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“Did it hurt?”
I’m startled by her question, but then I remember thinks that night was the first time I had sex. Thinking back, when I actually lost my virginity, it wasn’t exactly hot — not even remotely. It was more sweet and comfortable. Carter was so caring and careful with me, but it did hurt a lot.
“Um, a little. Not for very long, though.”
Kate groans. “Ugh, I’m so jealous. My first time really sucked. It hurt so much, and it didn’t feel that good. Thank God Asher is better in bed now.”
“How are things between you two now?” I ask.
Kate sighs. “I’m not sure. I guess we’re sort of growing apart. All he ever does is study and work on the company he and Carter are building. We don’t really go out, we just sleep together occasionally. I might end things soon. He’s just so boring these days. He really changed when he stopped playing football.”
Oddly enough, my heart goes out to Asher. I know he really enjoyed football, and even more so than Carter, he truly wanted that to be his future. It can’t be easy for him to still see Carter training and playing.
“Do you think maybe things have been tough on him recently? Maybe he’s struggling to deal with losing one of his dreams.”
Kate groans. “I don’t know. He hasn’t said anything. I’d be there for him if he reached out, but he hasn’t. He just sorta alienates himself. It’s weird. I feel like he’s pushing me away. To be fair, we agreed we aren’t anything, so I also don’t want to pry. I’m not his girlfriend, ya know? I don’t want to be either. We just hook up every once in a while.”
“Hmm, yeah,” I murmur. I guess she isn’t wrong about that. I never really understood their relationship. They run hot and cold all the time. I’m glad Kate seems to be back to normal now, though. For the last few weeks, she seemed a bit off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but she seemed a bit weird. She seems better now that she’s home.
“How’re you enjoying being home, by the way? Isn’t it weird? We’ve only been gone for a short time, but nothing feels like home anymore.”
Kate groans and nods. “I know right! It’s so weird. I’m happy to see Mom, though. I think she really missed us. We need to do something fun with her. Maybe a spa day or something?”
I rise and gently peel off my face mask. “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Let’s book something.”
I glance out the window and grimace. It’s freezing and snowy. Kate follows my gaze and grins.
“Hey, you know what we haven’t done in a while?”
I look at her through narrowed eyes, knowing exactly what she’s gonna say.
“Snowball fight!”
She squeals and jumps up, and I can’t help but grin. Her excitement is so infectious. She runs down the stairs and I shake my head as I follow her. Being home is clearly good for her, and it’s been good for Carter and me too. I haven’t felt this close to him in ages. I wish it could last.
Chapter 24
Carter
“Milly, you and your dad are coming over for Christmas dinner, right?” Mom asks for the hundredth time. Since we’ve been home, Emilia has been having dinner at home a lot with her dad, and Mom has obviously been missing her. She pretty much monopolizes Emilia’s time during the day while her dad is at work, much to both Kate and my annoyance. Mom is always asking Kate and Emilia to help with this and that in a poorly disguised effort to spend more time with them, and unlike Kate, Emilia doesn’t have the heart to say no. I’m happy for Mom, but it’s freaking irritating. I haven’t been able to get her alone all week now.
“Yes, of course,” Emilia says, smiling. Mom nods and walks around the kitchen looking stressed as hell.
“Milly, should we make that pecan pie after all?” she asks, her voice high pitched. Kate groans and walks out of the kitchen, and I’m tempted to follow her. Mom is insufferable throughout the entire holiday period.
I sigh and rise from my chair at the counter. “Mom, what would you like?” I ask. I drop my hands to her shoulders and keep her in place, lest she wears down the floors with her endless pacing. I rub her arms and she smiles up at me, relaxing just a little.
“It’d be nice, right?”
Emilia walks up to us and leans against the counter, right next to me. We both face Mom and nod. “Yeah, it’d be nice,” Emilia says. Mom has asked for her help with over a dozen dishes so far, and I haven’t seen her even remotely protest. Not even once.
“Okay, let’s make it. But we’ll need pecans. Oh, should we go to the store, Milly?”
I glance at Emilia and try my best to hide my smile. “I’ll go,” I offer, just a bit too excitedly. Mom looks up at me with such a huge smile that I almost feel bad.
“Okay, I’ll text you a list.”
I tug on Emilia’s sleeve and she nods at me, the edges of her lips tipping up in a small smile. She follows me and Mom freezes.
