Page 78 of Tattoo My Heart
“Yeah, so don’t yell at us anymore.”
I am teasing her, but when she turns her head abruptly to look at me, I about push my chair back to get away from her.
“You, Cal Prentice,” she steps away from the stroller and comes toward me, finger ready to be stuck in my face, “You are such an asshole. And I stood up for you,” she yells at me in a quiet tone. “I rooted for you.”
“Uh, thank you,” I make sure to say.
“But you broke my best friend’s heart,” she continues as I if I never said a word. “And I am here to collect.”
I turn my head to look at James. I expect to see worry written all over his face. Instead, I get pride. He is sitting there like a proud peacock, watching his woman tearing into me.
“Dude,” I try to catch his attention. “Pull her back a little.”
Carrie snaps her fingers close to my face, and I look at her again.
“Pay attention here, Cal. This has nothing to do with James. I’ll get back to him at home.”
She turns her head to face him now. Not gonna lie, I get satisfaction from the worried mask taking over his face.
“You’re going to scar the baby for life,” I remind her, trying hard not to laugh when she snaps her head back to me.
“And when he starts seeing a therapist,” she snarls in my face, reminding me of an angry chihuahua, “you’re going to pay all his bills.”
“I will,” I rush to promise.
“Good.”
She straightens back up and smiles at me, looking like a little psycho. James sure has his hands full with this one, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all. In fact, I’ve never seen him more in love.
I want that, too. With Evie. Only with her.
“Before I get more into this this,” Carrie cuts into my thoughts, “tell me what yourtrueintentions are with my best friend.”
“My intentions with Evie have always been true, Carrie.” She makes it sound like I had some evil plans. “I may not have gone about it the right way,” I admit, “but I never intended for this to be a way for me to hurt her. Hell, I wanted to be the only man in her life. I thought I was covering all my bases. And if anything, she’s the one who was trying to do shit behind my back.”
“Because she thought you were just messing with her.” Carrie throws her arms out in defeat. “She didn’t think you had feelings for her, and that you were just using her.”
I push my head back incredulously. “Using her for what?”
“Sex, what else?”
“Jesus.” I shake my head in disappointment. “I can’t believe she’s got such a low opinion of me.”
“Well,” Carrie sounds hesitant now. “I was not around the time when she confessed her crush to you, but from what I understand, you were brutal. And stuff like that stays with a girl,” she explains. She doesn’t sound angry anymore but more understanding. “I think this is why she hasn’t been able to go all the way with anyone else. And not for lack of trying, trust me.”
That last part grabs my attention, and not in a good way.
“What?”
Now it is Carrie’s turn to shrink into her seat when my eyes clash with hers.
“You know what I mean,” she says nervously. “Evie may have been a virgin, but it’s not like she never tried before.”
“Are you saying she got naked with other guys?”
The red haze taking over my brain is like nothing I ever felt before. I may drop dead from a sudden cardiac arrest, because the thought of Evie naked with another man is just breaking me.
“She was trying to get over you.” There’s pity in Carrie’s tone now. “She never got over you. And when she finally got you, she didn’t think it was real. She’s been fighting her own feelings, waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
