Whatever Happens

by Lyla Grace

  I gently elbowed him in the stomach, now unable to control my laughter. “Stop it.”

  “Tell me you haven’t been thinking it all day?” he asks.

  “I mean, yeah of course I have, but…”

  “Hey kids,” she says at the top of her high-pitched lungs. “So whattaya think?”

  Composing myself, I tell her that I love it. She unlocks the door and allows us to enter first. Once inside, I stop and look around. Sure, it needs a good cleaning, maybe, okay definitely, needs some updates but...wow.

  “I feel it too,” Carter whispers in my ear. He turns to Ginny, the real estate agent, “We’ll take it.”

  “Splendid,” she squeals.

  She pulls out her phone and begins to chat with someone on the other end while Carter and I slowly walk through, planning what each location can be. On the back of the building is a sunroom that overlooks the vast plot of land behind.

  “I think this should be our office,” he states.

  “Our office?”

  "Well, mostly yours, except when I'm here. Then I figured we could share."

  “You're insinuating yourself into this project a lot more than you initially said you were going to.”

  He walks away from me and looks out the window. “I had other opportunities then. Now it looks like this is going to be it.”

  "Oh, well, then you don't need me. I can…"

  He turns quickly, “No.” He sees me standing there, smirking at him. “Ah… you and your jokes.”

  “Carter, you are going to play again,” I assure him. “We’ll get you there, I promise.”

  “Well, shall we get the ball rolling on this then?” Ginny says when she joins us.

  “I’m ready when you are,” Carter says.

  We settle down at a table in one of the rooms as Carter fills out all the paperwork to put the offer in on the property. An over-priced offer at that. Something tells me he would do just about anything to get this property for me after seeing how happy it made me.

  Once everything is in place, we hop back into his truck and head toward home.

  “You hungry?” he asks casually.

  “I could eat,” I say trying to sound even more casual.

  “I know a great Mexican restaurant. It’s about half an hour out of our way. If you think you can put up with me for that long.”

  He gives me a side glance.

  I know all he's asking for is dinner, but somehow it seems like so much more. It's as though accepting the invitation; I am agreeing to get back together with him.

  As though he can read my mind, he says, "It's just dinner, Lex."

  “Okay,” I agree. Though, I’m still slightly nervous.

  So nervous that when we sit at the table, the first thing I do is order a huge frozen strawberry margarita. The minute I take a sip, I close my eyes, letting the alcohol run through me and calm my nerves.

  “Why do I make you so nervous?” Carter asks, his hand resting on mine.

  My eyes fly open. “You…you don’t. I just…”

  “No more lies, Lexie.”

  "Then don't try and tell me this is just dinner. This is… It's…"

  “It’s what?” he laughs as he grabs a chip and pops it in his mouth.

  “A ploy.”

  He laughs…again. “I didn’t realize I was so sinister.”

  “If you want me to be honest, you be honest with me first.”

  I watch as he gulps down some water. He places he cut on the table and looks me directly in the eye. "The truth is all this; it's an attempt to stay close to you. I don't want to lose you, Lexie. That's not to say that I don't think you're the right person for the job, I do. But, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be doing this at all. I want us to do it together. I want us to be together." I begin to speak, but he stops me. "I know that's not what you want – for now. That doesn't mean that it won't change down the road. And I plan on being right here, waiting, in case you change your mind."

  Honest and to the point. He’s got me there. He’s also left me with no choice but to do the same.

  “You make me nervous because I want to be with you too, but I can’t.”

  “Why not?” He maneuvers himself into my side of the booth. “We love each other. It’s insane that we’re not together.”

  “I have my reasons,” I tell him.

  "Tell me what they are, and I will dispel them." He takes my face in his hand. "There is nothing in this world that I want more than you."

  “Your career.”

  "To hell with my career. I have the Foundation. I have you. I'm good. Hell, I'm better than good."

  “Carter…” His name is a curse and a prayer on my lips.

