Chapter 73
Cassidy
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MAVERICK CRASHED AT about eight, which suited me just fine He’d been nonstop all day and had tired himself out, as did my niece and nephew, which meant I got some quality time with my family without kids.
I headed up to my room about ten and found several texts from Carter on my phone. I’d left it on my dresser, partly on purpose, partly because I’d forgotten to retrieve it after my shower. Instead of texting him back, I called.
“Hey, baby,” he said, sounding breathless.
“Hi, honey, you okay?”
Was just finishing a run.”
I slid my watch off. “Want to call me back?”
“Hell, no. I’ve missed your voice. Just give me a minute to cool down.”
“Okay” I grinned. “I talked to Mia. Everything’s good.”
“I wasn’t worried, babe.”
“Well, I was,” I countered.
He chuckled. “You worry too much, Cass.”
“Just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean no one’s following me
“Yeah, but I’m following them, so I got you, baby.”
“Well, there is that.” I smiled. “Are you really out running?”
“Treadmill.”
“At ten o’clock at night?”
“Baby, you’re not here, so I had to work off some pent–up energy”
I bit my lip… hard.
“Babe, you there?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice husky. “I was just imagining how you might work off that pent up energy in other ways.”
“I’m coming over.”
“I don’t know if I feel up to working off anything in my parents House, Carter,” I whispered.
“As much as that sucks, I agree with you, but I am gonna come say goodnight,” he said. “Do I have to climb the tree?”
I giggled. “Do you want to climb the tree?”
“Not particularly, no.”
“I’ll meet you on the porch, then.”
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“I’ll grab a shower and be there in a few,”
“Okay, honey”
I hung up and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up a bit. I still had no makeup on and my hair was in a messy bun due to doing nothing all day. I combed it out, then pinched my cheeks for a little color rather than putting makeup on. I’d just have to take it off again, and quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered.
Carter texted me to let me know he was on his way, so I checked on Maverick who was sleeping soundly and then slipped out of the house. It was rather cool, so I grabbed a blanket and sat on the porch swing to wait for him.
“Hey, baby,” he said as he jogged up the steps. His hair was still damp, but he smelled delicious as he leaned down to kiss me.
“Hi.”
He sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “Missed you today.”
“Me too.” I smiled up at him. “How’d it all go after
“Fine.”
“Fine, good, or fine, meh?”
you left here?
He sighed. “Babe, I’m gonna say somethin‘ and then you need to drop it.”
I pushed away from him and sat up. “Well, that sounds crappy.”
“The shit I’m dealin‘ with with my family has nothin‘ to do with you. I know you think you’ve caused a rift or some shit like that, but it’s not true.”
“So, your mom doesn’t blame me for you leaving?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me,” I said, and stood. “How can we make a life together if your parents‘ hate me?”
“They don’t hate you, Cass.”
I crossed my arms. “Let me tell you a little secret about boys and their mamas. We are vicious when someone hurts them, and I can guarantee that your mother sees me as the enemy in regard to you… especially, because I took you away from her.”
He smiled and rose to his feet. “Baby, you didn’t take me away from her. And my mom might be working some shit out in her head, but she does not hate you. But even if she did, it wouldn’t matter. I choose you and I will every time. She knows
that.”
Well, that was seriously nice.
“She does?” I whispered.
“Yeah, honey, she does.” He pulled me into his arms and gave me a gentle squeeze. “I love you, Cassidy. It’s
always been you.”
“I kinda love
you too.”
He chuckled, and I dropped my head back to smile up at him. He covered my lips with his as I stood on my tiptoes and opened my mouth, touching my tongue to his and deepening the kiss. Breaking the kiss, he cupped my face and stroked my cheek. “I can’t wait to wake up with you every morning.”
I grinned. “You think that’ll happen?”
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Chapter 73
“Hell, yeah, it’ll happen. I still say we head to the courthouse sooner than later.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Why am I an idiot?” he challenged.
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I pulled away from him, but he held tight. “The fact you don’t know why just happens to drive home that you are.”
“I’m gonna wear you down, Cassidy, you’ll see.”
I rolled my eyes. “How long are you staying?”
“Tonight or this weekend?”
“This weekend,” I clarified.
“I’m driving home with you.”
“What?”
“You let me know when you’re ready to go and I’ll drive home.”
“What about your truck… or bike, or whatever you drove down with?”
He smiled. “I came with Jaxon. He’s leaving on Monday.”
