After all, Charlotte’s well-being came before everything. And if Nicholas couldn’t see that, then it was even more obvious that they couldn’t be together. But that had been obvious from the moment he’d arrived, hadn't it? Yes, they'd had a connection, but it had always been a connection with an expiration date. Even last night, she’d gone into it with her eyes open, knowing that Nicholas would be leaving today. Making love with him had been about saying good-bye, not about the beginning of forever. And she’d been sure that Nicholas would eventually accept that, too, even if he kept wanting to talk about the future. When she walked into Gram’s house, she found her daughter in the kitchen, along with Paige and Grams. Charlotte jumped up when she saw her, giving her a big hug. “What happened?” Rachel said when she saw the small bandage on her daughter's knee. “I was dancing. Doing spins.” “It’s nothing serious,” Paige reassured her. “Just a skinned knee. You were very brave, weren't you, Charlotte?”
