Chasing Destiny (14 page)

“I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” Kristin informed me. I watched her stand up and a sense of nervousness spread throughout me. At the look on my face, she said, “You’ll be fine. Just play with her or do whatever you had planned before you knew I’d be coming with you.”

“Yeah.” When I had offered to babysit, I really didn’t think Mackenzie would agree to let me. I had only asked so I could throw it back at Hayes later on that I had once offered to watch his daughter. I really hadn’t actually thought about what to do with a toddler for a few hours.

She left the room and I turned back to Harley. “Just you and me, kid.”

“Snack.” She had a look on her face that told me I better get her something to eat or she’d make my night miserable.

“Okay.” I stood and picked Harley up. We walked over to the kitchen and opened the pantry door. I began riffling around, looking for something I thought she would eat, and I could eat as well. “We have Goldfish, pudding, animal…” I trailed off as wetness drifted down the left side of my body.

I looked over at Harley, who had a huge grin spread across her face. “Pee.”

“You peed on me?” I yelled, a little louder than necessary, and placed her on the floor. “Fucking hell!”

“Sorry,” she whispered in her little toddler voice.

It pulled on my heartstrings a bit—just a small bit—but that quickly went away as I felt the urine all the way down my jeans. She must’ve been holding that all damn day.

I had no idea what to do. I guessed I needed to clean her up first. I grabbed some paper towels and began blotting my arm and clothes, then tossed it in the trashcan.

“What’s wrong?” Kristin asked, coming into the room.

“She fucking pissed on me!”

Her eyes widened. “She…she what?”

“You heard me. I have piss all over me!” This was absolutely disgusting and just cemented my non-desire to have children.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing, but it didn’t help. She busted out a snort then kept giggling as she walked over to Harley. She lifted her hand up. “Good job, little girl. High five.” Harley slapped Kristin’s hand. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

“I’m going to go shower in Hayes’ room and see if I can find some clean pants to wear.”

“Quit being such a titbag.” Had she really just called me a titbag? They locked hands and began walking toward Harley’s room. After they disappeared down the hallway, I marched outside to my truck and grabbed my gym bag. I’d rather sit around in smelly clothes than ones soaked in urine.

Once back inside, I showered and changed, then placed my clothes in the washer. I wasn’t going to put them in my bag and have it smell like piss.

Back in the living room, Kristin and Harley were watching a show about animals. Harley would try to yell out what each animal was before the voiceover announced it.

“Pig!” Harley hollered, and Kristin clapped.

I smiled as I watched them. I really wanted to be mad at the kid, but she was too adorable. She kind of had me, along with everyone else, wrapped around her finger.

“Pisscock!” Harley yelled out.

I turned to gape at Harley at the same time Kristin did. We both glanced back at the TV to see a peacock on the screen. “Oh my gosh!” Kristin breathed before she fell back and began laughing again. Apparently, my talk about piss had taught Harley an alternate word for pee. I wasn’t that worried, though. This was Hayes’ kid, after all. I was sure she had heard worse. In fact, I’d just keep this to myself and Mackenzie would blame Hayes if Harley said it again.

“Pisscock!” Harley hollered again, pointing at the screen and then clapping.

I tried my hardest to remain straight-faced, but couldn’t. I began chuckling along with Kristin, which only made Harley start to giggle.

After the whole “pisscock” ordeal, we settled on watching
Cinderella
. I sat on the couch with Kristin against my side and Harley on her lap. It was nice and peaceful—something I wouldn’t have expected while watching a child.

The front door opened and Hayes and Mackenzie walked into the room a moment later. “Hey,” Hayes said as Mackenzie stepped in front of Harley and squatted down. “Hey, princess. Were you a good girl?”

“Mama, Dada!” Harley held her little arms out and Mackenzie picked her up.

“How’d it go?” Hayes asked as he sat down on the couch opposite us.

“Good,” I replied. “Except the part where she peed all over me.”

Mackenzie sat down next to Hayes. “Did you pee-pee on Uncle Carson?”

“That’s my girl,” Hayes said, tickling her little tummy.

