“Bailey,” Carter whimpered. “Bailey.”
“I’m right here,” I said, touching his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise. Just rest.”
He closed his eyes and passed out in my lap. When Robert parked the truck, it was hard for me to move. Robert opened the door and helped me out. Then he carried Carter to his childhood bedroom in the house. I saw Sally on the staircase. She squeezed my hand and gave me a hug. Then I went after Carter.
Pausing in the doorway, I watched Robert put his son to bed. Carter’s arm was hanging off the edge as he snored. Robert looked at Carter for a minute and then kissed him on the forehead. Despite everything he’d done, Robert did have a soul. Maybe it was buried beneath layers of darkness. But he loved his son. It was the kind of love that an estranged relationship couldn’t erase.
I knocked on the door to announce my presence. Robert hurriedly wiped his eyes. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said, entering the room.
“Well, I’ll get out of your way.”
As he walked to the door, I touched his arm. “Robert, I never wanted you to get out of the way.”
He gazed down at me with big blue eyes. His face looked worn and weathered, like an old baseball glove. But he was tall and strong. Even with silvery hair, I could imagine how handsome he had been.
He walked away without a word, leaving me to deal with the mess he’d made.
With a deep breath, I shut and locked the door. Then I dragged Carter into the bathroom and took his clothes off. He was so out of it that I had to sit him down under the shower. I felt so tired as I stripped off my clothes, getting in the shower with him.
Carter was so tall and muscular that it was hard to move him around. But I cleaned his body and washed his hair, getting the swamp off him. He sat against the back of the shower as I took my turn, scrubbing my face and body. I felt his eyes on me when I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair.
“You’re so beautiful.”
I knelt down in front of him and felt the rough stubble on his cheek. Then I rested my head in the crook of his neck, relaxing in his arms. We sat like that for a long time. Just the two of us in the shower.
I dried us off and walked Carter into the bedroom, thankful that we didn’t have to go very far. Someone had come in here and changed the sheets while we were in the shower. Robert shouldn’t have put Carter to bed while he was covered in filth. Thankfully, someone, probably Sally, knew what to do.
Carter crashed on the mattress and was out immediately. I turned off the light and lay beside him, running my fingers through his hair. My beautiful, broken man. I was never letting go.
Carter
I WOKE UP WITH A SPLITTING headache. I hadn’t felt this bad in a long time. A really long time.
Surprised to find myself at home, I looked at my childhood bedroom and tried to remember how I’d ended up here. Then I felt Bailey stir. We were sleeping in my dinky single bed, so she was basically on top of me. The only other option was for her to fall off. I remembered her mentioning that she’d rather us sleep on the floor than be apart. That felt like a lifetime ago. I wasn’t sure when she’d said it.
I traced my fingers down her spine, feeling so lucky to have her. Her hand was on my chest as she tilted her head back and stared into my eyes. There she was. My angel. The mate to my soul. My Bailey.
She cupped my cheek in her hand, and I moved it so I could kiss each of her fingertips.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Me too.” I wasn’t sure what I’d done. Everything was still a blur. But I’m sure I screwed something up. So better to apologize for it now than let it linger.
There were tears in her eyes. And I didn’t want her to cry. I wanted her to smile.
So I put my lips on hers and slid her slender body beneath mine. She sighed when I kissed my way down her neck, slicing her nails across my back. Her arms came around my body, and nothing had ever felt sweeter.
She responded to every kiss, twining her fingers in my hair. When I leaned back and pulled her into my lap, she coiled her body around mine. I wanted to be tangled up in her and stay that way forever.
When she looked into my eyes, I cradled her face in my hand and molded my mouth to hers. She sighed and leaned her head over my shoulder, pulling me closer. I hugged her body to mine, squeezing her tight. But I didn’t want to break her. So I traced her every curve with my hands until she said my name.
Bailey caught her breath and pressed her forehead to mine. “I love you so much... it scares me.”
I held her body in my arms and gave her a soft kiss. “It scares me, too.” I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and lifted her chin so she’d look at me. “Because I’m terrified of losing you.”
Her lower lip quivered as she searched my eyes.
“I want you forever.”
She put her head on my chest and cried, wrapping her arms around me. “I want you forever, too.”
I remembered the engagement ring, and my foiled attempt at a surprise proposal last night. Then it hit me out of nowhere. I’d thrown her five-carat diamond ring out the window. I wanted to puke.
“We need to talk,” she said, giving me a serious look.
That freaked me out. When someone strung those four words together, it was never good news.
“No, I don’t mean like that.” She saw the look in my eyes. “I mean, I need to explain about last night. The reason why I acted the way I did and said those things. There is so much I should have told you.”
I caressed her hips with my hands. “Then tell me now, sweetheart. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
She leaned into me with a tender kiss. And the man in me couldn’t resist loving her again.