I dropped my cheek to his chest. “Are you telling me that you came down this weekend because of me and that I don’t have to drive all the way home by myself?”
Carter chuckled. “Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m telling you.”
I squeezed his middle. “Sometimes, Carter Quinn, I love you so much I think I might explode.”
He laughed and kissed my head. “Well, don’t do that… it’s messy
I grinned and nodded.
“You gonna make out with me a little more before I have to leave?”
Smiling up at him, I licked my lips. “Um, duh.”
He led me back to the swing and the make out session commenced.
Ace
I left Cassidy an hour later and walked home. I arrived to find my mother in the kitchen, surprised to see she was still awake. “What are you doing up?” I asked, kissing her cheek.
“Waiting for you,” she said.
“Why?”
“Because you’re making a mistake and I don’t want to watch it happen again.”
I braced myself. “And what mistake would that be?”
“You taking up with Cassidy Dennis again.”
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I frowned as I sat at the island. “Mom, you need to quit with all of this.”
“I’m just trying to understand what this new obsession with you is.” She crossed her arms and faced me, leaning against the sink. “We never see you… you haven’t been home in almost a decade, haven’t even been to the beach house in more than two years, and now you’re suddenly here?”
“I’m here, Mom, I thought you’d be happy about it.”
“I am happy about it, honey. What I’m concerned about is you disappearing again. We’ve seen you twice in the last that’s because we came to Portland. Before that, it was once in two years.”
“I’m not gonna disappear, Mom.”
year
and
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” She frowned. “She took you away from me and then Aidan followed because he does whatever you do, including “protecting” the crazy Cassidy Dennis. I can’t help but think it’ll happen again.”
“First of all, she’s not crazy, and if you say that again, I’m out of here for good. Second, she didn’t take me away from anyone, Mom-”
“She got pregnant with another man’s baby, Carter, what would you call it?”
“Be very careful how you proceed, Mom,” I warned. “Cassidy was young, and she made a mistake, but I could have easily made the same one and you know it. Regardless of her getting pregnant, though, she’s not the reason I left. I left because of my career.”
“You left because she broke you.”
“Damn it, Mom, I did not!” I snapped.
“Hey, what’s goin‘ on?” Jaxon asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“Nothing, Jax,” Mom said.
Jaxon sat next to me at the island. “Where’s Dad?”
“Asleep.”
“Is that why you’re yellin‘ at Carter?” Jaxon pressed.
“I’m not yelling at anyone.”
“Kinda sounds like you’re yellin‘ at Carter.”
She jabbed a finger between us. “You two better not gang up on me or we’re going to have a problem.”
“Mom,” I said with a sigh. “No one’s gangin‘ up on you, but you need to hear me on somethin‘ because I’m not gonna keep goin‘ around and around on this subject. Cassidy’s gonna be part of this family one day… if I had my way, it’d be tomorrow, but she’s making me wait and I think it might have something to do with you and your opinion of her. So, you need to fix it. If you don’t want to fix it, that’s your choice, but you want me in your life, you will love my girl and mean it, because if you don’t, I’m gone.”
My mother gasped and threw her hands in the air. “See?”
“See what, Mom?” I challenged.
“She’s taking you away from me again.”
“Fuck me, woman, I can’t talk to you right now.”
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“Don’t you dare talk to me that way,” she warned.
I took a deep breath. “Mom, I love you. I will always love you, but you’re not hearing what I’m telling you. I am the reason Cassidy did what she did. This whole fucked up situation is on me and I will do anything to fix it because I love her. I have always loved her. She’s it for me and you know it. Whether you choose to believe my reasons for leaving and staying away or not, those reasons have nothing to do with Cassidy, and more to do with me workin‘ shit out. I’m going to marry her and I’m going to adopt her little boy because in my heart he’s mine and He always will be. You either get on board with this and make them both feel loved or we’re done.” I crossed my arms. “By the way, what happened to the letters I asked you to forward to her?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“You didn’t send them, did you?”
She had the good sense to lower her head.
“And did you send her some email saying I’d met someone and it was serious?”
“I-” She cut herself off, and I knew immediately she’d done it.
“Where are the letters?” I demanded.
“I threw them away.”
“Fuck me,” I growled. “I’m going for a walk.”
I walked out of the house and stamped down my anger. Cassidy was right, and I hated that she was right, more because the thought of her feeling unloved was beyond me. Shit!
I pulled out my cell phone and sent a quick text before heading Cassidy’s
