Rhett: Are you at the cabin?
Rhett: Let me know you’re okay.
Rhett: Talk to me.
I feel bad I never thought to text him, letting him know we got here safely. There’s no way he’s still awake, but I type out a message anyway. At least he’ll see it when he wakes up.
Kinsley: I’m okay. Sorry. I fell asleep.
I set the phone on the counter, but it vibrates with a return message right away.
Rhett: I’ve been freaking out.
Quickly, I use the bathroom, before hurrying into my room and dialing his number. It barely rings one full time before he picks up. “Sunny?”
“Hey, um, I guess I wanted to call you so you knew I was okay.”
“You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. My head’s been like a horror movie, coming up with all kinds of shit of what could have happened to you.”
“The ride made me sick, so once we got here, I went right to bed. I just woke up to pee.”
He laughs, and I realize I could have left that last part out. “You should go back to sleep. It’s still pretty early.”
“And you should go to bed.”
“Yeah, now that you’re safe I can.”
“Rhett,” I pause for a second, wanting to ask him something, but not sure I have the right considering we’re not what we used to be.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, I’ve been having trouble falling asleep lately.”
“Close your eyes,” he says, in a soft, comforting voice. “I’ll stay on the line until you’re asleep.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. My girls need some sleep.”
More flutters hit me from head to toe. “Night, Rhett.”
“Night, my Sunny-girl.”
I have no idea how long he stayed on the line, but the call is no longer connected when I wake up a couple hours later. I even check my call log to make sure it wasn’t all a dream, and I’m relieved when I see his text and his name.
My stomach growls so strongly it’s painful, so I slide out of my itchy bed in search of some breakfast. Carson’s the only one awake, and he’s standing in front of the toaster with a butter knife in his hand.
He doesn’t even have to turn around to know it’s me behind him. “Morning. Sleep okay?”
“Um, yeah. I woke up once, but I got back to sleep.”
He sets a plate of toast in front of me, and a glass of juice. “I heard you get up.”
“Oh, did I wake you up?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I couldn’t seem to get back to sleep. Been working on the puzzle ever since.”
I glance at the other end of the sprawling antique table, and he has puzzle pieces all over the place. The frame is loosely built with a few pieces to connect it all together, still missing.
“Do you want to go out for a little while? Maybe take the four wheelers for a drive?”
“I don’t know how to drive one of those things.”
“You can ride on mine. I won’t go fast.”
It actually sounds kind of fun, and I don’t want him to think I’m not grateful for the offer. He’s always trying to make me happy, and I should probably make the most of this little getaway since I’m here. “Sure, sounds like fun.”
He smiles and sets some scrambled eggs on the table. “Eat up,” he says.
I narrow my eyes, and he laughs. “When were you planning on telling me you knew how to cook something other than toast? All this time I’ve been making food for you so you wouldn’t starve.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe I liked you taking care of me.”
“Maybe,” I whisper. I concentrate on my food, hoping the awkwardness between the two us will disappear. I would do almost anything to get our friendship back to the way it was before he kissed me. Ever since, it’s been weird, and I don’t have the heart to tell him I can’t be with him. Even if I have to.
“Meet me out back when you’re finished. There’s someplace I want to show you. Wear something warm.”
After I finish my breakfast, I take a quick shower and throw my hair into a lazy ponytail. I dress in a warm sweater, my coat, and jeans. These are the last pair I can actually get on and still breathe. They were my period jeans, as Becca called them—the ones you buy a size or two bigger for days you’re super bloated. Now, they’ve become my everyday staple.
“Who’s all coming?” I ask Carson, as he pulls his four wheeler out of the shed. He hands me a helmet, and I put it on, clipping it under my chin.
“It’s just me and you. Wyatt’s taking Becca to some wine tasting thing. Kate was going to tag along with them. I figured since you couldn’t drink, I’d find something for us to do.”
“Becca’s not even twenty-one. How can she go?”
“It’s a little vineyard. Wyatt plays football with the owner’s son. So, he invited them to stop by.”
I guess when they wanted to spend more time together as a family, it didn’t include me. They could have at least invited me. I would have been okay watching.
“Are you mad?”
“It’s whatever . . .”
Carson stands in front of me, holding my face in his hands. “It’s not whatever. If you’re upset, say so.”
“I’m pissed my own brother still hasn’t spoken to me. And I’m pissed I was forced to come all the way here, and they don’t even want to spend time with me. So, yeah. I guess I’m just pissed.”
He leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose. “You’re pretty damn cute when you’re pissed, Kins.”
Right now would be the perfect opportunity to tell him I’m not comfortable with him kissing me, not when I’m pregnant with someone else’s baby, but again, I chicken out. It’s not in my DNA to hurt feelings. “Can we go now?”
“Sure, come on. I’m taking you about a mile from here. There’s this really cool bluff that leads to a waterfall. It’s not huge or anything, but it’s pretty cool. I think you’ll like it.”
I stare at the four wheeler, wondering where he wants me to sit. “What do I do?”
He chuckles, hopping on first. “Grab onto my shoulders, and pretend you’re getting on a horse.”
“Sounds easy enough.” Once I’m on, Carson reaches behind me, and wraps my arms around his stomach. “Hold on tight, and don’t let go. Even if we’re not going very fast, okay?”
“Okay.” I don’t tell him, but I’m actually pretty scared about being on the back of this thing, but he would never put me in danger, so I trust him to get us where we’re going in one piece.
He keeps his promise, and doesn’t go very fast. As he points out places he’s been hunting since he was a kid, we see two deer near his tree stand. He shows me where he shot his first deer, and a couple minutes later, he pulls up next to a rocky cliff. After he helps me off the four wheeler, I peel my helmet off my head.
“We can walk around the back side. There’s a little trail over there.”
“Thank goodness, I thought we were going to expect me to scale this thing.”
“We’ll save the real adventures for after you have the baby.”
The way he hints at the possibility of a long-term relationship, only makes me feel guiltier for spending time with him. Rhett’s the one I should be with today—at his uncle’s cabin. I didn’t even get to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday, but falling asleep with him only a phone call away, makes me smile. Even through the rough parts, he’s willing to help me.
I follow Carson and he reaches for my hand, helping me slide between some trees. The leaves on the ground are a couple inches thick, and mixed with the rain we’ve been getting, it’s slippery. But he gets us to where he wants to go, safely.
“We can sit here.” He points to a large rock with a flat surface that looks like it’s been placed here on purpose.