Fall for Me

by Alexis Noelle

  He smiles at me. “Well, you have four days with her to show her how it could be. I’d take advantage of that if I were you.”

  He was right. I needed to show her how it felt to be loved. I know she hasn’t had that since her mom. “Thanks, Dad. You really helped.” He sits back in his chair and turns the TV back on.

  Tomorrow is going to be day one to make Maddy mine.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Madison

  I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and heard Carter talking to his dad. I know it is wrong to eavesdrop, but I had to know what he was saying. He loves me? He wants to be with me? He said more nice things about me in those couple minutes than anyone has my whole life. If I am being honest with myself, I’ve fallen for Carter too.

  Just then, he walks into the room and I can’t contain my grin. “So, what do you want to watch? I looked through the channels, but there wasn’t much on.”

  He walks over to get something from his bag. “When you went to get the turkey, I snuck a little surprise in the cart.” He turns around holding the DVD of “The Notebook.” He is so thoughtful, and it only shows me how much he cares.

  There goes another little piece of my heart to him. I barely had any of it left. He’s taken it piece by piece ever since we met. I just pray that, one day, he won’t tell me he doesn’t want it anymore. “If you don’t want to watch it, that’s fine.”

  Shit, I hadn’t said anything. “No, Carter, that was so sweet of you to get that for me. I’ve wanted to see it.”

  He smirks at me. “Okay, great, on one condition.” Uh-oh. “You don’t think any less of me if I cry again. I heard this is worse than the other one.”

  I can’t stop myself from laughing. He is perfect. “I promise.”

  Carter put the movie in and then came over to the bed. He stood there, unsure for a minute, then grabbed a pillow and propped it up behind him. I was sitting Indian style on the bed, but about ten minutes into the movie, I couldn’t help myself. I scooted over to where Carter was, lay down next to him and put my head on his chest.

  I felt him release a breath. Just then, he put his arms around me and gave me a squeeze. This was where I wanted to be.

  I cried at the end of the movie and as much as Carter would deny it, I felt him reach up to brush a tear away. He grabs the remote, shuts off the TV, and we just lay there together. He begins to stroke my hair and I let out a sigh of contentment.

  “If I lie here any longer, I’m going to fall asleep. I’m going to go out on the couch now.” I could hear the reluctance in his voice.

  “Carter, you shouldn’t have to sleep on the couch. It’s your house I can sleep out there.”

  “Maddy, I’m not going to have you sleeping on the couch. One, I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Two, my father would probably kick my ass.”

  I can’t believe I am about to suggest this. “Maybe you could stay in here.” I felt his whole body tense up. I read this situation completely wrong. He doesn’t want me this close to him. I am crowding him, just like I do with Chris. Shit. I am going to cry. I get up from the bed, needing to go to the bathroom. I don’t want to cry in front of him.

  Carter beats me to the door. “Maddy? Hey, look at me.” I just shake my head, not wanting to face him. I’ve had enough embarrassment for the night. He lowers himself so he can see my face. “Hey, what’s wrong? Please talk to me.”

  I hated how weak I am, and how much I feel like I need him right now. “I’m sorry, Carter. I guess I made an assumption I shouldn’t have. It’s okay. I understand that I’m a lot to handle. Chris told me before that I crowd him too. I’ll give you your space.” His jaw ticks as I see anger flash in his eyes.

  He starts pulling me toward the bed. At this point, I am too exhausted to care. He lays back down and pulls me with him. The way that he does it, I end up straddling him. He takes my face between his hands. “Listen to me, Maddy. You are not crowding me. I love being around you and if you’d let me, I’d never leave your side. I hate that you are so negative about yourself. That asshole doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You deserve so much better than him, baby. And I just-”

  I crash my lips into his and he lets out a low moan that is by far the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. He drops his hands to his sides. He is probably afraid to touch me after last night. “Carter, put your arms around me. Please, I need you.”

  He wraps me in an embrace so tight, and I’ve never felt so wanted. When he kisses me, it is almost like I can feel his love pouring into my veins. I feel him getting hard underneath me and I pull away.

  I’m not ready for that.

  I feel like the walls are closing in on me and I am struggling to catch my breath. It’s almost like I am spinning in circles. I can’t believe I am having an anxiety attack right now. When Carter realizes what is going on, he lays me down on my side next to him, turns to face me, and I bury my head in his chest.

  It takes me a few minutes, but I finally calm down. I pull my head back and look up at him. He looks so worried that I am finally starting to understand that he really does care about me. This is real.

  “Maddy, please talk to me. I’m not mad at you, I promise. I really need you to tell me what’s going on, though.”

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “If this is about Chris, I can handle it. Just, please don’t shut me out. I’m here for you. All you need to do is let me in.”

  “It isn’t about him.” This time my problems have nothing to do with Chris. I can’t believe I am about to tell him this. I’m shaking all over and a wave of nausea hits me. “The first foster home I went to, my foster father abused me.” I take a shaky breath, not sure how to even say the next part. “He used to…come into my room at night and make me touch him when he was hard. He used to tell me that once I got a little bit older, he couldn’t wait to play with me. It started to get more frequent and I started to get really scared. I told my teacher at school, and they called the state. He denied it, but they relocated me immediately. When things started to get too intense with us, I went back to that place.” He doesn’t say anything. I probably disgust him now. “I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me anymore. I know I’m damaged goods and that it is a lot to deal with.”

