Chapter 18 #2
Luke took the last bite of his food and stood.
He picked up the glass and tipped it back, gulping down the remaining juice.
He picked up his bowl and carried it to the sink.
The clattering dishes caused Carolina to jump slightly.
He skipped out of the room and told no one specifically that he was going to play in his room until we were ready to leave.
Leaning over, I whispered in her ear, “Nothing is goin’ to happen especially with the four of us here.
You’re safe,” I promised as I patted her arm to offer her some comfort.
Touching her so freely was different, but after last night, I couldn’t help myself.
I had this need inside me to comfort and protect her.
I couldn’t explain it, not after the years of hating her for what she’d done to me; I just couldn’t not protect her.
I looked over to my brothers and Gentry, all of them looked between each other and over to me at my exchange with Carolina. With a shake of my head, I ate the breakfast she made me, the bacon the perfect amount of crunchiness.
Brooks and Holden sat at the table and Gentry walked over and leaned against the refrigerator as they waited for us to finish eating.
Once we were done, Carolina grabbed our plates and carried them over to the sink. She stood there and looked out the window, her hands on the edge of the counter.
“I’m going to go get dressed. I’ll be right back,” she said as she turned and left the room.
“Is she okay?” Brooks whispered when she was out of earshot.
“No. No, she’s not,” I said as I let out a sigh, hating that she had to go through this.
The three of them instantly tensed and went on high alert as they waited for me to elaborate.
“Not here. Not where Luke could hear,” I told them with a shake of my head.
“Let’s go out on the back porch,” I suggested as I stood from my seat and walked around the table.
The sounds of the chairs scraping on the tile floor echoed in the room as I unlocked and opened the back door. I walked outside, and the three of them followed closely behind me. Gentry pulled the door closed behind him.
I couldn’t help but look around the fenced-in backyard before I walked over and sat down at the table off on the corner of the porch.
They followed suit and sat down. Each of them put their elbows on the table and their chins rested on the tops of their fisted hands as they waited for Carolina to come outside.
Just as I thought her name, she walked out the back door wearing a light blue sundress. Her bare feet walked across the wooden deck in our direction.
I stood and walked over to her. She looked up at me with scared eyes as she let out a breath.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped. When I went over to my house, they’d blown up my phone with concern.
The second I told them that I needed to talk to them, they dropped everythin’ and came over here,” I whispered to her as I brought my hands up and ran my fingers up and down her arms. Chill bumps peppered her skin beneath my fingers, and I stilled.
“You didn’t overstep. I know how your family is. I knew they’d come running, and it’s okay,” she said as she stepped back out of my touch.
We walked back over to the table, and I pulled out the chair for her to sit down. She tucked her dress under her as she sat and scooted the chair forward. I sat in the chair beside her. I draped my arm across the back of her chair as we sat there waiting for her to be ready to begin.
I didn’t miss the shocked looks the three of them gave me as they sat across from us in silence.
“What’s goin’ on?” Holden asked, breaking the silence.
“I have a stalker,” Carolina blurted out.
The three of them went rigid.
“What do you mean?” Gentry asked.
Carolina explained everything to them just as she had to me, not leaving out a detail.
“What do you need us to do?” Brooks asked in a protective tone.
“I was thinking you could go with us to the sheriff, and Holden and Gentry could take Luke back to the ranch,” I told them.
I didn’t just want him at the ranch to go on an adventure like I’d implied.
I wanted him at the ranch around all the men that I knew would protect him.
The gate and fence around our property would hopefully deter anyone from stepping foot on the property.
“We can do that,” Gentry said as he looked over to Holden who nodded. His fists were clenched just as tight as his jaw.
“Thank you,” Carolina whispered without elaborating what she meant.
“For what?” Brooks asked.
“Being the same Courtright brothers I remember,” she whispered, her voice breaking with emotion at the last word.
“You don’t have to thank us. This is what families do,” Brooks said in reassurance. The bite to his tone let me know how mad he was at the situation.
Brooks pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed out a message to someone before he looked up at me and nodded.
His phone chimed within seconds.
“He’s waiting for us at the station,” Brooks said, and I heard Carolina let out a nervous sigh.
“Where are your keys? I’ll go get Luke’s booster seat out of your SUV,” I asked Carolina as I stood.
