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I’m determined not to go back to Isabella until I’ve got my shit together, no matter how long that takes.
Chapter Thirteen
Isabella
I let the covers fall to my waist and shove my hair out of my eyes. “What do you mean Carter is gone?”
Sam averts her gaze and shifts from one foot to the other. “He left a few hours after you two had your fight. I wanted to come and tell you, but you were fast asleep. And I didn’t want to wake you…”
Except I kind of wish she had. Because I would’ve tried to stop Carter from leaving.
A part of me thinks I would’ve gotten down on my hands and knees and begged him to stay, but the other part of me knows it wouldn’t have worked.
When Carter sets his mind to something, he doesn’t back down. Come hell or high water. It’s one of the things I love and hate most about him.
When I throw the covers off and stand up, Sam hurries to my side. “Did he say where he was going?”
Sam shakes her head and eyes me warily. “No, but it doesn’t matter anyway. You can’t go after him.”
I step into the adjoining bathroom, pausing to retrieve a pair of jeans from on top of the dresser. After pulling them on, I stuff my feet into a pair of sneakers and come back out. Then I dart back into the bathroom and snatch a hairband off the sink. I pull my hair up into a high ponytail and give Sam a determined look.
I can already tell she’s not going to let me go without a fight. Since showing up here a day ago, Sam has been hovering and checking in at regular intervals.
Although a part of me appreciates how caring and attentive she’s being, she’s acting too much like Carter for me to be comfortable. And I escaped here to forget about him.
Not have him thrown in my face at every turn. Or at least that’s what I believed.
Now that I know Carter isn’t across the lawn at Anita’s, I feel untethered and unmoored. Like I’ll float off into the stratosphere without him.
Sam doesn’t say anything as I brush past her and walk into the living room, where Tristan is sitting on the couch with his feet propped on the table and a mug of coffee in his hands. As soon as he sees me, he reaches for the remote and powers the TV off. Slowly, he sets down his mug and stands up so he’s facing me directly.
Tristan won’t meet my gaze, so I immediately know it’s his idea.
I fold my arms over my chest. “I thought you and I worked on this, Tristan.”
Tristan glances over at Sam, who gives him a confused shrug. “What are you talking about?”
“I know you and I got off on the wrong foot, but being stuck in that mansion together… I thought we understood each other better now.”
Tristan shoves both hands into his pockets and glances away. “He’s my cousin, Isabella. It doesn’t matter whether we get along or not. He’s family and the head of the family. I owe him my loyalty.”
“Even if he’s doing something stupid?”
“Especially then,” Tristan replies evenly. “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t just let Carter do stupid shit and stand by and do nothing. Whenever he’s about to charge into something, I tell him what he doesn’t want to hear or admit, consequences be damned.”
I search Tristan’s face, a low fluttering beginning in the center of my stomach. “And what did you tell him this time?”
Tristan finally lifts his gaze to mine and winces. “I told him that he should talk to you, that he shouldn’t just leave without saying goodbye, but he wouldn’t listen.”
I swallow and take a step in Tristan’s direction. “Where is he, Tristan?”
Tristan clears his throat. “You know I can’t tell you. If he wanted you to know, he would’ve told you himself.”
I throw my hands up in the air and take a step back. “He’s not thinking clearly, Tristan. Neither am I. You need to tell me where he is.”
Because Carter and I can’t be apart. We’ve gone through too much together for him to disappear like this. Not when the baby and I need him.
Tristan presses his lips together and doesn’t respond. I swing my gaze over to Sam, but she’s looking everywhere but at me directly. After a long and tense pause, I reach for the keys on the kitchen counter and dart outside. I’m halfway to the car when Tristan catches up to me and blocks the path. Every time I try to dart past him, he gets in my way.
