We get everything put away but, unfortunately, my house only had four bedrooms; one for my dad, and one for each of us kids. Dad didn’t believe me on the phone when I said Maddy and I were just friends, so he planned for us to stay in the same room.
Most parents would never allow that, but my dad is realistic and knew that if we wanted to do anything, separate rooms wouldn’t make a difference. I can tell she is uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangements, so I need to ease her nerves. I walk her to my room and shut the door. “I’m sorry about this whole room thing, I’m gonna sleep on the couch.” Maybe it is just my imagination or wishful thinking, but I think she looks disappointed.
“Um…okay.”
We spend the rest of the night prepping things for tomorrow. My dad is watching the news so I ask Maddy if she wants to go watch a movie with me. She thanked my dad again for inviting her and walked off to my bedroom. I was about to follow her, but my dad called me. “Carter, wait a minute; come here.”
Maddy looks back at me, asking what she should do. “I’ll be there in a minute, okay?” She nods her head and goes into my room. “What’s up, Dad?”
He leans forward and shuts off the TV. This is serious. “What’s going on with you and her?”
Well, isn’t that the million dollar question. I decide to be completely honest with him. I really need some advice. “I don’t know, Dad. I think I’m falling in love with her.” There, I said it.
“You think? Son, you’ve already fallen and so has she. So what’s the problem?”
He thinks Maddy is in love with me? “No, Dad, you’re wrong about her. She has a boyfriend.”
“I see the way she looks at you and that girl is hung up on you, boyfriend or not. Can I ask why she isn’t with him and his family? Not that I’m complaining, because she’s a great girl.”
“He didn’t want her there. God, I hate him so much and I think he is hurting her. I don’t have any proof, but I know something is wrong.”
My dad looks at me for a second, then shakes his head. “Well, what are you gonna do about it? Your mother always said, ‘the choices we make and the chances we take determine our destiny.’ What do you want your destiny to be, Carter?”
I already know the answer. I’ve been thinking about it all day. “I want to tell her how much I love her. I want to be with her, make her laugh, be able to be the one to hold her when she is upset. I want to show her how amazing she is and be the first person in her life to treat her like that. Every time she comes into a room, I can’t take my eyes off of her. When she touches me, sometimes I need to remember how to breathe.”
He smiles at me. “Well, you have four days with her to show her how it could be. I’d take advantage of that if I were you.”
He was right. I needed to show her how it felt to be loved. I know she hasn’t had that since her mom. “Thanks, Dad. You really helped.” He sits back in his chair and turns the TV back on.
Tomorrow is going to be day one to make Maddy mine.
Chapter Fourteen
Madison
I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and heard Carter talking to his dad. I know it is wrong to eavesdrop, but I had to know what he was saying. He loves me? He wants to be with me? He said more nice things about me in those couple minutes than anyone has my whole life. If I am being honest with myself, I’ve fallen for Carter too.
Just then, he walks into the room and I can’t contain my grin. “So, what do you want to watch? I looked through the channels, but there wasn’t much on.”
He walks over to get something from his bag. “When you went to get the turkey, I snuck a little surprise in the cart.” He turns around holding the DVD of “The Notebook.” He is so thoughtful, and it only shows me how much he cares.
There goes another little piece of my heart to him. I barely had any of it left. He’s taken it piece by piece ever since we met. I just pray that, one day, he won’t tell me he doesn’t want it anymore. “If you don’t want to watch it, that’s fine.”
Shit, I hadn’t said anything. “No, Carter, that was so sweet of you to get that for me. I’ve wanted to see it.”
He smirks at me. “Okay, great, on one condition.” Uh-oh. “You don’t think any less of me if I cry again. I heard this is worse than the other one.”
I can’t stop myself from laughing. He is perfect. “I promise.”
Carter put the movie in and then came over to the bed. He stood there, unsure for a minute, then grabbed a pillow and propped it up behind him. I was sitting Indian style on the bed, but about ten minutes into the movie, I couldn’t help myself. I scooted over to where Carter was, lay down next to him and put my head on his chest.
I felt him release a breath. Just then, he put his arms around me and gave me a squeeze. This was where I wanted to be.
I cried at the end of the movie and as much as Carter would deny it, I felt him reach up to brush a tear away. He grabs the remote, shuts off the TV, and we just lay there together. He begins to stroke my hair and I let out a sigh of contentment.
“If I lie here any longer, I’m going to fall asleep. I’m going to go out on the couch now.” I could hear the reluctance in his voice.
“Carter, you shouldn’t have to sleep on the couch. It’s your house I can sleep out there.”
“Maddy, I’m not going to have you sleeping on the couch. One, I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. Two, my father would probably kick my ass.”
I can’t believe I am about to suggest this. “Maybe you could stay in here.” I felt his whole body tense up. I read this situation completely wrong. He doesn’t want me this close to him. I am crowding him, just like I do with Chris. Shit. I am going to cry. I get up from the bed, needing to go to the bathroom. I don’t want to cry in front of him.
Carter beats me to the door. “Maddy? Hey, look at me.” I just shake my head, not wanting to face him. I’ve had enough embarrassment for the night. He lowers himself so he can see my face. “Hey, what’s wrong? Please talk to me.”
I hated how weak I am, and how much I feel like I need him right now. “I’m sorry, Carter. I guess I made an assumption I shouldn’t have. It’s okay. I understand that I’m a lot to handle. Chris told me before that I crowd him too. I’ll give you your space.” His jaw ticks as I see anger flash in his eyes.
He starts pulling me toward the bed. At this point, I am too exhausted to care. He lays back down and pulls me with him. The way that he does it, I end up straddling him. He takes my face between his hands. “Listen to me, Maddy. You are not crowding me. I love being around you and if you’d let me, I’d never leave your side. I hate that you are so negative about yourself. That asshole doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You deserve so much better than him, baby. And I just-”
I crash my lips into his and he lets out a low moan that is by far the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. He drops his hands to his sides. He is probably afraid to touch me after last night. “Carter, put your arms around me. Please, I need you.”
He wraps me in an embrace so tight, and I’ve never felt so wanted. When he kisses me, it is almost like I can feel his love pouring into my veins. I feel him getting hard underneath me and I pull away.
I’m not ready for that.
I feel like the walls are closing in on me and I am struggling to catch my breath. It’s almost like I am spinning in circles. I can’t believe I am having an anxiety attack right now. When Carter realizes what is going on, he lays me down on my side next to him, turns to face me, and I bury my head in his chest.
It takes me a few minutes, but I finally calm down. I pull my head back and look up at him. He looks so worried that I am finally starting to understand that he really does care about me. This is real.