Green Eyed Daydream #Wattys2016

Chapter 76

Tyler's POV

I watch Carrie's beautiful sleeping face, and how her chest expands with each gentle breath she takes. Her lips are slightly parted, and her hair is sprawled all over the pillow. I could look at her forever... and I hope I get to. This girl is so precious to me, and the idea of anyone wanting to hurt her makes me feel even more protective of her. I definitely blame myself for the whole thing with Daniel. The truth is I should have done a better job following through with my threats to ruin his goddamn life. But he's not going to be a problem anymore. While Carrie slept I contacted a few people, and called in some favors. With the kind of legal team I've put in place, Daniel won't see the light of fucking day for years to come. Hopefully that will give Carrie the peace of mind she needs.

It's almost six in the morning, and I haven't slept a wink. Nor do I feel tired. Actually, I am more alert and amped up than ever. There is so much going through my mind that I can't quiet myself. One of the things that keeps bothering me, is how territorial Lucas got about Carrie. Like he had some kind of claim over her just because he happened to be in the right place at the right time. She probably views him as a saint now, and I am just a guy who wasn't there when she needed me to be.

"No! No! Stop it!" I hear Carrie yell, as I watch her toss around in her bed.

I gently place my hands on her shoulders. "Everything's okay, baby. It's just a dream," I tell her.

She blinks open her eyes, and her worry lines dissolve. She sits up, and I wrap my arms around her. "Did you have a nightmare?" I ask.

Carrie nods, and buries her face in my shoulder. "I want to take a shower," she says, and pushes me away, climbing out of bed. "Will you drive me to work?" she asks before getting into the bathroom.

I look at her like she's lost her mind. "Work? You're serious right now. After the night you had? No, no, no. That's not going to happen. You're going to call in sick, and take the day off. Baby, believe me, you need some time after---"

"Here we go again," she begins, planting her fists on her hips. "How many times do I have to tell you, Tyler! You do not tell me what I am, and what I am not going to do! Now if you're not going to drive me to work, that's fine. I'll just take the bus," she says, and slams the bathroom door behind her.

Why is she so stubborn? Why can't she see that I am only trying to look out for her?

I curse in frustration, but decide to play by her rules. After having that horrible experience, where she lacked any control over the situation, it's probably more helpful if I just stay out of her way and let her be in charge all she wants.

When Carrie comes out of the shower, I tell her that I will gladly drive her to work, and really do anything else she wants me to do.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," she mumbles, after I hand her a cup of coffee. "I know you think me taking it easy is for the best, but I think if I stay home and do nothing, I'll drive myself crazy thinking about all this awful stuff... but if I'm at work, I'll be distracted and I can focus on something else."

Yeah, like your damn superhero Lucas. I gotta find a way to get rid of this lippy fucker soon. Otherwise, it won't be too long until I rearrange his stupid face again.

"Um, yeah, of course, that makes sense," I tell her, glad she can't read my mind.

On the way to work Carrie is quiet, and doesn't really make eye contact with me, but she lets me hold her hand the entire ride. I love feeling her small fingers wrapped up in mine.

"Hey, so, I'll be here to pick you up after work," I tell her, pulling over to the curb. "...like I should've done yesterday. I promise, from now on, I'll always be here, Carrie. No matter what. I'll cancel whatever meetings I have, and be here--"

"You don't have to do that, Tyler. That's not even realistic," she says, and frowns at me. "I am not some scared little girl... I can't spend my life being afraid, and relying on someone else. I'll just have to take some more precautions than I did before. Maybe I'll buy Mace, or something."

I shake my head at how naive she is. "Carrie, even if you did that, do you honestly think you would've been able to protect yourself last night? If some psycho guy is hell bent on hurting you, I think he'll find a way to do it."

Fuck. I can tell by how she just snatched her hand out of mine that a shitstorm is coming.

"First of all, are you implying that under no circumstances can I protect myself from a man simply because I am female? That is such sexist bullshit!" she yells at me.

This is getting frustrating, because she's totally misconstruing my intended meaning.

"It's not sexist. I am not talking about all women. I am talking about you specifically. And what I know about you is that I can pin you down with one hand, and that's just me being playful...if a guy my size was after you, you wouldn't stand a chance...even with your spray can. And if he were armed with a lethal weapon, you'd be toast. You'd basically be at this psycho's mercy, and that is not a situation I ever want to consider as a remote possibility for you. That is why, I think you should--"

"That is why I should be tied to you at the hip? That is why you need to be my bodyguard 24/7? You think I'm this inept weakling, that any man can have his way with me. You think so little of me! It's like we're in the dark ages again, and you think you're my knight in shining armor, and I'm a maiden in distress. That's not what I need, Tyler. I need a man who boosts my self-confidence, not a man who diminishes it!"

"That is not my intention, and you know it. I was so scared for you last night. And I am not scared of many things, Carrie, but when someone goes after my family and loved ones, I lose it. I felt genuine fear....fear that I might lose you. That fear then grows into protectiveness. And because I never want you to feel unsafe and alone, I want to be by your side to protect you if you ever need me to. But I also want to help you do things like learn how to protect yourself. I can teach you those things. Why is that so bad?"

"Your idea of protecting me is making me feel more afraid. You telling me that basically any man who is bigger than me physically can hurt me if he wanted to is a shitty thing to say."

"I am sorry if that was insensitive...but that's not just my opinion, Carrie. This is a fact, and the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner you can take some steps to make a difference."

"I don't need you to teach me anything. I can take a class, or whatever...."

"Why are you pushing me away? I am only trying to be helpful. Do you know that I regularly spar with an MMA fighter at my gym? You don't think he and I could teach you a couple of valuable lessons on self-defense?"

"I just want to do things on my own. At my own pace, on my own time, okay?"

I can tell that she's dug her heels in, and nothing I say will earn a stamp of approval at this point, so I just shut the fuck up.

"Fine," I say, trying to conceal my frustration. "I'm still coming to pick you up though."

She nods reluctantly, and exits the car without even leaning in for a hug.