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23
Carter
After our meeting, I walk down the hall to my apartment, an extra spring in my step that wasn’t there before. Rounding the corner, I spot little Leo, Dante’s son, coming in from the courtyard with his soccer ball.
“Hey, Leo!” I shout, and he turns around to face me, giving me a smile as he waits for me to catch up.
“Did you know the oldest turtle is 190 years old?” I ask, using one of Ivy’s animal facts for him.
“Yeah, doesn’t everyone?” he scoffs, rolling his eyes at me. He has turned into a smartass as he has gotten older, but I still love him just the same.
“Well, what other animal facts do you know?” I wonder if he can give me something good that I can take back to Ivy.
“A cockroach’s brain is in its body…” he tells me as he spins his soccer ball in his hands.
“Really?” I ask, surprised. Cockroaches are not what I was thinking of. I’m not sure my girls would like that particular fact. I was fishing for something… less creepy.
“Armadillos can catch leprosy…” he continues, and I sigh. Yep, I can’t really use that one either. Although Cat might find that one interesting.
“Got anything a bit nicer for me?” I ask as we reach my apartment.
“Unicorns have glittery poo,” he deadpans, and it is me that rolls my eyes as I scruff his hair and push him down the hall to his house. He has come out of his shell a lot these past few years, all thanks to Annie.
“Thanks, but no thanks!” I yell out to him as he kicks his ball to himself with a smirk on his face, his skills now extremely advanced, given all the practice he does.
“Hey, got a minute?” Dante says from behind me.
“Sure, come on in.” I open the door to my apartment, and we walk inside to the kitchen.
“What’s up?” I ask him, as I grab us some waters from the fridge.
“Doctor Wakeford.”
“Go on.” Stopping in front of him, I take a swig, wondering if he is going to ask me to stay away from her.
I want her. I want her more than anything.
“You know, finding Annie changed my life.”
“I know. She’s good for you. Good for Leo,” I say, taking another swig as my anxiety starts to kick in a little.
“After the craziness I had with Angelina, I really didn’t want to get involved with someone again. But Little Red, she flew into my life so unexpectedly, like someone pushed her right to me.” My heart thumps the longer he takes to get to the point. If he asks me to stay away from Cat for the sake of keeping Annie’s doctor for medical purposes only, then I need to do that. No question.
“Okay...”
“Fuck, this talking is bullshit,” he mumbles as he rubs his head. “What I am trying to say, Carter, is that it is good having a woman by your side. What we do, the work we do, it isn’t for everyone, and it is not something that everyone can understand either. But if you find a woman who knows what you do and can still see something good in you, then you need to hold on to her with both hands and not let her go.”
A breath leaves me, feeling grateful for his support, but I’m immediately hit with the reality of what I’ve done all over again.
“Look, I don’t even know if Cat is ever going to want to look in my direction again after what I did,” I say, and it’s the truth. She is probably hoping to see me injured in hospital again, just so she can prick me with that stitching needle deliberately. And I’d deserve so much worse than that.
“Maybe. But I’m here to tell you to try. Try really fucking hard. Because Annie is the best thing to ever happen to me, Carter, and you can have that too. I know you carry the memory of your mother, I know what we do is dangerous, but fuck, the grass is so green when you push through all that bullshit. So do whatever you need to do to make it right because you deserve all the good things too, Carter,” Dante finishes with so much emotion, I am shocked. That was quite the speech, especially from him.
“Thanks,” I mumble. “Do we, like, hug now or some shit?” I ask with a smirk.
“Fuck off,” Dante says, pushing me in the shoulder. “We will call you when we need you back.” He’s already halfway out my front door, and I watch him step through and close it behind him.
In the silence of my apartment, I let his words sink in before I strut straight to my bedroom, pulling my bag out of the wardrobe to pack my things. Throwing some clothes in, I start thinking about my trip back to Philly.