AFTER A LONG SHOWER, I came downstairs and knocked on the door to Dad’s office. He was already there reading the morning paper. As he nursed a cup of coffee, I barged in and slammed the door.
“Mornin’, son. I’m glad to see you’ve made a full recovery.”
“You told Bailey I never wanted to get married again?” I was raging mad. I had been since she told me.
“Yes, I did.”
“Why would you do that?” I yelled. “Go and tell her a bald-faced lie? Ever since we got here, all you’ve done is try to tear us apart! Well, you know what Dad? That’s it! We’re done!” I turned to storm out.
“I did say those things. But I was wrong.”
My chest heaved as I turned around. “What?”
“I thought she was after your money, Carter.”
“You never had that concern with Vanessa,” I said.
“It was different with Vanessa. You know why.”
That made some kind of rational sense. But I was still mad at him.
“Bailey never even knew about the money, Dad. She’s not from here.”
“I know,” he said.
“And her father’s a billionaire! I told you that!”
“I know,” he repeated.
“So what are you saying? That you were wrong? And now you want to make it right?”
“I’ve been an asshole.”
“Yeah,” I glared, staring him down. “You’re good at it.”
“She really does love you.”
I was shocked. He must have been medicated. Or I was hallucinating.
“Where is this coming from?” I said, not wanting to trust him.
“What happened that night was not your fault, Carter. What happened with Vanessa, it wasn’t your fault.”
I looked off as tears welled in my eyes. The truth is, I’d been terrified to fall in love with Bailey because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing another woman I loved. But we’d spent time together over the summer. And pretty soon, I hadn’t been able to stay away. I’d tried. I’d put distance between us. But I’d also learned the hard way that you can’t fight what’s meant to be.
Thanks to her, I no longer lived in fear of losing the people I loved. Because a far greater tragedy would be never having them at all.
>
“So where does that leave us?” I asked.
“I want to be your father again.”
“Again?” I headed for the door. “When did you stop?”
I was so mad at him for interfering with me and Bailey. He had filled her head with lies. I knew it the minute I saw her crying last night. But she was too good to call him out on what he’d done.
Well, I wasn’t. Right now, I was ready to fly to New York and never come home again.
“Psst!” Beth snuck up behind me in the hallway. “Look what I found.”
She pulled something out of her pocket. My eyes widened when I recognized the ring I’d tossed out the window. The very expensive ring that I’d been carrying around in my pocket for the past two months.
I sighed in relief, pulling her into a bear hug. “Beth, you’re a lifesaver.”
She handed it over with a smile. My sister really was the best.
“Where the hell did you find it?” I thought it was lost forever.
“In the parking lot at the hotel.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I really owe you one for this.”
“Hey, Carter,” she called when I walked away.
I turned around. “Yeah?”
“Don’t make her wait forever.”
I looked at the diamond ring. “Don’t worry, sis. I won’t.”
I climbed the stairs and went into my bedroom. Bailey was dressed in tight jeans and a baby pink sweater that clung to her in all the right places. The sight of her immediately took my anger away.
Rushing towards her, I grabbed her hands and pulled her closer. She put her arms around me when we were chest to chest. I saw her watching me through those pretty blue eyes. The ones I adored.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Let’s go home.”
We packed our bags and dropped off the rental truck. Then I left Louisiana with no plans to return. It just didn’t feel like home anymore. It hadn’t in a long time. Bailey was my home now.
On the plane ride back to New York, I asked her to move in with me.
She said yes.
Chapter 24
Bailey
Our first week back in New York felt like a new dawn. I packed up my apartment in cardboard boxes and moved in with Carter immediately. He went to therapy with me and held my hand when I cried. I had gone too long without a session, so I scheduled a follow-up as soon as I left.
The truth is, despite Robert’s interference, Carter and I had our own issues we had to deal with. Tensions had been high just before we left for Louisiana. It’s no surprise that the weekend had gone up in flames. Robert had planted the seed of doubt. But we’d been struggling enough on our own in New York. Without that foundation, he never would have been able to tear us apart.
Deep down, I had low self-esteem and insecurities stemming from the night I was raped. I would always have to deal with the aftermath. And maybe the nightmares would never go away. But as long as Carter was by my side, I knew that I could face any storm. If any man could pick up the pieces of my shattered soul, it was him.
By the same token, Carter blamed himself for Vanessa’s death. Not to mention, the fact that she was pregnant with their first child on the night of the accident. We talked about it. A lot. And I finally understood Carter in a way I never had before. He was a good guy with a damaged past.
But I was pretty broken, too. So we made a real effort to be there for each other, keeping an open line of communication. We shared more than ever before. And when negative thoughts came creeping, I spilled my guts to Carter. Sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. And he listened. To every word. Every time.
As brutal as Labor Day Weekend had been, it was the best thing that could have ever happened for our relationship. We were working together to help each other. Instead of hiding my emotions, I told him everything. And he did the same. It cleared up all the tension that always seemed to develop between us. I was so thankful I had a man who was willing to work through the issues in our relationship.
