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My brows narrow. “What?”
“If he knows he’s the father, he’s going to act like I owe him something, and I don’t. He’s in and out of jail, he sells drugs, and I’m pretty sure he kills people.” Tears stream down her face. “The thought of him filing for custody and having to leave my baby here kills me. I’d rather run away and never come back again.”
I would never fight her on something like this. I know who the asshole is and I hate that he touched Sky at all. “Don’t worry about it, honey.” I reach for her hand, squeezing it in mine as she cries. “I won’t tell anyone.”
She glances toward me, her face pale with what I assume is worry. I can’t imagine everything that she has on her mind or the amount of nonsense she’s been through lately. She deserves so much more than this. She deserves a life free of bullshit and full of love and happiness.
I want to give her that. I always have.
“Honey?”She smiles, wiping away more tears. “That’s what we’re going with now?”
“It keeps coming out of my mouth, so… I guess so. Too much?”
“No,” she swallows hard, her gaze on mine, “I like it.”
I squeeze her hand and smile, my heart filled with warmth. “Good. I like it, too.”
Chapter Three
Sky
We’re halfway through the drive when Carson pulls into our mountain lodge. It’s late and the neon sign above the place is glowing bright. Being that we’re in the middle of nowhere, I don’t expect much from any hotel, but I’m pleasantly surprised when we step inside the lobby. I wonder if Carson planned this out like he did the bathrooms. Every single toilet we used was pristine, like he’d found some review website online and tracked the good ones down. The man deserves a reward for that one.
The entry to the lodge is small, but modernly updated with fresh hardwood floors, a gorgeous rock wall waterfall, and a front desk with a smiling receptionist standing behind it. The woman looks at us and asks, “How can I help you folks tonight?”
Carson nods. “I have a reservation under Rugged Mountain Security.”
The woman types away at her computer, then looks up with a smile. “Yes, I have you in room eighteen.”
“One room?”I lean into Carson. He’s gone to so much trouble, and I don’t want to make a huge deal out of this, but staying in one room is the most dangerous thing that could happen tonight.
He turns away from the counter as the woman makes the key. “They had two, but I figured we’d be okay in one. There are two beds.”
“Actually,” the curly haired woman interjects, “this reservation is for a king style room. We sold out for tonight and had to move some things around. If that’s going to be a problem, I can send you to our sister hotel about a hundred miles up the road.”
A sister hotel… ahundred milesaway? That hardly seems convenient. I glance down at my swollen feet. I don’t think I can take another hour and a half in the car.
“Do you have a rollaway bed or a—”
“No,” the woman groans. “I’m so sorry. I can see if there’s an air mattress in the stock closet, but I doubt—”
“It’s fine,” I say, twisting my hair to one shoulder. “We’re fine. Thank you.” I’m not sure any of this is actually fine. Being alone with Carson all night is like locking me in the bakery with the apple cider donuts. I don’t have the willpower to say no, and chances are, Iwilldevour them by morning.
Carson glances down at me. He’s huge and my lady parts are aching already. “You sure? If this is weird for you, we can—”
“You’ve been driving for hours. You’re not going to sleep on an air mattress. We can sleep in the same bed for one night. It’s not a big deal.” I truly don’t want him to feel bad. He’s gone out of his way to help me, and though things were weird in the truck for a second, he doesn’t owe me any explanations. I mean, he could’ve dropped out of my life for a million reasons. One of them could’ve been the simple fact that I got older and didn’t need him as much. It’s not like he didn’t talk to me when we ran into each other.
The woman slides the key card across the table, tells us about breakfast in the morning, and offers us complimentary cookies, which I gladly accept. They’re chocolate chip, and I don’t turn things like that down these days… or ever.
Carson handles our bags and guides us down the hallway and around the corner toward room eighteen. I’d love to say mystomach isn’t churning at this point, but it is. I don’t know why I still want him so badly. I mean, I knowwhy… he’s everything a girl would want. Big, tall, inked, handsome, thoughtful, kind, protective, and a million other little things that make him…him.
God, I need to get a grip.
Inside the room is a placard of a fire escape plan mounted on the wall. Beyond that, closets with non-removable hangers and extra blankets. The bed is huge and takes up most of the space, but hard tiled floors surround the area with dark grout lines. I set my bag on the table next to the television and head toward the bathroom. We’ve stopped a million times, but still… it’s an emergency.
Thankfully, this bathroom is gorgeous. Clean bathrooms just do something for me. Maybe it’s because I grew up with a messy older brother. He couldn’t keep anything clean. To the left is a tile shower with a rolling glass door and a pretty marble countertop with a waterfall sink. Beneath the sink are stacks of extra toilet paper rolls, fluffy white towels, and a tray with complimentary tissue paper and lotion.
I’m happy here. Maybe I’ll just lock myself in this room and never leave, then I don’t have to talk to Carson and the inevitable throbbing of my clit can stay shut behind this door forever.
