I sat in the diner, across from my brother, picking at the pancakes on my plate. Having only taken a few bites, I was consumed by my thoughts. My flight at nine tomorrow morning weighed heavily on my mind. I knew that I had a rigorous schedule for the next few weeks, but it wasn't me that I was concerned about. It was Carrie. Certain people can't handle high stress and end up acquiring an unwanted, but very much necessary rest in a facility as a result. I didn't want this to happen to Carrie. She was much too independent for that shit, and after finding out about what happed to her as a teenager, a lot of things suddenly made so much more sense to me.
"You alright?" Shannon asked, rubbing his chin. He could always read me like a book.
"Yeah, it's just been a long few days," I insisted, hoping to downplay my insecurities.
He tilted forward, resting his chin on his hand and grinning from ear to ear. "Is it really that, or is it the fact that Carrie's baby-daddy is hot?" I snorted, tossing my straw at him but he only blocked it, snickering like an idiot. "What? Tell me that doesn't annoy you. I mean, just look at him. The fucking guy is a goddamn firefighter. He's extremely fit, a few years younger than you and is trying like hell to rub in your face the fact that he has a past with her. Anyone would be intimidated by that." Yeah, thanks for pointing all of that out. He nodded at my plate. "You can quit now. If you want to eat that, you'll have to do it with a spoon."
I didn't even realize I was pulverizing the hell out of my food. Dropping the fork, I shoved the plate away. "It's sort of hard to miss how perfect he is, but Carrie's more annoyed with the whole situation than anything. He just comes off so...." I searched for an accurate description of Colton, "arrogant."
"You noticed that too?"
"Yeah, I noticed." Shan and I shared the same opinion on most things, but Carrie was still a touchy subject as far as I was concerned. I had kept my mouth shut, but I knew they still harbored deep feelings for each other, and it bothered me more than I liked to admit. He wanted her, I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her. While I knew she still had feelings for him, at the same time, I knew she would never cheat on me. We trusted each other far too much for that. But did I trust Shannon the same way? My heart ached as I silently asked myself this question. I had to because the alternative was far too painful to even consider. In the span of a lifetime, a person is bound to have at least one cheating lover, but when they do it with one of your siblings, it's so much more painful. He's done it to me once, and I never want to be in that position again.
Shannon hooked his arm over the back of his seat, trying to avoid contact with the cute redhead that had been eyeing him for at least fifteen minutes now. "Yeah, well, you can relax, Carrie doesn't want him." No, she wants you. "I say she tells him to go fuck himself if he even looks at her twice. That relationship is ancient history, and besides, after what he did to her, I'd be surprised if once this little reunion is over, she doesn't tell him to take a fucking hike."
"Maybe. That was a long time ago and Carrie's a very forgiving person." My comment was definitely aimed at him as well because she forgave him after he broke her heart. My phone buzzed and I hated how anxious I was to snatch it up. "It's her, they're leaving. I should probably get back." I pulled my wallet from my back pocket and took out some cash, dropping it in the middle of the table. I glanced over at the redheads table and then nodded to my brother, "You should go talk to her, she's gorgeous."
He simply shrugged, standing up and stretching. "Meh. She's not really my type."
No, what you prefer is approximately five-six, blonde and has big beautiful green eyes. I shoved my phone into my pocket and glanced over a few tables to the woman currently undressing my brother with her eyes. "Well, she looks like she's about to overheat over there."
"That's precisely my point, where's the challenge in that? She'd get naked in the parking lot and bark like a dog if I asked her to. I need a woman who isn't afraid to have her own opinion. One who will tell my ass the way it is. One who won't hesitate to tell me to go fuck myself when I'm wrong."
You mean like Carrie? Shrugging, I worked my fingers through my hair. "Get naked and bark like a dog? Seriously Shan, what the fuck kind of freaky shit are you into?"
"I'll see ya on Sunday." Maybe he could read my mind since he dismissed me so quickly.
"Yeah, okay." Glancing around the diner one last time, I turned and headed for the door. It was just a few blocks to Carrie's apartment, but I instantly began going over my busy schedule for the next few weeks. I planned to get Shayla to see if there was any rearranging it so I could fly back to LA in between events. What made it difficult was having to work around Carrie's work schedule as well.
Just as I was approaching Carrie's building, I noticed Colton in the parking lot. It was my intention to dash inside before he spotted me and we'd share some weird farewell, but he rushed over, huge smile on his face. "Jared, my man, it was great to meet you. You know, I was just catching up with Tish and our girl handled herself quite well with Lola." His use of her old nickname and the words our girl infuriated me, but I only clenched my jaw. "It can't be easy dealing with all of this crap, but she's always been a tough little cookie." Raising his sunglasses so that they rested on the top of his head, he twirled his keys around his finger. I didn't know what he looked like in high school, but Colton looked like he could be on the cover of some cheesy romance novel. Aside from his perfect bod, the short, dark hair, olive complexion and brown eyes could probably drop panties in a matter of seconds. This guy could easily be an underwear model and the idea of seeing his face plastered on billboards throughout Los Angeles made my stomach turn.
"She is, but still, she knows I'll always be here for her."
"That's great, I'm really glad to hear it."
Sure you are. I attempted to walk away, but he called out when I took a few steps. "Oh, by the way, I was hoping that the three of us could get together and have a drink tonight. To get to know each other better. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other more often now that all of this shit's out in the open."
Actually, I couldn't think of a more uncomfortable way to spend my night. "Let me talk to Carrie and see what she wants to do. Sometimes she just wants a quiet evening in with a good ol horror movie."
Holding his hand out, he bumped my fist with his. "Some things never change. I already talked to her and she said she's down if you are. I'll be by around six, but don't worry bud, I'll be out of your hair early so you two can do your thing." Giving me a wink, he smirked. His assertiveness was almost too much to bear. "Later, Jar."
What the fuck just happened? Why was he talking to me like we'd been friends for years? Better question, why was I feeling so goddamn jealous lately? I was so wound up by the time I got to her door. Opening it, I stepped inside to find her texting furiously on her phone. "Ugh! I was just texting you!" She giggled, tossing the phone down on the coffee table and practically leapt into my arms. The overwhelming urge to prove that she was still mine became too much. My fingers slid up the back of her legs, taking with them the pretty floral fabric of her skirt. I easily lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Carrying her to the bedroom, I wanted to make damned sure she thought of me every time she sat down tomorrow.
