Page 107 of Contentious

“Yeah, she gets it.”

“Which means you’re not going to cause any trouble for me by causing trouble for her, you got me?”

“Yeah, bro, I got you, and don’t worry about it. I’m not looking to go down the road you and Jules are on. No way.”

“Funny how I said the same thing not that long ago.”

“That’s never going to happen to me.”

“I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?”

Ethan held up his hands as if to fend off Carson’s insinuation. “Nothing to see here. Never has been, never gonna be.”

After Ethan left, Carson pondered the questions they’d asked, the same ones everyone was asking about him and Cresley. His brothers were awestruck by her and hadn’t tried to hide that from him, not that he could blame them. They were only human, and she was a stunner. But as beautiful as she was on the outside, she was even more so on the inside, and that inner sweetness had him hooked on her.

He couldn’t deny he was hooked and couldn’t wait to get home to her and Ty. But was he going to take leave of his senses over her the way Jules had over Isla?

Nah, that wasn’t going to happen.

* * *

Carson ended up spending a week in the hospital before he was medically cleared to go home. Anthony drove Cresley to Cedars to bring him home. Carson’s entire family had volunteered to drive him, but he’d told them she had it covered.

Because she’d barely glanced at her phone in days, except to coordinate care for Ty, Marlene had told her that the story of Carson being stabbed by her ex in her yard had dominated the headlines all week. Everyone in the world wanted to know who Carson was to Cresley, and the speculation had been running rampant while Cresley had been spending time with him.

Cresley had chosen not to look at the coverage, as it didn’t matter what people said about her. As long as Carson was alive and getting better every day and that Ty was coping as well as could be expected after what his father had done to Carson, that was all she cared about.

Would there be career fallout over a violent incident happening at her home? Possibly. She’d deal with that later. This past week had been all about compartmentalization, taking each thing one minute and one hour at a time, with all her focus on Ty and Carson and making sure they both had whatever they needed. For the first time in a decade, her career had barely crossed her mind.

Teagan Davis, her longtime manager, had been texting her relentlessly about the urgent need to fight back against the wave of coverage that had made her life look like one big drama, when it was anything but. Marlene had mentioned that once the press had made the connection between Carson and the recently reunited Corbin and Kate, a brush fire had blown up into a wildfire overnight.

Cresley had ignored messages from employees, friends and colleagues as she spent most of every day at the hospital with Carson.

In coordination with Carson’s security team, she’d allowed Ty to go back to school last Monday, with men positioned outside the school to ensure his safety. He had at least two of Carson’s guys with him at all times, with her friends pitching in to keep him safe and happy while she was at the hospital. Isla and her friend Mrs. V had also offered anything she needed, and Cresley had gratefully accepted Isla’s friendship along with their help.

Carson had promised his men would keep her son safe while he was in school and out. “They’re extra vigilant since Beckett stabbed their boss. Keeping you and Ty safe is their only concern.”

While Anthony had been driving her to and from Cedars, two other guys had been assigned to making sure they weren’t followed to the Laurel Canyon rental. The general consensus was that Marlon was probably long gone from LA at this point, but they were taking no chances when it came to her safety and Ty’s.

Anthony was still unhappy she’d gone alone to Cedars the night Carson summoned her and made her promise she wouldn’t go anywhere alone again.

Cresley wanted to know how someone desperate for money could disappear without a trace, but from what Carson had told her, it happened more often than most people realized. When backed into a corner, rats tended to run, he’d said. He suspected Marlon was in Mexico by now, but she wasn’t so sure, and the not knowing had her constantly on edge as she and Ty tried to carry on as if everything were normal when it was far from that.

The one bright spot in her days, other than every minute with Ty, was the time she spent with Carson, snuggled up to him in his hospital bed, watching movies and talking about everything and nothing and soaking up the second chance they’d been given and would never take for granted.

She couldn’t wait to have him at home where she and Ty could dote on him until he was back to full health.

The hospital’s security had roped off an area for the media to gather to get their daily photos of her coming and going from the hospital. Thankfully, Carson’s guys were also there to make sure they didn’t get anywhere near her.

As she walked into the lobby at Cedars, she was surprised to find Teagan waiting for her. At just shy of six feet without the three-inch heels she favored, Teagan had long, sleek dark hair, luminous light brown skin and gorgeous brown eyes framed with extravagant natural lashes that were the envy of all her friends. They’d met years ago in the modeling trenches and had been close friends and colleagues ever since.

“Figured I might catch you here,” Teagan said as she hugged Cresley.

“I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. I’ve been on overload.”

“I know, honey, but we need to make a statement and perhaps do an interview to change the narrative that’s festering online.” Teagan wore a light gray suit that was probably Prada, and one of her many priceless purses hung from her forearm.

Since she’d become a mother, Cresley couldn’t keep up with all the latest brands and designers, except for those she was paid to promote.