Strong (Kindred #1) (39 page)

I
’ve been searching for the perfect present for Carter for two weeks now, we fly to Chicago in three days and I’m still not sure I have it. I keep asking and he keeps saying the same thing, he doesn’t need a present, he’s taking me home, that’s the best present. I’ve asked Jack and he doesn’t have any ideas either. He’s got him a new jersey, not that Carter will get it until we get back and we have, what Josie and I are calling Christmas part two. We’re keeping the decorations up in the flat and we’re cooking a turkey and everything.

I’m ridiculously excited about it.

We told Mum and Dad we were planning to go to Chicago, at the same time we told them about us and they were over the moon for us. I think they’re just happy that I’m okay. I still smile whenever I think of telling them about Carter and I.

“
Mum, Dad… Carter and I… We’re—“

“In love?” she interrupts beaming.

“Yeah,” I can’t help but smile, reaching for Carter’s hand. “We’re together.”

“Is that big news?” Dad asks grinning. “It’s been clear to us from the beginning.”

“Well, it’s big news for me, for us.” I tell them.

“We’re so happy for you both,” Mum smiles, leaning over to take my other hand. “He’s been a tower of strength through all this, Carmen, I’m so glad you’ve got him.” Mum looks at Carter then lets go of my hand and squeezes our linked ones.

“Thank you,” Carter says. “For letting me, I know it must have been hard for you both.”

I resign myself to just giving him the little things I’ve got him and hope I can find something when we get to Chicago. We’re arriving a few days before so I should have plenty of time. I’m so excited to see everything that Carter loves, Alexis is beyond excited that we’re going to be there for Christmas and keeps messaging me with ideas of things we must do while we’re there. I’m in the middle of wrapping the scarf Carter chose for his Mum when he comes in beaming.

“Hey, you look happy.” I grin too as he comes bounding up to the table, dropping into the chair and kissing me.

“I am, Doug and Sophie? Two of the best people in the world. Do you know Jonathan’s parents are wanting some work doing to their house? Well, Doug has got me the job too. So after the holidays I start work on Doug and Sophie’s extension and then in the summer, it’s over to the Coopers to work on theirs.”

“Wow, I’m so proud of you.”

“Have you been wrapping all day?” he grins, looking at the mountain of paper all round the lounge.

“Not all day, for some of it I was trying to work out what to buy the most gorgeous man on the planet for Christmas because,” I lean a little closer. “He won’t tell me what he’d like.”

“Well,” he leans closer still. “Maybe he already has everything he wants now that he’s got the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Our lips touch and everything else goes out the window. I don’t care about presents or wrapping paper or anything, I just care about Carter’s mouth on mine and pretty soon, his hands sneaking under my jumper. I’m totally lost to him so naturally, the phone rings and interrupts us.

“Damn my brother.” he growls looking at his phone.

“It might be important, answer it.”

“If it’s not, do I have permission to kill him?” he asks, swiping along the bottom of the screen. “Yes?” he asks into it, in way of a hello.

I laugh as I finish wrapping the scarf and place it on the pile to be packed and not the pile that will end up under the tree. Carter paces back and forth then heads to the kitchen to raid the cupboards. I know what he’s going for before he takes it out. He turns back around and sure enough, sitting in his hands is a packet of Oreos, the man is obsessed with them.

Maybe I’ll just buy him a years supply of Oreos for Christmas.

“Yes Jack, I already said I would, bring them over and we’ll take them.” he rolls his eyes and moves his hand up and down like a mouth.

Two minutes later he’s sitting next to me at the table and watching me wrap.

“You know, you can actually help, right?”

“Yeah,” he grins popping another Oreo into his mouth. “But you’re so much better than I am.”

“That’s the lazy person’s excuse.”

“No, it’s the ‘I hate wrapping’ person’s excuse.”

“What did Jack want?” I ask him.

“If he needs to post the presents for everyone back home or if we’ll take them.”

“I already told him we’d take them, and anyway, he’s missed the posting deadline by days.”

“I know, I think he’s stressing. Josie is out with Megan getting his present and they’ve been gone for three hours apparently.”

“And?”

“She was getting more pains before she left.”

“I spoke to her about half an hour ago, she’s okay. The doctor said it’s all the growing the baby is doing, perfectly normal.”

“I know, he’s just worried.”

“It’s very sweet.”

“I think he’s driving Josie mad though.”

“It’s part of it though, Harry drove Megs mad too.” I laugh.

“Do I drive you mad?”

“No, but I’m not pregnant am I?”

Carter winces and I realise what I said.

Every day there are little reminders of how much my whole life has been changed in the last few months. Most days, I’m just happy to be alive and well but some days, something will remind me and everything seems to just come crashing down around me. Being busy helps and so does having Carter, but I forget my inability to have children effects him too.

“Sorry.” I reach over for his hand.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry about, it’s just… Sometimes it just reminds me that, well… You know.”

“I do,” I smile softly, encouraging him to talk to me. “You can talk to me about it, Carter, you don’t have to be the strong one all the time.”

“The strong one? I’m not the strong one.” he laughs, running a hand over his face.

“You’ve got that all wrong, you were strong when I had nothing left to give, it’s because of you, I got through it.”