  “Tell me you want me as much as I want you,” he pleads with me.

  “I want you, Carter,” I tell him.

  His lips are on mine in an instant. Every ounce of pent up desire comes out in this one, passionate kiss.

  “Ahem,” a voice says from behind us. Carter and I pull apart as the waitress stands before us smiling. “Sorry to interrupt.” She places our food down. “Let me know if you need anything else. Food-wise, that is.”

  The minute she turns, Carter moves in to kiss me again.

  “Easy boy,” I tell him, pressing my hand to his chest.

  He is visibly irritated. It's not about the kiss; it's about me pushing him away again.

  He scoots out of my side of the booth and returns to his. He grabs his plate and begins digging in.

  “Carter…”

  “It’s just dinner, Lexie,” he says, not looking up from his plate.

  Considering I am the one that put the kibosh on our kiss and wherever it was going to lead, I give him that answer, that truth. Because that is what I just turned this into, just dinner.

  “Just dinner,” I repeat.

  Suddenly, I hate dinner.

  Chapter 23 – Carter

  Fuck.

  I want to curse and scream and kick myself. I don't know what the hell I was thinking of kissing her the other night. She said, friends. And what do I do? I kiss her, make love to her mouth, just enough to spook her and make her pull back.

  Friends. That's what she wants. That's what I said I would give her. I can't do that, though. No matter how hard I try, I see love and happiness.

  "Hey," she awkwardly says as she enters the gym.

  "Hey, yourself," I reply, trying to sound casual. Just act as nothing happened. "What's the plan for today?"

  "Why can't we be friends? Why do you have to push things when they're going so well?"

  So much for pretending it didn’t happen.

  “You know the answer to that,” I tell her. “But, in case you need a reminder, it’s because I love you.”

  Shaking her head, she paces the floor before me. “You shouldn’t.”

  “I do.”

  “Well, stop then,” she says matter of fact.

  I start to wonder if she's ever been in love before if she understands how this whole thing works. Because, if she were, she would know that it's not that simple. If it were, I would have fallen out of love with her the minute I found out who she was.

  “It’s doesn’t work like that.”

  She slumps down into the bench, her back against the wall. “I know.”

  I squat down in front of her and rest my hands on her knees. “Then why don’t you quit fighting me on this already. Be with me, Lexie. Whatever your reasoning is, I promise we can get past it.”

  “I don’t know…”

  "Give me a chance, let me show you," I tell her as I reach for her face. "I have to head home for Luke's birthday. Come with me. Let's get out of here, away from all this craziness and just… be. Maybe I'll even be able to convince you to let me take you on a date." She doesn't say no. She doesn't say yes though either. She stares at me. "Please, Princess. My arm needs you and your amazing therapy." Oh yeah. I am not below stooping that low if it gets me what I want.

  “Okay.” Her response is barel
y audible; as if she’s not sure she should be saying it.

  “Not the response I was hoping for, but I’ll take it,” I say. I give her a quick kiss on the cheek and take her hand. “Come on, time to work me out. Hard.”

  Her head is down, but her eyes are looking up at me. "Ughh…" she says exasperated. I can see her trying not to smile, though.

  “You never could resist my charm,” I tell her as she takes my arm in her hands.

  "Haven't I been doing it these past few weeks?" she says, taunting me.

  "Nah, I prefer to think you satisfy the urges I give you in private. While you're thinking about me, of course."

  “You’re an idiot,” she says while laughing.

  Her right leg steps between my legs. My hand reaches for it and caresses it. Her body tensed, and she squirms.

  “Maybe, but I’m an idiot that’s right,” I laugh.

  She moves my arm out a little further. “Ow.”

  "Keep talking, and I'll keep pushing," she says.

  Note to self: Do not taunt a woman that controls your heart, your dick, and your injured arm. She’s capable of breaking all three.

