Page 45 of Carter

The drive to my parent’s house is full of tension. I can feel it in the air and know he feels it too. The silence between us is killing me. Last night we had no chance to talk between the yelling and crying. I'm emotionally exhausted.

I know we have to talk. A lot still needs to be said, but not today. I want today to be about Carter getting to know his son and vice versa.

As we pull up to the main gate, the doors open, and Carter drives forward, parking the car by the main door.

Carter makes his way around to open my door. I smile and grab his hand as we walk inside. “Mommy,” Luca says as he comes yelling and running as fast as his little legs can take him. I let go of Carter's hand and crouch down, ready to catch him.

“Hi, Mommy,” Luca gives me his signature grin, which is also his father's. I blow a raspberry on his chubby cheeks. “Hi, baby. I want you to meet someone.” I say softly, and Luca looks at Carter with big ocean-blue eyes. Eyes that have reminded me of Carter every single day for the past three years.

Carter reaches out, and his thumb strokes his cheek. “Hi, buddy,” Carter whispers. Luca gives him a smile and a wave before he gets shy and tries to hide his little face.

Carter chuckles, which makes me laugh at the antics of our son. We make our way to the den, where I set Luca down to play. I leave the room and make my way to the kitchen, leaving them alone so that I can prepare Luca a snack and get Carter something to drink. As I enter the kitchen, I see both my parents drinking a cup of coffee.

“Hi, Mommy. Hi Daddy,” I say, kissing them both. I can feel their gaze on me as I move around the kitchen, cutting and preparing. I look at them, and see they want to say something. My parents have always loved Carter. Never really understanding why we broke up, as I never mentioned anything specific. “What?” I question, placing my hands on my hips as I wait for what they have to say.

My mom speaks first. “I love you and you know I love Luca as a son.” I nod. “Leandra, give him a chance. I can still see the love that man has for you. Don’t hold on to that grudge of hurt you feel, and don’t hold on to the guilt. You both have made mistakes, but sweetheart, don’t deny both of you the opportunity to live your love.” My mom takes my hand and pulls me into a hug. My father makes his way over to us and joins in on the hug as he whispers, “but if he hurts you and Luca, I will make him howl.” I laugh, hugging them tighter, and I use the sleeve to whip my tears and nose. “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I love you both.”

I see Carter and Luca playing on the floor as I enter the den. Luca is blabbering about what color he wants to color the stick figure. I clear my throat, bringing both of their attentions to me. “Luca, time to eat, sweet boy,” I say, and what he does next surprises both Carter and I.

Luca stands to give Carter the picture he was drawing and hugs him. The moment catches Carter by surprise, but less than a second later, he’s wrapping his arms around Luca, hugging him tight against his chest, causing Luca to giggle.

As I finish changing Luca into his favorite pajamas, I get him ready for bed. I'm waiting for Carter to return from taking a call he received during Luca’s bath. Watching Carter wash his little body for the first time was sweet and funny. Watching him handle Luca with so much care because he was too worried about dropping him or getting soap in his eye had my chest in knots.

I kiss Luca and let him know I’ll be back. I’m going down the hall to check on Carter when I hear his voice from one of the guest rooms. “Sienna, don’t worry. I’m on the way. Go to the pack house. You're safe there, okay? I’ll call Liam and let him know what’s happening. I promised you that you could count on me. I’ll see you soon, stay safe, okay?” I hear Carter hang up. I zone out the rest of the conversation, my brain only focusing on who was on the other line: his mate, his ex-mate Sienna. I’m in shock.

I can feel myself breathing harder as I struggle to breathe. Carter opens the door, and the realization hits him instantly. “Leandra, it’s not what you think, baby. I have to go. There's been an emergency with Sienna and the pack, but I swear it’s not what you think.”

“You promised Luca a story,” I whisper, as my only focus right now is that little boy waiting on his father to read him a bedtime story. I give Carter a look that tells himyou better not break that promise or else. “I’ll go read to him,” he says, returning to Luca’s bedroom. I practice breathing in and out as I try to calm myself. Trust him, Leandra. It’s not what you’re thinking. Give him a chance to explain.

