17. Carter
17
CARTER
I struggle to drag my eyes away from Rosie who is standing across the room at the River Bell, next to the window showing the freezing evening sky. It’s that smile that slays or the way her blue dress exemplifies her fuller breasts that has me entranced.
I shouldn’t be, as the room chatters with people drinking wine. The River Bell, the restaurant on the old paddle steamer at the dock, is sophisticated enough. Also, it’s the place where one celebrates becoming mayor.
I’m wearing a suit and nursing the scotch in my hand. I tear my eyes away because Oliver is attempting to engage me in conversation.
“This will be a fucking travesty if you don’t win. Mom and Dad over there will be in meltdown mode and trying to find a loophole to recall the election.”
We both glance to the corner of the room, where our parents are chatting with former business associates, all with wide grins on their faces. The private room with appetizers and drinks floating around is mostly enjoyed by their guests and a few who own small businesses or have a farm out of town.
Smirking to myself, I have to agree. “What can I say? I’m not exactly lacking confidence on this.”
My brother bubbles a chuckle. “Someone is a little too cocky.”
“I’m just being realistic. Last I heard, I already had most of the votes. Hell, even Pete Smythe already shook my hand earlier out on Main Street because he knew I will most likely win.”
He bobs his head side to side. “It’s a solid point.” His eyes travel between Rosie and me because my sight has drifted again. “Uh… is it official yet that you two are back together and regretting your divorce?”
Oliver has an impeccable capability of throwing cold water on me to break me away from the contentment of the current day. I side-eye him, not at all impressed. “Here isn’t the time to talk about this. I have the owner of Foxy Rox to talk to and discuss small business incentives.” Yet, I don’t move. I ponder. “We’re living together, having a baby, no longer in separate rooms, communicating and open, isn’t that enough?” It’s not, not really. She needs to have my name again, and my clock runs fast. But maybe the image of what we currently are is enough for other’s opinions, even though I don’t care. I just want them to hush their views.
“All great signs. I mean, the moment she re-entered your life you were no longer the man who mopes around grumpy. It’s just, you’re my brother, so I know that you are pining for something more. It’s not rocket science.”
I chuff a sound. “Tell that to Rosie,” I admit. “For someone who normally throws caution to the wind, she’s now a bit more practical when it comes to marriage, more reserved, yet still burning cinnamon sticks around the house.”
“We all grow.”
I tut my tongue then take another sip of my drink, driving my sight to Rosie who’s laughing with Esme and Hailey as she looks down at her belly that she rubs. For a second, our eyes catch, and her smile might even brighten a little.
“I’m trying to respect her timeline, but I’m about to lose my damn mind.”
Olivers squeezes my shoulder. “That’s because you never actually let her go. Hang in there. Besides, you have a town to run now. And Mom to deal with. Alert. Alert. Woman who bore us at 12 o‘clock.”
“Boys,” our mother sings in her chipper tone as she walks to us with her fitted black dress and necklace with a diamond pendant. “I hope you two are behaving. We have just received a call that my son is a man in government now.” My mom eagerly gives me a side-hug.
“I’ve always worked for the government. I’m a police officer,” I deadpan.
Logic washes over her face, and she shutters her eyes. “Of course, silly me.”
“Are the votes in?” Oliver asks.
“They are.” She grins.
Truthfully, this news gives me a sense of pride that races through me, and I feel the corner of my mouth snag.
She directs her attention to my brother. “You need to go grab the new mayor’s wife for us. Be my favorite youngest son and do that for me?”
Oliver smirks slyly to himself. “Not quite his wife, but sure. I’ll stir the pot for ya.” He strolls aways, and I force a smile to my overexcited mother.
“Your father is ensuring champagne is passed around for a little toast, photos and handshakes, all of those kinds of things. I’m so proud of you. Mayor and soon-to-be father. I noticed Rose seems thrilled to be here. Once the baby is here then I’m sure she will fall right into the role of holding your arm while you give a speech at the town’s July Fourth picnic. Speaking of which, it’s a blue blanket that I need to get, right?” she causally throws in.
I smirk. “Nice try, but I’m not saying.”
My mother wiggles her finger at me and grins. “You don’t want to tell your dear old mom? I won’t tell a soul.”
“You would be the last person I trust.”
She lets me off without further investigation because our attention turns to Rosie who joins us. “Congratulations.” Her ear-to-ear smile mirrors my own before she gives me a hug.
“Thanks.” I appreciate how she naturally settles next to me, in the perfect spot for my hand to find home on her lower back. Her radiant smile between us all is a bonus, too.
“Ready?” Rosie asks me, while my mother waves to my father. The way Rosie peers up to me from my side, forcing me to glance down, is perfect.
“Nothing to be nervous about. I’m sorry if they plant you next to me for the next hour for photos.”
She stifles a laugh. “Mayor posing next to his baby mama,” she mutters.
I squeeze her close to me. “Don’t make me want to reprimand you right now,” I taunt her under my breath, and my long fingers cascade a little lower to borderline inappropriate on her lower back.
