This chapter is dedicated to Odille75 - thanks for accompanying Rena and Charlotte on this journey XD

12 - Butterflies

Charlotte's POV

As I darted across the street, my eyes fixed on the entrance of Nordstrom on North Michigan Avenue, I heard my name being called. On the safety of the sidewalk, I gazed around until I found Tivon in front of the coffee shop next door, waving at me. Flurries twirled in my stomach at the sight of him and my cheeks burned despite the cold. With a grin from ear to ear, I waved back, feeling like a middle school teen girl during her first crush.

I frowned when I realized he was not alone as he made his way towards me. The woman who was with him was about his age and was absolutely stunning, at least those parts that were not hidden by her designer winter coat. Everything on her was impeccable - from the pearly white smile that momentarily brightened her face to her perfectly groomed hair that looked like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Next to her, I felt like a hag.

Curiosity burned in her eyes as she gave me a good once over before turning to Tivon. "I'm gonna head home. Enjoy your evening." Another close look and she was gone.

"Who was that?" I blurted out with a tinge of jealousy.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you two haven't met or I would have introduced you. That was Hannah, my partner at the law firm."

Relief washed over me and the flurries turned into little butterflies - this was not his wife or girlfriend. I had noticed before that he wasn't wearing a wedding ring, but that really didn't mean anything.

"So, how did the visitation go?" he asked. "Did Rena behave herself?"

I smiled fondly at the memory of the past five days. "We had a wonderful time. Rena was already gone when I picked Noah up on Monday morning and was in her room when I dropped him off an hour ago. He adjusted well, no tantrum and very little fussing. He had a little bit of diarrhea from the formula..." I stopped myself when I saw the amusement in his eyes and cleared my throat. "Sorry, I guess you weren't asking for a detailed one on one account."

"No, that's fine." His gloved hand squeezed my arm and sent a hot flash to the center of my belly. "I'd love to hear all about it." He checked his watch. "It's almost seven and I'm starving. Would you like to accompany me to dinner?"

I was walking on dangerous grounds. If Ryan found out I went to dinner with another man - even if he was our lawyer - he wouldn't be forgiving. My eyes lingered on Tivon's handsome features for a moment while the butterflies were eagerly nodding and I thought the hell with my husband. "That would be wonderful."

His face lit up. "Great. What type of food do you like?"

Ryan was a strict meat and potato guy and when we went out, it was usually to a steakhouse. "I really don't have a preference. Anything is fine."

He rubbed his chin. "I was going to go to this Sushi place, but I know raw fish is not everyone's thing."

I never had Sushi before, but Brent had told me that it was the best and I had always wanted to try it. "That sounds good."

He offered me his arm and I only hesitated for a moment. There was a certain firmness flexing under his coat but by no means anything remotely muscular.

He led me down the street. "My car is parked just down the block."

We strolled along in comfortable silence, the butterflies zooming about at a steady rhythm. I felt myself relax, sucking in the crisp, cool air which smelled deliciously like snow. Having grown up in the South, I had always enjoyed real seasons and winter was probably my favorite. The smiles Tivon threw my way from time to time set my heart on fire - it had been a very long time that I felt that happy around a man. For a second, I imagined how it would be to be his wife. Would he ever hurt me and was just putting on a show or was he genuinely the nice guy he pretended to be?

He opened the passenger door for me and I slid in, leaning back in the soft leather seat of his Mercedes SUV. He started the car and merged with the evening traffic, his eyes fixed on the road.

When he stopped at a red light, he glanced at me. "It's just down the street."

As far as I was concerned, he could drive to the end of the world. I snuggled closer into my seat and closed my eyes. Though Noah had been an angel, the days had been stressful. In the beginning, I had been terrified that he would miss his mom and in the end, he and I had bonded so much that it had broken my heart to give him back. It had been the first week since Brent had moved out of the house that I had felt fulfilled.

"So, how did Ryan take the news that he is not allowed to be around his grandson?" Tivon asked, breaking the silence.

I cringed at the memory of the belt eating into my skin this last weekend. "Not well."

His fingers stroked the back of my hand, soothing the soreness in my back. "I'm sorry. There was no other way to get the visits extended."

