"Looks like bath time for you sweet girl," I said to her, marveling at how one little girl could make such a mess.
"You can say that again," Lou said from beside me, reaching out to take Carly from her seat. "I'll bathe her if you want to clean up this mess. Dinner should be ready by the time we're done."
I nodded as she left the kitchen with Carly and pulled a couple of paper towels off the roll and wet them so I could clean up the mess.
When Lou came back downstairs carrying a freshly bathed Carly, I reached out for her, but Lou stopped me, pointing at my messy shirt. I quickly unbuttoned it and tossed it into the laundry room, leaving me in my under shirt, before reaching for Carly again.
She came to me willingly and I instinctively put my nose in her hair. I loved the scent of her freshly washed curls combined with her baby lotion and recently laundered pajamas. She nuzzled her head into my shoulder and I patted her back as I bounced her up and down lightly.
Walking into the living room I turned on the stereo, flipping to one of the soft rock stations I love. When a familiar song came on I took Carly's little hand in mine and began dancing around the living room changing the lyrics of Van Morrison's song so I was singing to my blue eyed girl.
As we spun around the living room I imagined future nights like this. Carly would stand on my feet and I'd hold her hands as we danced around. Then, when she got a few years older I'd start to teach her some steps. By the time she headed off to her prom or cotillion, she'd be able to Shag, Fox Trot and Waltz. I'd make sure of it.
When Unchained Melody came on next Carly laid her head on my shoulder as we continued to drift around the room together. As the song drew to a close, movement in my periphery caught my eye as I looked up to see Lou leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, an adoring look on her face.
I walked over to the stereo and turned down the music and then faced Lou.
"She's sleeping," she whispered to me. I rubbed my hand on Carly's back softly, feeling her deep and even breaths. "Let me go lay her down and then we can eat dinner."
"I'll take her," I said, not ready to hand over the little ball of cuteness in my arms.
Lou nodded and I headed upstairs to Caroline's room, carefully laying Carly down in the porta-crib and covering her with a blanket. For a moment I stood there and watched her, her elbows forming ninety degree angles with her little fists up by her head. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, like she didn't have a care in the world. I hoped that I would always be able to provide that kind of sanctuary for her and for Lou. I wanted to take care of them and provide for them, and I wouldn't let anything stand in the way of that.
**
Over the next week Lou and I spent tons of time looking at furniture, fabric, and paint samples and had finally agreed on shades of blue for the master bedroom.
The painter came the following week and the curtains and matching throw pillows, which Lou insisted on, had been ordered, along with a duvet in a complimentary fabric, which she assured me would look amazing once everything was in place.
The bedroom furniture, along with a new sofa and love seat had been delivered at the end of the same week, and I had also splurged on a large dining room table and chairs, since my parents had taken theirs to Bluffton.
It was a dark polished wood that Lou said would set off the color of the trim in the dining room. I didn't really care as long as she was happy, and it would give us more space to spread out while her family was visiting, so I figured I'd go ahead and buy it.
By the time the curtains were hung and the room was dressed it felt like a completely different space.
"It's perfect," I told Lou. "You did an excellent job. Do you love it?" I asked her.
She nodded at me, flashing a small smile. "It really only matters if you love it Carson. It's your room."
"It's our room. Say it."
"Our room," she complied.
"I meant it, Lou," I said emphatically, walking over to her and slipping my arms around her perfectly slender waist. "I'm sure I don't tell you enough, but I think about it all the time. You and Carly are my future. One day I'm going to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me, and when you say yes I'm going to marry you and bring you back to this room and make love with you in that bed. I'm going to watch your belly swell with Carly's siblings while you sleep next to me in the early morning sun. We're going to spend lazy Saturdays watching cartoons with our children in here, sneaking glances at each other over their heads. And one day, when they've grown and moved away, I'll hold you while we snuggle and reminisce about all the times we spent in this room. So I'll ask you again, Lou. Do you love it?"
She turned in my arms, her bright blue eyes crowded with tears. "I love it Carson. I love it almost as much as I love you."
Chapter 31
Lou
"Mom! Dad!" I called to my parents as they walked out of the arrivals gate at the Savannah International Airport.
"Hey sweetie! Look how good you look!" my mom chortled as she pulled me into her arms.
I hugged her tightly feeling my world instantly right itself the moment I was in her arms.
"I've missed you Mom," I said to her before turning to my dad. "Hey Daddy," I said, throwing myself into his strong embrace.
"There's my girl. Let me get a good look at you," he said, holding me back from him so he could see my face. "You look really good Lou. Motherhood agrees with you."
"Thanks Daddy," I said, turning towards Carson. "I want you both to meet someone very special to me. This is Carson Foster. Carson, this is my mom and dad, Charles and Deidre Evans."
"It's really nice to meet you Carson. We've heard nothing but good things, but please, my friends call me Deedee," my mom said and I rolled my eyes.
"And mine call me Chuck," my dad added.
I laughed, "Some things never change."
"It's very nice to meet you both," Carson said, shaking hands with each of them. "I've heard a lot about both of you as well, and I'm so glad you all could come visit."
