Page 44 of The Jackpot Screwer
“You know, Lollipop, I’d sleep much better if you got on here with me.” He patted the mattress and I had to admit, it did look comfy.
I could have done with a little rest, but I knew if I got onto that bed with him, it would be so much more than taking a nap. It would probably be the start of us being an ‘us’ again. It would be me admitting that I trusted Carter with mine and the baby’s heart. Yet how could I when I’d mistrusted him even though I should have known better.
“Sleep,” I said with a sigh. “I’m going to call the dentist and then when you wake up, I’ll make you some dinner.”
Carter gave me a sad smile and nodded. “Okay. Sounds good to me.”
Touching the edge of the comforter that I’d picked out, I sighed and left the room, wondering whether I’d ever come to my senses.
Two days after having my cavity filled, I felt like a new man; as far as the pain was concerned anyway. Bronte was still being determinedly stubborn about us; despite the fact I was pretty sure she’d wavered when I’d asked her to get into bed with me. The little hitch of her breath was the tell.
Whenever she was turned on and close to rocking my world, she always did this thing where she breathed in and did a little gasp at the same time. Well, I’d heard it that day in my apartment, so the future didn’t look completely bleak. I just needed a little more help.
“Hey, Aunt J,” I called up to the front porch of the house as I slammed my truck door. “Where’s that big ugly lug of a nephew of yours?”
“Oh hello, Carter, honey. How are you?”
The sweet little old lady was dressed in a yellow sundress with big pink roses on it and frills at the sleeves. On her feet were what looked like wooden clogs that I’d seen in books about Holland. Some might have been a little surprised by the attire but nothing Hunter’s aunts wore or did shocked anyone in Dayton Valley.
“I’m great. How about you?”
As I walked toward her, I noticed a fat puppy at her feet chewing on a shoe.
“Who’s this little guy?” Stooping down I rubbed its head, giving a quick look under its belly. “And it is a little guy.”
Janice-Ann’s face fell. “Really?” She turned and called over her shoulder, “Lynn-Ann, Primrose is a boy.”
Janice-Ann’s identical twin appeared in the doorway with a bowl of what looked like oatmeal and wearing the exact same dress as her sister but in pink with yellow roses.
“Are you sure?” she asked, looking crestfallen. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.”
“Carter said—”
“You can’t believe a word that boy says,” Lynn-Ann retorted moving forward and spotting me. “Oh hi, Carter, honey.”
She wasn’t even phased that she’d been caught out on calling me a liar.
“Tell her, Carter,” Aunt J said.
I shrugged my shoulders and passed ‘Primrose’ to Aunt J. “She’s most definitely he, I’m afraid.” I indicated for her to lift the puppy up and showed her and wondered how the hell they’d missed it—although it was the twins we were talking about.
“Darn it,” Aunt L hissed.
“I have my bag with me, you want me to check him out?”
Aunt J snuggled him to her chest. “Would you, honey? We’d be really grateful.”
“No problem. I’ll visit with Hunter and then call back to the house. That okay?”
The two sisters nodded in unison.
“Where’d you get him, anyway?” I asked.
“Pauly Jansen’s dog had puppies and he was going to take them all to the pound,” Aunt J explained. “We saw him at the gas station when we were there with Jefferson, so we decided we wanted one.”
I smiled. “And I’m guessing you went on at Jefferson until he said yes. Am I right?”
They both grinned.
