Page 50 of Steamy Ever After

Carter rises to his feet, his fingers gently lifting my chin until our eyes meet. "Lacey Michelle, marry me."

In that moment time seems to stand still. I want this journey with him, truly I do, but I know what obstacles are to come, and my gaze falls away as I shake my head and choke out whispered words.

"I can't."

CHAPTER 13

Carter

"What? You’re turning me down?"

I search Lacey's eyes for an explanation and see a flicker of pain hidden within the blue orbs. An equally distressing look crosses her face before she schools her expression.

Her hand falls out of mine, the warmth of her touch fading like a distant memory. I turn away before she sees the hurt flashing across my face. I force nonchalance in an attempt to mask it. Night is falling, and its impending darkness cloaks me in its inky depths. I struggle for composure, her rejection slicing open my heart as I manage a tight rein on my emotions.

"Carter, please. I don’t want to hurt you, but I don't know what to say to make it better."

I shrug off her pity with feigned indifference. "What more is there?"

A crack of thunder steals the sky as I turn away from the woman I thought would be my wife. Her rejection claws into me, finding tender flesh within my psyche to mangle. A storm is brewing, and the sound of its impending waves pummel the shore and provide a tumultuous soundtrack for what rages inside of me.

"I’m sorry."

"So am I." I walk off toward the house, putting distance between us to cater to my need for silence.

"I didn’t mean to hurt you." She calls to me, her voice disappearing in the wind.

"But you did," I mutter. The heady mix of disbelief, anger, and resentment jabs me as I arrive back at the house. I pass by my mother and brother, their curiosity evident as Lacey follows silently behind me.

I fling open the screen door with a vengeance that nearly takes it off its hinges and barge through the house to the kitchen where I help myself to a beer.

"What's wrong?" A look of bewilderment scratches lines across Mom's forehead.

"Does it matter?" I snark before chugging down the cold brew.

"It matters to me."

She watches as I stomp the pedal to the garbage can and slam the bottle into the bag-lined cavity. Lacey catches my eye as she breaches the doorway, but I quickly catch myself and look away.

"It's my fault," she quietly admits.

"What? How so?" Mom asks in disbelief. Her attention shifts away from me to Lacey.

"I said no."

Silence falls over the room as Declan appears. "What's going on?"

No one speaks as the three of us exchange glances, our gazes ricocheting between us all.

"Well, somebody better spit it out," my brother declares.

I wait but Lacey says nothing.

"I'll just say my week's getting shittier by the day. Funny thing is, it's not my fault."

"It's my fault." My mother's tone is somber as she pulls out a chair and drifts down into the seat. Lacey follows behind her and the two exchange a glance. A sad look slides across Mom's face and I suddenly feel like there's something unspoken weighing down their mood.

Mom looks first at Declan, then me, and at that moment my heartbeat staggers its beat.

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