AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I told you, he’s got it covered, so I hope you took my advice and ran up a tab,” Kohen stated confidently before he extended a hand to McKenna. “Come, show me which items you bid on.”
McKenna joined Kohen, offering Carter a smile before she left his side. Elena stepped beside him, watching as the two disappeared in the sea of bodies.
“She’s lovely.”
He lowered his gaze to Elena and nodded but didn’t respond verbally.
“I’m surprised this is the journey you’re on.”
He snorted. “Shit, me too.”
Elena laughed at the amusement and annoyance in his tone. “Your mother and I were friends, you know.”
Carter visibly tensed and lowered his eyes once more but didn’t speak. She continued, “Well, maybe not friends in a traditional sense but we talked often. This world is small and very discreet. As wives of men like Kohen and your father, you don’t trust easily, which means you’re often isolated from the rest of the world. You need allies.”
He nodded with understanding. His mother didn’t have friends. No girls’ nights, spa dates, or shopping trips. Her time was divided between Carter and his father. He hadn’t thought much about how isolated she was. But now, after learning what her life could have potentially been, Carter was analyzing every detail of not just his life but hers as well. He was seeing the past with new eyes and a different mindset. If she was on the run from her family, that explained her discretion with who she allowed to get close. It wasn’t just about the life his father chose.
“She loved you and your father. You were both two halves that made her world complete. I hope you’ll have some semblance of what your parents shared.”
Carter frowned, lowering his eyes to Elena who was watching McKenna talking enthusiastically with Kohen, pointing to art displays with a smile covering her entire face. His first thought was, fuck she’s beautiful, quickly followed by his second, she’s mine.
“I make no excuses about the life I’ve chosen by marrying Kohen. I know who he is, I know who my sons will be, and I’m often torn. I want them to be happy, to have wives and children, but then I think about what their futures may look like and I don’t know if I should want those things for them at all. This life is…” She exhaled a sigh, looking up at Carter. “Dark, complicated. But it’s what I’ve chosen...” She smiled across the room as her eyes landed on Kohen. “Because of him.”
She looked up at Carter. “It’s what your mother chose because of your father and it’s what she will choose because of you.”
He frowned. “What did she tell you?”
He was curious about what Elena and McKenna discussed while he was absent, learning that what he thought was his life was an illusion his parents created.
“Nothing, but she didn’t have to. You’re telling me now. I know what want looks like, Carter. I see it in the both of you, that longing to be together. Just know your mother wanted this for you too, no matter how torn she was. Again, this life is hard and if you give into whatever is between the two of you, make sure McKenna has allies. I had your mother and she had me. It wasn’t much, but it was something.” She touched his arm, smiled, and walked away.
Not long after, McKenna filled the space Elena vacated. She leaned into Carter’s side and rested her head on his shoulder. “I missed you while you were gone.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmhm, but Elena was nice.”
“She is, too nice to be married to Kohen.” Carter smirked and McKenna grinned.
“Maybe I’m too nice to be here with you.”
“You are,” he stated bluntly.
“Then maybe I should leave.”
“You will…” He gently tugged her in front of him. His hand landed at her hip, her pelvis met his upper thigh, and the hardness and length of him pressed into her stomach. “With me.”
Her eyes rolled softly when she reached up and looped her arms around his neck. “You were gone for a while.”
“Wasn’t that long.”
“Long enough.”
He didn’t want to discuss his absence or the reason for dipping out, but Kessler’s words were there, creeping through his mind like a venomous poison.
“Your mother wasn’t supposed to be with your father. They ran. Lived off the grid. Your mother’s family killed her.”
“Carter…”
