by Zara Rivas
"I picked up the cake; it looks so good. I suggested grabbing a piece as soon as they cut it because Carter will be digging in," she said with a laugh, placing it down on the counter.
I walked over and opened the lid slightly, peaking in. I frowned to myself when I saw chocolate frosting.
"Hey, Char, I think the bakery got this wrong."
She tucked some blond hair behind her ear, walking over to open the lid all the way. She studied the cake, then looked up at me. "What's the problem?"
"That is chocolate frosting. I thought we agreed on chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting."
She nodded. "I decided to order a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting instead. That's his favorite."
I glanced over at Emily, who was staring at us, biting her lip. I wasn't the only one feeling this awkward tension that was filling up the room.
"I'm pretty sure he loves the peanut butter frosting more," I said, trying to keep myself calm.
I didn't want to overreact here. So, Charlotte had ordered another kind of cake. It seemed like no big deal, but for some reason, it felt like she was trying to prove that she knew him better than I did.
I mean, perhaps she did, but she didn't have to throw that in my face. I didn't want to admit it to her, but I had been excited to be part of his birthday planning. Okay, so it was a stupid get together at our place, but it was the first birthday with us being together, and I wanted to have a part of it.
"I'm pretty sure it's chocolate," she said softly, closing the lid and walking away as if the conversation was over.
I cleared my throat. "You could've discussed it with me."
"Hey," Emily cut in, walking up to me and throwing a slim arm around my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure that Carter would eat it even if it were vanilla frosting. This is Carter we are talking about, he would eat anything, even if it were inedible."
The doorbell rang, and Charlotte shot us a tight smile. "That is Noah."
"You okay?" Emily asked after Charlotte left the room.
I nodded, even though I felt confused and hurt. "I'm fine." I glanced down at the text from Carter, letting me know they were leaving. "Let's go tell mom they are on the way."
Two hours later, I was still feeling crappy.
I had managed to survive dinner, but I still didn't get a chance to have a moment alone with Carter. I wanted to discuss when we would tell our parents, and I wanted to give him his birthday gift, but there was always someone by his side. It would be completely abnormal for me to call him away for a moment.
The worse part?
He didn't even seem to notice that I was practically burning holes in his head.
He was sitting on the couch with Emily and Noah, who had Charlotte planted on his lap. They were laughing with our parents, as they shared stories of the birthdays of Carter's past, including a disturbing one about how he threw up as he was leaning over the cake to blow out his candles. That was how they discovered he had found some of their liquor bottles.
As for me? I was sitting on the chair across the room, feeling completely invisible. I was sure I was sitting with my self-pity, but the thing with Charlotte and the cake wasn't helping.
"Harper," mom said, looking over at me. "Why don't you go get the… thing set up in the kitchen before we head in there," she hinted, giving me a wink.
She meant the cake.
I pushed up off the chair, walking into the kitchen. I opened the lid, and as I was placing the candle in the cake, I heard footsteps behind me.
I let out a deep breath; sure, I was going to turn around to see Charlotte standing there to make sure I was doing it right.
Instead, I turned to see Carter standing there.
"What are you doing here?"
He smiled at me as he walked towards me. "I'm not in here. I'm using the bathroom," he said with air quotes, letting me know the excuse he used.
I nodded then turned around to focus on the cake again.
"Hey," he said, tugging gently on me so I would be forced to face him. "What's wrong?"
"We just didn't have any alone time to talk."
His smile grew. "I know. Why do you think I followed you in here?"
He leaned in, kissing my neck, causing my eyes to close automatically. I wanted to melt into him and forget about everything else I had been worrying about. But I couldn't. Cause there was something stupid and immature on my mind.
"Carter?"
"Hmm?" He asked, moving his lips up to my jawline.
I let out a shaky laugh. "I…do… is peanut butter frosting your favorite?"
He pulled away from me, tilting his head slightly to the side as he looked at me. I knew how crazy I sounded. Here I was, alone with him, having his lips on me- the very thing I wanted all night, and I ruin it by asking about the damn frosting.
"Uh, yeah, why?"
"Even more than chocolate?"
His eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "Yes…"
And just like that, I felt the weight off my shoulders. I did know him. And I'd be damn if I would ever let something like the flavor of frosting to make me feel self-conscious about it again.
I grabbed his shirt, pulling him back towards me to bring his lips against mine. He groaned happily, kissing me back even harder. My hands found their way to his hair, and his hands were, well, everywhere.