“They’re in my bag on the counter. I need to grab him a change of clothes to put in his backpack. We can’t forget it. His meds are in there,” she said as she looked up at me with a worried expression.
“I’ll grab them. Don’t worry,” I assured her as I nodded over to Holden and Gentry who stood and followed me.
I went inside and found Carolina’s purse just where she’d said it’d be. I pulled out her keys and tossed them over to Gentry who caught them and walked outside to get Luke’s booster seat.
“Are you okay?” Holden asked from behind me as I heard Carolina’s phone buzz on the counter.
I turned to Holden who’d gone stock still just as I had.
I walked over to the other side of the counter where her phone still lit up from the message that’d come through.
Picking it up, I let out a relieved sigh when I saw that it was her boss checking on her.
I carried it over to her bag and dropped the phone down in her bag as I turned back to Holden.
“No, brother. I’m not. I won’t be okay until whoever is threatening her is caught,” I told him honestly. He nodded in understanding as I grabbed Luke’s backpack and went to his room to grab the change of clothes.
“You ready for that adventure, little man?” I asked as I pulled a pair of shorts and shirt out of his dresser that were paired together.
I unzipped the backpack and looked down in it to double-check that the bag with his EpiPen was inside before I shoved the clothes inside.
“Yeah,” Luke said in excitement as he carried the two trucks I’d given him over to where I stood. I held out the open bag for him, and he dropped them inside.
“Then let’s go,” I told him as we walked out of his room, and I zipped the bag closed.
“You ready, Luke?” Gentry asked as we came into the living room.
“Can we go see Bullseye first and feed him a carrot?” Luke asked as he ran up to him.
“Sure thing,” he said. I looked around the room to only find Holden and Gentry.
“Where’s Carolina and Brooks?” I asked.
“Still out back,” Holden asked as he nodded in the direction of the back door.
“Let’s go say bye to your mom first,” I suggested, and Luke bound toward the back door. He yanked it open and ran outside, the door hitting the wall before it went to shut, stopping short of closing.
I went to the door and leaned on the frame as I waited for him.
Carolina knelt on his level and hugged him tight. Her eyes blinked rapidly to hold off the tears so she wouldn’t worry our son.
“You’re squeezing me too tight, Mom.”
“Sorry about that. I’m just going to miss you so much,” Carolina said with a laugh in an attempt to play off the true meaning behind her tight embrace as she pulled back.
“It’s okay, Mom. I love your tight hugs. Just not that tight, okay?” Luke said as he pulled back and looked up at her.
She put her hand on top of his head and ruffled his hair before she stood.
“You be good for your uncles and nana, okay,” she said to him with a nervous smile.
It clicked to me right then that this was why she was scared to let Luke out her sight.
“I will,” he said as he turned around and ran in my direction.
“Can we go now, Dad?” he asked me before he walked into the house.
Carolina walked over to me, and I turned sideways so she could enter the house. She turned to her side and stopped just inside the doorway. I looked down at her, and she mouthed thank you before she walked through the doorway.
I followed her through the doorway and heard Brooks’ heavy footsteps walk across the porch. I left the door open so he could enter and walked into the kitchen. Holden held out his hand, and I handed the backpack to him.
“His EpiPen is at the bottom of the bag. Make sure you take this everywhere y’all go today just in case,” I told him.
He nodded at me, and I held his stare, an unspoken conversation occurred between us as I pleaded with my eyes to keep my son safe. He put the backpack over his shoulder and patted mine in understanding as he walked to the front door.
“Let’s go, bud,” Gentry said at the doorway, and Luke bound over to him.
He turned back to look at me, a bright smile on his face.
“See ya later, Dad,” he said cheerfully, and I lifted my hand to wave goodbye to him as Gentry and Holden followed him out. They held my world in their hands, and I knew they’d protect him while I couldn’t be there.
“You ready?” I asked Carolina as I checked the back pocket of my jeans for my phone. It wasn’t there so I looked over at the table where it still sat in the spot where we’d eaten breakfast.
I walked over and retrieved it and turned to face Carolina.
“As I’ll ever be,” she said as she picked up her bag and walked to the front door without looking back at me.
Brooks and I shared a look of concern before we followed her out.