Page 48 of Fall to Me
Would I be lying if I said that finding out about Carter’s degree the way that I did didn’t hurt a little? Abso-fucking-lutely. If I’m being one-hundred percent honest, it still kinda hurts. I’m only human. But when I looked into Carter’s eyes on that plane, I could tell he didn’t intentionally deceive me. He’s proven to me time and time again the kind of man he is.
As he grabs our luggage, a female yells his name, and I look back. I recognize her as his sister from the pictures he’s shown me. Her feet slap the pavement of the tarmac as she runs closer; their parents following behind her. Cameron jumps up and wraps her arms around his neck. Our bags drop from his hands, and he hugs her tightly, swaying her from side to side. She laughs as he sets her back down on her feet.
“Hi, sis.”
“Hey, bub,” she says, releasing him, and throwing herself at me, causing me to giggle.
Cameron unwinds herself from around my body and links one arm in mine. “Eeek. I’ve been so excited for this day! You can call me Cammie or Cam.”
“Carter, sweetheart, we’ve missed you so much,” his mom croons and wraps him in a hug as his dad greets me with a small wave, keeping a safe distance.
God, I hope he didn’t tell them anything.
He’s not unwelcoming; he’s just . . . hanging back.
“Hi, River. I’m Ethan.”
I look up at him.
Holy shit.
This entire family is extremely tall. Or, maybe at five-foot-two, I’m just short. Either way, they all tower over me.
“Hi. Nice to finally meet you.” I smile.
Carter’s mom releases him and turns to me, cupping my face with both hands. Her blue eyes shine with unshed tears. “My gosh, look at you. You’re so pretty. We’re so glad you’re here.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. “Thank you.”
I look at Carter, and a smile tugs at his lips as his mom steals me away from Cammie and pulls me in for a hug. I notice Carter looks more like his mom where Cammie’s dark hair comes from their dad. Both siblings have those beautiful, piercing blue eyes and their dad’s tan skin.
“You guys ready?” Ethan asks.
Cammie steals me back and leads me toward their vehicle.
I thought they would be more upset that we “eloped,” and that they wouldn’t like me. Maybe they’ve had time to get over that.
We load our stuff into their Suburban. Carter and I jump in the middle row while Cammie takes the third row. I watch his parents, Ethan and Laura, with rapt attention the entire way back to their home in Paradise Valley.
As I observe them, my therapist’s words about the examples my parents set for me as a child—and how different Carter’s are with one another—keep circling in my mind. The way they look at each other. How Ethan holds Laura’s hand—never letting it go. Their conversation and laughter as we drive to their home. The minute we pull in the drive, he peppers her knuckles with kisses, then they both step out of the SUV. These two have shown each other more love in the past twenty minutes than I’ve seen between my parents in my entire lifetime.
I’m in awe as I exit their vehicle. The Grahams’ home is modest but breathtaking. I didn’t really expect anything less. It’s nestled in a valley between several hills, and the yard is beautifully manicured with palm trees and cacti.
Carter rolls our luggage into the house, and I follow him upstairs. We enter a guest room, and he drops our bags on the floor beside the closet as I walk toward the window. The light blue curtains are tied back, and the blinds are open, giving us a view of sprawling hills behind their home. I turn to Carter and smile, but it falls a bit as he rubs the back of his neck. I can tell he’s nervous about something.
“This, uh . . . this used to be my room. When I moved out, they made it a guest room. I guess it goes without saying, but we’ll be staying in here.”
“Like, together?”
Carter walks over to me and takes my hand rubbing calming circles across the top. “If it makes you uncomfortable, I can sneak out after everyone’s gone to bed and find somewhere else to sleep.”
Of course we have to share a bed. I look over to the king size bed and sigh. You can do this, River, you can keep your hands to yourself while you sleep next to him.
“No, Carter. This is your room. I’m not kicking you out. The bed is big enough for the both of us.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t want?—”
“It’s okay. I promise. We’ll make it work. I didn’t think of sleeping arrangements when I left the house this morning. All I could think about was you not being home to make me coffee in the morning. That’s the only reason why I came.”
