sure if she was with you, she would have come with you.”
Robert grinned at him slightly. “Yeah, I’m guessing that was your first kiss with her. She didn’t look too into it. Let me guess, you thought you’d push my buttons by kissing her.”
I glanced at Carter, trying to gauge his reaction, but his face was perfectly neutral.
“I don’t need to push your buttons,” Carter said. “If you really wanted her, you wouldn’t be over there being a pussy. You would come take what you want. But since I’m the one holding her, I’m guessing you don’t have the balls to go after her. Just like thirteen years ago, am I right?” he grinned.
I stepped back in shock. What the hell was he doing? Did he know?
“What happened thirteen years ago?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, this sounds important to the story,” Kat nodded. “Is this one of those times we should be doing what they did to us?”
“Facebook?” Eric asked.
I flushed bright red and shook my head. “This is not a Facebook moment.”
“What’s not a Facebook moment?” Will asked as he came into the room.
“Robert was just about to tell us if he was going to fight for Anna or walk away like a coward, just like thirteen years ago.”
“Robert, a coward?” Will snorted. “I think you’re talking about someone else.”
“What’s it going to be?” Carter asked.
I spun in Carter’s arms and put my hand against his chest. “Whatever you think you’re doing, you need to stop,” I said urgently. I had never seen Robert so pissed off before.
“Why? Are you telling me his family doesn’t know?”
My heart rate picked up and I felt like I was as red as a lobster.
“What don’t we know?” Joe asked as he walked in with Andrew.
“Why don’t you leave,” Robert said with controlled calm. “This isn’t your family.”
“Yeah, I know that, but I’m here for Anna.”
“Really? Because it kind of feels like you’re just here to stir the pot,” I shot at him.
“This asshole doesn’t deserve you,” he said, his anger showing for the first time. “I was serious, Anna. I like you and I want to be with you, but if he’s what you’re looking for, then tell me now.”
“I don’t understand,” I snapped. “Why did you insist on coming here today?”
“Why doesn’t someone just tell us what the hell is going on,” Will said, turning to Robert. “What the hell is he talking about? Why is he calling you a coward?”
Robert looked to me, and I knew he was trying to find the answer. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Obviously, Carter somehow knew our secret, but why was he so insistent on having everyone else know? And it was clear that Robert was not okay with being called out.
“I feel like I should have my phone out to capture the big reveal,” Andrew whispered to Joe.
“How did you even find out?” Robert asked quietly.
Carter glanced down at me and for the first time, I saw a hint of regret that he had brought this up. “When you were gone, your mom got pretty drunk in town more than a few times. My dad had to make sure she got home alright.” He shrugged slightly. “Turns out, she can’t keep a secret as well as she thought.”
I slowly dragged my eyes from his face over to Robert. He was staring at me with something close to shame in his eyes. This whole thing was mortifying and out of control. I never should have come here tonight. I should have known that Carter was only going to cause trouble.
But he had no right to call out Robert for what happened. That was between the two of us, and it was no one else’s business. Besides, what Robert and I had was something good. We were just too young to really understand how life worked.
“Carter, I think you should go,” I said quietly.
“Well, I guess that’s my answer,” Carter said, clearing his throat. He bent down and kissed my cheek. “Be careful with him,” he whispered. “He’s not good enough for you.”
He stood tall and smirked at Robert as he passed. “Good to see you again, Bob. Oh, and hey, if she takes you back, try not to knock her up this time.”
Kat gasped behind me and my hand flew to my mouth to cover my own gasp. Robert’s eyes flamed with rage. One second he was standing in front of me and the next, he was tackling Carter, shoving him through