Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Between court and getting caught up on his regular cases, he was late getting home. He entered through the garage, then made his way to the living room. His father was in Carter's favorite recliner, remote clutched in one hand, sawing logs louder than SportsCenter blaring in the background.
Carter hesitated for a moment, just watching him.
Something Audrey had said a while back stuck with him.
They were all getting older, and despite the fact that he and his father didn’t always get along, he wouldn’t always be here.
Even though he drove Carter crazy sometimes, he was still his dad, and Carter still cared about him.
They may not be best friends, but Carter wanted whatever time they had left together, hopefully many years yet, to be better than the ones they’d put behind them.
As if Carter's musing alerted him to his presence, his father stirred in the chair. He glanced at Carter, then at the clock. “Long day.”
“You know how it is,” Carter responded. If there was one thing his dad understood, it was work. “Did you and Audrey get into anything today?” he asked as he settled back on the couch and crossed one ankle over his knee.
Dad shook his head but remained silent. For several seconds, they both watched the TV, then Dad spoke up. “She’s a good girl.”
His words didn’t surprise Carter, except for the fact that Dad had never before taken an interest in his love life. “She is,” Carter admitted.
“Maybe the forever type?” Dad asked.
“If she wants to be,” Carter responded softly.
Dad gave another nod. “I wouldn’t mind having her in the family.”
Carter smiled a little. “Yeah. Me, too. Where is she, anyway?”
Dad used the remote to gesture toward the stairs. “Said she had a headache and wanted to go lie down.”
Carter braced his hands on his knees and pushed to his feet. “I’m gonna go check on her, then start dinner.”
Dad turned his attention back to the TV, and Carter strode through the house and up the stairs.
He paused in the doorway of his room, a soft smile curling his lips at the sight that greeted him.
Sure enough, Audrey was asleep in the middle of his bed.
She lay on her back, her knees tucked up to the side, a pillow clutched to her chest, her injured arm draped over top.
Carter crossed the room, then carefully crawled onto the bed and removed the pillow from her grasp.
He lay down next to her and eased closer until she was almost in his embrace.
He brushed a kiss over her forehead, and she stirred, then slowly came awake.
Pretty blue eyes met his before she closed them again.
He lifted one hand and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Feeling better?” he asked softly.
“Mmm.” She nodded slightly and stretched out her legs but didn’t offer anything else.
Carter grinned. “We’re not even married yet and you’re already getting headaches?”
Her eyes slitted open to glare at him, but he could see the faint flicker of a smile at the corner of her lips. “In your dreams, Cross,” she quipped, then closed her eyes again.
“Are you always this cranky when you first wake up?” he teased gently.
Carefully avoiding her damaged shoulder, he trailed his fingers gently down her arm to the dip of her waist and swept his thumb over her stomach. “I wonder what you’ll be like a couple months in.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she blinked at him. “A couple months in what?”
“When you’re expecting our first kid.”
Her eyes widened before she schooled her features into a remote expression, and one eyebrow ratcheted toward her hairline. “Our first?”
“Yep. I’ve got it all planned out.”
She snorted. “Do you now?”
She pressed her lips together to quell the smile threatening to break over them, and he grinned in return. “Sure. Been working on this for a while now. Date a little while longer—”
“We’re not dating now,” she pointed out.
It was his turn to lift an eyebrow. “You’re living with me.”
“Temporarily,” she corrected, “and only out of necessity.”
He waved her defense away. “For now. Anyway, date for a few more months, then convince you to marry me.”
“Sounds like a long shot,” Audrey interjected, and he threw a mock glare her way.
“Don’t interrupt. I figure we’ll be married for a year or two before we start trying, so I’m not too old to play with the kids.”
She blinked. “Wow. You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.”
“Are you always this pushy?”
He grinned. “I think you knew the answer to that when you hired me.”
She rolled her eyes playfully but couldn’t contain the tiny smile that flitted over her lips. “This is true.”
“What do you think?” he asked. “Did I miss anything?”
Her eyes held a glimmer of challenge as she looked up at him. “And, what? Am I supposed to put my career on hold to raise these imaginary children of yours and take care of the house like a good little wife?”
His face turned serious. “Not unless you want to. Do you really think I’ll try to make you give that up?”
She studied him for several seconds, then finally shook her head. “No. I don’t think you would do that.”
Her answer filled him with relief, and he brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “Audrey?” Her brows lifted slightly in question, and he met her gaze. “I want to kiss you.”
It was both a declaration and a question.
He wanted to push her, but never pressure her into something she didn’t want.
She hesitated for a long moment, then finally nodded.
He slipped his fingers into her hair and cupped the back of her head, then dipped his head and kissed her softly.
Just once, just enough to show her how much he cared.
He lightly slapped her hip. “I’m gonna head down and start dinner. Come on down whenever you’re ready.”
He started to roll to his feet, but one hand shot out and fisted in his shirt, halting his progress. She released him as if she’d been scalded, and he took her hand in his. “You good?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Just… thanks—for everything.”
Not wanting to push her any more at the moment, he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, then slipped off the bed and left the room. It’d always been his motto to leave them wanting more, and he smiled as he felt her eyes tracking him the entire way out the door and down the stairs.