My father is thrilled when a tray of champagne arrives to add to the celebration. He is quick to shove a glass into my hand, while my mother offers Rosie a glass of orange juice.
Maybe I do have a few tiny butterflies inside of me. This is a career shift, after all. A milestone in someone’s life. Okay, maybe there is a little adrenaline, too. Fine, it’s excitement.
With one ding from my father’s glass using a cocktail fork, the room grows quiet. “If I can have your attention, I think we can celebrate what we all came here for,” he says, addressing the room. “It’s a great day for Everhope. I received a call to confirm, please join me in a toast for our new mayor, Carter Oaks.” He glances over his shoulder at me and lifts his glass. “I couldn’t be prouder of my son.”
The moment everyone claps, Rosie joins in, and I kiss her cheek while I bask in the fact that everyone is staring at me.
“Congratulations, Son. How about a few words.” It’s not a request from my father, it’s a cue.
Dropping my hand from Rosie’s back, I wait while the claps die down. Holding up my glass, I begin a speech that I didn’t practice except for a sentence or two. “Thank you everyone, for your vote and for being here with me to celebrate. To my parents, brother, friends, and most of all, Rosie, my…” My smile stalls, and I’m not sure what to say. Maybe people notice the moment of awkwardness in the air, and Rosie softly gawks her eyes at me. “Who I’m having a baby with.” It’s true. “I look forward to helping Everhope and ensure we stay the great little town we are. It’s an honor to serve you just as I have as sheriff, which is still a member of government.” I throw my gaze at my mother whose smile strains. “Cheers, everyone.”
The room clinks glasses with one another, and the buzz of conversations returns after people take sips of their drinks.
Rosie leans into me and touches our flutes. “Nice save there,” she teases me quietly.
“Well, we could rectify that title any moment,” I remind her.
She shakes her head playfully. Her demeanor changes to serious. “Congratulations, Carter, on becoming mayor.”
I side-hug her and lean down to kiss the top of her head. “Thanks.”
Before I can say more, a photographer appears before us, and she’s already adjusting her camera strap. My mother is encouraging Rosie to squeeze tighter into me.
“There we go. Perfect,” my mother is directing. “A smidgen closer perhaps.”
Rosie just finds it all hilarious. “Obvious much?” she whispers to me.
We give her three poses to fulfill the quota, and then she is dragging my brother and Hailey into the picture, along with my dad, and it’s a full-on family photo.
After a few photos, everyone is freed from my mother’s demands.
“Not you, Carter. We need some solo photos and, of course, with some others here.” My mother stops me from taking any movements.
But Rosie does, and she steps back. “She’s right. You have mayor responsibilities to fulfill now. Besides, I’m going to head home, and you can stay here. Hailey said she’ll take me. I’m tired.” She’s still smiling at me, and her words speak truth; she’s not trying to run.
I touch her shoulders, and my eyes drop to her lips then draw a line back to her eyes. “Of course. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but don’t wait up. You’re carrying important cargo.” I wink at her.
She closes our space. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She rises up on her toes to steal a kiss from me.
The kiss lasts longer than it should for public settings, but I don’t care.
Rosie pulls away, and her thumb draws a quick circle on my cheek. “Congratulations again, Mayor. We’re proud of you.”
We both drop our eyes to the view of the big bump between us.
“Go on. Get some rest,” I insist.
Rosie strokes my arm once, and our fingers graze before we part.
And I still can’t help but notice her bare finger.
* * *
Standing the doorway of my bedroom, I heave a sigh from the evening. It only took what felt like a thousand handshakes and chitchat conversations before I could escape. Now, I’m looking at Rosie sitting up in bed on top of the duvet, scrolling on her tablet to look at her baby inspiration mood board. She glances up and smiles to herself.
“You look like a man who is eager to get into bed, and I’m not entirely sure it’s for any activity other than sleep,” she comments then sets her tablet on the side table.
Walking into the room, I begin to undress. “That sounds like a challenge.”
A smirk plays on her lips. “Maybe.”
I huff a laugh. “Are we still in the insatiable part of the pregnancy?”
She begins to shift in bed and appears sultry and eager. “No. We’re in the I want to celebrate with you part of the pregnancy.”
My brows rise. “Oh yeah?” I step out of my pants and take no notice where they land after I toss them to the side.
She’s crawling on all fours toward the edge of the bed. “Yeah.” Her tone is floaty. “Now get on your back.”
Fuck it. I take off every scrap of clothing that I have and do as she says, my cock hard and straight up at her disposal.
Without missing a beat, I lie down, and she swings one leg over my hips, and in my own frenzy of undressing, she took off her own clothes.
We’ve had to ditch any positions where she is on her back, which, truthfully, has kind of been a win for me. Because here I am with Rosie on top of me, with her breasts full and the slope of her belly defined. A tantalizing goddess, as always.
She swivels her pussy over my lap, and a need to slam her down on top of my cock claws inside of me.
“You were kind of hot back there in your mayor glory. I might miss the handcuffs, but this is the next best thing.”
I sit up to kiss her. “We can keep the handcuffs,” I rasp.
