by Jolie, Meg
She ground her fists into her hips and turned to him with a defiant glare. “So, you weren’t done with the note. Go ahead.” She flung one hand around in the air, motioning for him to continue. “I’m here now. You might as well tell me what you were going to write.”
He looked at her for a moment and she was struck with a pang of hurt at the dull look in his eyes. He didn’t seem all that upset. If anything, he seemed a bit put-out. Clearly, this was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid. She waited him out a few more seconds. Then she couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
“Come on, Nolan. You screwed me this morning.” How could he do that? her mind screamed. “The least, the very least, I deserve is a damn explanation!”
He straightened himself up, clearly mustering a superior air. Carly had seen him do this before. It had always grated on her nerves.
“Carly,” he began. His voice held forced patience. As if he couldn’t believe he really had to explain the situation. “You know you’re not really cut out to be with me. I’m going to inherit the resort someday. We both know that’s not where you want to be.”
Inherit? If she had not been so blindsided in that moment, she would’ve let out a rather indelicate snort of contempt. The way he said it made it sound as though he were an heir to something far more prestigious than a vacation spot. One that was similar to those dappled throughout the state.
“It’s not like you’re the freaking lord of a country! It’s a resort! And not even a ski one!” True, he bragged excessively about the guests they had. Then he would belittle Carly when she didn’t recognize a politician or an athlete’s name. “You have got to be joking. That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard! You’re going to have to do better than that.”
He nervously licked his lips. Carly felt herself becoming annoyed with the action.
“Well?” she demanded. “I’m waiting.”
He shrugged. “I gave you my answer.”
“Nolan! We’ve been together two years! We’re engaged! And now, now you decide you can’t marry me because…What? I won’t fit in at the resort? Everyone fits in at a resort!” She dropped her gaze, pulling it from him and scanning the room. If she’d been gone another twenty minutes, he’d likely have been out of here. It hit her then, the reality of the situation. “You’ve been planning this. You’ve been waiting for me to head back to Lanford so you could just up and leave. You knew Quinn would have the babies soon and that I’d head home. You’ve been waiting so you could take the cowardly way out and not even tell me goodbye. I bet you started throwing your things together the minute I walked out that door.” She glanced back at him. He didn’t deny it but he didn’t have to. The overflowing boxes confirmed it. She turned in a circle, taking it all in. From what she could tell, he had everything packed. He was just closing up the boxes and carrying them out.
“You,” she grated out as she turned to face him again, “are an absolute piece of shit!”
He had the nerve to laugh. “And you really wonder why I would want to sneak out of here? Why I would want to avoid a confrontation with you? It’s because you are a complete hothead. I knew you’d turn into an irrational bitch.”
She couldn’t argue that she had a temper. But under these circumstances, could he blame her?! True, her instincts right now were telling her to scream, cry…or at the very least, knee the man in the nuts.
In less than five minutes, he’d pulled her entire world apart. She was supposed to marry this man. They were supposed to have a future together. She’d given the last two years of her life to him, damnit. He owed her a hell of a lot more than this. He was her whole damn future!
He was her future…
For just a moment, Carly was preparing to beg, get down on her knees and plead. Do whatever she had to do. The resolute, distant way he was looking at her snapped the thought out of her head before she’d even finished thinking it. She didn’t want to give him that kind of satisfaction. Because she could tell by the look on his face it would be a futile effort. Even in her injured mood, she could see that it would only be met with indifference.
“Wait. What does this mean? What about school? You have another semester left too.” Another thought slapped her alongside the head. “You’re moving out! I can’t afford this place on my own! I moved out of the dorms because you asked me to. You asked me to come here!”
For the first time, just a glimmer of remorse flitted across his features. Then it was gone so quickly Carly wasn’t sure she’d seen it at all.
“Yeah well, I let the landlord know I was moving out. It’s up to you if you want to stay here. You should probably let him know as soon as possible. Or at least touch base so he doesn’t just start looking for another renter,” Nolan explained.
“When were you going to tell me this?”
His eyes darted to the abandoned notebook.
Carly shook her head in dismay. “I can’t believe you. What were you going to add to your ‘I’m sorry’? Were you going to tell me to get a new roommate because I’m on my own?” She pulled in several deep breaths, not trusting herself to speak just yet. “We only have three weeks off. Then the semester starts up again.”
“Well, you know, rent is paid through the end of December. So you’re good for the rest of the month,” Nolan pointed out. “I mean, I paid my half even though I’m not going to be here.”
Carly was speechless. Was he subtly implying that she should reimburse him? The tone of his voice made her think that he was. Well, too damn bad. He either did not realize what a huge bind he was leaving her in, or he simply didn’t care. She had a horrible hunch that he simply didn’t care.
Three weeks were going to fly by. Between seeing her family and celebrating the holidays, time was going to go fast enough. Now what? She was supposed to add finding a new place to live and moving into that small timeframe?
“If you can’t afford this place on your own,” Nolan continued, “I suggest you get looking for something else. I’m not coming back. I don’t really need my degree. I’ve kind of gotten bored with school anyway.”
