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“I've had enough.” Kaitlyn felt sick to her stomach and worried that she was going to throw up in the back of Douglas's car. “I just want to go home, please.”
“Home?”
She knew what Carter was asking her and responded. “Back to your house.”
“It’s your home too. I just wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand.” With that, Carter nodded at Douglas, who pulled away from the curb and drove down the block.
Kaitlyn stared out the window, willing her twisting stomach to not betray her in the back of this nice man’s vehicle.
The ride home passed in a blur. She thanked Douglas before getting out of the car and heading toward Carter's penthouse.
Numb, she made her way up to the front door, then waited for Carter to catch up. She could pin in the code if she wanted to get in, but she didn't want to enter without him. A few moments later, he walked up and smiled at her. “You could have gone in.”
She nodded mute as pain began to crash over her wave after wave like tsunamis pounding ocean shore during a storm. She didn't even make it in the door before she started crying.
“I feel so stupid,” she whispered as Carter took her in his arms and pressed his lips to her forehead.
“You're not stupid. Somebody betrayed your trust.” The soft rumble of his voice in his chest helped soothe a bit of her agony. “If you'd like, I can take all the evidence to my lawyer. You can sue her and get your money back.”
Kaitlyn tried to push him away, but he held tight. “Not everything's about money.” Sure, she was upset to have lost her savings, but that didn't hurt nearly as much as being lied to, betrayed, and made a fool of by her best friend. She'd lost someone she thought loved her, and that hurt more than losing money.
“I know.” He held her close, his hands petting through her hair and she relaxed into him, grateful that he was there, that he was willing to be comforting even when she was being prickly. She couldn't help but wonder in that moment if he deserved better.
What would he do when he found out she had betrayed him? That she was keeping a secret from him that she had no right to hide? And why was it so hard to just tell him the truth?
Chapter22
Carter
Carter beganto rock her back and forth as they stood in the middle of his living room. With her cradled to his chest and her cheek pressed against him, he wondered if his heartbeat had something to do with her body finally relaxing.
“I think we should plan for our future.” Making a statement like that, given they hadn't had any serious, in-depth conversations about a future together, was definitely a risk, but one that he was ready and willing to take if she was.
He wasn't about to pressure her, but he hoped that maybe taking her mind off what she had been through and giving her something she had control over might help her get through things still a little bit faster.
She giggled. “Fine. We can build the resort on that island and just use it as our personal private vacation spot.”
Carter liked the way she talked about them, their island, their private vacation spot. He loved that wording coming from her lips, and that thought process let him know that she was potentially in it for the long haul. “It's such a beautiful spot. Don't you want to share with the world?”
She pushed him away and gently shoved his shoulder. “Don't pretend like you're doing this because you want to share it with the world. You just want to make more money.”
“How else will I take care of you the way you deserve to be taken care of?”
At his words, she seemed to melt and stepped back into his embrace.
“Carter, I need to tell you something.” Her words had his heart pounding in his chest, and he hoped that this wasn't the beginning of the end.
“Fine. I guess if you want to keep it our private vacation spot, we can talk about it.” He hoped that making a joke would keep the mood light.
“Not about that.” Her suddenly serious tone had him nervous and worried that something was absolutely wrong. “Carter, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, and please don’t be mad...”
She trailed off, and he wondered if she was trying to drive him insane. “There's nothing you could tell me that would make me mad.”
Still, she didn't seem to be able to speak the words, and he tried his best not to go crazy waiting. “And yourI need to tell you somethingfollowed by silence is absolutely not stressful at all. Please take your time.” He let out a nervous chuckle, letting her know that he was both teasing her and worried about what was coming next.
She swallowed hard, and he felt her inhale. “I'm pregnant.”
With those two little words, she stopped his world completely dead in place. He held her close, hugging her gently, trying to figure out how he felt about this news. Excited, happy, thrilled. Worried about what she wanted.