"Nonsense son, we should be the ones thanking you. Texas is a long way from Georgia and we don't get out to the east coast to visit with the girls nearly often enough. This is a real treat, and I wanted to personally thank you for flying us out here," my dad told Carson, clapping him on the back.
"Well, we're happy to have you both," Carson said, shrugging off the praise.
"Where's that sweet granddaughter of mine?" my mom asked, raising a dark eyebrow at me.
"Charlie's here already. She's got Carly and Margaret at the park in the neighborhood. They're going to meet us at the house in a little while and then we'll get ready to go out for dinner, if you'd like," I told my parents.
"Sounds perfect," my mom commented as we all headed for baggage claim.
**
"I like just about anything, but there's a really nice place downtown that I'd like to take you to. They have amazing seafood and it's a local place, not a chain," Carson told my family.
"I like the sound of that," my dad said. "I've been looking forward to a good plate of shrimp and grits since the last time I was out this way. It's been way too long."
"Well, I don't particularly care for seafood. Isn't there somewhere else we can go?" Charlie asked.
I scowled at her. She'd been a real downer since she'd arrived and I didn't know what her problem was, but it seemed like it had everything to do with the fact that Carson wasn't Derek.
"They have other things on the menu to choose from, Charlie. I'm sure you can find something you'd like to eat." I told her, irritated.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms like a petulant child.
"Fine," she acquiesced with pressure from my mother.
After saying goodbye to Kelly, who was watching the girls, we all rode in Carson's truck down to the river, and parked under an old oak tree out front of Vic's on the River.
"Mom, you just have to try the Fried Green Tomatoes," I told her. "They remind me of the ones Gra
nny Blake used to make when we'd spend summers out at her place."
"That sounds delicious, honey, I'll have to try them."
"Or, if you're up for a little something warm, since the weather has cooled, the Tomato Bisque with lump crab is incredible," Carson added.
"Do they have anything good that's not seafood? Charlie whined.
I turned toward her just in time to see my mother pinch her hard on the arm. I smiled to myself, remembering how she always used to do that to us when we were kids and would get out of line.
"Sure, they do," Carson humored her. "They have chicken, steak, pork chops, meatloaf, and even a burger if that's what you'd like."
He stopped and opened the door to the restaurant letting us all pass before closing it behind himself, always the gentleman.
Once we had been seated and ordered appetizers the conversation turned to Foster & Company.
"So, Carson, what do you do at the company?" my dad asked.
"Well sir, I just finished college in the spring and moved back here hoping to get acquainted with the business. I'm part of the fourth generation of our family to have worked there, and I hope that I can learn all there is to know about the company, and perhaps, someday in the future, I could take over. It will probably take a lot of work, but hopefully it will pay off in the end."
"Those are some big aspirations, son," my dad said, commending Carson on his dedication.
"Did y'all know Derek got a new job?" Charlie asked. "He's now the lead architect on some new software design project for the government. The best part is that since he's got a team of people working for him he won't have to work such long hours anymore and will have more time to devote to other things."
I had seriously never been more pissed at Charlie than I was in that moment. Was she deliberately trying to ruin dinner? I kicked her under the table, murdering her with my eyes as I gestured for her to follow me to the restroom.
As soon as the door closed behind us I turned on her.
"What is your problem, Charlie?"
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from me, suddenly finding the folded hand towels incredibly interesting.
"I just don't like Carson is all."
"How do you even know? You haven't given him a chance. You just met him a handful of hours ago and already you've decided that he's the devil," I chastised, waving my hands around.
"He's just too polite, and he's got perfect hair, and he's too good looking. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know there's bound to be something wrong with him," she said.
"Charlie, do you even hear yourself? Are you that jaded? Carson is one of the nicest, most loving men I have ever met in my life. He may not be perfect, but he's perfect for me, in my opinion, and I want you to stop it with this attitude. I've told you countless times that I am never getting back together with Derek, and yet every time we're together, you insist on bringing him up and trying to sing his praises, but I'm not listening! I don't want to be with Derek and you're acting like a little girl who didn't get her way."
She unfolded her arms and her bright blue eyes met mine.
"I'm sorry, Lou. I just really want you to be happy, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
I relaxed my face and smiled at her softly. "If you would stop being so completely against Carson you'd probably see how happy I am with him. He loves me, and I love him."
"But how do you know it's real, Lou? How do you know he's not pulling one over on you? You seemed to think Derek was the love of your life, and look what happened there. Now he wants you back and you're acting like the two of you never had anything to begin with."
"First of all, I did love Derek, but I never said he was the love of my life. He hurt me, badly, and I just can't forget that, regardless of if he wants me back or not. If he wanted to be with me, he should have tried harder while we were still together, instead of continually tearing my down until I didn't care about anything except getting away from him.
"Secondly, I know Carson loves me because I see the way his face lights up when I walk into the room. His body instinctively turns towards me when I'm standing near him, and he's always touching me in some way. Not to mention, how many men do you know that would fly their girlfriend's parents in for the weekend, and invite her sister and niece and let them all stay in his house? Plus, he took Carly and me in after the fire, and you should see how good he is with her. It's clear to me that he loves her, and I know she loves him too."
