Page 41 of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It
And if he did, what would be the outcome?
ChapterSeventeen
Carter handed her into the SUV like an old-fashioned gentleman. A giggle bubbled up in her throat, but Erin squashed it ruthlessly. Nerves, it was just nerves. She wasn’t a young girl giggling over some guy just because of a gallant gesture.
She might drool over him, but that was a different story.
To be honest, the change in their relationship was giving her whiplash. Even the wordrelationshipwas weird. This wasn’t a relationship. More like a one-night stand, maybe, although she admitted to herself that she would like more. Carter gave her butterflies in her stomach—even back when he’d been acting like a jerk—but she also admired the way he parented Thad, the friendship he had with JD. He wasn’t just the grumpy single dad she’d met a few days ago.
He also wasn’t going to be around long. So where did that leave things?
Carter settled himself in the driver’s seat and started the SUV. “Willard’s not on the attack today, huh?”
She laughed even as the scent of cedar and man filled the space and sent tingles to places she probably shouldn’t be thinking about with Carter in such close proximity. “Too busy gobbling up his own breakfast,” she said absently. Sunlight glinted off Carter’s strong hands on the steering wheel, the dusting of pale hairs on his forearms. She found herself fascinated, squirming at the memory of those hands on her body.
Carter chuckled, and for a moment she feared he’d noticed her attention, but instead of backing out of the drive, he sat for a minute staring out the windshield. When he finally turned to her, it was with amusement in his clear blue eyes. “I don’t think I’ve been this nervous with a girl in the car since I was seventeen and hoping for a make-out session with Jenny Mitchell on the way home from junior prom.”
For a moment all Erin could do was gape—the idea that she made Carter nervous was incomprehensible. But then she laughed too. “I guess you’re never too old for awkward conversations, huh?” She glanced down at her hands twisting in her lap. “You’re not the only one who’s nervous.”
He seemed as surprised as she had been. Those eyes searched her face, taking in every ounce of emotion she feared was transparent to his gaze. One strong hand left the steering wheel and reached over to grasp hers. “I guess there’s nothing to be nervous about then, huh?”
Oh, there definitely was. “Maybe not.”
Silence cocooned them for a few minutes, Carter concentrating on the drive, his hand enveloping hers, his thumb stroking the soft skin between her thumb and forefinger. Erin waited, unsure what she wanted to say.
“Erin, I…”
Her gut tightened.
Carter cleared his throat. “Last night was…unexpected.”
That didn’t tell her anything. Of course it had been unexpected.
“Good unexpected,” he finally continued, “but unexpected.”
Her breath left her in a rush. Carter squeezed her hand. “You didn’t think I arranged this little talk to brush you off, did you?”
She turned, bringing her knee up to allow herself to angle toward Carter, to see his face and read him a little better. “I honestly wasn’t certain what you were going to say. I mean, we didn’t start off on the best foot.”
“To say the least.”
“Right.”
“And I know that was my fault.”
Surprise jolted her. He flashed her that boyish grin again.
“Took you long enough to admit that,” she teased.
“Yeah, well”—he scratched at the stubble on his jaw—“no one has ever said I’m not hardheaded. You can ask my sister; she’ll tell you all about it.”
Erin tucked that bit of knowledge away.
“I’m just saying, I know we didn’t get off on the right foot, but…I do like you, Erin. I admire your work. I like seeing you with your family.” He paused. “I like seeing you with my son.”
She would have guessed that last part was hard to admit, but Carter breathed the words as if they were completely natural. All she heard was simple truth.
“Thank you.” Something loosened inside her, a lock opening on the door to a place that hadn’t been open in a long, long time. She took a deep breath. “Last night threw me for a loop, too.”