It was one of those deep, passionate, make your knees weak kiss. The type that you never want to end.
Unfortunately, it was the kind of kiss you shouldn't be having when you are supposed to be heading back into the room with your family.
So, when I heard the two gasps from the doorway, I wasn't too shocked when Carter pulled away from me, to see our moms standing there.
I am shocked, no. They are scared, yes.
But wow, that kiss was worth it.
They had the same facial expression- wide eyes, mouth open slightly in surprise, and a bit of pink across their cheeks, from walking in on an intimate moment. They looked so similar, that if it weren't such an awkward situation, I probably would've burst out laughing. I have lost count of the number of times they have walked in on us bickering, but this was new. To everyone.
My mom cleared her throat. "I, uh, we were just making sure you had everything under control, but I see you already had some help."
It was my turn to turn red.
"How long has this been going on? Is this something we need to talk about?" Debbie asked, shifting her gaze between Carter and me.
Carter shoved his hands into his pockets before we exchanged a nervous glance. I knew our body language just gave away the verdict, which was guilty as charged.
"Why don't we sit down and have a little chat," mom said as if it was a command more than a question.
We sat down at the table, Carter and I next to each other with our parents across the table from us.
"I have to say, I love these streamers," Carter said, giving my mom his perfected smile, as he tried to sweeten her up.
Debbie shook her head at her son, clearly aware of his tactics. "So, what is going on between you two?"
Carter reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a light squeeze. My eyes found him, and I smiled at him, before looking over at our parents, who were staring at us with that look again.
"We're together," Carter told them.
"As in… a committed relationship?" Debbie asked, staring at him with disbelief.
We nodded, and to add some relief to the situation. Debbie slowly started to smile.
Now it was my mom. I was looking at us as if we were insane. "How in the world did that happen? I mean… I just… you two usually are trying to kill each other."
"Oh, she still wants to kill me, but now she wants to kiss me sometimes too," Carter said, grinning at me.
I lightly slapped his arm, causing both our moms to start laughing.
"Well, it's nice to know that something hasn't changed," my mom said to Debbie.
"Wait, wait," Debbie said, waving her hands exci
tedly. "So I was right, there was a girl! Harper was the one that had you cleaning your room and grinning over your phone."
Carter groaned. "Mom, you aren't supposed to tell her that!"
"You were grinning at my text messages?"
"Maybe… does it get me points if I was?" Carter asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
My mom cleared her throat, causing us to looks at her. "Yeah, hello, this is her mother sitting right here."
"Were you ever going to tell us?" Debbie asked.
I nodded. "We were going to do it tonight. Things have been kind of complicated, and we just figured them out. I guess we were nervous about how you would react."
"Sweetie," Debbie said to me, in a tone of voice that told me if we were standing up, she'd be hugging me. "Do you know how happy I am that my son is taking someone seriously? And even more, that the person he is serious about is you."
I bite my lip, trying to stop my eyes from filling up with tears.
"And you know we love Carter, he is a part of this family," mom added in, smiling at him.
Just then, Emily came walking into the kitchen. "Mom, what is taking so long, I want some cake…" she let her voice trail off when she noticed us sitting there. Her eyes dropped down to me and Carter's hands, which were still intertwined. "Oh… I can wait."
She spun around and quickly rushed out of the room before anyone could even reply to her.
Mom laughed. "I take it your sisters know already?"
I nodded.
"Okay, okay, let's get back to the party!" Mom said as we all stood up.
Debbie came over and hugged me tightly, smoothing down the hair on my head before giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head. Then she walked over to Carter, pulling him away, talking softly to him.
"Harper, come give me a hand," mom said as she fussed with the cake box.
I knew she didn't need my help with the cake, but she wanted to talk about it a bit more. Or to scold me in private.
"You and Carter, huh?" She smiled at me.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I know this seems crazy, but we…just work."
She shook her head, some blond hair falling into her face. "It doesn't seem so crazy. I always wondered if you two had something going on. When people bicker as much as you two did, it usually means something else."
I laughed. "You should've warned me."
She eyed me slightly. "Are you two… being careful?"
I groaned, cringing at the idea of discussing this with her. "Mom! Yes…"
"Good girl," she said, grabbing the cake box and walking out of the kitchen. "Grab some plates and forks!"
I did as I was told, and right when I was walking out, Carter was walking back in, his face slightly pale.
