Page 23 of Bride for Keeps

“You don’t. She has to want to.”

“But how do I make her want to?” Cole was so big on wisdom and advice, why couldn’t he give a straight damn answer?

“I don’t think you can. I mean, in the way you’re thinking. You can’t go flip a magic switch or push the right button and she’ll pop open and everything in your life will go back into order. You’re looking for an answer. What you need is a solution.”

“How is that different?”

“It just is.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. I should have waited for Jess.”

“Maybe you should have. But, Carter, listen. I could be giving it to you all wrong. Who knows what the right answer is. There’s only one thing I actually know, and that’s whatever you do, however you handle this… Don’t do it like Dad would. If you really love Sierra, make it be about that. Not McArthur bullshit. No manipulations. No trying to make someone do whatyouwant them to do. That’s what drives people away.”

“That’s what droveyouaway?”

Cole blew out a long breath. “It’s not why I left, because that was Dad’s machinations. I couldn’t bend to his will, and I knew he’d give a lot more opportunities to Jess if I wasn’t around. So I left. He didn’t give me much of a choice, but all that—him trying to manipulate the situation, trying to make me what he wanted me to be, not what I’d be any good at being—that’s what kept me away. I didn’t want to be part of that. As an adult, I can see that he’s not the evil monster I thought he was, but it doesn’t mean he’s the kind of man I want to be. It doesn’t make him…good. It just makes him complicated.”

“I never wanted Sierra to be anything but herself.”

“Doessheknow that? Did you show her? Did you tell her? Jess and I are still working through this whole together thing. Figuring out how it’s going to work. Figuring out what we need from each other. Half the time I wouldn’t have a damn clue if she didn’t tell me, and I’m sure it’s vice versa. We weren’t born to be mind readers.”

“And that doesn’t make you think you shouldn’t be together?”

“No. We’ve been apart and we’ve been together. Life’s better together. I’m better with her. I love her. That’s the simple part. The hard part’s putting in the work. And I think… Well, we were raised in the McArthur image. Be perfect. Don’t let anyone see the cracks. That works in some areas, sure, but not when it comes to love. Love is all about letting people see the cracks.”

Carter couldn’t mask his look of disgust. Maybe that’s how Cole felt. Or Jess, but it didn’t make any sense to him. If you loved someone, why would you show them the worst of yourself?

“Jess is on twelves so she won’t be home till late. I hate eating alone so if you want, you can come by for dinner. I’ll have Lina over too.”

“She doesn’t want to see me,” Carter noted.

Cole’s mouth quirked. “That going to stop you?”

Dinner with just his siblings. It would be weird. Uncomfortable. Something he wasn’t sure they’d ever really done. Definitely not as adults.

But the thought of spending another night alone in his house was worse than something a little weird. “Okay. I’ll be here.”

Chapter Six

“I’m not going.”

Sierra looked at Lina’s stubborn expression and fought the urge to saygood. But as much as she felt some childish desire to have someone on her side, someone being just as upset with Carter as she was…Lina washissister. And more, Sierra didn’t want Carter alone and hurting. She just wanted her own hurting to stop.

“You should go,” Sierra said firmly walking down the street in front of the hospital with Lina. They were both bundled up against the cold, and Lina would have to go finish her shift soon, but it felt good to get out of her mother’s company for a little bit. Not because it was suffocating or disapproving as Sierra had anticipated, but because she was always five seconds from accidentally letting it slip she was pregnant.

If it was just Mom, she might have told her. But Mom would inevitably tell Dad and Sierra wasn’t ready for that yet. Not when things felt okay between them. DadhatedCarter and blamed him for everything. It might not be true, but it felt good for her father to take her side for once. It felt good to coexist with her parents like… Well, almost like they were friends.

“He might be my brother, but I know whatever happened is all his fault.”

Sierra tucked her chin into the big collar of her coat. She didn’t want to talk about whose fault it was. That always confused her feelings, had her over-examining every second of the past few months and she’d so much rather move on.

No point dwelling in conflict. Love was supposed to be good and supportive and happy. Well, theirs hadn’t turned out to be. The end. Obsessing over the story’s details didn’t change them any.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Lina demanded.

“For thinking it’s all his fault.”

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