"So that's it? You're throwing in the towel and you're done? You've only been divorced for a year and you're already ready to settle down and be with Carson for the rest of your life?"
"Look Charlie, maybe you don't get it, but I spent years being married to Derek and learning what I don't want. I don't want to be with someone I can't trust. I don't want to be with someone who talks to me like I'm no better than the dirt under their shoe. I don't want to be with someone who forces himself on me just so he can feel like a man. And I especially don't want to be with someone who can't accept Carly.
"Carson is none of those things, and if you'd give him a chance, you might just see things differently. He's honest and loving, intelligent and charming, and so many other things that you're overlooking. But the most important thing is that I love him," I finished, reaching out to squeeze her arm. "So can you please try to give him a chance?"
I watched her shoulders deflate as she nodded. Maybe she wasn't going to be his best friend from then on, but hopefully she'd at least be civil.
When we returned to the dinner table, Carson was in the middle of telling my parents about our trip to the Bahamas and how I'd nearly broken my arm off fighting that blue marlin. I slipped my hand inside his underneath the table and squeezed and when he paused mid sentence to look down at me, the smile he gave me took my breath away.
Yes, Charlie, I am ready to settle down and be with Carson for the rest of my life.
Now, if only I could find the right time to tell him my secret.
Chapter 32
Carson
I woke to Carly's soft babbling and opened my eyes, looking over Lou's still sleeping form to see big blue eyes staring at me over the top of the porta-crib. I smiled at her and she smiled back at me, flashing her few baby teeth as her eyes sparkled. I felt my heart clench, my love for her threatening to overflow.
I slowly slipped out of bed so I wouldn't wake Lou, and crept across the room to Carly, who was holding her arms up to me. I reached down, picking her up and she patted my cheek with her palm.
"There's my girl," I whispered to her and she beamed at me. "Let's get this diaper changed."
I walked downstairs to the living room, grabbing a diaper and some wipes from the bag Lou left there, and laid Carly down on the couch.
"After we change this diaper, you want to help me cook breakfast for your mama, Aunt Charlie, and Grandma and Grandpa?"
She gurgled as I removed her wet diaper, wiped her up and secured the new one in place.
"Come on sweet thing," I said, picking her back up and disposing of the wet diaper before setting her on the floor in the kitchen and washing my hands in the sink.
"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked her, opening the cabinet and searching for a couple jars of baby food.
Carly sat on the floor looking at me, and then leaned over and crawled toward me. When she reached my feet she sat back and smiled up at me, reaching out to grab my pajama pants so she could pull herself up.
As soon as she was up she fell back and landed on her bottom and then started to do it again. I crouched down in front of her and held out my hands to help her stand.
She smiled at me again, scrunching up her nose and babbling to me. I picked her up and kissed her cheek, turning toward the open cabinet. Her tiny fist clenched my t-shirt as I pulled out bananas, Puffs, and some apple and rice cereal.
After we made the cereal I sat her in her seat and put a few Puffs on her tray.
"Here you go, sweet girl," I sai
d, pulling up a seat in front of her.
Then I picked up the spoon, scooped up a bite of cereal with a little bit of bananas mixed in, and held it towards her. As soon as she got it in her mouth she smiled a gooey smile, melting my heart as she stuffed a Puff in with the rest of her food.
For me the sun and the moon rose with her smile and my heart beat faster with every soft giggle. She may not have been my child by blood, but she was mine in every way that counted and I knew without a doubt that I would love her and protect her for as long as I lived.
I marveled at Carly as I continued to spoon food into her mouth and watch her stuff fistfuls of Puffs in with each bite. Once she was done, I made her a bottle and then sat her back on the kitchen floor with it while I started breakfast for the rest of us.
**
"Thank you Carson, that was delicious," Charles Evans said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hand over his non-existent belly.
Chuck was a pretty fit man. He was in his early fifties, with salt and pepper hair and kind blue eyes the same color as Lou's. His wife, Deidre, on the other hand, was fair skinned with jet black hair the same shade as her daughters'. She was an attractive woman and it was clear that her husband loved her very much.
"My pleasure, did everyone get enough?" I asked. "There's some bacon left, and I think there are a couple more cinnamon rolls and little bit of eggs."
"I couldn't eat another bite if I tried," Deedee commented. "Thank you for cooking breakfast."
"It was more like a feast," Lou added, standing to clear the table.
I stood up to help, followed her into the kitchen, and met her at the sink.
"Hey babe, what do you think they want to do today?" I asked, picking up the dish towel to dry the pot she was washing.
"I don't know, I haven't really talked to them about it. Do you have any suggestions?"
"We could take them to the beach. I know it's not exactly hot out, but it's warm enough, and I bet Margaret would love to put her feet in the sand and water, and it could be nice to walk out there and look for shells, or sharks teeth."
Emergence (Awakening Series Book 2) Page 15