Page 56 of Hope's Heartlands

He raises up on his arm, hugs Candace’s pillow to his chest and looks me right in the eye. “I’m stupid, is what’s wrong. There’s ten girls in this dorm that would love to go out with me but I’m too caught up on the one that wants nothing to do with me.”

I shake my head as I try to find the words to comfort him. The truth is, him and I are alike in this instance and I know exactly how he feels. I clear my throat. “I thought you and some of the guys were going to the beach for spring break.”

He shakes his head. “Nope, they all changed their minds. Well, honestly, I think their parents wanted them home but the point is that they all backed out.”

I sit up in my chair. Shit. I know Carson doesn’t have the best home life and he was looking forward to this trip. “So, what? You going home then?”

He swings his feet off the bed, still holding Candace’s pillow. “Nope. I’m going to hang here.”

I search his face. “Carson...”

He stands up and throws the pillow onto the bed before he paces back and forth. It’s only a few feet he can pace, but obviously he needs to move. “No, it’s fine. Trust me it will be better staying here instead of going home.”

Watching him, knowing some of the pain he’s going through, and idea hits me. I don’t give myself time to think about it before I tell him. “I have an idea.”

He stops pacing and puts his hands on his hips. “What’s the idea?”

I put my elbows on my knees and lean forward as he sits back down on the bed. “You can come home with me.”

I wait for him to respond. If there was any inkling that Candace was into him, I wouldn’t ask, but lately it seems like she barely tolerates him. When Carson scrunches up his nose, I grab a pillow off the end of my bed and throw it at him. “Look, it’s a good idea. You don’t want to sit here all week. Plus, you’d be helping me.”

He’s shaking his head. “I don’t know.”

I jump up, excited now. “Listen, Carson, it’s a great idea. Plus, you’d be helping me out.”

That seems to pique his interest. “How would me going home with you help you out?”

I shrug, not wanting to confess to all of it. “There’s a boy... I made a fool of myself. I need for him to think I’m over him.”

He looks at me with understanding. “Yea, I get that but I still don’t know... what will your parents think?”

In the last three years, he’s never met mom and Bull but I know they’ll like him and will love that I brought a friend home. “My parents are so happy I’m coming home, they’ll love that I’m bringing a friend. Plus, I don’t live that far away. If you change your mind, you can always come back.”

He’s silent as he weighs the idea around in his head. Finally, he nods his head. “Sure, I’ll go.”

I jump up excited. I should probably feel bad for using Carson as a buffer but I don’t. I was honest with him. Plus, he’d be so bored here all week by himself.

I grab my phone off the table and text my mom that I’m leaving soon and I’m bringing my friend, Carson home. Before she can text me back, I send another one. “Please tell Bull to be nice to him.”

Chapter4

Maddox

I'm working on Bull's bike at The Heartlands Garage. I have my wrench in hand trying to get a bolt off, and it's not wanting to give. I'm already frustrated, just like I am any other time that Bull is around. Even though he knows nothing about the way I feel toward Emma, I still can't help but resent him a little, because the fact is I know he wouldn't want me with his stepdaughter.

"Damn, brother, what's taking you so long?" he asks me.

I take my hat off and wipe my forearm across my forehead and then put my hat back on. I get back to work without looking at Bull. "It's just giving me a hard time. I'll get it."

"Look, dude, I don't have all night," he mumbles.

I roll my eyes because, honestly, what else would Bull be doing besides hanging here or over at the Ride or Die? "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it," I tell him.

He clears his throat. "You coming to the Ride or Die tonight?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I wasn't planning on it."

I know exactly why he's asking me. I've heard the rumbling through the garage and then over at the Ride or Die that they're planning some kind of party for Emma, but there's no way that I want any part of that. I feel like I've spent the last three years trying to avoid her and trying to forget the feel of her in my arms, the smell of her on my fingers, the taste of her on my lips. I definitely don't want to see her right now, not when I'm on edge the way that I am. Three years without pussy is hard on a man, but the truth is I can't even look at another woman.

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