Page 79 of Right in Front of You

He was right. My mother, although for a long time blind to the mental and physical abuse that Father subjected her to, had done everything in her power to keep me safe. Could she have stopped Father? Maybe. I… I wasn’t sure. And she let me go that day to the pub with him… Didn’t she know that he liked me in a different way than a father should like his daughter?

“Okay, so maybe we were close up to a certain point, but not later. Not when I needed her the most and couldn’t count on her. She let it…”

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. I’d almost said it. I’d almost told him my biggest secret – and the worst part was that I wanted to tell him. I finally didn’t want to be the only one who carried this burden around any longer.

“Let what?” Carter leaned in.

“It doesn’t matter. Now, what are your plans after you recover?”

“That’s a million dollar question, Molly. And I see what you did there, trying to change the subject.”

I laughed. I hoped he’d let it go. I prayed that he wouldn’t pressure me to answer questions I wasn’t ready for. At least, I didn’t think that I was ready for them. I was beginning to fear that I’d never be.

“Why is it a million dollar question?” I asked.

“Because I’d like my future plans to include you, but you’re still a little closed off.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to be. Sometimes it feels like there’s no way to move on, so I concentrate on work and… work, I guess.”

“My point exactly. Work is not life, Molly. It’s part of it, but it’s not everything.”

“Well, I have you now.”

My heart started beating at this honest revelation. I hadn’t thought about us beyond where we’d be after Carter recovered. I didn’t want to figure that part out just yet, simply because I wasn’t ready to figure it out, or maybe I didn’t know how to figure it out.

“Would you ever move back to Hope Bay?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Actually, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t. No, make that a definite no.”

He furrowed his brows, obviously not liking my answer.

“Why? You don’t need to go back to your parents’ house. Actually, I wouldn’t want you to. But your brother lives there. He’s a good student, from what I hear, and definitely has good manners, from what I’d seen. You really want to be that far away from your friends? I know you love Hope Bay, and I love it too. So where is this determination to stay away forever coming from?”

“I do love it, and while the town holds a lot of precious memories for me, it also holds pain.”

“I understand.”

He did, didn’t he? That’s where he’d lost Daisy and his unborn child. For Christ’s sake, his house had burned down almost two months ago. I’d seen Carter go through pain like no other man had, one that pushed him to the brink of death, yet he still thought of Hope Bay as the most wonderful place to live.

“Molly, you know you can talk to me about anything. Is it your mom? Your father? Yes, he has a drinking problem, but maybe we could do something to help him.”

Oh, how I wanted to throw my arms around his neck right now and kiss him! This man had the most loving heart in the world. Too bad I’d have to squash his idea of my family reunion.

“There’s nothing you can say to make me turn around and run away,” he added.

I feared that if Carter knew the truth, running away was the least of my worries. He took a sip of the wine and I followed the motion.

“All right. So, if this was a perfect world, where would you see yourself in ten years? You can choose anywhere in the world.”

That was a loaded question, and he knew it. He was well aware of the fond memories this place held for me. “I’d buy my mom a newer house and make sure my brother had enough money for school,” I said.

“That’s not what I asked.”

I sighed, smiling. “Fine, Hope Bay is where I’d want to be, but I’m not ready to take that step. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.”

Not as long as Father was alive.

“That’s okay, because you have me to help you along the way, even if we end up taking those little steps forever.”

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