"What's wrong?"
"My mom is out there, telling everyone about us."
I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Carter, most of the people out there already knew. What's the big deal?"
"My dad didn't… and your dad didn't…" He starched the back of his neck, staring at the wall as if he was trying to see through it, to see their reactions.
"So? Our moms handled it well, and as my mom said, you are part of this family. You are kind of like the son he never had." I smiled at him, then kissed him quickly on the lips.
"You don't get it. That was before when I was just Carter, the best friend. Now I'm Carter, the guy that is dating his daughter. The guy that is…"
"Sleeping with her," I finished for him. "Yeah, I get your point, you should be worried."
He shook his head at me, but he started to smile. "You're not helping here."
"No one can save you now," I teased, walking out of the kitchen.
"I'm dead," he muttered behind me.
As it turned out, my dad didn't murder Carter that night. He seemed genuinely excited about it, though he did take Carter on the front porch for a talk. That lasted nearly 20 minutes.
I don't think Carter's mind, though, because he came in with a smile on his face and when his family was leaving that night, he kissed me goodbye, in front of everyone. Not having to hide anymore, made it worth everything.
"Hey Em, can I ask you something?" I asked later that night.
We were sitting on Emily's bed, watching some movie on TV while she painted my nails. Pink, with tiny white hearts, which Emily said, fit my personality.
"Mmhm," she said, hunched over my nails with the same concentration that she would have if he were hunched over a blank canvas.
"What did you think about the argument Char and I had earlier?"
She sat up, looking down at her work before bringing her light blue eyes up to meet mine. She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "Well, I know you sure weren't fighting over the damn flavor," she said with a short laugh.
"Clearly," I agreed, holding up my hand to admire her work. "I feel like things have been weird between the two of us for a while now, and I hate it. She's my best friend. I mean, one of my best friends," I corrected myself, after seeing the wave of hurt in Emily's eyes.
"No, I get it. You two are closer in age and have always been closer," she said, grabbing my other hand, starting to paint my nails pink. "Blow on that hand," she instructed.
"The thing is, I would talk to her, but Char hates confrontation, so I feel she will just try to brush it under the rug, even if she's still mad," I said before I started to blow on my nails.
Emily sat up again. "Here is the thing, you and Charlotte both love Cater, right? I mean, obviously, in different ways."
I nodded.
"And Carter loves both of you, right? Again, obviously, in different ways."
I laughed, not sure where she was going with this. "Yes."
"But more important than both those facts is the fact that you and Char love each other even more. Remember, she never had to share Carter before; she's adjusting. And even though it would be hard…" She didn't finish her thought, but I already knew.
"Sometimes, I have to let her win, cause I love her too."
Emily smiled, opening up the white nail polish bottle. "You got it."
"When did you get so smart?"
"Well, someone has to give Charlotte a run for her money," Emily said, laughing.
"Hey!"
I grabbed one of her pillows, hitting her softly in the head, which caused her to paint a line of white nail polish across my fingers.
She groaned, reaching for the nail polish remover. "Ugh, my work!"
"I'm not sure, I kind of like it," I joked, as we both started to laugh.
It reminded me of when we were younger, and I knew that Emily had been right. As much as I care about Carter, I had to remember that my sisters were important, as well. They always were and always will.
"What's so funny?" A voice from the hallway asked.
I looked up to find Charlotte standing there, wearing purple pajama shorts and a matching tank top. She had a soft smile on her lips, and her grey eyes looked almost shy.
"Emily has decided my nails weren't enough for her masterpiece," I said, holding up my hand for Charlotte to see.
She laughed, walking across the room to take a closer look. "The other hand looks good, can you do mine next?"
"Take a seat," Emily replied, patting a spot on the bed for her.
"If I can find some space since Harper's legs are a mile long and take up half the bed," Charlotte said, a teasing glint in her eyes as she sat down next to me.
Emily laughed, and she bent over, working on the hearts. "I know it must be hard to be tall and beautiful."
"It's exhausting," I replied as seriously as I could, causing both of them to laugh.
My phone beeped, alerting me of a message, so I grabbed it with my free hand.
Carter: I forgot to tell you something when I left…
Me: What?
"Is it Carter?" Emily asked, not bothering to look up from my nails.
"Maybe…" I said, feeling a goofy grin spread across my lips.
Charlott
e studied me, then laughed. "You can't see her, Em, but I'm guessing by that smile, you are right."
Carter: I love you