“I didn’t think it’d be possible, but she’s more excited to see you than I am,” he says, laughing. He grabs my hand and lifts it to his lips, and my heart skips a beat.
“Do you know what this reminds me of a little?” I ask, a thousand memories with Carter flitting through my mind.
He grins and presses another kiss to my hand. “La Familia,” he murmurs, and I look up at him in surprise. How does he always know what I’m thinking?
“Yes, La Familia,” I murmur, thinking back to the restaurant we used to frequent back in college. “I’d love to go back there one day, you know? I wonder if Lita will even remember us.”
Carter looks away and sighs, his smile melting away. For a second he looks hurt, as though he too is thinking of everything we’ve missed out on.
“We’ll go,” I tell him. “We’ll go together. Maybe we can do a little weekend break.”
Carter smiles, and relief rushes through me. I don’t want tonight to be tainted by memories and regrets. I just want us to be happy.
Chapter 49
Carter
I can’t get enough of her. This is exactly what we needed, a night out, just the two of us. I love John as much as I love my own father, but sometimes I do find myself wishing Emilia and I could just have the house to ourselves. She isn’t trying to hide her affection for me now that we’re out, but she’d be uncomfortable at home.
“The food was so good,” she says, her eyes twinkling with happiness, and I smile as I signal for the bill.
Emilia looks around conspiratorially before leaning in. “Don’t tell Mrs. Henderson, though, but I do still miss Lita’s food.”
She looks so conflicted as she whispers to me, and I can’t help the way my heart overflows with happiness. She’s so fucking cute, and she’s mine. After all these years, she’s finally mine again.
I grab her hand and lift it to my lips, kissing the tips of her fingers. “I’ll take you back to Lita, baby,” I tell her, and Emilia smiles. I can’t wait to get out of here. I hate having this entire damn table between us. The only part of her I can reach is her hand, and I want more than that.
Emilia grins as though she knows what I’m thinking, and I chuckle. “Come here,” I tell her, half rising from my seat to lean over the table. She shakes her head and meets me for a quick kiss, and I sigh in disappointment.
I wait impatiently for Mrs. Henderson to take my card, and by the time I’ve got it back in my hand I’m ready to throw Emilia over my shoulder. She looks at me and chuckles at my expression as she rises from her seat. I help her into her coat and keep my arm wrapped around her. She leans into me and smiles up at me, and my heart skips a beat.
Emilia and I both tense when the door opens right before we walk out, and Layla walks in. She freezes, her eyes falling to my arm around Emilia’s shoulder, and she frowns.
“Emilia, Carter,” she says, an insincere smile on her face.
I nod at her and pull Emilia along, not wanting to speak to her at all, but she crosses her arms over each other and blocks our way. I have a feeling Emilia isn’t going to appreciate it if I shove her away, so I stay put, silently fuming.
“How is your boyfriend?” Layla asks, vindictiveness flashing through her eyes. Emilia smiles up at me and rises to her toes to kiss my cheek, catching me by surprise.
She looks back at Layla and grins. “He’s standing right here. Why don’t you ask him?”
Layla looks at me in disbelief and raises her brows. “What?” she says, before turning back to Emilia. “What about Sam?”
Emilia shrugs and wraps her arm around my waist. “I have no idea. He went back to London after we broke up, and we haven’t spoken since. I can give you his number if you want, though.”
Layla stares at Emilia and grits her teeth, and I just about manage to suppress a smile. Emilia looks at me and smiles. “Ready to go home, babe?” she says, and I nod.
I smile as Emilia pulls me past Layla. My Minx looks agitated and angry, and she glares at me as she drags me to my car. I love the way she pouts, the way she shows me all her pettiness and her jealousy. She glares at me as we reach my car, and I grin.
I push her against my car and hook her leg around my hip, my lips finding hers. I kiss her until she relaxes against me, and then I drop my forehead to hers. “Boyfriend, huh?”
Emilia pulls away from me and looks at me with wide eyes. “I… it just slipped out. I was just…”
I laugh and thread my hand through her hair. “You what? You were just being possessive? Jealous? Claiming me as yours?”
Emilia blushes and looks away, and I drop my lips to her cheek, kissing her gently. “I prefer husband, but I guess we can start off with boyfriend.”
She gasps and pushes against my chest, shaking her head. She thinks I’m joking, but I’m not. I’m more certain now than I’ve ever been before. I’m making Emilia my wife. I know that there’s so much standing between us, but fuck it all. I’ve given my family so many of my years. I’ve done everything I could to make them happy, to make sure Kate was healthy. John is right. Enough is enough. I’ll happily move to London with Emilia, away from everything and everyone. She won’t ever have to speak to them or see them if she doesn’t want to. I lost out on so many years with her, and I’m not willing to spend even another second without her. I always thought she could do better than me, that she’d be happier without me, but I was wrong. She’s just like me. She’s still my other half, the way I am hers. I see it in the change in her since she came back home, the way she smiles at me, the way she touches me. I thought I was doing her a favor by staying away, but instead I just made us both suffer. No more. I’ve done what I thought was the right thing for so long, it’s about time I do what is right for me, for us.