I stared out of the passenger window to hide the wetness in my eyes. "Don't worry about it." My voice was slightly trembling and I hoped he didn't notice.

When I looked at him again, his eyes were back on the road, his lips pressed together in a thin line. "Does he beat you often?"

I didn't want him to spoil my good mood. "Look Tivon, I'd rather not talk about this."

There was a moment of silence before he sighed. "I totally understand and I'm sorry I even brought it up."

I felt awful to put a guilt trip on him.

He glanced at me again. "Let's just try to have a nice time. You really deserve a break."

The softness in his voice was balm for my soul and I suppressed the oncoming tears of self-pity. What would I give for going back in time and ditching Ryan at the altar? The only good thing that had ever come out of our marriage were my two sons and both of them were dead. Noah was the only one left to hold on to - if I didn't have him, I might as well end my life.

Tivon turned on the radio, probably to get over the awkwardness which suddenly hung over the car. It was a jazz song, a female singer with an amazing and rich voice. She had the ability to suck the tension right out of me and by the time we got to the restaurant, my beating was forgotten.

He helped me out of the car and guided me into the building. After we got rid of our winter coats at the entrance, a young hostess greeted us. "Your usual table, Mr. Goldstein?"

"Yes, Miriam. Thank you."

His hand rested on my small back while we followed the hostess to our seats. The place was small but cozy, the table right by the window with a nice view onto a garden that was lit by little Japanese lanterns. Tivon pulled the chair out for me, his hand briefly stroking my shoulder when I sat down. His mere presence was enough to melt my insides, and when he gazed into my eyes from across the table, I was lost. All I could think of were his lips on mine when the waiter handed me the menu.

"What would you like?" he asked without even touching his own menu.

I blushed. "I actually never had Sushi," I confessed. "What would you recommend?"

"Well, we could get a little bit of everything. That's the advantage with Japanese food - the portions are tiny and you can order a lot of different things." He turned to the waiter. "Daiki, tell the chef to make us a large selection platter and also bring us a portion of Tempura and Agedashi Tofu."

The waiter bowed. "Straight away, Mr. Goldstein." He smiled at me. "What would you like to drink, ma'am?"

I was lost when I looked at Tivon - those types of decisions were always made by Ryan. "What are you having?"

"Asahi. It's a Japanese beer." He handed me a smaller menu. "You can have wine, if you prefer, or water."

I stared at him with wide eyes. "I-I honestly don't know what to get." My face burned when I lowered my eyes. He had to think I was totally crazy that I couldn't even order myself a decent drink. I felt the gaze of both men upon me and were fighting with my tears.

Tivon's hand covered mine. "Do you like wine?"

I nodded meekly.

"Bring us a bottle of white wine, Daiki. I trust your selection. And forget the beer for tonight."

The waiter left but I was still studying the pattern on the placemat, afraid to look at Tivon.

His thumb stroked the back of my hand. "It's okay, Charlotte, it really is."

I finally raised my head. "I just feel so stupid."

His eyes glowed in the dim light of the restaurant, the flame of the candle dancing in his orbs. "It's not your fault."

My fingers ran over the rim of the water glass, my mind feverishly thinking of something I could ask him to change the subject. "So, do you come here often?"

He immediately took the bait. "About three or four times a week." He grinned sheepishly. "I can't cook, so I eat out a lot."

I snorted. "A hot shot lawyer like you must have women lined up to do that for him."

He grimaced. "Actually, I don't. I got divorced a few years ago and after that, I never met anyone I wanted to date." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"You must have loved her very much."

A shadow crossed his face. "Love can be funny, Charlotte. Those who mean everything to you are the ones who end up hurting you the most." For a moment, his eyes were in another world. "But I don't need to tell you that."

I knew exactly what he meant and once again, preferred to change the subject. "So, did you grow up in Chicago?"

Before he could respond, the waiter reappeared with the wine. After taking the initial sip, he nodded and Daiki filled up the glasses.

Tivon waited until we were alone again. "I'm actually from Michigan - grew up in Ann Arbor. My mom teaches Social Studies at the U of M and my dad's a lawyer."

I took a sip of my wine, it was full bodied with a little flowery taste - just the way I liked it. I hadn't had alcohol since Jared died and devoured the experience. "Why did you not go into practice with him?"

