Page 186 of Debts and Desires
Carter came with me to the studio a few times, where he met Zac and Justin. I had a mini freak out when I met the team for the contest months back, but Carter didn’t seem fazed in the least bit.
Zac talked to Carter about his offer. Carter wasn’t sure and said he’d need time to think about it. Zac was sad, but understood, telling Carter the option was there forever, even if it was a few backup vocals here and there. That’s when I casually mentioned the studio Carter was building me.
With the help of Justin, Carter was able to fix it up to standard so that I didn’t have to go so far for recordings. Justin and Sydney even came out to the house for a session.
Carter was back to helping me work on songs, this time getting the credit he rightfully deserved. I made sure his name was added to the copyrights of ‘Debts and Desires’ and apologized over and over. He told me I had nothing to be sorry for. Most of the time, we could be found writing and singing on the front porch swing or on the back deck. With each strum of his guitar and note he sang, it was clear his passion for music hadbeen reignited. And it was super freaking hot. I jumped his bones one night on the back porch because of it.
Carter was absolutely loving the second trimester. There was lots of sex, but mostly it was him worshiping my body. He’d often spend evenings nestled beside me on the couch, his hands gently tracing patterns across my abdomen as he marveled at the miracle growing inside me. And when we went to the doctor where he could both see and hear the little thing, his entire personality shifted, not in a bad way. I can’t explain it.
His excitement about the baby was clear. Package after package was delivered almost daily to the house because he didn’t want the little blip, as he called it, to want for anything. He even started reading pregnancy books, which was a shock in and of itself.
I found myself falling deeper in love with him with each passing day.
The nursery was nearly complete thanks to him, too. All that was missing was stuff I’d get from a baby shower—a baby shower that both Mia and Cassie were hounding me about. I gave them each other’s contact info. They became fast friends at the expense of my phone blowing up a million times a day.
Carter graciously started helping with that, too, often talking to both of them while massaging my legs for me. I was glad that Tyler and Cass were on speaking terms with Carter again.
Our first time back at Pete’s was a few days after I came home. The visit was met with mixed emotions, particularly when Tyler confronted Carter with a sucker punch.
“I deserved that,” Carter had said.
“You deserve a lot more,” Ty growled, his eyes smoldering with barely restrained fury. I quickly moved between the two. Cass didn’t even acknowledge Carter, looking at me instead, asking if I was okay. I nodded.
“Are you here of your own free will?” she had asked me.
“I am.” I then told them both that if I could forgive Carter,so could they. I also told them how much I loved him. And of course, I shared the good news, which seemed to do the trick.
After a deep conversation, and perhaps a few too many shots of liquid courage between the two, Ty and Carter seemed to be okay. Though, Ty did threaten to kill Carter if he so much as moved a toe out of place. I’m glad that things eventually went back to normal between the two of them.
Fast forward to tonight. We had been there for a little, like we were most nights. It was like we’d fallen back into our old routine. Kind of. We were pretty much only there for a few hours instead of all night, curbing my cravings for the wings there. It was our way of having a semblance of normalcy after everything and with the massive upcoming change we’d have soon.
But mostly the wings.
Cass had texted me beforehand, letting me know she had another box of stuff. She had a lot of things left over from when Eli was a baby and had been giving most of it to me. Minus clothes that weren’t gender neutral since we didn’t know what we were having yet.
After Carter loaded the box in the truck, he came back in to get me. We were getting ready to leave Pete’s when Ty handed me a to-go bag of two boxes of wings with extra sauce because he was the absolute best.
“Suck up,” Carter teased Ty, a playful grin tugging at his lips.
“You’re just jealous she loves me more,” Ty shot back with a wink. Cass and I looked at one another, rolling our eyes at their banter.
After our goodbyes, Carter took the to-go bag from me and we headed out. He stepped out first, holding the door for me. He offered his arm for support as we went outside.
“When we get home, we should try to finish up the new guitar part. I have this idea stuck in my head that I want to get out,” I said.
“Nah. I think when we get home I should bend you over the couch an—” He stilled, eyes tracking something behind me. He stood a little taller, as if gearing up for a fight, before stepping in front of me with a protective stance. I glanced at where he was looking, the hairs on my arms standing.
Jed.
The sight of him had the memory of our past encounters flooding back with a rush of adrenaline.
Jed drove his beat up truck by slowly, staring us down. It was like a slow-motion scene from a movie. His eyes darted down to my now clearly pregnant belly, his face twisting as I stepped a little more behind Carter. I clung to him tightly, afraid that Jed could reach me from there.
“Sinner!” Jed bellowed, eyes now on Carter. “Tell the truth or I will.”
As soon as he was out of sight, Carter was ushering me to the safety of the truck.
“What was that?” I asked, my voice trembling as Carter helped me into the cab. His jaw clenched with rage, eyes ablaze with fury. Carter muttered, his words low and menacing.