I let her go and open the car door for her, a smile on my face. She glances at my Ferrari, the car she drove here, and I wink at her. “Graham will pick it up,” I tell her, and she nods, a smile on her face. Emilia looks at me and smiles as I drive us home. She grins and drops her hand to my thigh, slowly but surely inching closer to my rapidly hardening dick. I grin and take a left turn where I should be taking a right, and I park in front of the park I took Emilia to on her sixteenth birthday. It’s pitch black around us, the road deserted, and I smile at her.
“It’s like you can read my mind,” she whispers, and I grin as I undo my seat belt. Emilia is in my lap the second I’ve got it off and I grin against her lips.
“I’ve missed you, Carter,” she says, sighing. I bury my hand in her hair and kiss her, her hand roaming over my body. I smile against her lips when her hands find their way to my trousers.
“I’ve missed you too, Emilia. Every second of every day, Minx. You were always on my mind, always in my thoughts and in my every dream.”
I caress her waist and move my hand down her thighs, and she inhales sharply when my fingers find their way between her legs. I grin when I realize she’s already wet.
“Me too,” she whimpers, moaning as I tease her. “I’ve thought of you every day, Carter. It was always you.”
I watch her as she gets closer and closer, this moment so fucking precious. I want things to be like this between us forever. She shatters on my fingers and I smile as she kisses me, small whimpers escaping her lips.
Emilia grins and grabs my cock, sinking down on me hard and without warning. I moan loudly, and she smiles smugly. I hold her as close as I can as she rides me, my heart overflowing with love.
Emilia rotates her hips, making me moan again, and then she smiles. This girl. She’ll drive me fucking insane.
Chapter 50
Emilia
I wake up in Carter’s bed and smile to myself as he pulls me closer, still fast asleep. I snuggle into him and sigh. I’ve been on cloud nine all week. Things have been so perfect between us, and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t even mind the sneaking around we do around the house. If anything, I find it fun and exciting. I’ve spent every single night in Carter’s bedroom, and
I have a feeling Dad knows, but he’s just letting us be.
I was worried that Dad would be upset, or that he wouldn’t approve, but he hasn’t said a thing. I guess he might be waiting until we tell him ourselves, but we haven’t really talked about our future together. I told Carter that whatever was going on would be temporary, but neither one of us is acting like it will be.
I’ve only just about started to fall back asleep when my phone buzzes. I glance at it and frown when I realize it’s the local clinic’s number. I pick up, feeling anxious, my voice still sounding sleepy.
“Emilia?”
I freeze, recognizing Layla’s voice. Why did it have to be her, of all people.
“Good morning, Layla.”
I try to get up, but Carter groans and pulls me even closer. “Minx,” he murmurs, his eyes fluttering before he falls back asleep.
Layla falls silent on the phone, and for a second I actually feel bad. She clears her throat awkwardly.
“It’s about your blood tests. There was an anomaly in them,” she tells me, and my heart starts to hammer in my chest. She laughs, and the sound sends chills down my spine.
“I was wondering why Carter was so adamant that you shouldn’t ever see the physical files. He asked me to call you with the results, but he requested that I keep the paperwork from you. I didn’t think much of it, because it’s Carter, but I just had a look at your files, and something doesn’t add up.”
I feel uncomfortable and anxious. “What are you talking about?” I whisper, my voice shaking.
“Your blood type is A, but your father’s blood type is B, and your medical file states that your mother’s blood type is O.”
I blink, not quite getting it. Layla sighs loudly. “I never knew you were adopted, you know? It’s nice that you’d still consider organ donation for your adoptive father, but unfortunately, you aren’t a match.”
I sit up and push Carter away, my stomach churning. “This must be some kind of mistake,” I whisper, feeling sick.
Layla pauses. “I’ve ran all the tests twice, Emilia. Your blood types don’t match, and it’s impossible for two parents with blood type B and O to have a child with blood type A. I hate having to be the one to tell you this, but I just thought something like this shouldn’t be kept from you.”
I don’t even hear whatever else she’s saying, my mind whirling. My phone drops from my hand and I start to tremble. My dad isn’t my dad? How could that possibly be true? Does he even know? Why would he take care of me for so many years if he knew? Why would he have kept me after my mother left us?
Maybe Layla is wrong, and my mother’s blood type isn’t O. I run a hand through my hair, and Carter shifts uneasily. I glance at him as he blinks lazily, a smile on his face as he wakes up and finds me sitting here with him.
Carter frowns and sits up when he realizes something is wrong, and I take a good look at him. Could Layla be right? Has Carter known all along?
“Emilia?” he says, sitting up. The sheets fall to his waist and he leans back against the pillows. He runs a hand through his hair, confusion clouding his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
I inhale deeply and wrap my arms around myself. “Is it true?” I ask. “About my dad?”
Carter glances at my phone in my hands, his eyes widening.
“What do you mean?” he asks. I see the wheels in his mind whirling, and the way he looks at me makes my heart sink. I’ve seen that look in his eyes before, but I’ve never seen it directed at me. He looks calculative and defensive, and I’ve got my answer. Betrayal washes over me, and my stomach churns violently.
