Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Tonight was the night Carson would ask Mila to marry him.
Some might have said it was too soon to act.
That they had only known each other five months, but he knew her heart.
Her soul. She was his other half. She was good not only for him, but also Lily.
He thought of it from her point of view, going into a marriage with a man who had a child, but she had shown nothing but love for Lily.
And him. He knew they had built a firm foundation and were ready to take the next step in their relationship. One which would be permanent.
“How have you liked Bayfest?” Michael asked.
“It’s been a perfect day,” he told his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law. “Driftwood Bay is a very welcoming place.”
Not only had he forged a friendship with this firefighter, but he was also enjoying getting to know Keaton and Sullivan. Carson felt he fit in this town.
A large crowd had gathered on the beach, waiting for the bonfire to be lit. The wood which had been assembled was a good height and would burn for hours. He could see asking Mila to marry him as they stood alongside it, watching the flames lick the night sky.
“The lines must be long at the Porta Potty,” Michael commented. “I thought the girls would be back by now. Wait, there they are.”
Carson turned, immediately sensing something was wrong with Mila.
Something very wrong.
He broke away from Michael and jogged to meet her. Cecily had a hold of Mila’s arm, and she looked white as a ghost. His eyes cut to Cecily, who shook her head, and he knew not to bring up anything here. Whatever Mila needed to say would demand privacy.
Her gaze met his. “Take me home.”
Without question, Cecily relinquished her hold, and Carson wrapped an arm about Mila’s shoulders, leading her away from the laughter on the beach. Though the air was only a bit cool, her teeth began to chatter noisily, and he stopped.
“Keep going,” she said, her head down as she began walking faster, leaving him behind.
He caught up to her and noticed others eyeing them with interest as they passed. His gut told him something terrible had happened in the short amount of time they had been apart.
They reached his car, and he helped her inside it. He came around and climbed behind the wheel and looked at her.
She stared straight ahead and merely said, “Drive.”
Carson left the parking lot and didn’t press her to speak. When they reached her apartment, he cut the engine, and they faced one another.
“Something happened,” she said quietly. “With Marge Duncan.”
He winced. “What did she say to make you so upset?”
She finally turned to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d kicked Drake off the team? I thought we shared everything with one another.”
Marge had gotten into Mila’s head.
“First of all, Drake is still on the team, despite whatever he told his mom. I had already mentioned to you he was lackluster in practice and how Edith said he was failing her class.”
“What else?” she demanded.
Carson swallowed. “I pulled him aside at practice yesterday and told him that he needed an attitude adjustment. That he needed to realize he was on a team and not the only player who counted. I didn’t cut him from the team.
I merely told him he’d sit out Tuesday night’s scrimmage to give himself time to think about things. ”
Her gaze met his. “That’s a really big deal. Drake is a big deal.”
“He may be talented, but there are a lot of hard-working young men on this team. Drake stormed out of practice, and I let the players know what had happened. They were supportive of what I’d done, Mila. They’re tired of his prima donna act.”
He raked his fingers through his hair, frustration building within him.
“Marge confronted me after practice. I’m sure Drake called her right away, giving her a distorted version of what happened between us. She demanded that I put him back on the team. Said she was going to your dad. I’m sorry she dragged you into this.”
Her mouth trembled. “I was blindsided, Carson. I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me any of this. It’s not as if we never talk shop.”
“When was I supposed to talk to you about it?” he asked, his temper flaring.
“I picked up Lily. Fed her. We went straight to your game. I wasn’t about to march over to the bench and give you a blow-by-blow account of what occurred with Drake, Marge, and me.
Not before your match. Then today, we’ve been at Bayfest the entire time.
Yes, I planned to talk to you about this.
Get your input to see if I handled things correctly.
We just needed alone time for that to occur. ”
Mila bit her lip. “Marge said she had already talked with Dad. That he said it was a coaching decision, and he wasn’t going to get involved in it.
She was loud—and I think drunk. She said some pretty nasty things about you.
Since she didn’t get any satisfaction by talking to Dad, she said she’ll go to the school board.
Even the UIL governing board if she has to. ”
Tears welled in Mila’s eyes, and Carson reached for her hand. She pulled away, and he suddenly realized how serious this was.
“I worried about two things from the moment we started seeing one another,” she told him.
“One was trying to compete with Angie. We got over that hurdle. I can accept that you love her and always will. You’re a kind, decent man, Carson, and I would expect nothing less of you.
Still, it was something which concerned me, but you helped me put those fears to bed. ”
She fell silent, and he wanted to press her. At the same time, he was trying to give her space.
“My other concern was dating my supervisor. The optics just don’t look good to outsiders and whether you admit it or not, Marge has a point.