I glanced at my phone. “I guess we better get going.”

“Thanks for watching her. We really appreciate it,” Mackenzie offered as Hayes asked, “You still good for getting your measurements tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot, but I’m good,” I replied, referring to my tux measurements for the wedding in two weeks.

“Okay. I’ll pick you up around one.”

I nodded and took Kristin’s hand before exiting. I was ready to get out of there. A few hours with a toddler was plenty for me.

Kristin

Carson had left me in bed to go to his morning class. After he returned from class and work, we’d pack up and drive to his hometown, Maverick. Hayes and Mackenzie were getting married at Hayes’ parents’ house the next day. Apparently they had some amazing house with an even prettier backyard.

My eyes popped open with the sound of the front door banging open and closed. I found it odd, since Carson was in class. I didn’t know whether to be scared or investigate. After lying there for a couple minutes, trying to listen, I decided to investigate.

Quietly, I flung the covers off me and rose from the bed. I began tiptoeing out of the bedroom and down the hallway, barely breathing. My eyes snapped up to see Carson standing in the kitchen, downing the orange juice straight from the carton. My nose scrunched and I wanted to gag a little. I may kiss him now, but I still found drinking straight from the container disgusting.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I stepped into the living room. By the look in his eyes, I could tell he was mad. “Everything okay?”

“No. Everything is not okay.” He sounded petulant. “My fucking assface professor wouldn’t let me take the test because I was one minute late.
One minute
!”

He set the orange juice on the counter and I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m sorry, babe.”

“He just fucking ruined my day!”

“It’ll be okay.” I didn’t know what else to say, so I leaned up and placed a light kiss on his lips. “Want me to make it better?”

“No.”

What?

“I’m too angry for that right now.”

I stepped back. This was so out of character for Carson. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit of a titbag right now? It was one test.”

“I’m going to go to the gym for a bit. I have to meet a client in a couple hours anyway.” He stepped passed me and continued out the door.

I had never seen this moody side of Carson before, and I really didn’t like it. I mean, we all had days like this, but he was acting like a six-year-old.

I decided to get a glass of water and saw a huge, black spider on the counter. I let out a blood curdling scream so loud, I was sure people in the next state heard me, but I didn’t care. It was huge and staring right at me.

I ran as fast as I could toward my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I flopped onto the bed and pulled the cover over me for protection.
Fuck! What am I supposed to do? Kill it? Capture it? How do I do either one of those?

“What the hell?” Carson shouted as he opened the bedroom door. He looked panicked. “Are you okay?”

“Sp-spi-spider,” I stammered out, pointing toward the living room and kitchen.

His eyebrows raised and then he let out a deep chuckle. “That loud fucking scream was because of a spider?”

I nodded.

“Oh my God. And didn’t you just call me a titbag?” He stepped in front of me, then leaned down, placing a kiss on the top of my hair. “Where is it?”

“On the kitchen counter.”

Carson placed his thumb and finger on my chin, raising it to make eye contact with me.
Goodness, I love those blue eyes.
“Are you hiding in here from the spider that’s all the way in the kitchen?”

I nodded.

“And did you shut the bedroom door because of the spider?”

I nodded again.

He pressed his lips together, and then let out a huge belly laugh. “I’ll get rid of it.”

Carson turned and left the room, and I stayed under the covers. I mean, what if he couldn’t find it and it was on its way to the bedroom to kill me?

A few minutes later, Carson returned to the bedroom and lay down beside me. “It’s gone.”

“Did you kill it?”

“No. I put it at the door of the two douchebags who live a couple doors down.”

I laughed. “If you were anyone else, I’d think you were joking.”

“I’m not anyone else. I’m you’re incredibly sexy boyfriend.” He rolled on top of me and began kissing my neck.

I had no idea why I felt like being a bitch, especially since he just saved my life from the spider, but I did. I pushed on his chest, forcing him to roll beside me. “No. You didn’t want me earlier, you aren’t getting me now.”

His eyebrows pulled in. “I never said I didn’t want you.”

