there for a long time, and nobody tried to make the conversation easier.

We talked about Paige. We talked about Uncle Will. We talked about the years when Charlotte had manipulated everyone around her. We talked about the ways Charles and I had allowed it because we wanted peace more than we wanted truth.

We talked about how Charles had failed to protect Paige because he had been too willing to believe the daughter who demanded his attention.

“Do you think Paige will ever forgive me?” Charlotte whispered, and Charles looked at her.

“That’s her decision.” Charles said as I nodded.

“You cannot make her forgive you.” I said.

“I know.” Charlotte said.

“You can only show her that you are different.” I said and Charlotte wiped her face.

“I want to.” Charlotte said.

“Then keep doing what you have been doing.” I said and she looked between us.

“You both really think I can change?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes.” Charles said as I reached across the table and took her hand.

“I believe people can change when they’re willing to face the parts of themselves they don’t like.” I said and Charlotte nodded.

For the first time, I realized that our family wasn’t going to heal because one person apologized.

It would take all of us admitting where we had gone wrong. It would take patience. It would take honesty.

Most importantly, it would take respecting Paige’s right to decide how much of us she wanted in her life.

That evening, I returned home with Charles, and neither of us spoke much during the drive.

When we entered the house, Charles stopped near the hallway.

“We should invite Paige to dinner.” Charles said and I looked at him.

“All of us?” I asked.

“Yes.” He said and I hesitated.

“Do you think she will come?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” He said as I looked toward the empty dining room.

“Then we ask, and we let her decide.” I said as Charles nodded.

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CHAPTER 16

I

picked up my phone, but before I could type anything, I received a message.

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