His lips twisted into a grimace. "My dad and I have never seen eye to eye. He is old school, if you know what I mean."

I almost choke on my drink. "Was he abusive?"

"Hell no. My parents never laid a hand on me." He took a good swallow of his wine. "I made the mistake of marrying a Catholic girl. When my dad found out we had a Christmas tree, he almost disowned me." He laughed. "You should have seen his face though back then, I didn't think it was funny." He twirled the wine around in his glass. "How about you? Did you grow up in Virginia?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Alexandria." I blushed under his intense gaze, the butterflies summersaulting. "My parents actually disowned me when I married Ryan. They felt he was beneath me since his father was only in the military and he went to college on a scholarship. They were real snobs."

His eye was slightly twitching when I mentioned Ryan's name. "When did you two meet?"

"Freshman year in college," I said. "I got pregnant the following year and we tied the knot. I dropped out of college to take care of the baby and that was that. Now I am a forty three year old homemaker with nothing to show for, no money and totally dependent on my husband."

He stroked my hand. "You have lots to show for, Charlotte and are a wonderful person. Ryan is a very lucky man and it makes me furious that he treats you the way he does." He dropped his gaze. "No man should ever do that to a woman."

I stared out the window, shuddering that somehow, our conversation always returned to my husband and his abuse. It was like he was watching over me, trying to destroy any chance of a nice evening.

Tivon took my hand and pulled my palm to his lips. "I have to apologize again." His breath burned hot on my skin and the heat transferred to the pit of my stomach, setting every single fiber on fire. "Let's just start over. What type of music do you like?"

When I twisted my lips, he realized that I would not have an answer to any of his questions. My whole life was controlled by Ryan and his decisions impacted every aspect of my existence. I had no independent taste in music, books or art, only allowed to hear, see, and feel what my husband chose for me. Though Tivon didn't know, that night was a real eye opener for me and I swore right then and there that things would change. I would become my own, independent person.

For the rest of the meal, he avoided any further questions and told me about himself instead. I found out about his sister who he was really close to, his two nieces he adored and that he had a black lab called Jupiter. When the dessert arrived, he was halfway through his childhood and I learned to my surprise that Hannah, his law firm partner, used to be his next door neighbor.

"Did you guys ever date?" I asked.

He twirled the spoon with the green tea ice cream in his mouth, a twinkle in his eyes. "No. Hannah doesn't like guys."

"Oh." I focused on my own dessert, not sure what to say.

"She thinks you're really cute." He laughed when he saw my stunned face. "Not that I can blame her. I think so, too."

My face had to be crimson when I dropped my eyes, confusion raging inside me. I shouldn't have these types of feelings for another man but all I could think of was how to return the compliment and lure him back to my apartment. For once, I wanted to be conquered by a guy like him - gentle, funny and caring. The warning voice in my head that my husband would probably kill me if he ever found out was ignored - I wanted Tivon and didn't care about the consequences.

When he pulled up in front of the apartment that Ryan had rented to facilitate the visitations with Noah, I finally dared to make a pass at him. "Do you want to come up for a nightcap?"

He only hesitated for a second. "Are you sure?"

My nod was silent.

He parked the car and followed me inside; as soon as we were over the threshold, our lips glued together. My fingers entangled in his hair as he hungrily demanded access, a soft moan escaping my mouth when his hands slid under my blouse.

By the time we reached the bedroom, we were both undressed. His eyes glistened in the darkness as he pulled away from me to take a breath. When he tried to speak, I gently placed my finger on his lips, shaking my head. He understood, any word would have destroyed the moment. When our lips met again, there was nothing else in the world but he and I - and he showed me for the first time the true meaning of 'making love'.

After waking up in Tivon's arms in the morning, I never wanted to leave his side again. There was no doubt - my marriage with Ryan was over. Now I just had to decide how to get rid of him.

I thought is would be interesting to accompany Charlotte and Tivon on their first date and I hope you liked it (if so, please don't forget to vote XD). Though Charlotte has always been rebellious with words, you can still see how much her public behavior has been altered through twenty six years of marriage.

At this point, I want to announce the debut of my new story 'War Bride' . For those who haven't seen the announcements, I have posted the blurb and book trailer in the back of this book. Hope you'll check it out.