  ∆ ∆ ∆

  I'm so grateful I was able to convince her to come with me, even if I did have to use my arm as bait. We settle into a comfortable silence on the ride to Brantwood. It's a quiet ride, much like the first time we made it, but this time there is much less tension. Lexie looks almost peaceful even though I know she is trying hard to maintain a platonic relationship with me. One that I fully intend to blow out of the water.

  When we pull up in front of my parent’s house, they are sitting on the porch. My mother stands, surprised to see me and even more, Lexie.

  "Carter, Lexie, what are you doing here? This is a wonderful surprise," she says, hugging us both.

  "You think I would miss my best bud's birthday party?" I laugh. "And I kidnapped her and made her come with me."

  “I’m here to help with his arm,” she corrects.

  “That’s her version,” I say.

  "Welcome back," my dad says, giving us each a hug as well.

  Luke's party isn't until tomorrow, so this is the perfect opportunity to get Lexie alone. After such a long car ride, I know I could use a little unwinding. I'm sure she could too. If my mom doesn't mess this up, that is. When I look at Lexie, she is happily chatting away with my mom. If I'm not careful, they're going to start knitting together soon, and I'm going to miss my chance.

  “Hey, Lex, why don’t you head up and change,” I suggest.

  "Change?" she asks, confused.

  “Yeah, I’m a little restless after that drive, I thought we could…”

  She cuts me off. “No. I’m not going on a date with you.”

  “Oh, why not? You two are so cute together,” my mother coos.

  “Stay out of it,” my father warns.

  "But look at them. Aside from the fact they told us, it's obvious they are so in love with each other. Why don't you try sweetie? One date."

  “Was this your plan?” she asks me.

  Yep.

  “What are you talking about?” I ask innocently.

  “I hate you,” she says as she goes into the house, up to the guest room, to change.

  She walks out of the room, my breath hitches. The jean skirt, the plaid tank with her shoe boots. Damn.

  “What?” she says as she looks down, giving herself a once over.

  “You look amazing,” I tell her.

  Her head snaps up. “Oh. Thank you. You look pretty good yourself, Wallace.”

  I extend my hand to her. “If you think calling me by my last name is going to make you want me less, have at it. It’s not going to work.”

  She sticks her tongue out at me. Whatever she thinks she's doing, it has the opposite effect. The silly gesture does nothing but remind me of the things she can do with that tongue of hers. We'll have plenty of time for that later so, for now, it's time to be a gentleman.

  We walk hand in hand down the town’s main street. There are a million different places I could have taken her tonight. After everything we have been through these past few weeks, I thought we both deserved to cut loose a little bit and have some fun. So, here we stand, looking up at the neon cactus sign of the honkey tonk.

  “This okay?” I ask her before we head inside.

  Her smile tells me it is. “It’s perfect,” she replies before taking my hand.

  Despite my best efforts, it takes us twenty minutes to get to a table. People I barely know and some that I didn't know at all when I lived here act as though we're best friends. I've never been able to tell if it's the celebrity thing, or if they want something from me. Regardless of the reason, I have a hard time ignoring them or being rude. I don't have it in me. Plus, at the end of the day, they're fans. And fans are what make my career. Without them – well, my ass would be out of a job.

  When we do finally get to a table, I order a couple of beers. It’s probably the best idea I’ve had in a long time because she finally seems to relax and our playful banter returns. Before long, she’s laughing and flirting and for the first time in what feels like forever I feel like we are right where we are supposed to be. Being with her, like this, is the best damn feeling I have ever had in my life.

  She’s looking out to the dance floor. “You want to dance?” I ask her.

  “No, we don’t have to,” she says.

  “Any chance to get my hands on you, Princess, I’m going to take it.”

  So that's exactly what we do. Lexie takes my hand, and I lead us out to the dance floor. It's a slow song, thank God, because my line dancing skills aren't what they used to be. I remove my sling and place both hands at her waist. She eyes me, making sure I am actually okay with the motion. And I must convince her because after a few moments she rests her head on my chest. God, I love the feel of her.