You’ve become family to my family, especially Dad.
I think even though he’s a terrific professional, I’m just not sure how objective he would be when it came to you and something like this. ”
Tears fell down her cheeks, and Mila wiped them away.
“I do not want to endanger your job. Because it’s not just you involved. It’s also Lily. You have to put her first. Her—and your career.”
“What are you saying?” he asked worriedly.
“We need to take a break. Step back from our relationship and think things through carefully.”
Her words gutted him. “No. Why? You can’t let a rambling, drunk Marge Duncan drive a wedge between us, Mila.”
“It’s not just Marge. It’s what everyone else will be saying.
We need some time apart in order to have a clearer perspective on things.
Jon Earl will still be in charge of evaluating my performance this year as far as athletics goes.
You’ll be expected to come to my playoff games as AD, but I don’t believe it’s wise to continue seeing each other. ”
“I strongly disagree. You’re letting a disappointed parent’s bitterness seep into our private lives.”
She looked at him sadly. “A small town constantly has its nose in people’s business. Especially public figures such as teachers and coaches.”
Mila sighed. “You’re everything that I could want in a man, Carson, but there’s more than just the two of us to consider.
I don’t want to torpedo your career. Please respect my feelings, and respect my decision to have us spend some time apart.
Things need to be settled regarding Drake.
You need to get your season off on a good foot, while I need to keep my head in the game as I lead my players through the playoffs. ”
Carson saw the pain in her eyes, knowing she was hurting as much as he was. This wasn’t easy, but she was being the level-headed, more mature person right now. She was right. Whether he liked it or not, her idea to take a step back from their relationship held merit.
“You know this is right thing to do,” she told him. “It will give you a chance to focus on your career and your daughter. I need to concentrate on my team and both the classes I’m teaching and taking.”
“How long is this time apart going to last?” he asked evenly, knowing he had to keep the bitterness from his tone.
He was afraid by agreeing to this that he would lose her for good, yet he understood where she was coming from.
Too often, perception was viewed as truth.
The residents of Driftwood Bay knew he was in a serious relationship with Mila and perceived that the school superintendent would give him unwarranted favor in a sticky situation.
“I respect what you’re saying, Mila. What you’re trying to do for my career—and us.
I’m not happy about it, but until things have been worked out with Drake, I’ll agree to put the brakes on us.
For now. I don’t see this going on for too long.
I hope you’ll give me a chance again once the dust has settled.
” He hesitated. “What should I tell Lily? She’s used to seeing you often. ”
“That’s up to you. You might tell her I’m busy with these playoff matches. School. If we do decide to continue our relationship down the road, I probably will need to leave the district, though.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. You were here first. You love what you do.”
“And I can’t ask you to leave. This is a huge opportunity for you, Carson, to be both a head coach and an AD.”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping, looking as if she carried the weight of the world upon them. He knew nothing further would be settled tonight.
“All right. I agree that we’ll put a pause on our personal relationship.”
“If we start up again, we may have to make some changes,” she told him.
The word if hung in the air between them, and his throat thickened with emotion.
“Can I at least walk you to your door?”
“That’s not a good idea,” she said softly.
“Can I at least kiss you goodbye?”
Mila nodded, tears streaming down her face now.
Carson touched his lips to hers, tasting the salt of her tears. He kept the kiss soft. Brief.
She pulled away, regret in her eyes. “No matter what happens, Carson, I’ve loved every minute of our time together.”
“I love you, Mila,” he said quietly. “That’ll never change.”
She opened the car door and closed it behind her, walking briskly to her apartment. Inserting the key, she opened the door and turned, giving him a small wave before disappearing inside.
He sat, stunned by everything that had unfolded during the last half hour. He had thought they would have a romantic night together, ending in a proposal of marriage. Now, he wasn’t sure if Mila would even be speaking to him, other than in a professional capacity.
Despondency engulfed him, much as it had when he had learned of Angie’s murder.
His heart told him this might even be worse.
With Angie, she had been gone from his life quickly, leaving a huge hole in his heart.
This time, though, it would feel like a living death, with Carson seeing Mila at school almost daily and not being able to touch her.
Really talk to her. She had become not only his lover but his best friend, and now everything had been ripped from him.
It was going to be next to impossible to function without Mila in his life, but he respected that she was trying to make the best decision for the both of them.
Carson needed to get this situation with the Duncans straightened out as quickly as possible and not let anything disrupt his focus. That had to be on basketball now. His professional reputation was at stake, and he knew the residents of Driftwood Bay expected big things from his team.
And him.
With a heavy heart, Carson started his car and drove home, not bothering to keep his own tears at bay.