I go back in the room and see Luca sleeping and Carter kissing his little forehead, promising him that he’ll be back. “I love you, son. I promise I’ll be back for you and your mother.” I knock on the door, trying to play it cool as if I didn't just hear what he had just said to our son. “I have to go. Leandra, please look at me. I’ll explain everything he said. “Peach, please trust me. It’s not what you think.” His voice sounds desperate.

“And what do I think, huh?” He steps closer, his hands cupping my face. Holding my gaze, he holds me, prisoner. “You think I lied to you? That this isn’t the first time I have spoken to her. You’re wrong. This is the first time I have spoken to Sienna since the day we rejected each other. I asked her to reach out if she ever needed anything baby, she’s in trouble. I have to return home, ensure she is okay, and prepare the pack for what might come.” He strokes my cheek as I listen to what he’s saying. I nod in understanding. He kisses my forehead. “I love you, don't ever doubt that again. Let me resolve this, and I promise I’ll explain everything. Okay?”

“Okay!”

Chapter thirty-eight

Leandra

It’s been two days since Carter and Liam left to handle pack business. Isabella stayed behind with Eva. And I offered my place instead of the hotel they were staying at. She had told me Liam is considering buying a place here in New York.

We catch up on what’s been happening in each other’s lives. She told me about the wedding and how they’ve been trying for baby number two. I told her about my stay in Italy and how I decided to do business in my parents’ home country.

I’m sitting on the couch catching up on emails when Isabella sits beside me. We’ve avoided talking about Carter, but I know she wants to say something. Isabella clears her throat. “He wasn’t good. He was unhappy, just living but not living, you know?” I close my laptop and turn to look at her. Her expression is sad.

“What do you mean by he wasn’t good? ”

“After you two broke up, he wasn’t okay, and I don’t think he still is. He kept to himself, focused on work, protecting the pack, and work. He would work out for hours to let his aggression out. I admit I gave him a hard time at first, but then I saw his pain, and he was punishing himself. I didn't want to add to it. He hadn’t been trying to find someone new or let alone spoken to his mate until well two days ago. Fuck, Leandra, he hasn’t even looked at another woman!” Isabella declares as she throws one hand in the air.

I stay silent, thinking over what she just said. I can’t comprehend how much my heart is aching right now, knowing Carter wasn’t good and probably still isn’t. Isabella’s eyes go soft, and my heart hammers in my chest. “He refuses to move on. Trust me, the guys from the pack have begged him to go out with them, and his answer is always no.” I gulped silently. He waited and will continue to wait.

I look at my son playing with Eva across from us, and when I look into those sapphire ocean-blue eyes giving me a grin, I know what I need to do. I get up quickly and go to my room to get the suitcase I haven’t unpacked. I open it, add a few extra things, and close it when I see Isabella, speechless, leaning against the door frame.

“Wait, Leandra, where are you going?” I look at her smiling. “We’re going back to Australia. I’m going to go get my man.” I say with a smirk hoping we can move past everything.

As soon as the plane touches down, I make my way to the Park Hyatt Sydney Hotel and check into a Sydney suite. Then I head over to R & K Law and Associates before heading to the pack house. I need to check in with Ashton and leave Luca with him so that I can talk with Carter. On the flight over here, Isabella told me on the flight over here that they have been busy coming up with a plan to protect the pack from an attack. Getting them trained and prepared for rogue attacks that have happened since I’ve been gone has been their priority.

I don’t make it two feet from the car with Luca in my arms when I see Ashton running over to steal the little boy from me. “Holy shit, you’re here. God, I’ve missed you and you,” he says, kissing Luca. We hug for who knows how long, and when we both finally let go, our eyes are filled with tears, but their happy tears. We make our way inside, and once inside his office, we catch up on everything. I ask him if he can watch Luca, which of course, he agrees since he loves that little rugrat. We say our goodbyes, and I kiss Luca.

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