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“You’re right! Callum’s legs are the widest and can probably support me.” She begins to walk in his direction, but I grab her back and spin her to me in a swing-dance move, pulling her into me. She laughs delightedly, and I kiss her lips.
I growl, “My lap is more than suited to the task.”
When she smiles up at me, I can’t help but get lost in it. She places her hand on my chest. “Okay, Caveman. Me sit. Your lap.” She grunts for good measure, and I can’t help but chuckle. I pull her down on my lap, and she leans forward to grab the two remaining cocoas sitting on the coffee table.
Handing me one of the drinks, she asks, “Now, will you tell me what Savannah texted you?”
I gesture to Melissa and Joe, who are walking through the front doors. “That for starters. Savannah said she had seen them pull into the parking lot and was warning me that our paths might cross.”
“What do you mean, for starters? Was there more to her text?” She brings her drink to her lips, patiently waiting for my answer along with everyone else.
“That, and she saw someone rifling through the snowboards outside. She couldn’t tell who it was from their vantage point. The man was wearing goggles, a hat, and a snowsuit. It may have been nothing, but she wanted to give us a heads up since our stuff is out there.”
“Could it have been Mark or Brayden Jenkins?” Callum asks.
“No. Savannah would have said as much. And Melissa and Joe were in the parking lot, so it wasn’t either of them. It was probably someone looking for a misplaced board or to check and make sure theirs wasn’t taken,” Carter replies. The conversation abruptly ends when we see Melissa and Joe heading our way.
Joe is the first to greet us. “Hey, guys!” He glances at Leanna, who is sitting on my lap. His smile disappears for a fraction of a second, but then it returns. Addressing Leanna, he says, “I guess this means no dinner even though our paths have crossed twice now.” He sounds disappointed but not angry. It’s not as if he wasn’t aware of our relationship after our roadside encounter.
I expect Melissa to be upset by Joe’s comment, but she isn’t. She’s too busy staring at my arm around Leanna’s waist. I don’t know if she even heard Joe speak.
“Carter, can I talk to you for a minute, please?” she asks. I don’t want to, but this might be my one chance to get her to back off. Leanna pats my arm, gesturing for me to release her so I can stand up, silently acknowledging that she’s okay with me doing this. Well, she might not beokaywith it, but she won’t stop it.
I follow Melissa to the opposite side of the lobby, but I refuse to go any further. When she notices I’ve stopped, she sighs. “Fine. We’ll have the conversation right here in front of everyone.”
“Melissa. I’m not going somewhere private with you when my girlfriend sits right over there. We’re far enough away that they can’t hear us, which gives you the privacy you need, even if it’s not as much as you want. Consider it a compromise.”
“I remember some other compromises we’ve had,” she says suggestively, inching closer to me. Her innuendo isn’t lost on me, and I step back to put some distance between us.
“If that’s what you want to talk to me about, then this conversation is over. If it’s not, then say what you have to say.”
When she doesn’t speak, I ask, “Why are you here, Melissa? I know about the two restraining orders, and it doesn’t look good that you show up out of nowhere and bad things start happening.”
“Are you accusing me of something, Carter? I haven’t done anything to anyone. I’ve been here with Joe with no means of transportation outside of where he takes me. And why are you looking into my background? That’s an invasion of privacy, and I expected better of you.”
“You know what I do for a living. Leanna’s safety is my priority. It’s my job to protect people. To protecther.” I tell her adamantly.
“She’s a job to you? Last week, you were friends and roommates and nothing more, at least according to her. And now you’re attached at the hip and romantically involved? I don’t buy it and think it’s all a farce. You asked why I’m here. I’m here because I want you back! Walking away was the biggest mistake of my life, and I want to fix what is broken,” she pleads.
“That isn’t going to happen, Melissa. I love Leanna. You’re my past, and she’s my future.”
When I walk away, I hear her mumble under her breath, “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Chapter twenty-four
Leanna
Ican’twatchasMelissa draws Carter further and further away, knowing the conversation she plans to have with him will be an attempt to win him back. She made her intentions abundantly clear at the coffee shop when she said she would be “playing for keeps.” Apparently, I’m the only one not looking because everyone else, including Joe, has their eyes glued in their direction.
Daphne’s face contorts in mild disgust. “That took some guts, girl. I don’t know if I would have let my man go off and talk to his ex in some secluded corner.”
“That’s not helping, Daphne. And for the record, I don’t ‘let’ Carter do anything. I don’t own him, and he’s free to do whatever he wants.” I watch the fire roar and dance in the large fireplace, trying to keep my mind occupied with anything other than this discussion.
Joe stares at Melissa with a dreaminess I’ve seen plenty of times in the mirror when I would wonder what life with Carter would be like beyond friendship. Joe tells me, “You don’t have to worry about anything, Leanna. It’s obvious to everyone, including me, that Carter is head over heels in love with you. He’s not going to fall for Melissa’s attempts at reconciliation. If he does, he isn’t worth wasting your time or energy.”
“Aww. That is so sweet,” says Callie, bouncing little Bella Rae on her knee. “I’m Callie, by the way. I’m Leanna’s oldest sister.” The few remaining family members who haven’t met Joe introduce themselves out of politeness.
“It’s great to meet you all. I didn’t realize your family was quite this big.” Joe sounds sad, and I don’t understand why until I remember that he grew up in foster care and never knew what being part of a large and loving family was like. He didn’t even know what it was like to have loving parents, let alone any siblings.
