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“He was really angry and forced himself on me. That was the night that Ivy was conceived,” she admits quietly as she looks lovingly at her daughter. Meanwhile, I am trying to hold myself together, wanting to demand his address.
I am astounded at hearing it all. I totally misjudged her all those months ago at the hospital, and I feel sick for calling her a daddy’s girl, knowing now that he pushed her into an abusive relationship. I feel glad that Dante crossed her path. If it wasn’t for him and Annie, then who knows if she would have gotten away like she did.
"You’re a good mom, Cat, and Ivy is a fantastic kid. You should be really proud. I’m just sorry you had to go through all of that to get here.”
I can see nothing but love in her eyes for her daughter, and I’m in awe of her strength as I stare at her. She’s truly an incredible woman.
“So, what about you? How did you meet Sebastian?” she asks, and I can see her hesitancy, hear it in her voice, that this is her way of learning more about me. About what I do and what it all means. It’s kind of terrifying, but I want to share, want her to get to know the real me.
“I didn’t have a great upbringing,” I start, not exactly sure how much to share. She squeezes my hand in response, and I keep going.
“I don’t know my father and was raised by my mom. We lived in a trailer on the edge of town. I skipped school a lot, got into a bit of trouble here and there,” I say, each bit dragging out of me. She remains quiet, letting me talk.
“When Mom died, I went out on the streets, trying to pickpocket to get some money for food. I didn’t realize it at the time, but one of the men I attempted to pickpocket was Sebastian.” That has her looking at me, wide-eyed.
“No way…” she says in a hushed tone.
“From that night onward, he and Dante took me in, taught me everything, and made me a part of their family. I will never be able to repay them. Ever.” She simply nods in acceptance, and for some reason, it’s a comfort to me.
“Hey, guys! Over here!” Ivy yells, our moment over. Cat smiles, and the three of us enter a new exhibit called the Arachnid Adventures and both girls shiver.
“I hate spiders,” Cat says with a shake of her head, and I lift an eyebrow.
“What?” she asks.
“You are a doctor. You peer into human bodies and see blood and guts and all sorts of things, yet you are scared of a small eight-legged insect?” I mock her, grabbing her and skating my fingers across her back, mimicking a spider crawling. She jumps away from me and laughs, slapping my chest.
“They are not insects, Carter!” Ivy says to me with her hands on her hips. “They are Arachnids. Did you read the sign?” she adds with sass before marching into the small room containing what are some of the world's deadliest spiders.
Inside, it is darker, and the walls all house sealed glass aquariums filled with different materials to make for natural habitats. Peering into each one, some of them look colourful and others downright ugly.
“Ahhh, the Redback Spider. Native to Australia,” Ivy says, her face right up against the glass.
“Not surprising, all animals are deadly in Australia,” I grunt out before we walk to the next one and then the next one. My hand wraps around Cat, keeping her close, Ivy right in front of us where we can both see her. The dim lights are not the best for seeing people, although each aquarium is lit up like the Fourth of July.
“Here’s one that’s different,” Ivy says, stopping to read the small plaque next to the exhibit.
“Stegodyphus lineatus.” I have no idea if she is pronouncing it correctly. “From Europe!” she exclaims, and I pay little attention to what is on the plaque, leaving it to the girls to read. But looking at the spider, I can see it is a white and grey, ugly motherfucker.
I spot the exit up ahead. “Let’s get out of here, back into the sun,” I say to the girls who turn and smile. “Are you scared, Carter?” Ivy asks with a lifted brow.
“No, I am not scared of anything,” I say to her, and she nods in approval. Though, I have to say, I’m not a fan of spiders now.
“C’mon, giraffes are next!” Then she’s leading the way as I grab Cat’s hand again and we continue on the journey.
Once we are outside, Cat stops beside me.
“Thanks, Carter. This is really special and very thoughtful,” she says with a big smile, and not one to waste an opportunity, I wrap my hands around her waist and bring her in tight against me. Her arms rest on my chest, and I look into her eyes.
“I’m glad you could come,” I say, as my hand rubs up and down her back, touching her curves as best I can in this G-rated environment.
“When do you have to leave to go back to New York?”
“I’m not going back any time soon.” I brush a fly away strand of hair and tuck it behind her ear.
“Really? Why is that?” She seems genuinely surprised, but in the happiest way, and that has me smiling.
“Sebastian told me to come here and make things right with you, and that is what I am doing,” I state, matter of factly, her eyes widening as she gasps.
