Carrie
Carrie
W hen Eli and Evan came home together without her car, she was sure that she wasn’t going to like hearing anything that they were going to tell her. She watched out the front window as Evan hugged his brother and waved him goodbye. Eli got into his car and took off before Evan even got into the house. Carrie stepped away from the window, pretending that she hadn’t just been spying on Evan or his brother.
“Hey,” he said, finding her in the kitchen. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, “I think that more important question is where is my car, and why didn’t you bring it back with you.”
“I think you should sit down,” he insisted. She wasn’t going to waste time arguing with him—not with the grim look on his face or the way that he had begun pacing the floor. Carrie sat down and nodded at him, letting him know that she was ready for whatever news he had to share with her.
“Your car was vandalized,” he admitted.
“Oh, God,” she breathed, “Alex is going to murder me.” She had reluctantly agreed to borrow a car from him when she moved into her apartment. She felt like she was taking advantage of him and Rod enough, accepting a furnished apartment from them. A car almost seemed overkill. She assured them that she could take public transportation, since that was what she had done back in Scotland, but Alex insisted that public transit around town was unreliable at best, so she accepted his offer.
“No, he won’t,” Evan assured, sitting down in the chair next to her. “I called to tell him about the car and he’s sending Luke Tracy, from work, to take a look at it. He’s also going to beef up security around the apartment building, so you might want to let your friend know.”
“So, Alastair can’t find me, and he’d decided to go after people in the building?” she asked.
“Not yet, but Alex doesn’t want things getting out of control. I’m sure he’s just being proactive about everything,” Evan assured. “There’s more,” he breathed.
“What do you mean by more?” she asked.
“Your cousins are sending security here for you too. Alex agrees with you that your ex is bad news. He wants to keep you and your baby safe,” he said. “We all want to ensure that happens.”
Carrie couldn’t help the small sob that escaped her chest. “I’m screwing everything up,” she insisted.
“That’s just not true,” Evan assured, but she already knew the truth. She was screwing up everyone’s lives by staying in America. If she just agreed to go back with Alastair now, she’d spare them all the trouble of having to deal with his wrath.
“It is the truth,” she insisted. “If I weren’t here, everyone would just be getting on with their lives, but now, you all have to deal with my mess. I’ve ruined everything.” She sobbed again, and this time, she didn’t hide her tears. Evan practically pulled her from her chair into his arms.
“Don’t cry,” he begged. “I have no idea what to do with a crying woman.”
“Well, if you’re going to have me working for you, you’ll need to get used to it. My hormones are crazy,” she cried.
“I see that,” he teased, “but your cousin will kill me if he thinks that I’ve upset you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Alex is worried that all of this stress isn’t good for you or the baby. He wants you to see a doctor,” Evan said. “I think it might be a good idea.” She covered her tummy with her hand and nodded. She knew that the stress wasn’t good for the baby, but she was so worried about her ex finding her, she never gave much thought to going to the doctor.
“I think that might be a good idea too,” she said. “I’d like to make sure that my baby is all right.”
“I’ll let Alex know. He said something about his wife’s doctor being good. Would you be willing to see the same doctor?” he asked.
“I don’t know anyone here, so yes,” she agreed.
“Great, I’ll have it all arranged. For now, I just want you to relax and try to forget about everything going on. I won’t let your ex get to you, Carrie, you have my word.” She couldn’t help but cuddle into Evan’s hold. She liked being in his arms, even if HR would have a problem with him giving her comfort. They weren’t at work, so why should it matter?
“Thank you, Evan,” she whispered against his neck. He tightened his arms around her as if reading every dirty thought that was running through her brain right now. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t put me up here with you.” Carrie was never one to wait for a man to swoop in and save her from her demons, but for some reason, letting Evan play that role worked for her. “I’ve messed up everything and you’re so kind to help me.”
“You haven’t messed anything up. You loved a man who wasn’t worthy of you, but now, you’re trying to fix your mistakes,” Evan soothed.
“If I’m being honest, I never really loved him. I didn’t know who he was when we first started seeing each other. I had heard the rumors about Alastair, but I was never one to put much stock in rumors or gossip. He was charming and swept me off my feet. When I finally started to piece together who he really was, I thought that I could change him—foolish, I know,” she breathed. “But I never loved him, and now, I just want him to leave me alone.”
“I get that, and we’ll make sure that happens, you’ve just got to let Alex and Rod take care of things while I take care of you,” Evan offered.
“You don’t even know me. We just met, yet you’re willing to take care of me?” she asked.
He shrugged, “I can’t explain why but I feel protective of you. I know we only just met, but I like you Carrie and I want to help you.”
She went up on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Evan,” she said. “For everything.” She took a step back from him and he seemed reluctant to release her.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “How about I make us something to eat?” he asked. It had been a long day already, and it was only lunchtime.
“That would be great,” she agreed, “I’m starving.”
“Great, I’ll make us some lunch, and then, how about we do a bit of work?” Carrie liked the idea of taking her mind off of her troubles by doing some work.
“Sounds good,” she agreed.
“Go sit on the sofa and put your feet up,” he ordered. She wasn’t going to argue with that plan. Putting up her feet and relaxing sounded like a perfect idea to her.