“Layla called,” I whisper, and Carter’s eyes fill with resignation. He looks down, as though he can’t face me, and my heart twists painfully.
“She said there was an anomaly in my blood work. But then, you already knew that, didn’t you? She said she’s had the paperwork for weeks, and you asked her not to share it with me. Why, Carter? Why would you do that to me? Why would you keep something like that from me?”
He looks so lost, so heartbroken, but I have no sympathy for him. I shake my head and get out of bed, throwing my robe on as quickly as I can. Carter grabs me from behind and holds on tightly, his chin on my shoulder.
“Emilia,” he whispers. He wraps his arms around me tightly, as though he’s scared to let me go, to let me walk away.
He’s got his hands wrapped around my waist, and I grab them tightly, holding on for just a second before forcibly removing them. I can’t tell if I’m in shock, if I’m just angry or if I’m sad. I push away from Carter and grit my teeth, forcing back my tears.
“How could you?” I ask him, my voice breaking. “How could you keep something like this from me? How long have you known?”
Carter sits down on his bed and turns me so that I’m facing him. I look at him, and a tear drops down my cheek. He’s the one person I always thought would have my back. The one person that would never lie to me, that would never betray me.
He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, looking just as devastated as I do. “Emilia, this is something you father intended to take to his grave with him. He didn’t want you to know. I only found out when he first got sick, and at the time you and I hadn’t even spoken in years.”
He raises his hand to my face and swipes my tears away with his thumbs, his expression anguished. “What about when I came back? How could you have taken me to bed knowing you were keeping something like this from me?”
Carter pulls his hands away and sighs. “Minx, it wasn’t my place to tell you.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “So, if I hadn’t found out, you would’ve kept this from me for the rest of our lives?”
Carter looks away and shakes his head. “I don’t know, Emilia. I don’t know.”
I sniff and clutch my robe tightly. I don’t even know how to feel. I have a million questions that I’m not even sure I want the answers to.
When Dad first told me about his diagnosis, I thought I’d be able to save his life. I thought it was only a matter of time until all tests came back positive. Would I have been able to save him if I were his real daughter?
I inhale deeply, shakily, and walk out of Carter’s room. For the first time in forever, he isn’t who I need right now. He isn’t the person I can turn to when my world falls apart, because he had a hand in it.
Chapter 51
Emilia
I walk into my own bedroom, my entire body trembling. I can’t get myself to stop. I can’t get my heart to stop racing, to stop hurting. Breathing feels hard, and every few seconds I choke on another sob. My eyes fall closed, and yet another tear drops down my cheeks as I sink down to the floor, my knees hitting the cold marble floors.
I think back to my childhood, to the resentment my dad so clearly felt for my mother, the way he could barely look at me for the first couple of years after my mother left, even though he clearly loved me. I think back to all the times he took care of me when I was sick, all the times he held me when I cried. I still remember how distraught he was when I contacted my mother years ago, how upset he was when she told him I was stalking her, when all I really did was email her. Why did he keep me if I’m not even his? Why did he raise me? How long has he known? I don’t understand why he never told me.
I inhale as best as I can, a sob tearing through my throat. I raise my hands to my face and allow myself to burst into tears. I don’t want to cry, I don’t want to feel this way. I don’t want to be weak, but my heart feels so broken.
I feel arms wrap around me, and I look up, expecting to find Carter, but instead it’s my Dad that looks into my eyes. He looks worried and pained, as though finding me crying hurts him more than it does me, and I start to cry even harder. Dad hugs me tightly, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
“Emilia, what happened?” he asks, sounding incredibly worried.
“Daddy,” I murmur, my tears falling endlessly. I tighten my grip on him. He feels so thin, so frail. I thought I’d be able to d
onate my kidney to him, but that’s never going to happen now. Whatever is left of my heart shatters. “I can’t save you,” I whisper. I never told him I got the tests done, because I was scared he’d lose hope. But now… I can’t hold it in anymore. If I’d been his real daughter, I might have had a chance to save him.
Dad tenses and pulls away, grabbing my shoulders. “What?” he asks, and I see fear flash through his eyes. The door opens behind him, and Carter walks in. The two of them exchange a look, and dad looks down in resignation.
“Why…why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, my voice breaking.
Dad cups my cheeks and wipes away my tears. He inhales deeply and shakes his head. “Because there was nothing to tell you. You’re my daughter, Emilia. You’re my little girl, my princess. I was there on the day you were born, I was there when you took your first steps, and I will be there to walk you down the aisle. You’re mine in every way that matters.”
I sniff, and Dad tucks my hair behind my ear gently. He smiles at me and shakes his head. “Stop crying, Princess,” he says, and I pout, knowing he’s about to tease me. “It’s not a good look on you, sweetheart.”
The edges of my lips tug up, and I try my best to stop my tears. Dad throws his arms back around me, and I rest my head on his shoulder. “This changes nothing, Emilia. You’re still my daughter. You’ll always be my daughter, and I’ll always love you.”
The Ruins Of Us (Mayhem Book 3) Page 20
