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“I know you like having your own space, doing your thing with your sisters.”
She lowered her gaze to the voucher and stared at it for so long it made me wonder if she was really reading the details or was just avoiding looking at me.
“What is going on, Carter?”
“You’ve been bending over backwards for me and the girls for weeks. This is not okay. You need some time to relax.”
She slid away from my grasp, walking toward the kitchen window, leaning against the windowsill.
“I see. So, it was okay for you to take on my case even though it was a risky move for your business, and it was also okay for you to work sixteen hours a day because it was on top of your other cases, but what I’m doing is not okay?”
“The case was temporary,” I pointed out. She folded her arms over her chest.
“So, what, if it had dragged out, you would have jumped ship?”
“No, of course not. Look, it’s not the same thing.”
“Yes, it is. You were there for me when I needed you, and now I’m here for you.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated that I couldn’t make her understand my point of view.
“You’ve told me that while your siblings were growing up, you had no time for yourself, and that you started to enjoy your work-life balance only a few years ago. I don’t want you to feel as if you have to give this up.” I took a deep breath, knowing that my next words would upset her... but I needed to say it, just this once. Otherwise, this fear would gnaw at me bit by bit. She was caught in the daily grind now, but what if she woke up one day and thought she couldn’t do it anymore?
I’d had a few relationships explode in my face because I was a package deal, and I hadn’t cared for those women nearly as much as I cared for Val.
She was the one.
Maybe it wasn’t fair to lay this at her doorstep, but I needed to know with absolute certainty that she wasn’t going to give up on us later down the road.
“Use the time at the vineyard to think about all this, consider if it’s really what you want. Are you happy?”
She jerked her head back, blinking rapidly. “Of course it’s what I want. Why would you even say that?”
“Because it’s taking a toll on you—”
“So I have to rearrange a few things, big deal. I’ve always known I will have to slow down someday if I want kids, which I really, really want.” She stopped abruptly, dropping her gaze to the floor. “You don’t?”
“Yes, I do. I do.”
“So stop saying nonsense. I don’t need to reconsider anything. I love you, and I love Peyton and April.”
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“Val—”
“Don’t Val me.”
I advanced toward her, but she skidded to the side. The message was clear.
“Thank you for the tickets and the voucher. I will use them only because I don’t want them to go to waste. But for future reference, don’t do this again. Don’t decide for me. I don’t appreciate it at all. Now, I still have to wait fifteen minutes for the cake to be ready, and I’d like to be alone, please.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Val
Over the next few days, Carter and I treated each other too politely, the way you do after a fight when there are still unresolved issues, and you know the other person still insists on their beliefs, but you don’t want to fight again. Our interactions were bordering on frosty, and I thought the girls picked up on it, which filled me with immense guilt.
I’d called Hailey and Lori the next morning. They had been ecstatic about the trip. The festival lasted two weeks, and the tickets were flexible.