“Do you know…. The day you had your surgery I went crazy. I sat with you when they brought you back into your room and watched the heart rate monitor and I knew as long as that line kept moving across, as along as there was a beep you were okay.”

“I’m okay,” I remind him. “I’m really okay.”

“I know that now, but I didn’t then. I had all these feelings to try and work out too. I knew I felt something more than friendship for you, I was so scared Carmen, more scared than I’ve ever been in my life. I watched that machine for over an hour. I watched the line move across the screen, I knew you were okay, your heartbeat was strong, you were strong.”

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like.”

“You’ve had moments where you’re so scared everything freezes? Where you can’t think of the next breath you’re going to take because you’re not sure you’ll get one…. Well that’s what it felt like for the time you were in surgery and then when you came back out, until you woke up and I could see you open your eyes.”

I stand up and go to sit in his lap, wrapping myself around him and holding him as he wraps his arms around me. I’ve been so busy worrying about myself, trying to get myself better, I failed to realise the tremendous ordeal Carter has been living with this whole time.

“You’re who kept me fighting, Carter. You were and still are, my strength.”

“I didn’t feel all that strong, I got my strength from seeing how incredible you were. You don’t even see it do you?” he smiles, looking into my eyes.

“I see you,” I tell him. “I see how you kept me going, how you helped me every single day even though we’d just met.” I press light kisses to his face.

“We might have just met, but you know what I think? All that suff people say about souls? I think ours knew each other, I think they knew the other half of them was wearing a red dress and a wedding suit.”

“You know you’re kinda romantic, Carter Manning?”

“I guess so.” he chuckles.

“And you know it kind of makes me want to take you to bed when you say stuff like that?”

“Does it?” he grins at me.

“Yeah…” I lean down and kiss him, making sure there is no space between us. “It’s a real shame I have so much wrapping to do…”

“I can help.” he pulls back, dark eyes bearing into mine.

“Oh you can? So the secret to getting you to wrap is to turn you on and tell you I’m turned on too?”

“Apparently.” he nods.

“Okay then,” I climb off him and sit back down across from him. “The sooner we finish wrapping, the sooner we can go to bed. Sound good?”

“Sounds delightful.”

“Then get wrapping, your sister’s present is over there.” I point in the direction of the tree where a pile of unwrapped presents still sits. “And press play on the iPod, this needs Christmas music!”

We touch down at Chicago O’Hare International Airport at just gone eight-thirty and Josie is right, it is freezing. There is so much snow on the ground I actually stop in my tracks just to look at it. Carter stands beside me grinning, clearly amused with my reaction.

“Cold enough?” he chuckles, wrapping one arm around me.

“You could say that, I’m so glad I listened to you and didn’t bring anything with a heel.”

“You can always buy heels here if you want some and I know you’re not completely telling the truth, I saw into your bag, there was definitely a pair of black heels in there.”

“Yeah, but those don’t count. They’re for Christmas day and you told me we’d park on your parent’s drive.” I look up as I snuggle into him.

“We will. Now, are you done freezing your ass off? Dad’s parked over there.” he raises his chin in the direction of a sleek black car.

“Yes, I’m sure there will be plenty of time to freeze my butt off.”

“Don’t freeze it off, I happen to love your ass.” he sneaks his hand lower down my back and squeezes it.

“Carter, your Dad.”

“Please, just you wait until you see Mom and Dad together, he’s constantly groping. Scarred for life I tell you.”

Carter’s Dad climbs out of the car and hugs Carter before wrapping me in a hug too. When I open the back door after insisting Carter sit in the front with his Dad, I’m greeted by squeals.

“Carmen!” Alexis yells. “You look gorgeous! How are you?”

“Alexis,” I laugh, sitting down and buckling myself in. “How are you?”

“Better now you’re here, do you know how much willpower it took not to get out with Dad just now?” she laughs.

“A lot, knowing you, Titch.” Carter smiles at her as he gets in.

“I’m going to let that go, seeing as I’ve missed you like crazy!” she tells him, beaming.

“Are we all buckled up?” he asks, we nod and Nick starts the car.

I watch Chicago fly past my window as I listen to Alexis, Carter and Nick talk about stuff and people I have no idea about. I catch names and places but that’s about it, they talk so fast it’s difficult to keep up so I just sit there grinning, not really believing I’m in Chicago with Carter. I pull out my phone and text Josie and Megan to let them know we arrived safely and then enjoy the scenery. Everything looks so different to back home and I can’t wait to explore the snowy city with Carter.

We turn off the motorway, I can’t help but think of it as that even though I know it’s not called that here, and make a slower journey to where I guess Hilary and Nick live. We turn down a tree lined street and I can’t help but smile even more, it’s just like it is in movies, children out building snowmen on the lawns of their houses it’s a beautiful scene to witness and makes me feel a little giddy.

“You okay back there?” Carter asks, turning in his seat.

“I’m great.” I smile back.

A few minutes later, we pull into a big driveway and stop in front of a white house with lots of windows and blue shutters. The front porch covers the big blue front door which has a pillar either side and everywhere is covered in the fluffy snow I’ve seen during the entire journey. Nick gets out, followed by Alexis who jumps out and runs into the house, Carter turns to look at me and flashes me that damn smile that has me practically melting on the spot.

“This is where you live?” I ask, suddenly understanding why he could afford to move to England and not worry about money.