The Man I Thought I Trusted - E. L. Todd Page 0,41
place. “Yeah… It is.”
15
Dax
I couldn’t believe she’d said she’d think about it.
This was Carson we were talking about.
She didn’t give up territory for anything.
But she actually considered it…for me.
It made me feel just as good as if she’d said yes. It made me feel important to her, that I was just as significant in her life as her friends. I’d moved into the inner circle, becoming more than just a boyfriend to her, but family.
That was the greatest compliment I’d ever received.
A week passed, and I didn’t bring it up to her. She came over to my place some nights, and the others, I went over to hers. We talked about anything but the one thing we were both thinking about. That was okay with me.
I got to the gym with the guys, and we warmed up with a couple shots, running around with our shirts off and working up a sweat. When Carson walked in with her friends, I immediately abandoned the court and walked over to them.
Charlie sat on the bleachers with Denise beside him, the two of them engaged in conversation. Matt sat a short distance away, as if he were giving them space so his friend could seal the deal. Carson was beside him, and when I walked over, she rose to her feet.
I smiled at her cuteness, loving her little workout shorts and her t-shirt. I liked it when her hair was pulled back so I could see more of her beautiful face. “Hey, sweetheart—”
“Yes.” She stood with her hands on her hips, giving me a serious look, her eyes focused on my face like this was a business deal rather than a personal conversation between two people in love.
My smile faded when I heard that single word, the unexpected answer to a conversation we’d had over a week ago. I inhaled a deep breath when I heard that answer, the trumpets playing in my ears. I stood in front of her, looking down at her without touching her.
Her eyes shifted back and forth as she gazed into my face.
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. All I could do was absorb that answer further into my bloodstream, memorize her tone as she spat it out in the middle of a basketball court at a gym. It was blunt and to the point—exactly who she was.
She walked past me then headed onto the court as she joined the guys for a warm-up.
I watched her go before I turned back to her friends.
Charlie gave a slight shrug. “I couldn’t believe it either.”
After the game, we got pizza and wings, as was tradition. The food was so heavy and greasy that it seemed to negate all the exercise we’d just done on the court. I sat beside Carson as we drank our beers and waited for the food to come out.
Charlie was absorbed in Denise, making her laugh and smile, like they were already a couple that hadn’t actually touched each other.
My hand went to Carson’s bare thigh under the table.
She turned to me once she felt my affection.
I gave her a gentle squeeze as I looked down at her, finding her to be the most beautiful woman in the world even when her skin was shiny with sweat and she didn’t wear makeup. “I love you.”
Her eyes softened. “I love you too.”
I wanted to talk about her answer from before, but I almost felt like it was better left unsaid. She’d abandoned all her old ways and completely let me in. It was the biggest declaration of love she could ever make. “So…you want to have kids?” I’d never actually asked her before. I just inserted her into my dream, pictured her as the mother of my children.
She shrugged. “Someday…maybe. I’m open-minded about it.”
“I think you’d be a great mom.”
“I don’t know about that.” She shrugged off my compliment. “I’d probably be a drill sergeant.”
“And is that a bad thing?”
“Well, I’d have to be the disciplinarian since you’ll be the teddy bear.”
I shrugged. “I’m an excellent cuddle buddy.”
She smiled. “You are.”
The waitress brought all the food and placed it on the table.
Matt clapped his hands. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
Charlie didn’t seem to notice the food because he was so absorbed in his conversation with Denise.
Carson immediately grabbed some wings and fries.
I let her go first—as always. “You think he’s going for it?”
She glanced at them across the table, visibly smitten with each other. “I hope so. About time he put his money where his mouth is.”