16. Chapter 15
Siobhan
T he thought of moving into Carter’s place seemed so damn overwhelming. We just started dating and barely knew each other, but here he was, coming in like a real knight in shining armor. I was so glad I didn’t have to be strong on my own.
The police were right—I had to get out of here for a little bit. I could easily pay for a hotel, but it just seemed so wasteful. Plus, quite frankly, I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to be around someone who made me feel safe.
I didn’t want to doom our relationship by going too fast, but Carter felt like a rock for me. The fact that I wasn’t awash in abject fear was due to the comfort he provided the moment he showed up. The only other guy who could make me feel safe just by being in his presence was my dad.
Carter wasn’t rushing me into a decision right now, and he thought it might be a good idea to talk things over with his sister. It was nice to know that the Carmichael family had my back.
Natalie walked through the front door with her hands full. I immediately went up to her and grabbed one of the bags. Looking down at the bags, I appreciated the thought, but I had tons of wine that was already prepped. “Babe, I have plenty.”
Natalie just laughed as she started to unpack the other bags. “I know, but my mom said to never come empty-handed to a crisis. So I brought some snacks and wine.”
Carter wrapped an arm around my waist and chuckled as he said, “Mom never said that. You just want to have a proper girls’ night and talk about things without me being here.”
Natalie rolled her eyes but didn’t argue with him. I loved their family dynamic and was a little jealous of it since I was an only child.
He turned to face me. His lips brushed up against mine, and he thrust his tongue into my mouth. His kisses were always brain-melting, and today’s was no different. The world around me vanished as I explored his wondrous mouth. I loved how strong he was.
Our kiss broke apart when we both needed some air. He held me tight, and his mouth stayed closed, threatening another kiss. “I’ll leave you in her care. Let me know what you want to do. I’ll come back here, stay the night at the hotel with you, or we can stay at my place. Have fun with Nat.”
Before leaving, he looked over at his sister and added, “Be good. I’m counting on you to keep an eye on Shiv.”
Carter was something else, but I loved how he was the perfect gentleman who knew when I needed some extra love and attention.
As I watched him leave, Natalie uncorked the bottle of Chardonnay. “I need you to catch me up. What’s going on with those new murals? Is it super serious?”
I really didn’t want to go through everything, but it would help me to get it off my chest. So I was going to tell the truth the best way I could morbid humor.
“It’s just a little gift from my friendly stalker. They must have felt the need to remind me that they haven’t gone away. Although there’s a part of me that would love for it to be Annette’s asshole ex who thought he was attacking your house since you’re coming over here so much.”
Annette was living with one of Carter’s teammates, Scuba.
You couldn’t blame me for thinking it might be her ex.
I never met the guy, but I hadn’t heard anything good about him.
He was abusive, and he sent Annette to the hospital in a jealous rage.
And apparently, he also made all sorts of crazy accusations about Natalie when she took Annette’s son to his hockey practice.
Plus, I knew she walked the dog next door.
What if he followed her here, thinking this was where she lived?
Natalie laughed at my statement but shook her head as if she didn’t think for one moment that it was Annette’s ex. She said, “No way in hell it was him. The paint color and handwriting are a little too feminine for him. But I like the way you think.”
The smile on her face was more conspiratorial than that of a friend trying to talk through a difficult situation.
What the….
Sometimes I swore Natalie thought on a different plane than the rest of us mortals. Always multitasking and doing so much. Sometimes she said things that made no sense until she explained her train of thought.
“I’ll go get Annie, and we’ll have a proper girls’ night.
You’ll be okay, right?” Natalie was already grabbing her purse from the counter.
As she fished out her keys, she paused and nodded.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to be left alone but I didn’t want to look like a chicken either.
“While I’m sure Carter already offered, and you would rather be there.
But if you don’t want to be here tonight, you could come to my place. ”
Before I could even respond, she was out the door.
For the first time since bringing Stephanie home from school, I was left alone with my thoughts.
I didn’t like it, and I was so close to calling Carter, but he would be pissed if he knew that Natalie left me alone.
I didn’t want to call my parents since they wouldn’t understand, so I worked on putting together a charcuterie board.
If I was going to drink all night, I’d need something in my stomach. All of us would.
Then, I sent a quick text to her nan saying.
I’ll pick up Stephanie late tonight.
Don’t worry about it. Just pick her up in the morning. That way, she can sleep.
Thank you. Send her my love.