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Fred steps into the foyer, disappearing around the corner, while Mom and Dad relax back into the couch.
“That was quite a spectacle,” Dad says. “Your new boyfriend seems much more interesting than the last few.”
I sigh and turn to face my parents. “Dad, we aren’t—” I start, but my gaze moves from Mom and Dad to the person following behind Fred.
Carter is crossing into the living room.
Mom’s jaw drops like she’s seeing a celebrity. “Carter.” She rises, walking over to him. “When did you get here? I’m Mia’s mother, Helen. We just saw you on TV. You’re much more handsome in person.”
The entire time my mother talks her head off to him, Carter’s lips break into a small smile, then he sweeps his eyes over to me.
“Mom,” I say to get her to stop talking. “I need to talk to Carter.”
She nods and gestures for Dad and Fred to leave the living room to give Carter and me our privacy.
“You’re more than welcome to sleep in the guest room tonight,” Mom says before she heads out.
“Ava, I have to go.”
She sighs. “I was really hoping you forgot we were FaceTiming.”
I let out the briefest chuckle, then hang up. Leave it to Ava to manage to make me laugh during a moment of crisis.
“Hey,” Carter says, sliding his hands into his pockets as he gives me a guilty grin. “Told you I’d come back. Your parents have a lovely home.”
“Why did you do that?” I take a few steps closer to him. “When you told me you had something to take care of, I wasn’t expecting this.”
“I didn’t want you to try to talk me out of it, but nothing else was working, Mia. Normally it’s easy for me to make a few phone calls, but this time, I needed to take more drastic measures. So, I called up Luke and my producer friends to help me out. We managed to make it all happen in a few hours.”
I lower my head. “But you hate this kind of stuff. And I don’t like that you put yourself through that for me.”
Carter inches closer to me, cupping his hands over my face. “I did it for us, Mia.”
I push his hands away. “You told the entire nation I was your girlfriend. We haven’t even talked about that yet.”
He dips his head down so he can peer into my eyes. “Yet.”
Does he really think he can win me over that easily? I’m still fuming.
“I want to give our relationship a real shot,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and reeling me in closer to him. “As soon as I dropped you off here, it’s like my mind shut off, and I went straight into action mode. It made me realize that I’m willing to do anything for you. For us. Don’t worry about how I feel about attention from the media. All that matters to me is that you’re safe.”
I press my head against his chest and hug him tightly. Tears stream down my face as I think back to all the times Michael, and every other man I’ve dated, left me to fend for myself or chose themselves over me. I know for certain Carter would never do that, though. Today is proof he’d risk everything for me. And if given the chance, I would do the same for him.
“Carter,” I say, lifting my chin up. I never break away from our embrace, though. “I want us to be together, but I’m scared. I don’t want what happened between Michael and me to ever happen to us.”
He tilts his head, a sweet smile forming on his lips. “I know you still have your fears. I still have mine, too. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to overcome them, no matter how much time it takes. I love you.”
The last words are barely a whisper, but they carry his heart. I know he means it.
“I love you, too,” I say breathlessly and return my head to his strong chest, already feeling more secure than I’ve felt all day.
He wipes the tears away from my face, a grin on his. “Then, I see no problem with my announcement. What do you say?” he asks.
“I say…my boyfriend should probably meet my parents.”
He nods. “I think you’re right.”
He takes his hand in mine, and we walk side by side into the kitchen, where my family is sitting around our circular table. They’re quiet, which only means they were probably trying to listen the entire time. I really am surrounded by the nosiest people on the planet.