  “Where do you get this stuff? You know what? Don’t answer that. I already know.” I can hear the contempt and hatred in his voice and I know he is referencing Chris. His hand gently strokes my cheek as he grabs my chin and makes me look at him. “Chris is a sad excuse for a man. None of that was your fault. You were a victim. If you want me to stay with you tonight, nothing would make me happier.”

  “I do.”

  “Thank God, because I really didn’t want to sleep on the couch while you were in here.” He kisses the top of my head. ;”What time should I set my alarm for tomorrow?”

  “Um…I need to put the turkey in the oven at six, but then I figured I’d go back to sleep for a couple of hours.”

  “Okay, it’s set. Goodnight, Maddy.”

  “Goodnight, Carter.”

  I love you.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Carter

  I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. Jesus, it was three in the morning. What the hell was I doing up?

  “No, stop, please!”

  I look next to me and Maddy is thrashing around with a pained look on her face. Shit, she is having a nightmare. Somehow, she ended up on the other side of the bed. I pull her over to me and rub her arm. “Hey, Maddy, wake up.”

  “No, please, don’t hurt him!” Who the hell is she talking about? “Chris, please, just leave him alone!” Her voice is shaking and she sounds scared.

  She can’t even escape that asshole in her sleep. Even hearing his name at this point is enough to make me want to punch something. I shake her again. “Maddy, please open your eyes. It’s just a dream.” Her eyes fly open and she looks around, frantically trying to get her bearings. When she realizes where she is, she buries her face in my c
hest and starts crying. I just hold her, because I know right now that it’s what she needs. She needs someone to care, and she needs to feel safe. When she finally stops crying, she looks up at me. “Maddy, what was your dream about?”

  “I…uh…I don’t remember.”

  I know she is lying, but I also don’t want to push her. “Okay, well, do you want to try and go back to sleep? It’s still really early.” She nods her head and then closes her eyes. I hold her tight, hoping I can protect her from whatever she doesn’t want to tell me. I know it has something to do with Chris. She is scared of him. I need to make her understand that I can keep her safe. I feel like he is the only thing standing between us right now, and it is driving me crazy.

  When my alarm starts ringing, I turn it off and stare down at Maddy. She is still asleep in my arms. I wish I could wake up with her every morning, because it feels fucking fantastic. As much as I don’t want to, I have to wake her up.

  I rub her back gently. She stretches and looks up at me. The minute she meets my eyes, she smiles and I can’t help myself. I lower my head and give her a kiss. She pulls back right away and covers her mouth. She takes her hand off her mouth, looks at me and laughs. What is so funny?

  “Morning breath.”

  “I don’t care what kind of breath you have.” I kissed her once more. “Now, come on, we have a turkey to cook.”

  I follow her into the kitchen and stand there being useless while she preps the turkey and puts it in the oven. I love how comfortable she is here. When it was in the oven, she looked up at me; I got caught staring at her this time.

  “Did you wanna go lie down again?” She yawns as she stretches her arms above her head.

  “That’s up to you. Either way, I’m fine.”

  She cocks her head to the side, looking at me in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  I pull her against me and hold her close. “Well, if we go back to bed, I get to hold you like this. If we stay up, we can watch TV and I’m pretty sure I’ll get to hold you then too. So, you see, I win either way.”

  She tilts her head up toward me. “Oh really, and what makes you so confident?”

  “I’m not confident, just hopeful.” She gives me one of those smiles that makes me want to kill anyone who has ever hurt her and made her cry. She doesn’t smile nearly enough, but I am going to change that.

  “What if I had a way to give you the best of both worlds? We could go in your room and watch TV. That way, you can hold me and we can still stay up together.”

  I scoop her up and start walking to my room. She starts to laugh, then covers her mouth. I drop her off at the bathroom so she can brush her teeth, but once she comes out, I pick her up again. I carry her to my room and throw her on the bed. She giggles and looks up at me.

  The sight of her lying across my bed is something I never want to forget. “I guess I should follow your lead and go brush my teeth. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you find something for us to watch?”

  When I get back in the room, she is watching some old re-runs of “I Love Lucy.” I never really watched this show, but she says she loves it. We stay in bed for a couple hours. Then my stomach growls so loud, I swear she jumps. She looks at me and we both start to laugh. “I guess my stomach wants to eat.”

  “Can I make breakfast for everyone?”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I mean, everyone will probably be hungry when they wake up. Your dad was so great to let me come and stay here. I just want to do something nice.”

  “You know you’re cooking a huge dinner tonight, right?”

  “We are cooking a huge dinner tonight. I’ve never been in this kind of a family environment, though, and I just thought it would be nice for us all to have breakfast together. It’s no big deal if you don’t want to.”

  I lean over and give her a quick kiss. “I know you don’t know it, but you’re perfect.” I can see that telltale blush creeping up her cheeks again. I love that I have that effect on her. My stomach growls. “Come on. Let’s go make breakfast before he gets angry.”

