Page 49 of Fall to Me
He pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me as he looks down at me and chuckles. “Sure it is, Kitten. I recall someone saying they missed me.”
“Who in the world would say that?”
“You.”
“Eh . . . I think that was the lack of caffeine talking.” I shrug one shoulder.
He returns my sass with a tickle to the ribs. Internally, I’m mildly freaking out. Part of me wonders if sleeping in Carter’s arms will keep the nightmares at bay. I haven’t had one in weeks, but being in an unfamiliar place can sometimes bring them on.
He releases me and takes my hand, leading me back downstairs. As we pass the kitchen, I glance over my shoulder and catch Ethan and Laura flirting. He backs her up against the counter, kisses her, then he swats her ass on the way out. A blush tinges my cheeks as Cammie catches me watching her parents. I’m not trying to be weird; it’s just weird to see a couple who have been together as long as they have still love each other that much.
“Thirty-five years together and they still act like teenagers . . . it’s disgusting,” she says.
“I think it’s sweet.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to watch that shit your whole life.” She points toward the kitchen, laughing.
“I guess, but at least they weren’t at each other’s throats your whole life.”
“I don’t know which would be worse,” Cammie groans.
Carter squeezes my hand and leads me to the couch. We all sit in the living room, visiting. I feel at home. Included. These generous people have taken me in as if they’ve known me my entire life. Especially Cammie.
“What was it like growing up with Carter?” I ask her.
She tilts her wineglass toward her brother. “Never a dull moment. You should’ve seen him back in high school. He was a menace.”
“I was an angel.”
“Ha! That’s a lie, and you know it.” She glares, then turns her attention to me. “He used to pull all kinds of shit, then he’d blame it on me.”
“Like what?” he asks.
“Oh, I don’t know . . . how about the time you ran Dad’s golf cart into the pond on the sixth hole?” She smirks.
“That wasn’t my fault, and you know it. You threw a golf ball at a goose?—”
“Because it was chasing me.”
“Yeah, until it started chasing me,” he says, then turns to me. “That damn thing was hissing and nipping at my legs. We jumped in Dad’s golf cart and took off, but we werebothlooking back when I accidently ran the golf cart into the pond?—”
“See—you just admitted guilt.” she laughs.
“But it was partially your fault because you antagonized the damn thing.”
They razzed each other and told story after story until well after dinner that made me laugh so hard, I could barely see through the tears. Now, Cammie and I stand at the kitchen sink washing dishes while Carter visits with his parents in the living room. I rinse a dish and watch Carter across the open floorplan as Cammie puts the plate I just handed her into the dishwasher. When I hear my name, my ears automatically perk up. I’m not actively trying to eavesdrop; it’s one of those things where youknow someone’s talking about you, and you want to know what they’re saying, even though their conversation is absolutely none of your business.
“I can see it now. The reason you two eloped. River looks at you the way your mom looks at me,” Ethan says.
Cammie turns to me, and I realize she’s been holding out her hand, waiting for me to give her the skillet, while I’ve been rinsing it for far too long. I give her an apologetic smile and hand it over.
“My dad’s not wrong, you know? I see how you look at Carter, too. Which surprises me given the situation, so either you’re a great actress, or you love my brother.”
I must look at her like a deer-caught-in-the-headlights because she tilts her head back and laughs. Do I look at him like that? I mean, sure, Carter makes me feel things I’ve never felt before, but love? No way . . . right? I don’t love him, do I? Nooooo. Nope. No way.
“Don’t worry. Our parents aren’t aware how things went down between you two, but there aren’t many secrets that my brother and I keep from each other. It’s a twin thing.”
I hand Cammie another dish, and she leans over, speaking low so only I can hear her. “No matter the situation, I can tell you two have something really special. I know he’s a lot to handle sometimes, but next to my dad, he’s the best damn man I’ve ever known.”
