Page 51 of Summer Ride

She gave him a thumbs-up.

“You know, Damion should tell his folks to install a slide from up here to the pool,” he said, leaning over the railing. She glanced up and laughed.

“You and every guy that’s been here has said the same thing,” she called out to him.

“Right.” He shrugged. “One fruity virgin drink coming up.” He turned back inside the wall of glass doors.

She really did love him. She knew she did. Knew she had for a long time.

Now that she no longer had to hide her past from him, she should try to come to terms with those feelings. Maybe even try to have her own happy-ever-after. After all, she was carrying their child.

Her hand rested on her belly, and she tried to imagine what their baby would look like. What she would look like large and pregnant.

While she was daydreaming about that, Carter came back and set a frozen drink next to the edge of the pool before jumping into the water. Then he took the drink and swam over and handed it to her.

“A virgin piña colada,” he said.

He had even put a cherry and orange slice in the drink along with a little pink umbrella and a brightly colored straw.

“Most impressive.” She took a sip. “Why is it you never work behind the bar at the camp?” she joked.

He laughed and held onto the float. “Don’t get too excited. That was made from a mix. The best I can do is open wine bottles, pour champagne, and crush ice.” He smiled at her. “Besides, I like dealing with animals more than most people.”

“I love that about you.”

He stilled and his eyes went wide with an almost comical look on his face. Rolling her eyes, she laughed. “Don’t get too excited. There’s a lot I can’t stand about you too.” She nudged him with her toes, sending him under the water.

When he came back up for air, he took hold of her legs and almost spilled her and her drink into the water. She laughed and tried to kick him off her, but she went under, holding her drink in the air in an attempt to save it. Thankfully, she was successful.

“Careful.” She laughed. “You would have had to go up and make me another drink.”

His arms wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her close. She held onto him as he kicked them towards the shallow end.

“For an entire week, I’ll make as many virgin drinks as you want.” He kissed her.

They didn’t count the hours they spent outside in the sun or lounging in the hammock under the shade of a couple large palm trees. When they got hungry, they headed upstairs and ate one of the pre-made meals, then took a nap on the sofa while watching a movie.

Later, Carter carried her into the bedroom and made love to her slowly until every muscle in her body went lax.

She could get used to days like this and spending her nights wrapped in his arms, without a care in the world. But then the sinking feeling returned. She did have a care in the world. A very big one. By the name of Axel.

Knowing that Carter was fast asleep next to her, she carefully rolled out of bed. Since she’d napped on the way down there, she was too wired to sleep.

Taking her laptop bag with her, she tiptoed out of the bedroom. She pulled an iced tea from the fridge, got comfortable on the sofa, and logged into her computer.

She did a search on Abigail and put in her ear buds to watch a news report from shortly after they had found her.

The chief of police talked about how the little girl had been found in a local motel room, alone. She was undergoing medical treatment at that time, but they didn’t know the extent of her injuries.

Kara knew at that point it was bad. Her only question was why Axel had left the little girl alive and alone.

Had he known the police were onto him? Did he know that she’d talked to the police? Was he actually sending her a message?

Every report that she watched said pretty much the same thing. An hour later, she changed gears and did a search for Axel Johnson. Several thousand social media profiles popped up. She narrowed her search with one simple addition. Mary Ester Boyle.

Her name, her real name, was supposed to have been kept from the media. However, there were three articles that connected the two names, Axel, and Mary Ester, together.

An old news article talked about the day she had been released from the juvenile detention facility. The journalist went on to describe how it had been assumed that Mary Ester had run away with Axel after her parents had grounded her. There were even a few quotes from her parents about how she had been a troubled child.