“Yes, you did,” I said, getting off the bed. “I offered to make you feel better and you said you’d rather go to the gym.”
I sound like a little bitch
.

“Babe…” He sat up in the bed, looking helpless.

“I’m going to take a shower and then pack. Are we still leaving around three?”

“A shower sounds good,” was his reply as he stood up and stalked toward me, taking his shirt off in the process. He knew how his naked chest affected me, and I knew all my resolve to shower alone was gone. How could I say no to
that?

***

We were in Carson’s truck, headed for his hometown, when I asked, “Do your parents know about me?” I had briefly told my parents I was seeing someone, but wasn’t sure if Carson had told his yet.

“Yeah. You’re staying at their house this weekend, so it only made sense to tell them.”
Is that the only reason he told them?
“But I would’ve told them about us anyway. Why wouldn’t I?”

I shrugged and looked out my window. “I was just wondering.”

He placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed. “It’s more than that. What is it?”

I hated that I was feeling this way, but decided I needed to be truthful. Looking back in his direction, I rested my head back and sighed. “I just…I guess I just wanted to know where we are in our relationship. You know, it’s so new.”

“It is new,” he replied, letting his hand move from my thigh to my cheek. “But we’ve been friends for a while and we know each other pretty well. You’re more to me than you think.” He moved his gaze to the windshield and let his hand drop.

I let his words sink in and smiled. “You’re more than you think to me, too.”

“Good.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it.

We were silent for a while, holding hands and listening to the music before I asked something I had wanted to know, but could never remember to ask. “You and Miranda are cousins, right?”

He nodded. “Sort of.”

“How so?” I wasn’t asking because I thought he might secretly like Miranda, I was genuinely curious.

“Ryder’s dad and my dad are brothers,” he began, glancing in my direction, then back to the windshield, “and his mom and Miranda’s mom are cousins. So, we aren’t technically related, but I still consider her my cousin…or really more like a sister, if I’m being honest. Well, what I imagine having a sister would be like.” He shrugged. “Anyway, we came up with the idea to tell people we were cousins so they would leave us alone about dating. It was never going to happen.”

“Oh,” I said, letting my head wrap around that family tree. “You do treat her more like a sister than a cousin, but I think it’s mutual.”

“She has a brother, though.”

“Yeah, Mitch. I met him once when we lived in the dorms. Where does he live again?”

“Texas, I think.” He reached down and grabbed his phone. “Pick another playlist, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

We spent the rest of the drive talking about random things—
Sons of Anarchy
, bands, our first crushes. Before I knew it, Carson was pulling into his parents’ driveway and my stomach felt like I was going to lose my breakfast. It struck me a little odd that I had never been this nervous around Adam’s parents. I mean, I hated being around them because they were rude, but I definitely had never been in knots over them.

Breathe, breathe. They can’t be too bad. They raised Carson for crying out loud.

“Babe,” Carson said, grabbing my hand after he placed the truck in park. “It’s going to be okay. They’ll love you.”

“You don’t know that,” I cried.

“I do. You’re easy to love. Now, come on.” And just like that, my stomach felt fluttery for a completely different reason.

I smiled and popped the door open. “Well, then, let’s get this over with.”

Carson came around to my side and helped me out of the truck. It wasn’t something he normally did, and I knew he wasn’t doing it just because we were at his parents’ house—he was doing it to help ease my nerves. “Thank you.”

“I just wanted to grab your ass.” He smiled and did exactly that. “We’ll get the luggage later. Come on.”

Taking his hand, I followed behind him all the way to the porch and then inside the house. It was nice—nothing monstrous, but definitely not a shack. “Hey,” Carson greeted as we rounded the corner into a massive living room. His parents were both seated on a huge, oversized couch watching something on the big screen television mounted on the opposite wall.

“Hey,” his dad greeted, not moving from his spot. His mother stood and walked over to me. “Hello, I’m Meredith. And the lazy ass who won’t get off the couch is Richard. You must be Kristin. Carson has told us so much about you.”

“Hi. Nice to meet you, too.” I let my eyes travel to Carson, silently asking what he had told them. His response was to shrug and move to sit on the couch.