I wasn’t an easy woman to love. But maybe true love wasn’t supposed to be simple anyway.
When it came to sex, I’d never felt so bonded to someone. We knew each other so well—mind, body, and soul—that even the slightest glance from Carter spoke volumes. He could take my hand or brush the back of his knuckles against my cheek, and I’d know exactly what he was thinking.
Intimacy had always terrified me. But I felt so close to Carter that I couldn’t imagine going back to the way I’d once been. He had healed me with his touch and guarded my heart with his soul. I’d never find another just like him. And that’s why I was never going to leave his side.
On Friday night, Carter asked me to meet him for dinner in town. A week had gone by since our trip to Louisiana, but it felt like a lifetime ago. I hopped in a cab once he texted me the address, wondering why we hadn’t gotten ready at home and left together. For some reason, I felt a little nervous.
“Big date tonight?” the driver asked.
I recognized his voice and smiled. “How did you guess?”
He looked in the rearview mirror and grinned. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” I blushed, remembering the driver from the night I’d had my blind date with Barnum. That felt like a million years ago. But it had only been a few months. Because that was the night I met Carter.
“So who’s this guy? Someone you met online?” he wondered.
“No.” I looked out the window. “We met at a restaurant. I thought he was my blind date.”
“But he turned out to be someone else?”
“Yes,” I sighed, remembering my first impression of him. “Definitely someone else.”
“You know, I’ve lived in this city my whole life.” He turned the steering wheel as he changed lanes. “And it’s different every night. You never know where you might go, who you might meet. Someone’s always movin’ in or movin’ out. It’s the place where anything can happen.”
There was a time when I never believed it to be true. But I knew now.
Just because you’re searching for something, doesn’t mean you won’t find it.
“Here we ah,” he said, pulling over at the address I’d given him.
“Thanks, Vinnie.” I leaned between the seats to pay. “Keep the change.”
When I got out, there was a light drizzle. But I leaned my head back and embraced the rain. The place where Carter had asked us to meet looked like empty space. I peered in the window, admiring the tall ceilings. It really was a beautiful building. I wondered what he was doing here.
He came from the back and waved, striding to the door to let me in. The moment I crossed the threshold, he grabbed my arms and pulled me into a kiss. When he shut the door, my back slid against the surface. His hands settled on my face as I clung to his body, surprised by his sudden passion.
“Hi,” I said when we came up for air.
“Hi.” He took my hand and stared at me. Sometimes, it could be really intimidating—those moments when he would fix his eyes on me. Even now, it made me blush. Because I’d never dreamed that I’d have the undivided attention of a man as good looking as Carter. I was a very lucky lady.
I looked at the blank walls. There were boxes on the floor and mats laid out for us to walk on.
“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” he asked.
“No.” I saw adjoining rooms in the distance. “Carter, where are we?”
“I’ve been waiting for the right moment to tell you.” He dropped my hand and went over to the empty bar. “But Austin helped me close a deal on this place. I’ve got some very generous investors.”
It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. “Wait a minute... is this?”
“Where I’ll be opening my new restaurant,” he answered, unable to hide his glee.
“But what about your other restaurant?” I asked.
He looked disappointed. It probably wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for.
/>
“I’m still the owner, but I found someone else to manage it.”
My head was spinning. For some reason, I’d thought that he was selling one restaurant in exchange for another. I had no clue he’d now be legally responsible for two restaurant properties. It felt like a lot of responsibility. And we’d already had so many arguments about the number of hours he worked.
I had that uneasy feeling again. That he would be so busy, it would affect our relationship. And not in a good way.
“Oh,” was all I could say.
“Oh?” He put his hands in his pockets. “That’s not really the reaction I was hoping for.”
“It’s just that I didn’t realize all of this was happening so fast.” I forced a smile, but he didn’t buy it.
“You don’t want me to do this?” he asked. “Do you?”
“No, I never said that.” I went to him and ran my hand down his arm. “This space is amazing. And I don’t doubt that you’ll be able to open a successful restaurant. It’s just that...”
“What?” he whispered, caressing my face with his hand.
“Well I...”
“Spit it out, Lewis,” he scolded, clenching his jaw.
“I’m scared that this will take you away from me. We’ve had so many arguments about work. But I don’t want to fight, Carter. I want you to be happy. I want you to be doing something you love. But I can’t help feeling worried that in a given week, we’ll hardly see each other. I’m just being honest.”
“Sweetheart, when are you going to start trusting me?” He kissed my cheek. “I’ve already thought about that. That’s why I’m hiring a manager. Once we launch, I’ll only work three nights a week tops.”
“Oh.” I bit my lip to hide a smile. “I didn’t know that.”
He brought his face to mine, grabbing my waist. “You are the most important thing to me. I would never make a decision that would take you away from me. I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”
An Agreement (Summer in New York Book 3) Page 29
