Aunt Maggie stares at us in utterly stunned silence for what feels like an eternity. Her eyes flit rapidly between Charles and me, her expression cycling through about a dozen different micro-emotions.
Finally, she seems to find her voice again, sputtering slightly. "I...you...but you can't be serious?"
Her words come out more like a strangled exclamation than a question. Charles squeezes my hand reassuringly before speaking up in that deep, grounded tone of his.
"I'm afraid Cassie is telling you the total truth, Maggie," he states evenly. "She and I...well, we've come to realize our feelings for each other run deeper than just friendship and business partners."
He pauses, seeming to consider his next words carefully. "Much, much deeper in fact. We're in love, have been for longer th