  Maddy made pancakes and bacon. I handled the very important job of making the coffee. My dad and Anthony came strolling out just before it was done. They walk over and sit down at the table while I get us all coffee, and Maddy makes everyone a plate.

  When she handed my dad his plate, he looked at her and said, “I didn’t know I had pancake mix in there.”

  She laughed. “You didn’t, but that’s what Carter wanted, so I made them from scratch.”

  Everyone starts eating and Anthony looks up from his plate with a mouth full of food. “She’s hot and she can cook? If you don’t marry her, I will, Carter!” Then he winks at Maddy and starts eating again.

  We all start laughing and then my dad adds, “I second that.”

  When she is done eating, she starts cleaning up and goes to work starting things for dinner. I walk up behind her at the sink and lower my mouth to her ear. “I can clean up since you cooked.” I feel her tremble beneath me and I love that she is affected by me.

  She turns around and looks at me. “I have this. Why don’t you go hang out with your brother and your dad? You don’t get to see them a lot.” She stands up on her tiptoes and gives me a kiss.

  “I don’t know what I did to get so lucky and find you.” I put my arms around her, and lift her up a little, spinning her around. She squeals and laughs. I put her down and give her another quick kiss. I start to walk away, but then I remember I was supposed to be helping her. “Let me know when you want me to come help with dinner.”

  “Please don’t let him help with dinner!” My dad and brother yell from the other room. Man, they really know how to sell a guy out, but she just laughs and goes back to what she is doing.

  My sister, Holly, came strolling in about an hour later. She’d slept over at someone’s house and was shocked to see Maddy standing in the kitchen. I rush over and introduce them. Holly went to get in the shower and I stayed in the kitchen to help Maddy. By help I mean, hand her things she asks for and not touch anything.

  Dinner is absolutely delicious, and my family is officially as in love with Maddy as I am. This is the first time I ever brought a girl home and, if I have any say, she’ll be the last girl I bring home.

  My phone buzzes in my pocket and I see that it is Nicole.

  Nicole: Happy Thanksgiving! What happened with Maddy yesterday?

  Me: Happy Thanksgiving, she came home with me.

  Nicole: Thank the Lord! Tell her I said Happy Thanksgiving and an early Happy Birthday!

  Me: Birthday? When is her birthday?

  Nicole: I knew she wouldn’t tell you! It’s on Saturday. The only reason I know is because of the roommate fact sheet I got. When I brought it up, she said she hasn’t celebrated it in years. Be a good potential boyfriend and make it special for her.

  Me: I definitely will.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Madison

  Being able to spend Thanksgiving with Carter’s family was amazing. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere and that I had people around me who cared.

  Holly asked me to go shopping with her today and I told her yes. I had never been out on Black Friday but she says she goes every year. She is absolutely gorgeous. She has blonde hair that goes down to about the middle of her back, blue eyes just like Carter, and she is tiny but still has curves. The fact that she wants to spend time with me makes me feel good. I want Carter’s family to like me. I asked him if he wanted to come, but he said no. He said he is going to give us our girl time.

  We go to the local mall and I soon realize Holly really loves shopping. Like always, I have absolutely no money so when she tries to talk me into getting things, I have to pretend I don’t want or like them. She is always texting on her phone and I have to admit I am jealous.

  I see her look toward the front of the store and follow her gaze. That’s when I see Carter walking in. What is he doing here? He walks up to Holly and whispers something in he
r ear, then turns to me and sweeps me up in a huge hug.

  “You having fun?”

  “Yeah, I am. Your sister is great.”

  Carter smiles at me and gives me a kiss. “I need to go run a couple errands, but I’ll see you back at the house, okay?”

  “Sounds good!” He gives me another quick kiss, says bye to Holly and then leaves. I swear that after Carter left, Holly was buying twice as much stuff as she did before.

  “You don’t want to get anything, Madison?”

  I did want to. A couple of the things Holly bought, I’d been looking at and wishing I had money for. I don’t remember the last time I was able to buy a new outfit, and Goodwill did not count. “No, I’m okay.”

  “My dad always makes fun of me and says the only reason I work is so I can spend it later.” She starts laughing and I join her because her dad is right.

  When we get back to the house, Carter is still out and I am exhausted. I say hello to his dad and brother, then tell them I am going to go lie down. Tomorrow is my birthday, but I hadn’t celebrated it since before my mother died. I always get a little down around this time of the year. I head to Carter’s room, and I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

  I feel strong arms encircle me, not in a possessive threatening way, but in a way that makes me feel loved. I open my eyes and Carter is lying down with me, holding me in his arms. It surprises me how loving and patient he is with me. He is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.

  He notices I am awake and looks down at me. “Hey, you.”

  “Hey, yourself.” I am still upset about my birthday, but I can’t be mad at Carter. I never even told him when it was. Chris knows, but he didn’t mention it and we never celebrated it.

  “How was your day? Did you get anything?”

  He didn’t understand either. “No, but I think your sister bought enough to fill an entire store.”

  “All right, come on. My dad has dinner on the table.”