Page 75 of Back On Ice

I can’t leave them. Iwon’t. And more importantly,Ican protect them.

With the information Mom has on him… thisgiftthat she’s given us, we have a chance to live a life without ever having to live in fear of Dad again.

Now, I just need to get my head out of my ass and fight for my family.

Chapter Thirty One

CARTER

This ismy second morning in a row standing in front of a door I’m too nervous to knock on. Thankfully, it’s Tom’s house this time, not that shitty motel Dad is at.

Briefly, I’m brought back to the couple of months ago when I stared at this same door, nervous about my date with Sophie.

How different things are now. What if she hates me? What if she thinks I can’t be a good dad because of how I reacted, or thinks I don’t want her anymore?

If the roles were reversed, and she just walked out after revealing some life-changing news, I know I’d be questioning everything I know about her, considering I don’t think she’d be capable of doing something like that.

A heavy sigh leaves me. The only thing I can do is knock. My knuckles rap the door, and my heart pounds as I wait. I just need to see her face. Hear her voice. Drop to my knees and apologize.

The sound of the door unlocking has my heart pounding harder, and when it cracks open, I’m ready to see Sophie’s beautiful face, only to be met with Tom.

“Hey, Carter, I’m assuming you’re looking for Sophie?” He rubs his eyes like I woke him up.

“Um… yeah.” I scratch the back of my neck. “Is she here?”

“No, she’s not.” He levels me with a look. “Listen, I don’t know any details. But Sophie wasreallyupset the other night and has been at Abbie’s since.” Shit.

“Fuck, okay. I’ll head that way.” I run a hand over my face.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Tom asks, leaning against the doorframe. His expression is curious, and a little guarded, like he’s not sure if he should be pissed at me or not.

He should be.

“Not yet, but after I talk to Sophie, you’ll get all the details. Promise.” That’s not really a conversation I’m looking forward to. He may be my best friend, but he’s also Sophie’s brother. He tries to toe the line between being there for me and taking care of his sister, but if a choice was necessary, he would choose her. Fuck, if I was him, I’d punch me in the face.

With that, I hop in my car and ten minutes later, I’m ringing Abbie’s doorbell. It’s too early for her to be at the flower shop, so she has to be here. When nothing happens for a few minutes, I double check the car in the driveway, thinking I might have the wrong house. But nope, that’s her car in the driveway.

This time I knock, my knuckles pounding on the door as I pray Sophie will talk to me. “Sophie! Tom told me you’re here!” I don’t even care how desperate my voice sounds. “Please talk to me!”

Finally, the door cracks open, and I’m met with averypissed off Abbie. She’s dressed in scrubs and has a bag over her shoulder, like she’s about to leave for the day.

Sighing, she looks me up and down. I’m sure I look like a fucking a mess. My hair is tousled, my shirt is wrinkled, and in the last 48 hours, I’ve barely slept, so I won’t be surprised if I have bags under my eyes.

“I’m going to work,” she tells me before I can say a word. “You need to get your shit together and fix this.”

Swallowing roughly, I nod. “I will.”

“Good. She’s on the couch.” With that, she glides past me, getting into her car and driving off. Entering and shutting the door behind me, I peer around the corner and see Sophie sitting curled up in a pile of blankets, eyes red and puffy, and nose chapped with a pile of tissues around her. Auburn hair is piled high on her head in a messy bun, but even in her haphazard state, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

The urge to take her into my lap and comfort her is overwhelming, but I haven’t earned that back yet. For now, I’ll keep contact minimal until she decides she’s ready to forgive me.

“What are you doing here?” she chokes out, wiping her eyes furiously.

My mouth opens and closes, all the fear and panic rushing back into me. What if I fucked everything up so astronomically she never forgives me?

“Get out, Carter.” Her words are quiet as she looks down at her hands.

“I can’t,” I choke out, “I—” My words cut off as my feet move toward her on their own, and before I know it, I’m on my knees in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “Sophie.” Her name leaves my lips in a plea.

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