Page 103 of Fall to Me
“I got you. Always, man,” I say. “You know I love that boy. Of course I’ll always be here to look out for him and guide him.”
He clasps my shoulder, and we head back inside. As we pass by Aspen, she recoils, wrinkling her nose. “Good God. You two fucking stink.”
Her face pales, then she holds her hand to her mouth, taking off into a sprint. I raise an eyebrow at Cal.
He shakes his head. “See what I’m talking about? Come on. I have some cologne in the spare bathroom.”
We make it halfway to the bathroom when we hear retching. I breathe in through my nose, trying not to think about what’s going on behind that closed door as I do everything I can to hold myself together.
Cal knocks on the door. “You okay in there, Angel?”
“There’s no Angel in here,” River groans back.
Cal and I trade a look, and I push him aside, forgetting all thoughts of the way my stomach was churning two seconds ago.
“Open the door, Kitten,” I call out.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Cal pats me on the back and moves around me, heading back down the hall.
The toilet flushes, and a few seconds later, the door opens. My eyes travel from the empty space in front of me down to the floor, finding River on her hands and knees. She releases the doorknob and crawls back across the bathroom floor, then leans her back against the tub.
Squatting down, I run my hand along her cheek and forehead, finding her skin to be cool. “What’s going on baby?”
“What does it look like, genius? I’m fucking sick,” she snaps, then starts crying. “I ate too much.”
Everything Cal said comes rushing back to me, and I stare at her in shock. My eyes travel down to her breasts. They don’t look any bigger, but she was complaining that I was hurting them the other day when we were training. Without thinking, I reach out and poke one.
“Ow! Fuck!” She bats my hand away. “What the hell is the matter with you, Carter?”
My breath catches in my throat. Standing, I reach out my hand and help her up, then guide her to the sink so she can rinse her mouth. Finding a washcloth, I wet it and run it over her face as she stands there with both hands braced on the counter.
“Come on. Let’s get you home.”
She takes the cloth from me and hangs it on the laundry basket to dry. “I need to help Aspen with the dishes.”
“Cal can help her. You don’t feel well. I want you to rest.”
The words I said not too long ago come back to bite me in the ass. No matter how much I want to, I can’t take them back. River doesn’t only think of herself; she thinks of everyone but herself. I cradle her to my chest, feeling guilt that I know I should let go of. That fight is long over, but somehow, I can’t help the sourness of it all still lingering in my gut.
I glance back at River as I take her hand and lead her out of the bathroom. She’s been moody, and now she’s sick. She was complaining of her boobs hurting. Eating weird shit. She’s tired. Everything Cal said about Aspen sinks to the forefront of my mind, and I can’t help but wonder if River might be pregnant.
There’s no way. But maybe we need to pick up a home pregnancy test on the way home. You know . . . just in case. Now that I think about the possibility, I can’t help but to be hopeful, even if now isn’t the most opportune time with Jaxon on the loose. She did say she wants us to live our life and not base it around him. But is bringing a child into this when everything is so crazy smart? No, it’s not.
Fuck.
This entire situation has me fucked up. Maybe I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself, but I won’t rest easy until we get this all sorted out.
Thirty-Two
Carter
“You know, I could’ve driven myself. The roads aren’t that bad,” River protests, turning around in her seat to grab her coat out of the back, while I pull into the parking lot of her doctor’s office.
Theyarethat bad. She’s just being stubborn.
“It’s not a big deal,” I counter.
I’ll be glad to get out of this car already. I’m sweating in here with her turning the heat up to hell. The entire way, all I wanted to do was reach over and turn the heat down, but I didn’t because it’s a fight I won’t win.
