Loving Madeline

Chapter 357: I Am His Girlfriend

Charlotte’s POV

"Thank you for the flowers, Jack, and for being there with me. You gave me the strength to face them." I said as we snuggled in my bed after spending time with my family.

"You are welcome. I hope you like the flowers," he responded as he kissed my forehead.

"I love them," I replied, tracing his toned chest with my fingers.

"They are your family, Charlotte. You don’t need to feel shy or afraid of them. They should be the first ones you ask for help or comfort when you are in trouble or when you feel alone, aside from me," he said, and I shook my head.

"I won’t do that. My family is different from yours, Jack. You are close to your mom and sister and even to your uncle. I used to be the black sheep of our family, and this is the first time I felt I belonged to them," I answered as he cupped my chin.

"Hey, don’t say that, don’t call yourself that way. You are not a black sheep, Char." He said.

"I was, Jack. They hated me so much," I replied, feeling ashamed.

"They don’t hate you; I am sure of that. Your mom and siblings love you," Jack insisted, and I sighed softly.

"You really think they do?" I asked, and he smiled before he cupped my face.

"Yes, can’t you see it the way they looked at you with admiration? It would help if you stopped thinking that way. Please don’t be angry with me, but I think you misunderstood them. You felt guilty about the things you did in the past that you weren’t proud of, but they moved on, and you better do the same," my boyfriend declared, and I weakly smiled at him.

"I think it was you who failed to forgive yourself," he added, and I couldn’t disagree with him. Jack was right; I find it hard to forgive myself for everything I did for the sake of my friendship with Kaye.

"Thank you for being here with me, Jack. You gave me the courage I needed and always made me feel better whenever I felt down and alone." I mumbled, and he smiled as he looked at me in the eyes.

"I will always be here for you, Charlotte." He softly mumbled as he pulled me closer to him.

"I am happy that your mom welcomed me warmly, and I couldn’t believe she would accept me as your boyfriend. I was scared before I joined you tonight, but after dinner, I felt relieved that I finally met your family." Jack stated.

"My mom adores you, and so does my sister Lily. You are perfect for me, Jack, and I know I am not worthy of your love." I replied as I lowered my head, but he cupped my chin to make me look at him.

"Don’t ever say that, my love. I am far from perfect, but one thing is I am sure: we are perfect for each other, and I love you so much." Jack whispered in my ear, and his words made me have butterflies in my stomach. I fell asleep in his arms with a beautiful smile on my face.

When I woke up the following day, I couldn’t find Jack on the bed, and I almost screamed when I realized I had overslept and was so late. I quickly bathed and changed into my white button-down shirt and navy blue pencil-cut skirt.

After I put on my blazer, I applied light makeup and left my bedroom.

"Why didn’t you wake me up, Jack?" I asked after I found him in the kitchen.

"I didn’t want to disturb your sleep; you were sleeping like a baby," he replied with amusement on his handsome face.

"Come on, you knew my family was here, and I didn’t want them to think I was always late," I responded, pouting my lips.

"Hey, you have to relax. They are still in bed. We slept late last night, and I didn’t want you to be deprived of sleep," my hot boyfriend declared.

"How about you? You didn’t have enough sleep either," I complained.

"Don’t mind me; I am used to waking up early since childhood, even if I didn’t have enough sleep." He answered as he put his hands on my hips.

"You should eat breakfast now and stop pouting your lips, or I will end up kissing those lips until you beg me to stop," he added, and I blushed, feeling the knots on my belly as I found Jack’s intense gaze zeroed on my lips.

"Thank you for the breakfast," I mumbled.

"How about dessert?" Jack asked.

"I should have my dessert later, and it should not be cake, Jack," I responded, and he chuckled before he wiped his mouth with the table napkin.

"What do you want for dessert then?" My boyfriend asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"I want to claim that kind of kiss you said a while ago," I answered. I could see the astonishment on his face as he looked at me, but Jack’s words died in his mouth as we heard my brother’s greetings as he got inside the dining hall with his beautiful wife.

"Good morning, guys!" Hunter exclaimed while he curled his arm around his wife’s tiny waist. I hated myself for hating them together before when they looked ideal for each other.

"Good morning, Charlotte and Jack," Madeline added, and I smiled at them like an idiot.

We greeted them back, and my brother asked me to join them at the table, but I needed to excuse myself and go to my office.

"Come in!" I yelled after I heard knocking on my office door.

"My dear, don’t tell me you won’t come with us today," my mom asked. I stopped what I was doing, stood up from my office chair, and guided her to the couch.

"Mom, I am sorry, but I got tons of emails," I responded, and she frowned.

"Come on, Charlotte. You own the business, and you have an assistant, right?" my mom asked.

"I am sure Cecily could cover for you," she added before I could answer her.

I was hesitant to come with them because I still felt insecure and needed to prove my worth to them.

"Bring Jack. This is a family vacation, and you two should be part of it," my mother continued as I fell speechless.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mom. I appreciate it, but I don’t think Jack could make it, though," I responded, and she shook her head.

"I already talked with your boyfriend, and he said yes, and you, my daughter dear, have no excuse to say no to my request," my mother said, and my mouth hung open as I watched her in disbelief.

"See you in one hour, and don’t forget to bring swimwear." Mom added before she left my office.

"How could you say yes to my mother without talking to me first, Jack?" I asked when he met me in my room.

"I am sorry if it upset you, Charlotte. I thought you would love to go with them. I just can’t say no to your mother. Besides, I knew deep inside your heart you wanted this, and you had been dreaming about this to happen in your life." Jack responded, putting his hands on my hips as he faced me.

"Yeah, you are right, but I felt worried," I answered as I averted his gaze.

"Come on, nothing could go wrong; I promise you, Charlotte, you will enjoy your time with them. They are your family, after all." Jack replied, and I let out a heavy sigh as I put my head on his chest.

"Okay," I mumbled, unsure if it would be best to leave the business for three days.

"Let go of your worries and leave everything to me." Jack let out as he coiled his arms around me.

"Thank you," I replied as he hugged me for a long time.

We left the manor after lunch, and I didn’t expect to be visiting Madeline’s family on our private jet.

"Wow! Until now, I still couldn’t believe how Maddie’s fate changed." I said.

"Yeah, she suffered a lot growing up without knowing her real father is one of the richest men in the world," Jack replied as we walked inside the magnificent house. I felt guilty about how I had treated my sister-in-law in the past.

"Please make yourselves at home and welcome again to our humble abode," Madeline’s grandfather declared as he welcomed us into his beautiful home.

I never regretted coming with my family, for I had so much fun with my nephew. As I carried him into my arms, I realized I would give this child all the affection and showered him with all the love I could give since I knew Frank didn’t need material things; he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth.

I loved my stay, and I was having so much fun with my sister Lily for the first time that I felt glad she never held a grudge against me and still loved me even after what I had done to Maddie.

Maddie’s grandfather threw a party dinner the night before we left for Archois, and I was excited after I put on my gown provided by Maddie. I felt sexy and beautiful, and my face fell when I found Gina talking with Jack in the corner of the ballroom.

I couldn’t stop feeling jealous as I walked towards them, but I kept my head high as I realized and reminded myself that I was now Jack’s girlfriend. Gina was only his ex, and I had all the right to hold his hand and be at his side.