Page 62 of A Very Miller-Cooper Life

Carter furrowed her eyebrows. “You know what’s weird? That sounds a lot like a scene in one of Laurel Lake’s books.” She pointed to me and moved her lips as if she was calculating something. “You know Laurel pretty well, right? You guys used to hang out when you first started doing her book covers?”

Reagan looked at me for backup, but when all I could do was shrug, she nodded in response to Carter’s question.

“So, did she get the idea from you guys? It’s almost the same except that in her story…” Carter cringed and smacked her hand against her forehead. “Ew. I’m never going to get this picture out of my mind.”

“Wait. I want to know.” Olivia smacked Carter’s arm a bunch of times, but Carter didn’t look over at her. “What happened in the book? What is Mom not telling us?”

“Seriously. You don’t want to know.”

Much to my surprise, Carter burst into laughter. Even though the reasoning might have had my face turning red, it was still great to hear her laugh like this. Much too soon, though, her laughter warped into sobs. “What if I never find what you two have? This was supposed to be it for me and now it’s over. Just like that. With no warning.”

Reagan shot up from the table and ran over to wrap her arms around Carter. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I didn’t tell you that story to make you feel bad. I thought it would make you laugh.”Reagan motioned for Ronan to stand, then took his seat next to Carter, leaning in close to talk to her. “If there’s anything you should take from that story, it’s that finding love isn’t easy. All of the best love stories are a little bit crazy. This is just a bump in the road. It’s not the end for you. You’ll find love. I know you will. You know how I know?”

When Carter shook her head, Reagan pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled sweetly at her. “Because you, my dear, have so much love to give. It would be a shame for that to go to waste, so I have no doubt that it won’t.”

“Is it okay if we don’t talk about Marcie or the breakup for now?” Carter asked. “It makes me sick to think about it. I just want to enjoy the time I have with all of you.”

“Of course.” Reagan stood from the table and patted Carter on the back. “You just let us know what you want to do. We’re all yours.”

Carter chewed on her bottom lip as if she was nervous. “There is one thing I would really like, but I feel bad asking since Ronan and Olivia already had to travel to come here.”

“Whatever you want to do, I’m in,” Ronan answered quickly.

Olivia nodded. “Me, too.”

“So, you’d be okay with going to Maryland? It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of our family down there, and I really miss them.”

“You want to see Grandma and Grandpa?” I asked. “Today?”

If I was being honest, I was worried about what my mom would say when she found out Carter and Marcie broke up. Would she say it was for the best? Would she suggest that Carter could try men now? Just the thought of it made me sick.

“And Uncle Jamie, Uncle Ethan, and Finn if they’re around. But only if it’s okay,” Carter said, now sounding more hesitant. “I know it’s a lot to ask of everyone.”

Olivia hopped up from the table. “That sounds perfect to me. Let’s do it.”

Ronan smiled and nodded. “I agree.”

Within an hour, we were all packed into the car driving down to Maryland together. I couldn’t remember the last time we traveled anywhere with all three kids, and even though these weren’t the best circumstances, it still made my heart warm with happiness to have us all together again.

As soon as we pulled into my parents’ driveway, my mom came out the front door as if she had been watching for us (even though I hadn’t even told her we were coming). “My eyes aren’t deceiving me, are they?” she asked when we started to get out of the car. She put on her glasses and blinked at us dramatically.

Ronan held his arms out wide as he walked toward the front porch. “It’s not a dream. I’m really here.”

While my mom was occupied with Ronan and then Olivia, I fell into step with Carter. “Do you want to tell Grandma and Grandpa about Marcie? It’s completely up to you. I understand either way.”

Carter shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just wait and see if she comes up in conversation at all.”

She didn’t have to wait long, because as soon as my mom hugged her, she told her she was surprised Marcie hadn’t come with us.

My heart felt heavy once again as I braced myself for more tears. For a moment, Carter blinked her eyes a few times as if they were about to start falling, but then she held her head high instead. “We actually aren’t together anymore.”

My mom pulled her into another hug, this time kissing her cheek as well. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Carter nodded slowly. “I will be. It was her choice, and it was a huge shock, but having family around definitely helps.”

“Well, I’m glad you came.” My mom gave Carter one more squeeze before letting her go. “This is definitely her loss. Soon enough you’ll find someone new and you’ll understand why this happened.”

Someone new.Did my mom think this new someone would be a guy? It wouldn’t surprise me if she did.

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