Bored with school and bored with me. Like a spoiled kid who is ready to move on to new, shinier toys, she thought. And to hell with the mess that’s left behind.
“I have nowhere to go,” Carly pointed out. “You can’t get into the dorms this late in the year. Everyone’s already settled for the rest of the school year at this point. I don’t know anyone looking for a roommate right now.”
He shrugged. “Maybe someone else is in your situation.” Carly doubted it but bit back her retort. “Maybe you should put out an ad. See if you can find a roommate for this place. Someone to split the rent.”
“It’s a one bedroom!”
“Hey! I’m just trying to help.”
He couldn’t be serious. But he sure as hell looked like he was.
In that instant, Carly realized that whatever they had was, beyond a doubt, over. He could not care less that this messed up her life in just about every way imaginable.
He squared his shoulders, clearly readying himself for an assault. A verbal attack…Or possibly he’d read that flicker of a thought as it crossed her face. Maybe he was waiting for her to beg.
She didn’t.
“Come on. You have to know things haven’t been great with us for a while now.” The way he said it, it was as though he was pointing out something blatantly obvious.
She had known that. The sparks had faded and fizzled. But wasn’t that normal? Isn’t that why the start of a relationship was known as the honeymoon period? She had known their honeymoon period had come to an end. What she hadn’t known was that she should be concerned. She had ring on her finger for cripes sake!
Nolan had never mentioned that the change was something he couldn’t tolerate. How was she supposed to have known how much things changed for him? She clenched her jaw shut. How was she supposed to know when they had, just that morning, had sex? What kind of person would do that? He had known she was head
ing out, right after class. He had to have known that meant he was going to leave her within a matter of hours.
Yet, he’d been sure to get one last fuck in.
“Screw you and that pitiful excuse for a resort your parents own,” she spat at him.
He was proud of the resort and she knew it. It was a nice resort but there were dozens in the area that were far nicer. Posh ski resorts speckled the area. But she knew those were words that would hurt him.
What she hadn’t banked on was the fact that he’d be willing to hurt her back twice as badly.
“At least I’ll be getting away from you. You want to know the real reason I’m outta here? I don’t love you Carly. I haven’t for a long, long time. I would’ve left months ago but my parents said I had to finish out the semester since they’d paid for it. So, I’ve had to wait it out.”
She tried not to show her surprise. Just a few weeks ago, they’d spent Thanksgiving with his parents. Had they known he hadn’t wanted her there with him? They hadn’t said a word.
“If you’ve known that long, you should’ve told me.”
He tossed his hands up in the air. “Are you kidding? Like you said, people are settled this time of year. I had to finish out the semester. Living with you here? In this one bedroom? It would’ve been unbearable if you’d known how I felt!”
So, poor Nolan, Carly thought. He had to stick it out. With me. In his bed. Every. Damn. Night.
She’d gotten herself into situations that she hadn’t been happy with before. But never had she felt so used or betrayed.
Another thought struck her. “Is there someone else?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
For a crazy moment, that almost would’ve made it a bit more bearable; if he’d fallen in love with someone else. It would’ve been a better reason than simply preferring to be alone than to be with her.
With her head held high, she crossed the room to her dresser, relieved that despite it all, she remembered what she’d come back for. She didn’t say a word as she sidestepped Nolan and made her way to the door. She tried to keep her pace steady and normal. Not too fast. Not too slow. She didn’t want to appear as though she were lingering, waiting for him to call after her. Nor did she want to appear as though she were running.
Carly Johnson did not run.
Or beg.
Or plead.
I’m doing the right thing, she told herself. If he doesn’t want me, I’m doing the right thing. Just get to the door. She did. And then she made it down the sidewalk, careful not to fall. Not a tiny feat considering the walkway was slippery and her knees had turned to mush. She opened her door mechanically, carefully tucked herself inside and then with great care, slowly pulled out of the driveway. She did not let herself look back. She did not want to see if Nolan was looking after her.
She had a terrible hunch that he was not.
So she didn’t want to know.
She drove several blocks. The entire time she worked hard at keeping the hurtful thoughts out of her head. Finally, when she was satisfied that she’d put enough distance between Nolan and herself, she pulled over on the side of a residential street. Once the car was safely parked she shut it off and felt a shudder ripple through her. She let herself become completely immersed in the memory of what had just transpired. One glance at the glowing dashboard clock let her know that in less than fifteen minutes, her entire world, her entire future…had unraveled.
3
As it turned out, Carly had nearly five, long hours to pull herself together again. The storm hadn’t hit in full force but the roads were slick. Giant, wet flakes had started to fall. It simply wouldn’t do to be crying while she drove. The roads were bad enough, slowing her down already, without adding blurred, teary vision.
She fought the urge to wallow. Instead, she did what she did best. She pushed the unpleasant thoughts of Nolan out of her head. With a forced air of confidence, she convinced herself that she didn’t need him. She didn’t need anyone. She was on her own. Again. And she was just fine.
Never mind that she was pissed beyond words that he had ruined what should’ve been a completely exciting day for her. Her finals were over. She was done with school for the semester. She had three full weeks of freedom. Best of all, she was an auntie again. She should not be sobbing like a heartbroken failure on the day her nieces were born. That was just wrong.
