Page 120 of Theirs to Take

“Oh, God,” she breathed, “Alex is going to murder me.” She had reluctantly agreed to borrow a car from him whenshe moved into her apartment. She felt like she was taking advantage of him and Rod enough, accepting a furnished apartment from them. A car almost seemed overkill. She assured them that she could take public transportation, since that was what she had done back in Scotland, but Alex insisted that public transit around town was unreliable at best, so she accepted his offer.

“No, he won’t,” Evan assured, sitting down in the chair next to her. “I called to tell him about the car and he’s sending Luke Tracy, from work, to take a look at it. He’s also going to beef up security around the apartment building, so you might want to let your friend know.”

“So, Alastair can’t find me, and he’d decided to go after people in the building?” she asked.

“Not yet, but Alex doesn’t want things getting out of control. I’m sure he’s just being proactive about everything,” Evan assured. “There’s more,” he breathed.

“What do you mean by more?” she asked.

“Your cousins are sending security here for you too. Alex agrees with you that your ex is bad news. He wants to keep you and your baby safe,” he said. “We all want to ensure that happens.”

Carrie couldn’t help the small sob that escaped her chest. “I’m screwing everything up,” she insisted.

“That’s just not true,” Evan assured, but she already knew the truth. She was screwing up everyone’s lives by staying in America. If she just agreed to go back with Alastair now, she’d spare them all the trouble of having to deal with his wrath.

“It is the truth,” she insisted. “If I weren’t here, everyone would just be getting on with their lives, but now, you all have to deal with my mess. I’ve ruined everything.” She sobbed again, and this time, she didn’t hide her tears. Evan practically pulled her from her chair into his arms.

“Don’t cry,” he begged. “I have no idea what to do with a crying woman.”

“Well, if you’re going to have me working for you, you’ll need to get used to it. My hormones are crazy,” she cried.

“I see that,” he teased, “but your cousin will kill me if he thinks that I’ve upset you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Alex is worried that all of this stress isn’t good for you or the baby. He wants you to see a doctor,” Evan said. “I think it might be a good idea.” She covered her tummy with her hand and nodded. She knew that the stress wasn’t good for the baby, but she was so worried about her ex finding her, she never gave much thought to going to the doctor.

“I think that might be a good idea too,” she said. “I’d like to make sure that my baby is all right.”

“I’ll let Alex know. He said something about his wife’s doctor being good. Would you be willing to see the same doctor?” he asked.

“I don’t know anyone here, so yes,” she agreed.

“Great, I’ll have it all arranged. For now, I just want you to relax and try to forget about everything going on. I won’t let your ex get to you, Carrie, you have my word.” She couldn’t help but cuddle into Evan’s hold. She liked being in his arms, even if HR would have a problem with him giving her comfort. They weren’t at work, so why should it matter?

“Thank you, Evan,” she whispered against his neck. He tightened his arms around her as if reading every dirty thought that was running through her brain right now. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t put me up here with you.” Carrie was never one to wait for a man to swoop in and save her from her demons, but for some reason, letting Evan play that role worked for her. “I’ve messed up everything and you’re so kind to help me.”

“You haven’t messed anything up. You loved a man who wasn’t worthy of you, but now, you’re trying to fix your mistakes,” Evan soothed.

“If I’m being honest, I never really loved him. I didn’t know who he was when we first started seeing each other. I had heard the rumors about Alastair, but I was never one to put much stock in rumors or gossip. He was charming and swept me off my feet. When I finally started to piece together who he really was, I thought that I could change him—foolish, I know,” she breathed. “But I never loved him, and now, I just want him to leave me alone.”

“I get that, and we’ll make sure that happens, you’ve just got to let Alex and Rod take care of things while I take care of you,” Evan offered.

“You don’t even know me. We just met, yet you’re willing to take care of me?” she asked.

He shrugged, “I can’t explain why but I feel protective of you. I know we only just met, but I like you Carrie and I want to help you.”

She went up on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Evan,” she said. “For everything.” She took a step back from him and he seemed reluctant to release her.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “How about I make us something to eat?” he asked. It had been a long day already, and it was only lunchtime.

“That would be great,” she agreed, “I’m starving.”

“Great, I’ll make us some lunch, and then, how about we do a bit of work?” Carrie liked the idea of taking her mind off of her troubles by doing some work.

“Sounds good,” she agreed.

“Go sit on the sofa and put your feet up,” he ordered. She wasn’t going to argue with that plan. Putting up her feet and relaxing sounded like a perfect idea to her.

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