Page 215 of Steeling Her
“As much as I do not like that guy, you shouldn’t have hit him. Be the bigger man; walk away. You gave him what he wanted,” my sister voices.
Shit, she’s right.He was looking for me to hit him to prove to her that I’m not good for her. I should have handled it better. I should have handled it with my words. No woman should see a fight, period.
I fucked up. Badly.
It’s like playing cat and mouse with this guy. I’m being set up to look like a dick while he plays the victim. Haley’s right, I gave him exactly what he wanted.
I walked into his trap and he won this game. I can’t let him continue winning this. It’s ruining me in her eyes.
I need her to come back to me.
I need my Carter back.
As we arrive back to the house, we open the door and let ourselves inside. The lights come on as we enter. There is nothing but silence from all three of us. We all just think about what happened back at the club and how stupid I was to walk into his trap.
I should have been the bigger man, and walked away from him and his juvenile games. Now, I look like a kid.
I run my hand down my face as I think about what to do next.How should I fix it? How can I make this right again?My thoughts are interrupted by the door bell chiming.
Quizzical looks are shared between us as TJ pushes Haley back behind him to protect her. It’s a little late to have a visitor at this hour.
As he opens the door, his frame blocks the mysterious visitor outside.
“Hey,” he says and steps back out of the way to reveal her. Once our eyes meet, I can see they’re upset. I can see the pain streaming through them as we connect. Her eyes are puffy, like she’s been crying, but she still looks like the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
“We need to talk,” Carter speaks plainly, and I feel my heart sink.
This is it.
Chapter Forty-Three
I Would Find You Sooner, Keep You Forever, and Love You Harder
Carter
“You provoked him, Ted, that’s why you got punched,” I reprimand him. I’m so mad at both of them for embarrassing me in front of strangers. Those people in there know who Nick is, and he still swung his fist.
He could have used his words to get his point across, but he had to wind himself up in another fight. He’s always in fights, according to the tabloids. He’s notorious for them when he’s out or even on the field. It’s like he hunts for one. But he really has it in for Ted. It’s been that way since the very first day they met.
I’m not stupid enough to not see that they both hate each other. Whether it’s a personality clash or over me, it’s petty either way.
Be civil. That’s all I ask.
“So you’re taking his side!” he exclaims in shock.
“You provoked him! What were you expecting him to do? Take it and stay silent?” I wonder in awe at how ridiculous he’s being for not seeing it from a different perspective.
“Whatever, I expected my own girlfriend to take my side—”
“It’s very fucking hard to when you’re in the wrong, Ted. You’re lucky that I didn’t make you apologize to him! I swear to God, sometimes I think your tunnel vision can be your flaw. You cannot see things from the other side when you really need to. You’re the one that wound him up and pushed his buttons. Yes, maybe he shouldn’t have hit you, but he did. And I’m really not all that surprised because, honestly, you’re being a dick right now!” I clash with him. I’ve lost all the patience that I’ve had tonight with him—with either of them. They’re both looking for me to snap.
Well, they’ve got it.
I’m at my wits end with the two of them and now, I’m sick of it.
All this back and forth, tit for tat nonsense is making me dizzy and nauseous.
I’m drained. I couldn’t be bothered with it all anymore.
