Page 100 of Carson

“You should stay with me,” I interrupt, tugging her into the house and falling onto the couch with her.

She laughs, pretending to fight me off.

“We didn’t ask Cole about me staying here.”

“I did. He says he doesn’t give a fuck. He’s moving into the warehouse.”

She pushes away from me, sitting up straight. “Carson …”

“He’s an adult. He can do whatever he wants.”

She looks at the door.

“Luna, stay. Cole made his choice. You don’t have to leave because of it.”

“I’m trying so hard, but nothing I do seems to help.”

“Luna, everything you’ve done helps. My god, woman. You’ve single-handedly turned my mom’s condition into something manageable, and tonight when Natalie arrived …” I have to pause for a second. “You invited your friend here, knowing it would ease the worries about my mom losing her hearing. You knew everyone would fall in love with her.”

“I know, right? She’s the best.”

I smile at her, shaking my head. “You don’t even know what you do, do you?”

She blinks rapidly.

“You’re easing everyone’s fears and doing it with love. Trust me, Cole sees it. Whatever he’s feeling, there is nothing you or I can do. We have to let him go through it. But I did see some progress tonight. At least you two are talking.”

“We weren’t talking, we were hiding.”

“Well, you were doing it together. That’s a start.”

“He puts himself down a lot,” she says.

Not Cole. He’s always so confident.

But if Luna is telling me this, then it must be true.

“He does?”

She curls up against me. “I don’t think he feels very confident without you.”

I rest my cheek against the top of her head. “I guess I understand that. I’ve felt that way before.”

I just didn’t know Cole ever felt that way.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Luna

The past few days with Natalie here have been wonderful, but she had to go home today. She’ll be back in a few weeks to help me with the club’s lessons. I wasn’t sure if she’d want to help long term, but I think she’s enjoyed getting an inside look at club life. It’s a little livelier than the life she’s used to.

Anyway, mission accomplished. Natalie is happy, and everyone is feeling much better.

Sometimes our fear comes from the unknown.

My mind goes to my own fears. I run my hand over my bag. The book I picked up from the library is safely tucked inside. I just picked one with a half-naked man on the front. The librarian didn’t make a big deal out of it when I checked it out, but for me …

I don’t read things like that or watch them. In fact, I try not to think about men much at all … until Carson. But even then, I see his soul more than I’ve ever focused on his body. I guess that’s why when we were in Ireland, I wasn’t expecting him to be a man. Of course, I knew he was a man, but ugh, you know what I mean. I didn’t think his anatomy would be a problem for me.