And completely Nolan’s fault.
But, she reminded herself, she wasn’t thinking of him!
When she finally pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, it was late afternoon. It already felt like the longest day of her life. She tilted the rearview mirror toward her face. She looked dreadful, something her mother would surely point out. She reached for her make-up bag, realizing she needed to touch up her face yet again.
When she finally decided she looked as good as she was going to get, under the circumstances, she climbed out of her car. Any other day, she would’ve bolted from her car and flown across the parking lot. She wouldn’t have trudged painfully along, bracing herself for questions from her family.
Damn Nolan for ruining this day.
The automatic doors whooshed open. She was aware of the heel of her boots, tapping across the floor as she made the trek to the elevators. Finally, as the doors slid open, her heart rate sped up. She felt the giddy rush of excitement.
She missed her sister so damn much.
She pushed the button that would bring her to the third floor. The last time Carly had been here was when Carter was born. Minutes later the doors slid open again. On this floor, she was assaulted with the questionable scent that she associated with a hospital. She did not want to think about what wretched things went into comprising the malodorous air.
“Carly!”
She spun on her heel to face the familiar voice.
“Nora! How are you?” Carly asked as she pasted on a smile.
Luke’s mom, the babies’ grandma, grinned back at her as she drew close. She had a cup of coffee in one hand. She looped her free arm through Carly’s and said, “I’ve never been better. How was the drive?”
Carly gave her a generic response—the driving was fine, patches of snow, didn’t make as good of time as she would’ve liked—as she let Nora lead the way to Quinn’s room.
“Look who I found!” she said as she nudged Carly through the door first.
“Hey,” Carly said to her sister, though her eyes were already scanning the room, searching for the babies.
“Right here,” Luke said as he held up one bundle.
“And here,” Quinn said. She moved the hospital bedspread aside, showing Carly the other little girl she had tucked into her side.
Carly darted to the small sink that was in the room. She scrubbed her hands thoroughly and then she rushed across the room. She pulled Quinn into a quick, gentle hug. “Are you doing okay?”
She nodded. “I’m doing fine.”
“May I?” Carly asked. She had already begun to reach for the sleeping baby that was closest to her.
Quinn laughed. “Of course.”
The moment she had the little one in her arms, she let out a content sigh. Then she crossed the room to take a peek at the baby Luke still held. “So precious,” she murmured. Then her head snapped up. “Hey, where’s Mom?”
“She left with Carter,” Nora explained. “He was here for a bit but, well, he’s two. So he’s awfully rambunctious.”
“Nora had him all day,” Quinn said. “They came up this morning and then she brought him home for his nap before bringing him back up. Mom was here all day. So when he got grumpy again I asked if she’d be willing to take her turn. You just missed her and Dad.”
“Bummer,” Carly muttered as her eyes drifted back to the itty-bitty infant in her arms. “I thought Carter felt light as a feather but this one—” She cut herself off. “Names!? I know you were waiting but you have to tell us now. Or have you already shared?”
Quinn shook her head. “
I was waiting for you. I wish Mom would’ve stayed.” She looked conflicted. “Now, if I wait until everyone gets back here again…who knows when that will be.”
“I’m kind of tired of calling them Baby One and Baby Two,” Luke said with a laugh.
“Should we?” Quinn asked as she gave Luke a questioning look.
“You should!” Carly said for him. “I mean, it would only be fair! I was the last one to get to meet these adorable little bundles. I would feel a little bit better about that if I got to learn their names first.” She gave Quinn her best hopeful look.
Her sister laughed and Carly glanced at Luke. He gave his wife a little nod.
“Lydia,” he said as he motioned to the baby in his arms.
“Adela,” Quinn said as she pointed to the baby in Carly’s arms.
Carly glanced down at the petite little face. A tiny little nose, matching trace crescents of blond lashes, teeny-tiny puckered bowed lips. The babies were beyond precious.
Carly knew that Quinn had a penchant for antiques. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why she would want to give her babies’ names that belonged to frail, grey-haired grandmas.
“Those names are—” She abruptly cut herself off before she said something she would regret. In that moment, she reminded herself of her mother. And she was not going to become her mother. Not if she could help it. “Sort of unique. And really fitting,” she said with a smile.
She took in the little face again. She decided that the names Adela and Lydia really were quite adorable. Furthermore, they seemed to be exactly the kind of names that her sister would choose.
“They’re perfect,” Carly decided. She smiled as she looked up at her sister.
“I think so too!” Nora declared. She cast a glance at Luke. “You do know that Lydia was your great-grandmother’s name. Don’t you?”
Luke nodded. “Of course. And Adela is the name of Quinn’s great-great grandmother.”
“On Mom’s side,” Quinn continued with the explanation. “I’m hoping that she’ll be pleased.” She cast a wry glance at Nora. In a roundabout way, her son, Carter had been named after Nora. Carter had been her maiden name. Quinn knew, without a doubt, that her own mother had been a tad bit jealous. She hoped that little Adela would appease her.
