Page 125 of Pink and Country

Ed and Taylor moved closer, ready to intervene at my request. It wasn’t our first rodeo. They knew when to defuse the spat.

April’s hand clamped over my elbow and tugged at it. She erased the distance between us. “He’s not worth it, HN. Let it go.” I silently thanked her for calling me HN instead of Carter in front of those jerks. Taylor and Ed moved forward and now flanked us. They led us away, keeping an eye on the two guys who yelled in our direction, their voices drowned by the music.

“Are you okay?” All my muscles were still tight from the altercation. I pulled my girl close, my arm circling her waist.

April nodded.

I turned my head to speak to Ed. “Get these punks thrown out of here.” He nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

I hated fights and couldn’t risk getting in trouble or being photographed punching some douchebag who thought women were toys to play with. I inhaled and exhaled through my nose, my annoyance rippling from every cell in me.

Don’t get yourself in trouble for someone who’s not worth it.

I repeated the words in my head.

The ones Dahlia said to me one night when she was pregnant with Jack and I punched a guy who wouldn’t stop touching her burgeoning belly after she told him to stop. Multiple times.

29

April

I woke up thirsty, with a pounding headache and a full bladder. Battling a fit of yawns, I stretched and sat on the edge of the bed. A cup of peppermint tea waited for me beside the bed. Carter. I scanned the room. No sign of him. On unsteady feet, I made my way to the bathroom, keeping the lights off.

Showered and feeling a bit better, I dressed in one of Carter’s hoodies, so big on me it could be a dress, rolled the sleeves, and slipped my legs into a pair of fuzzy black leggings.

I looked at my reflection through the full-length mirror. Disheveled but comfy. I could live with that. Enveloped in Carter’s scent, some of my hangover dissipated. I breathed through my mouth to calm the heaving of my heart.

With the cup of tea in my hands, I wandered into the living room section of our vast hotel suite. Never would I get used to this way of living. I took a little sip, testing how my stomach would process the warm liquid. So far, so good.

A note stuck to the hallway mirror caught my attention. I faltered closer on my wobbly legs.

Gone to the gym and a meeting.

Order what you want.

Taylor is on call if you need him.

Love you, Hot and Natty xx

A smile broke free.

I had a hard time figuring out how Carter could be so focused in his career, so sweet around me, and so dominating in bed. Not that I complained. I’d been forced to be responsible and resilient early in life. I loved how he took charge in the bedroom. From instinct, Carter could tell what I liked and how I liked it.

All the time.

He got rough when I needed tough and soft when I needed gentle.

His entire self amazed me, and I felt whole around him.

After ordering too much food to my room, because I didn’t know what I could stomach, I called Taylor to invite him over. In the last few days, I kind of got used to sharing meals with him. I enjoyed his company. I’d been eating by myself for far too long. Without having to insist too much, Taylor joined me, and we shared crescents, eggs, and blueberry pancakes while talking about trivial things. Carter came back and cocked an eyebrow at the sight of Taylor and me deep in a conversation about chocolate versus red velvet cakes.

“So, you two have this friendship thing going strong as I can see,” Carter teased, a grin on his face.

Taylor sprang to his feet, regaining his steeled composure, looking ready to go to war for his boss slash friend.

“I’m sorry, Carter,” he apologized in a professional tone he no longer used around me.

Carter motioned him to sit back down. “As long as you protect my girl, you two can be friends all you want. I already told you.”