She had waited a whole week to finally see the doctor that Alex’s wife, Nova, recommended. From the way that her cousin’s wife gushed about the doctor, she was worth the wait. Carrie was willing to go to town to the local clinic to see a doctor, but Nova convinced her to hold out to see her doctor.
Over the past week, Evan and she had driven to work and then back home, under heavy security. All she wanted was to run by her place or even just out for a quick lunch, but she had agreed to follow her cousin’s and Evan’s rules. It was for her own good and she knew it, but she was going a bit stir-crazy as if waiting for something to happen.
Alex and Rod had arranged for her father to come to stay with them, but it was taking forever to get him to the states. Every time she asked one of her cousins about the holdup, they came up with a million different excuses. The one person who gave her straight answers was avoiding the topic of her father. Every time she brought him up, Evan changed the subject. If all went well, her dad would be in America by the end of the week. All she really cared about was that he was safe, and she wasn’t even sure if that was the truth.
Spending every night just down the hall from Evan was beginning to play with her overly active hormones too. Spending every waking hour with the man wasn’t a hardship, but she had to remember her place. She was his assistant and crossing that line might not be a good idea. Evan seemed to be the kind of guy who liked rules and breaking them didn’t seem like something that he did easily.
She grabbed her purse and jacket; walking down to the kitchen to find Evan. They hadn’t really discussed him going with her to the doctor, but she would need a ride since she was without a car. “Um, I’m ready to head to my appointment,” she said, finding Evan sitting at the kitchen table. He looked almost as nervous as she felt. “I can get the security guard out front to drive me if you have a meeting or something.”
“My schedule is clear,” Evan said, although she already knew that. Carrie was just trying to give him an out if he wanted to take one. “I don't mind taking you.”
“Okay, thank you,” she breathed.
They rode in silence into the doctor’s office, and she wanted to ask Evan what was wrong, but she knew better than to do that just before her appointment. If there was a problem, it could wait until after she got to see the doctor and know that her baby was okay.
As soon as they got to the office, she was shown back to an examination room and given a handful of papers to fill out. She tried to tell the nurse that she didn’t have her healthcare information yet, since it had probably been sent to her apartment and she wasn’t allowed over there to collect her mail, but the nurse told her that everything on the insurance end of things had been taken care of. From the guilty look on Evan’s face, he was the one who had handled it all for her and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to thank him or tell him to cut it out. With all of the men in her life trying to take care of her, she’d never learn to fend for herself, and now, she was going to have a baby to take care of too.
Before she was even finished filling out the paperwork, the doctor walked into the room and started asking what felt like a million questions. Carrie patiently answered them all and then, the doctor told her that she was going to be able to see her baby today, she couldn’t hold back the tears. She worried that they’d find that there was something wrong with the baby and when the doctor stepped out of the room to get the sonogram machine, she broke down completely.
“Hey, what’s this all about?” Evan asked. He was by her side, holding her hand, trying to soothe away her fears.
“I’m worried that she’ll find something wrong with the baby,” she sobbed.
“Why would you jump to that conclusion?” Evan asked.
“Because nothing about life has been easy these past couple of months. When I first realized that I was pregnant, I actually wished that the test was wrong. I didn’t want this baby, and what if I jinxed myself? What if I wished for something to be wrong with my baby?”
“First of all, I don’t think that you have that kind of power,” Evan said. “No offense,” he quickly added.
“None taken,” Carrie whispered.
“And second, you’ve been fine this whole time, right? No pains of any kind, so I’m betting that the baby is just fine,” Evan assured. The doctor came back into the room as Carrie wiped her eyes, trying to regain her composure.
“Ready to see your baby?” she asked.
“I’m ready,” she agreed. Evan squeezed her hand into his own, reminding her that he was still holding hers, and she smiled up at him. The doctor helped her shimmy her pants down to her hips and squirted some warm gel onto her lower abdomen. Within seconds, the sound of the baby’s incredibly fast heartbeat filled the small room, and Carrie started crying all over again.
“The heartbeat is strong,” the doctor said. She told Carrie that she was going to take a few measurements of the baby and when she finished, she turned back on the lights and handed Carrie a few pictures. “Everything looks great,” she said. “You look to be just over two months pregnant.” That was about what she had figured. The doctor told her that she’d need to be seen again in another four weeks and to make her appointment at the front desk. Carrie thanked the doctor and asked Evan to wait for her in the reception area so that she could clean herself up. He nodded and turned to leave the room, stopping in the doorway. Evan turned back to face her, and she felt as though she was holding her breath waiting for him to say something—anything.
“Thank you for letting me be a part of this today,” he whispered.
“Thank you for coming with me,” Carrie said. “I don’t think that I would have been able to get through today without you here by my side, Evan.” Admitting that might not be her best idea, but she meant it.
“Carrie,” he breathed. “I know that I shouldn’t tell you this, and maybe here and now isn’t the right time and place, but I have feelings for you.” He stared her down, and she wasn’t sure what to say next. Did she admit that she felt the same way or play it safe and not say anything? Disappointment flashed across his hazel eyes, and she knew that her moment had passed.
“It’s okay,” he said, “you don’t have to say anything.” He turned to walk out of the tiny examination room, and she almost wanted to call him back in, but she knew better. Not admitting her feelings to him was for the best. She liked her new job—she needed it to be able to take care of herself and her unborn child. Telling her boss that she had feelings for him too would have been a huge mistake, and she didn’t have room for any more of them in her life.