Page 38 of No One Else Can Have Her

“You can call it what you like but it doesn’t change the fact, it is what it is. If none of us loved you, Carly, we wouldn’t have waited around for you. We’d have left the home and been gone twelve years ago. Instead, we all stuck it out, and not because Nate demanded it either. If we didn’t love or care about you, all of us would have left you and Nate back then. We didn’t, why? Because you’re our family and we all love you, and no, I’m not going to apologize for taking some extra money. In case you didn’t know, I’ve got a baby on the way and a wedding to plan.” Reese shrugged. “Just because we took the money didn’t mean we needed it to hang out with our bestie. Now, are you here to break Nate’s heart or to fix it, because without you, he’s kind of … well, I’ll let you go see for yourself.”

Carly held up the stick and kept a smile on her face.

“Just do yourself a favor and don’t inhale too deep,” he said.

Okay, that wasn’t exactly comforting or great advice.

Reese left, and she heard him get into his car and start to drive off.

It was now just her and Nate.

Squaring her shoulders for the second time that day, she entered his home and immediately saw the problem. There was mess everywhere. She spotted a couple of empty pizza cartons, empty beer bottles, and there were also signs of Nate losing it. Broken ornaments, vases, and even some pictures were on the floor.

She checked the dining room, and that didn’t look great. He’d clearly gotten angry, and there was a mess everywhere. She moved into the kitchen, and it was strange because there was barely any mess, just a sink full of dirty dishes.

Nate wasn’t in his office, nor the sitting room, not even the movie room, and much to her surprise, she found him in the library.

“Why don’t you fuck off and leave me alone? There is nothing wrong with a man drowning his sorrows in some good whiskey.”

“Yeah, and from the smell, you’ve not even taken a shower,” Carly said.

This made Nate lower the glass and look at her.

She put her hands on her hips, and the hurt, anger, and betrayal just seemed to melt away as if it wasn’t there. Nate looked so lost, so alone, and she couldn’t help but feel responsible. This was her fault.

“Carly,” he said.

“Nate.”

“Have you come to throw more accusations at me?” he asked.

This was classic Nate. She had seen him like this with the others but never with her.

“No, I’ve not come to throw more accusations your way. In fact, I came to give you this.” She handed him the stick she’d taken this morning. Carly had thought he would be there when she took her pregnancy test, but then everything had gone to crap way too fast, and now she needed to fix it. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

Nate held onto the white stick and tilted his head back to look at her. He went to open his mouth, but she stopped him, putting a finger against his lips.

“No, you don’t get to speak, not right now. This time, I get to speak, and you have no choice but to listen. I am going to be the mother of your children.” She glanced behind her and saw the coffee table was dirty, but she didn’t care. The mess would be taken care of soon. She began to pull the table closer toward him and then sat down on the edge. Looking him in the eye, she stared at Nate. She was going to start off her rant with yelling at him, but seeing him now, knowing what he did, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“I love you,” she said. “I have loved you my whole life. From the moment you knocked on my door in the home, and you didn’t treat me like some freak.” She stopped and pressed her lips together. “You came in, you asked my name, told me it was a pretty name, and then you did something I’ve never experienced before … you hugged me, and from that moment on, I knew I was going to be loyal to you. I fell in love with you then, and it has never stopped. It has only gotten stronger. I know what you are, I know who you are and what you’re capable of, but I don’t care, because I know you. You’re not a cruel person, not unless someone deserves it.”

She stopped and took a breath.

“I never for a million years thought you could love me. Those guys … I didn’t care that they were assholes, or no-shows. I would tell myself I was trying to get over you by dating and seeing what other men are out there, because I didn’t for a second think I had you, or could ever have you. I am insecure. I’m a little crazy, and I know it scares me and it freaks me out. I thought none of the gang liked me—”

“They all love you and I only gave them the money because they wouldn’t take it for no reason. You know what they’re like and they will claim they didn’t need any reason to take money, but I’ve tried to give them more and they wouldn’t take it. This way, they took it.”

Carly smiled. “I get that now. I do.”

“You love me?” Nate asked.

“Since I was little. I’ve loved you for a long time and those feelings are only getting stronger. I want to be with you, I want you to be my husband and the father of my baby, and right now I’m trying not to freak out that I’m scaring you.”

Nate put his glass down beside her and then reached out, sinking his fingers into her hair and pulling her in close. She wanted his touch, craved it, and as his lips met hers, she knew this was what she wanted forever.

There was no way she could be with anyone else, or want anyone else. To Carly, there had only ever been Nate, there would only ever be him. He was her one and only love.

“Marry me,” Nate said.

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