  With her in my arms, life feels calm. Everything feels like it's in place. Lexie has made me happier in these past few months than I can ever recall being in my life. There is just something about her. I can't quite put my finger on it. But she makes me whole, she makes me better, and most importantly, she makes me want to risk everything to touch her again.

  After the song ends and a more upbeat song begins to play. Time to show the girl what I got. Tush Push line dancing time. I start to move to the music, Lexie following suit, trying to decipher the steps. I give the girl credit when she can't get them; she gives a shake of her ass that makes me grateful that she doesn't know the steps.

  She doesn't give up, though. We step off to the side and work on the steps for the next song. She catches onto this one quicker. Soon we're Boot Scootin all over the place.

  We spend the next hour together on the dance floor, drinking, dancing, and laughing. I can't restrain myself anymore. Bending my head, I capture her lips with mine. The kiss burns me, ignites a fire in me that I have never felt before. She responds quickly, her tongue dancing with mine. I dig my fingers into her hips and hold her against me.

  When she pulls back, breaks the kiss, one look into her desire filled eyes, I instantly crash my mouth onto her again. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

  "I think I have an idea." She smiles, coyly at me. "Come on, let's go get a drink."

  I take a sip of my beer and out of the corner of my eye noticed a blonde headed straight for us. Savannah. I had managed to avoid running into her the entire time Lexie, and I had been in town. Today I've been back a whole five minutes, and here she is headed straight for me. Based on the look on her face, she's looking for trouble too. After finding out about her and Cody? I'm all too willing to give it to her. I glance back at Lexie, but she's already smiling. Even without an introduction, it seems she knows who she is.

  “This is going to be fun,” she says. There is amusement in her voice. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was ready for battle. With Lexie, that’s probably a safe bet.

  “Hi Carter,” Savannah says as she stops at our table.
She stops directly in front of me and doesn’t even acknowledge Lexie’s presence.

  “Savannah,” I reply.

  “How are you?” she asks.

  Christ. I wish she would skip the pleasantries and say whatever it is that she came over here to say. "I'm fine."

  My responses are short and to the point.

  "And who do we have here?" Savannah asks. With her arms folded across her, she stares at Lexie, blatantly judging her.

  Here we go. “Savannah, this is Lexie. Lexie, this is Savannah.”

  Lexie extends her hand to Savannah, who doesn't take it. Without missing a beat, Lexie retracts her hand, "Savannah? I don't remember you mentioning a Savannah, honey."

  I do my best to stifle my laughter. Lexie knows exactly who Savannah is, but I’m enjoying this little game she’s playing right now. And Savannah, well, she deserves it, especially considering her behavior. Rather than interrupt her fun, I allow her to take the lead on this.

  Savannah eyes Lexie. “Carter and I dated.”

  Lexie feigns shock. “Really? Baby, you never mentioned that.”

  I shrug, acting as though it was no big deal. Savannah’s face turns a deep red as the anger rises inside of her. I can see it won’t be much longer until it boils over.

  “We were together for five years to be exact,” Savannah concludes.

  "That's so nice," Lexie says with a yawn, as though she is utterly disinterested in the conversation.

  “I don’t think you understand,” Savannah argues. “We were going to get married. We—”

  “Were in love?” Lexie finishes. “That’s great. But, now, Carter and I are in love.”

  My head snaps in Lexie's direction. While I hate to interrupt her little game here, but I need her to know.

  “Princess, if you’re saying it, it better be true,” I tell her.

  She swats my arm. “You’re so silly sometimes. Of course, I love you.”

  She wraps her arms tightly around my waist and gazes up at me lovingly.

  “Doubtful,” Savannah protests. “Carter couldn’t possibly love someone like you.”

  And there it is. The claws came out. Lexie looks unaffected. Something tells me she’s dealt with bigger and tougher than Savannah.