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EMMA
Iwas able to make Carter forget his troubles for the rest of the night, and I was determined to see it through to the remainder of the day. At least until he had to leave for his fight tonight. Ethan said he would text if something happened with Scar, but all I knew was that Kase and Hunter had arrived this morning from Vegas.
After leaving the hotel, we stopped by my parents’ house for a pancake breakfast. The longer I was around my mom and dad, the more I wanted to tell them what was happening with Scar. They had no clue how much shit we were in. Luckily, Carter and I were able to get through breakfast with smiles on our faces.
The rest of the day was spent on Santa Monica Pier, riding all the rides and indulging in a bit of arcade fun. After that, we finished up at the aquarium. For a few short hours, it was as if nothing was amiss in the world, that tonight wasn’t going to change our lives forever. I was terrified to see what tomorrow brought.
Hand in hand, we walked out of the aquarium and began our trek back to his house, which was only a quarter-mile down the beach. The sand was warm against my feet, and I slowed my pace, not ready to get back. Our time of peace was rapidly ending.
Carter lifted our clasped hands to his lips and kissed my wrist gently. “Remember when we were younger, you said you wanted five kids. That still true?”
I burst out laughing. “Oh, hell no. Two is my max.” I looked up at Carter, and his smile warmed my heart as he looked out at the ocean. “What about you?” I asked him. “You and the guys proclaimed none of you would ever get married. Has that changed?”
Smirking, Carter met my eyes. “Why do you want to know? You offering to be my wife?” My heart stopped, and all words escaped me, especially when he leaned in and kissed me. “Or is that not something you want?” His breath was warm against my lips.
“Are you proposing?”
Carter kissed me again and released my hands, folding his arms around my waist. “I wish you were already my wife, Emma.”
When I’d imagined what my wedding would be like, Carter was the only man I could picture standing with me. Deep down, I’d always known he was the one. I’d never loved anyone the way I loved him.
My eyes began to burn, and I smiled. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you proposing?”
Carter’s lips pulled back in a sad smile. “I wish I was. As soon as we get an idea of what life will be like, I’ll get down on my knee.”
That was good enough for me.
Lifting on my tiptoes, I kissed him. “You know what this means, right?”
Carter beamed. “What?”
“You’ll be stuck with me forever.”
“That’s a good problem to have,” he said, holding me tight.
“Excuse me,” a girl’s voice called out.
Carter kept an arm around me as I turned around to see two teenage girls and two boys grinning excitedly at Carter. Both girls had blonde hair and golden skin from their California tans. I missed the bronze skin as a result of lying out on the beach. Being in New York and working twenty-four-seven kept me from that guilty pleasure. Then again, it wasn’t good for the skin, so I stopped indulging in the UV rays several years ago. The boys both had on backward ballcaps and swimming trunks, but the one with blue shorts stepped forward; they had to be around sixteen years old.
“Are you Carter Reynolds?” the boy asked.
I looked up at Carter and he grinned at them. “I am.”
The boys hooted and hollered as if they’d just won the lottery. It was sweet and I knew it was what Carter needed right now. The one with red shorts pulled out his phone. “Dude, can we take a picture with you?”
Carter released his hold on me. “Of course.”
I stepped away from him so the boys could get their selfies, and I even took all their phones and snapped some pictures with all of them together. Once they went on their way, several people in the vicinity snapped pictures of Carter as we walked past them.
Carter clasped my hand and I loved seeing the smile on his face. “How does it feel to be a celebrity?”
“You tell me,” he said, “you’re the one in all the magazines.”
“Yeah, but I’m not at your level.” Our success was utterly different. Only people in the modeling world knew who I was. The whole country knew Carter Reynolds. He had to endure hours and hours of physical stress to get where he was.
Carter squeezed my hand. “Both of our jobs are demanding, Emma. You work hard for what you have.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a champion.” I smiled up at him but his faded quickly.
