Page 45 of An Inconvenient Truth

She nodded. “My life is going amazingly. It's hard to wish anybody ill, given how lucky I feel right now. What she did was messed up and it ruined our friendship, but I don't want her to suffer or hurt because of it.”

Once more, Carter was amazed at how generous and kind she was in the face of a cruel world that had done horrible things to her. “You're a better person than I am.”

She glanced over at him and patted his knee, her spoon tinking as it came to a rest on the side of the ceramic bowl. “I very much doubt that. You're not a bad man.”

He almost felt bad that she had no idea. If he was lucky, she'd never have to know what he was capable of or what he'd done. The things he wasn't proud of could stay buried forever, as far as he was concerned.

“You know...” he said and she glanced his direction, her spoon sticking out of her mouth as she watched him with her eyebrows up.

She pulled the spoon slowly from between her lips, leaving him staring at her mouth as hunger stirred deep in his body. He couldn't help but imagine her sliding him out from between her lips that slowly and methodically. “What? Tell me.” Her voice was a little more than a whisper, and that only turned him on more.

He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts straight before speaking. “With that pending lawsuit,” he nodded his head toward the news still talking about her ex-place of work on the screen, “you could probably file a wrongful termination suit and sue them for a lot of money. It's going to be hard for them to deny your claim, given this messy story.

She tilted her chin down toward her chest, glaring at him from under her eyebrows and lashes. Carter lifted both hands in a position of surrender and said, “I know it's not all about money. Maybe it's a little bit about money.” Her glare intensified and he corrected himself. “Okay, it's not about money.”

With that, he reached over and gave her a hug, pulling her halfway into his lap. She squealed as her spoon slid along the edge of her bowl, nearly falling out and into his lap. “I think you're right, it's not about money. It’s about you and me, us and this baby.” He put his hand between her hips, and she studied him for a moment, suddenly still.

Her gaze dropped to his lips, and he leaned in, ready to give her what she was silently asking for. Their lips met, and he couldn't help but feel like it was the beginning of a beautiful forever.

Epilogue

Kaitlyn

Six months later.

As Kaitlyn left the bathroom, annoyed at her constant trips in and out of that room, she heard Carter talking to somebody at the front door.

Carter had confided in her that they'd had more surprise visitors since she'd moved in then he'd had in the years before she'd come to live with him. He’d joked that maybe having a woman in his house somehow made it more approachable. And she'd dished right back that she wasn't the kind of woman to change his space and make it more feminine.

She loved their easy banter and constant fun.

As she stepped into the living room, she froze, recognizing the voice of the person at the front door. What was Devon doing there?

While she trusted Carter completely, she would never trust Devon, not with everything he'd done. “I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything.”

Kaitlyn was surprised at Devon's words, but he wasn't done talking yet.

“I think you'll appreciate that Sally won't be an issue for you anymore. I didn't threaten her or anything else. I just reminded her that lies are not becoming of anyone, much less a woman.”

There it was; Kaitlyn cringed at his sexist language.

They'd gone for so long without hearing from Devon that she actually hoped that he'd disappeared from their lives for good.

“Is there anything else?” Carter sounded completely done with whatever it was Devon was going on about, and his completely noncommittal shutdown attitude left her proud of him. He wasn't about to stoop to Devon's level and she found that incredibly attractive.

Of course, she found everything about Carter attractive. She'd very quickly learned that even though he was soft and warm and gentle with her, he was absolutely not like that with anyone else unless they earned his respect. That detail alone told her the only thing she needed to know - Carter respected her.

“I don't think so.” Devon sounded stunned, as if his words hadn't got the reaction and response he'd hoped for or planned on receiving. He sounded so off balance that Kaitlyn almost felt bad for him.Almost.

Carter closed the door in Devon's face and turned to her. The warmth in his eyes left her feeling tingly and happy. Something about the way he looked at her made her feel so seen, loved and accepted for exactly who she was.

“That was an interesting conversation.” She arched an eyebrow at him, wondering if he'd elaborate on what she'd missed.

“One I wish I hadn't had, and one that I'll deny having for the rest of my days. I think my only saving grace there is that he and I have been enemies for so long that no one's going to believe that he threatened Sally on my behalf.” Carter’s dry tone surprised her.

“Well, I guess he did us a favor. Kind of, maybe. I'm not really sure. I'm just glad that it seems like he's finally moved on with his life.” Kaitlyn could breathe easy. Devon reached out to Carter. He hadn't reached out to her, and she couldn't help but feel like that meant progress, like he'd moved on from being her stalker and found some direction with his life. Honestly, she was comfortable calling that a win.

Carter closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. “What do you want to do now?” His voice was suggestive, and she knew exactly what he was thinking.

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