110. Chapter Forty-One
Reid
Chapter one hundred ten
Carrie
Thanks to Blake, Reid and I sneak out of the building through a garage exit without ever being seen by the press. We head home to check on Kesha and change into casual clothes, in hopes we won’t be recognized from the press conference today. I’ve just finished pulling on black jeans and a turtleneck when Cat calls, and we end up planning a get together for tomorrow to discuss the wedding plans. She’s excited and this just feeds my excitement. By the time I hang up, Reid’s on the phone and dressed in jeans and a navy sweater that stretches deliciously over his hard chest, and yes, I do indeed approve of the hotness level of my future husband.
He ends his call and slides his cell into his pocket. “That was Grayson. Mia’s going to text you the address for a fitting she set up for eight tomorrow morning. She’ll be there. She said it’s the only time the designer could do it.”
Excitement and nerves take over. “That’s fast but great and so nice of her. Cat wants to go, too, and my God, I can’t believe we’re doing this. You need a tux and I need to lose five pounds before the wedding.”
He snags my hips and walks me to him. “You do not need to lose five pounds. You’re perfect.”
“Thank you, but every bride loses weight so she can look back at photos and say, ‘if I was only that weight once in my life, at least it was on my wedding day.’ It’s practically tradition.”
He laughs, a warm rich laugh that I feel clear to my toes, his blue eyes alight.
My gaze settles on his face, warmth spreading through me. “You never used to laugh like that.”
“You changed me, baby, and for the better, which is why I’m marrying you before you get away. Let’s go get our dog.” Kesha gives a wicked meow at our feet and now we both laugh.
“Is that approval or objection?” Reid asks.
“Probably objection,” I say. “But Nikki will give her a big ol’ wagging tale to pounce on and all will be well.”
He scoops up Kesha and looks her in her eyes. “You heard your mommy. All will be well.” He kisses her then and that tenderness in him that I’d once believed him incapable of squeezes my heart, but so does that word “mommy” after our baby talk.
The more I think about a child, the more I think that we’ve gravitated toward fur babies because we both need family, and a need to not only create a family but to be responsible for how we define its meaning. For now, though, I think about the wedding and the fact that Reid’s phone is buzzing again. He grabs it and looks at his messages. “The foster for the dog is confirming the time. We’re meeting our potential new family member at six here in the city. That gives us time for lunch and some shopping.”
“Which is great, but should we worry about the office? Do they need us? I think they need us.”
“We will worry often at work,” he says. “But not now. Now we just made a small fortune we’re still celebrating. Gabe and Connie will let us know if there are problems.”
“Problems,” I say. “I hate that word, but I have this sense that ours have passed and it feels good.”
“Yes it does, baby,” he says, wrapping his arm around me, and together we head out to bring a dog home to our cat and our family.
It’s a testament to what Carrie does to me and for me that I can walk away from the chaos of that press conference and not look back. I’m looking forward, to her and us, with my focus on marrying her. The Walker team escorts us out of the building without notice and Smith plays the role of driver and protector, but we easily tune him out and we escape without the press noticing us. Our first stop is the sandwich shop next to the jeweler who made Carrie’s ring and I swear that as I sit there across from her, watching her green eyes light with excitement over the wedding, I fall more in love. Making this woman happy makes me happy, which is one of the reasons this fast, small wedding set-up works for us. Carrie will feel the absence of family no matter what. I want this day to have her focused on a new family, not the mother who deserted her.
We’re just finishing up our meal when I dare to broach that subject and just get it over with. “The location for the wedding is in the lobby right in front of the skating rink and tree. We’ll only have room for about twenty guests.”
“I love that,” she says. “It’s intimate. It’s not about the guests but us.”
“I think so, too. Are you going to invite your father?” I ask.
“Are you going to invite yours?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I need to think on that.”
“I’d like to invite mine, I think.” She gives me a cautious look. “If you’re okay with it?”
“I told you that I’ll make things work with your father and I will. Invite him. I believe he’ll be proud to be by your side.”
Her eyes soften and she kisses my cheek. “I know that he was horrible to you. I know how big it is that you’re willing to do that. Thank you.”
I cup her head and press my cheek to hers. “Anything for you, Carrie,” I say, my lips next to her ear. “And I do mean anything.” I pull back and stare down at her, letting her see the truth of those words in my eyes.
“Reid,” she whispers, emotion in her voice and eyes. Unspoken words are on her tongue, words I know are about what I said today at the podium. Words better spoken at home, alone.
I kiss her hand. “Let’s go get those rings.” I stand up and help her to her feet and an hour later, we’re in the jewelry store, having just picked out a temporary band for me. We sit with the jeweler in his office and discuss a permanent band of his creation. After much discussion, he leaves us to discuss options as he grabs her band for us to take home. With Carrie’s input, I settle on a slate gray band with a design of the jeweler’s creation. “You could have asshole engraved on the inside,” Carrie teases.
“Aren’t you funny,” I say, swiping a strand of hair from her face. “I’ll settle for our names. Just our names. Simple, but meaningful. Us together, conquering the world.”
Her eyes soften. “I like that. Us together, conquering the world.”
“Good. Because I’m not letting you get away.” I lean in to kiss her when my cellphone rings. I groan and she laughs as I reluctantly snake it from my pocket to eye the number on the screen, my jaw tensing with the poorly timed call.
“Why did you just go all stiff and angry?” Carrie asks, sounding worried.
I glance up at her. “Because it’s Elijah,” I say, hitting the answer button. “Elijah,” I greet.
“I watched your speech,” he says. “It sucks what happened to you, but I don’t feel bad about putting you through that today. You fucked my wife and were unapologetic about it at the time.”
“We were both far from saints back then,” I remind him.
“But we’re even now and I’m all in on making money together. When?”
“I’m getting married during the holidays. So, right after the new year.”
“That works. I’ll be rid of Tabitha and Mick by then. They’ll pay for what they did to both of us.”
I don’t ask what that means. “A new year and a new way then.”
“Agreed,” he says. “I’ll talk to you then.” And without further preamble, he hangs up.
I slide my phone back in my pocket and Carrie is inspecting me like she thinks I’m about to explode. “Relax, baby. I told you. I got this.”
“Meaning what? I just said the problems felt over and he called. What was that?”
“He watched me speak on the news. He said a final and proverbial ‘fuck you’ and then declared us even. We’re done with this war.”
“Really?” she asks hopefully.
“Really,” I promise, taking her hand and kissing it. “It’s all about the wedding now.”
“It’s over,” she says. “Really over?”
“It’s really over,” I assure her and I mean those words. Every obstacle we’ve faced we’ve defeated. Now is the right time to get married. Right after we pick up our dog.
Three hours later, I watch my future wife fall in love with a big, goofy golden retriever that tackles me when I squat next to her and Carrie. The three of us end up on the foster home’s floor, laughing and I have this surreal moment about this being my life with my future wife.
Later, while we ride home with Smith behind the wheel, the new pooch in the seat next to Carrie with her head in Carrie’s lap, I’m reminded of Carrie fretting over problems earlier today, and my promise to make everything right. I don’t like promises I can’t keep and I want everything real and honest with Carrie. Motivated by this thought, I cup her face and lean in close, my cheek to her cheek, lips at her ear. “I can’t promise there won’t ever be problems but I can promise you they won’t win. We will.” I lean back to look at her. “Because I will fight for us forever and fight to win. And no one will ever hurt you.” I kiss her and we end up with our dog licking our faces, but tonight, once we’re alone, I’m going to make sure Carrie knows how much I mean that vow.
No one will ever hurt her.