My lips dust down her neck to the valley between her breasts, before I suck one nipple then move on to the other. I don’t linger for long because Rosie doesn’t give me a chance. Instead, she pushes my chest back until I’m lying underneath her.
“Want a confession?” she whispers.
“Absolutely.”
She lifts her hips just enough then lowers her pussy onto my tip. “I’ve been wanting to do this all night.”
She slides down my cock, and we both croon from the instant feel of her pussy encasing me. She clenches, and I’m close due to the rush of blood to my cock. She clamps harder and makes me a man unhinged. My eyes meet hers, and I attempt to disarm any idea in her head that she will get to do this alone.
My fingers run along her hipbones to her ass as she continues to rock her hips.
“You make me lose my mind,” I whisper.
The way she combs her fingers and pulls up her hair, only to let it all fall behind her shoulders is so fucking gorgeous.
Her nails claw into my chest as she bounces, her moans mingling with mine. I’m desperate to take control so I can nip at those peaked nipples. But she has me chained to the bed with her eyes, well aware that my dick is throbbing, and she is the only one to save me.
It’s a few minutes of heaven before my vision begins to litter with colored dots, and my body bursts when I come inside of her, our breaths now ragged and pulses high.
Rosie has a talent for making me fall for her all over again and then again.
Her lips seal against mine when I sit up, and I haven’t left her body. “That was…” I take control of my breath.
“Hmm.” She’s turning groggy as she does after sex. The perfect way to relax. So much so that our bodies shake off all worries.
Orgasms cause us not to think, as we are in a trance.
But eventually we snap out of it.
It’s a few minutes later, when I’m in bed sitting up and waiting for Rosie to return from the bathroom. That haunting feeling returns to me. The urge to ask yet another time.
I debate if I should grab her ring, and it doesn’t take long. I dart out of bed and grab the piece of jewelry that is a ghost from the past.
Setting it right where I want it to be, I wait patiently in bed, and when Rosie returns in her pajamas, I act natural.
“I bet you I don’t get to sleep. This baby will wake me at 2am for kicks and a party.” She yawns, and when she turns the edge of the duvet on her side over, she instantly freezes before she scoffs. “Really?” She doesn’t sound so thrilled.
We both stare at the ring that I left on her pillow.
“Yes, really. I’m breaking a promise, and I can’t help it, I’m going to keep bringing it up.”
She doesn’t enter the bed, instead her eyes swimming between the ring and me. “Carter, I said be patient.”
I lean across the mattress to grab her arm, but she dodges my efforts. “And I’m impatient. We’re opposites. Now, tell me what’s really bothering you?”
She avoids my eyes lasering in on her, her entire body language saying that she’s struggling internally with something.
Then it happens.
Something inside of her snaps. She picks up the ring and sets it on the table at the side of the bed with the sound bellowing through the room. “Because I regret what I did. I’m the one who ruined us. I’m scared I will do it again.” It shoots out of her mouth until she realizes it all rolled off her tongue, and the air grows stiff.
Her eyes droop to the floor with remorse, and I scoot closer to her as she stands next to the bed. My hand captures the side of her soft face, slightly cold from the brisk winter evening and the heating on low. “We just grew apart. It might have felt as though we needed closure at some point, but we never did because we were supposed to circle back to one another. I made mistakes too.”
“Only because I felt the need to explore and was careless with your feelings.”
I tug her wrist my way. “Hey, look at me.” Her eyes slowly sweep up to meet mine. “You also left a trail so I could find you again.”
Rosie rolls her lips in, soaking in my words, but I still see the struggle for her to accept what she hears. “Carter…” Her voice cracks, and she gathers my hand to hold between both of hers. “Your belief in us is the most beautiful and promising thing. It’s also my downfall because I never want to hurt you. I said I’m almost there about re-marriage. That’s still true.”
I sigh. “Just not yet.”
She kisses my palm gently and doesn’t let my hand go. “I love you so much that I want to ensure that you have it all without any little cracks. Just give me a little time, okay?”
My mouth stretches a weak line in acknowledgment.
Rosie begins to wobble on her knees on the mattress as I scoot back. We both find our spots under the covers with a swirl of awkwardness in the air.
It’s a few seconds until she does what she’s good at, breaking tension with a smile.
She nudges my arm as we sit side by side. “Point for proposal creativity, though.” She lifts a brow at me with a wry smile.
“Points for celebrating my career win,” I counter because it was good sex, and my disappointment erases off my face.
She giggles and kisses my cheek. “You’ll still let me steal a pillow?”
I shake my head and my mouth stretches. “It’s for the baby, so I’m not going to say no.” Rosie requires a lot of pillows these days to get comfortable on her side.
“Thank you. I promise not to steal any blankets.”
“How considerate of you.” We both shuffle into our spots to get comfortable for the night.
Once she’s snuggling in, I take a few extra beats to stroke her cheek once, and she nips my thumb.
“We’ll be okay,” she whispers.
Sighing, I know she’s right. Doesn’t mean I’m any less in the chokehold that this woman has always had on me or the fact that I yearn for her as my wife again.
For now, I hold her as we settle into another night of sleep.
Together.