AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Carter glances at me over his shoulder and offers me an incredulous look. “Are you kidding? She’s loved having you around. It seems like the two of us are going to have to learn how to share. I practically forced her out of the house this morning.”
I giggle. “She and I bonded when you were gone. You’re so lucky to have her, Carter.”
He blinks and turns his gaze back to the fridge. After pulling out a few containers, he carries them over to the counter. Slowly, he sets out one by one till they’re covering every space. Then he grips the sink, leans forward, and releases a deep, even breath.
“I know how lucky I am to have her,” Carter replies without looking at me. “And everyone else in the family who still hasn’t given up on me.”
“I’m sorry.”
Carter pries a lid open and sniffs the lasagna eagerly. “It’s not your fault, dove. It’s not like you engineered any of this.”
I frown and drape an arm over my stomach. “No, but if you hadn’t been preoccupied with me and the baby…”
Carter pauses to take out two plates. “It would’ve been something else. They’ve been wanting an excuse to boot me out for a while.”
I link my fingers together and lean over the counter as if I can make the space between us vanish. “What are you going to do?”
“What I do best, dove.” Carter flashes me a disarming smile. “I don’t want you to worry about anything, not the baby, not the future, and not your online job.”
I give him a surprised look. “So, you’re not going to make me quit?”
Carter grimaces. “I’m not thrilled about it, but I’m trying to give you some space and wriggle room.”
“I appreciate that.”
Especially because I know how difficult this must be for him.
Still, while Carter moves around the kitchen, setting a generous amount of food on both plates, it feels like I’m falling for him even more. This is the first time in a long time that he and I are doing something normal together, and it makes me wonder if I have many years of routine to look forward to. As I stir the food around my plate and sneak glances at him, I’m relieved to see how comfortable Carter is.
As if he’s born to wander around a kitchen barefoot and with nothing pressing to attend to.
When the phone rings, the illusion is shattered, and I come crashing back down to earth. Carter ducks into the dining room, and I twist in my seat, catching glimpses of him as he paces back and forth. A short while later, I hear him curse, and I hear a thudding sound. Then Carter reappears, his expression tight and some of the earlier ease from earlier gone.
Am I always going to play second fiddle to his life? Am I always going to be fighting to have parts of him that remain untouched by the darkness? By the chaos and violence of the life he’s chosen for himself?
Carter presses a kiss to my forehead. “Why don’t you finish eating and get dressed?”
I straighten. “Why?”
“I want to take you shopping for clothes,” Carter replies, his eyes trailing over me. “You can pull off anything, dove, but I’m sure we can upgrade your wardrobe and include a few sexy pieces for my benefit.”
I sputter, and my face feels hot. “Carter, I’m bigger now. I can’t wear lingerie anymore. At least not until I get my figure back.”
Carter snorts. “I like you better like this, dove. There’s more of you to love and fuck. And yes, we are going to get you some lingerie. There’s plenty of lingerie for expecting mothers.”
I give him a weak smile. “You’ve done your research.”
“You shouldn’t expect anything less, dove.” Carter sets me down on my feet and gives my ass a light slap. Then he ushers me in the direction of the guest room and doesn’t leave until I hurry out of my clothes and step into the shower. To my disappointment, he doesn’t join me in the shower, and I’m left running the bar of soap over my own skin.
Carter returns when I’m washing the soap off. He presses me to him, buries his face in my neck, and doesn’t say anything for a while.
The door he left open is letting in a cold draft, but between Carter’s body heat and the hot water cascading down my shoulders and back, it feels like I’m going to turn into a puddle at his feet. Especially when Carter presses me against the wall and rubs himself against me.
A whimper falls from my lips when Carter lifts my arm up on either side of me and tugs on my earlobe. “Relax and enjoy yourself, dove.”
I sigh, lean into him, and squeeze my eyes shut. Whatever else happens, we have this moment.
And it’s damn good to have Carter back.
