Page 57 of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It
“Love you too, Dad,” Thad whispered against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I scared you. Are you okay?”
Thad shook his head hard against Carter’s shoulder. “I wasn’t scared.”
Carter might have believed that if his son’s face wasn’t buried against him, his small hands gripping Carter tight. “I’m gonna be fine, all right? My body’s just tired. I’ll need some extra sleep, but I’m okay now.” Having your sugar drop too low was exhausting. He’d known that from past experience, but nothing could have prepared him for how bad it felt to hit rock bottom.
“He’s been telling me that the whole time,” a feminine voice said from the other side of Thad. Erin stood and rounded the end of the bed to stand beside him. “He kept telling me you’d be all right. He’s been a real trooper.”
He searched her face, trying to read the experience through her eyes, see just how bad it had been—for Thad and for her. “Guess we’ve put you through the ringer this morning, huh?”
Erin shrugged. “That couldn’t be helped. The two of you are both fine now; that’s what matters.”
He wasn’t sure that was true. It wasn’t every day he scared a woman he’d just slept with by trying to die on her, but hopefully it hadn’t traumatized Erin too bad. The compassion in her eyes as she stared down at them together on the bed gave him hope.
The doctor deemed him stable midafternoon, and Erin took him and Thad back to the mansion. Only then did she leave, saying she needed to check some things at home but that she’d be back for the fire that night. Linc fed all of them hearty snacks, and then Thad and JD began a rummy tournament around the living room table to keep Carter company as he slept the rest of the afternoon.
Not exactly how he’d expected to spend their last day of vacation, but they were both safe and sound, so he’d take it.
Because the sun set behind the mountain, dusk came early to the mansion. Around five thirty JD wrangled Thad into helping him find kindling for the fire. They scoured the yard for a tidy heap while Linc moved logs from the woodpile to the large fire pit JD had installed for the fall. Lily set up a ring of folding chairs, and Claire arrived just in time with an SUV full of food that could feed an army. She unfolded a table near the circle to hold all the food and condiments, paper goods and utensils, and even had these nifty little umbrellas made from netting that kept any bugs from getting into the food. When Carter saw how she’d labeled each of the items that she’d made sugar-free so that he would know what was safe for him to eat, he gave her the biggest bear hug—until Linc told him to knock it off or he’d be eating coal instead of homemade marshmallows tonight.
So Carter retreated to his seat with a diet soda and watched his friend teach Thad the best way to build a fire, starting with the kindling.
“So we’ve found something he’s good for besides cooking?” JD asked.
“Fires are good for more than cooking pizza, I guess,” Linc said archly.
“I thought that’s what the microwave was for,” Carter threw in.
Their chef friend growled.
The sound of a truck engine signaled Erin pulling through the gate, and Carter felt his heart do a little flip in his chest. She joined them just as the fire took off, blazing high above the pit. “Wow, are we having a campfire or a bonfire?”
Thad giggled. “Uncle Linc says we have to build up the coals first.”
“He’s not wrong,” she said. Glancing around, she noticed Carter in a blue hammock seat, and immediately settled in the one next to him.
“Drink?” JD asked.
“You bet.”
“Any driving tonight?”
Carter held his breath. Erin paused as if she didn’t know how to answer. Taking that as answer enough, JD nodded. “Nonalcoholic it is.”
Disappointment settled in Carter’s gut. And then determination. This was his last night here, and he wanted Erin with them. With him, all night long.
They spent the next few hours roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire, eating and drinking and laughing. Carter had missed being with JD and Lincoln, but he found he didn’t resent the addition of the women. In fact, having Claire and Lily and Erin with them just enhanced everything. And of course Thad entertained them all.
At one point, when everyone was distracted by Linc’s impression of a chipmunk with marshmallow-filled cheeks, Carter leaned close to Erin.
“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight.”
When she turned her head, she brought them nose to nose. “Have I?”
He wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough of those mysterious moss-green eyes. “You have.” He wasn’t certain if it was the aftermath of a very long day or if she was pulling away from him or if it was something else, but whatever it was, he wanted to know. He didn’t want her pulling away from him.
“I didn’t mean to be,” she confessed against his lips.
