Athica Lane: The Carpino Series (22 page)

“No shit?” I ask, because even I can’t believe this and I hate fucking Bekki more than anyone. 

“No shit,” Jude affirms.  “I hear they have a lock on the brothers.  Hope they’ll be in custody soon.”

I shake my head, thinking Bekki is whacked in the head for trying to pull off that shit.  She’s even more selfish and greedy than I ever gave her credit for.  And that’s saying something, because I thought she was the most selfish, greedy bitch I’ve ever known.

“Dad’s in court this afternoon, but wanted me to tell you he has all the information and is on top of it.  You can breathe easy, you won’t have a problem getting sole custody after this.  She’s nailed her own coffin shut,” Tony says, still frowning, which I’m pretty sure is the only way he’s ever looked at me. 

“Tell him thanks.  And to send me a bill,” I say with a sigh.  I look to Jude, “I appreciate you taking the time to fill me in.”

“Are you kidding?  I got to see your place and meet the man who’s decided to take on Paige Carpino.  She’s a handful—you’ve got my respect,” he shoots back with a grin.

“That’s my sister,” Tony bites out to Jude.

“I know she’s your sister, but she’s still a handful.  The Carpino women are something else.  I’m gonna lock Gabby up if she lifts one more rug or oversized piece of decorative shit in and out of her car while she’s pregnant.  You got off easy.  Leigh’s agreeable,” Jude argues with him.

“You think she’s so agreeable, you take her car shopping,” Tony mutters.

I realize I have no fucking clue what they’re talking about, so I change the subject, “You come back in a week or so when I get the cages up and working, I’ll get the pitching machine out, you can hit all you want.”

“Really?” Jude asks.

“Anytime,” I reiterate.  I look to Tony, “You, too.  Just call and I’ll let you know when they’re not scheduled.”

We say our goodbyes, Jude’s friendly and Tony’s terse.  I move to my office to finish what I was doing and try to put fucking Bekki out of my head.  Still not able to absorb all she’s done, I’m thrilled I don’t have to worry about my kids going back to her.  I’ve got to figure out a way to tell them about their mom.  I doubt they’ll be asking anytime soon after what she put them through this week.  They’re smart kids, they know she did something wrong. 

But even after getting the call in the middle of the night about the burglary, dealing with the police for the third day in a row, kicking my asshole quarterback off my team for good and learning what I learned about my ex-wife, I can’t help but smile.  And that’s because right now my kids are eating fudgesicles with Paige and her eighty-something-year-old friend.  It’s crazy, but at this moment, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more than for my kids to breathe easy and be happy while eating fudgesicles. 

Them having Paige give it to them is icing on my cake.  A cake I thought I’d never get, let alone taste.  But I’m learning quick that Paige makes everything sweeter.

*****

Brian – Eleven-thirty that night…

For two hours, that asshole and the black guy have been cleaning out the garage.  I’d wonder why he has so much sporting equipment, but after watching him at that Shed place over my lunch hour, I get it now.  I can’t see in the garage from where I’m parked down the road, but I can see his driveway and they’ve taken away two truckloads of sports shit.  I haven’t followed.  If I turn my car or headlights on now, I’ll draw attention to myself. 

I feel my body get tight when I see her for the first time.  She walks out of the garage and goes straight to that asshole.  Damn if he doesn’t hook her around the neck and pull her to him for a kiss.  Watching her look up at him and smile so fucking big, I can see it from here even through the dark.  I can’t help but fist my steering wheel so hard my fingers go numb. 

She disengages from his hold and walks straight to her car she just got back today.  It didn’t take long to make the repairs from what I did to it the night before last.  I can’t believe she got it back so soon.  The tires I can see, but the glass?  Maybe I should’ve done more damage, but I really just wanted to fuck with him and there was no better way to do it than to fuck with her new car. 

Even though I want to believe she’s leaving, I see she’s barefoot and wearing what I know she calls her “comfy” clothes she lounges in.  She gets in her car that her parents just gave her and fucking pulls it into his fucking, fucking garage.  It’s all I can do not to scream at the top of my lungs. 

A minute later she walks out, that asshole claiming her around her neck again, pulling her back into his front and they say goodbye to the black guy.  He leaves, driving off with the third truckload of sports shit.  I about come out of my skin watching him lean down and kiss the side of her head before leading her back into the garage, where the door goes down.  It’s clear to see she’s not leaving tonight. 

She’s not leaving.

And she’s with him.

She’s fucking
with
him.

I’m almost certain she’s never been with anybody, and damn it all to hell, I planned on being that somebody.  I waited to be her first for a long fucking time.  I had my one-nighters through the years to get me by and had to hide that shit from her.  I had our first time planned out, thought through.  It was going to be fucking great.  I’ve thought it out for so long, I can almost taste her in my mouth.

But I’ve lost that. 

Okay.  All right.  Fuck.

No, it’s okay.  She’ll still be mine, but I won’t have to be careful with her now.  She won’t be new to it. I can take her hard, do what I want and our first time will still be fucking great, just in a different way.  And I’ll make sure she’s only thinking of me when it happens.  Only me.

I duck as I’ve done the past two times he’s driven by from my spot in the trees.  I’ll stay here a little longer, wait for some lights to go out and maybe move in for a closer look.  I don’t know, I’ll have to feel it out.  I know Paige’s sister and brother-in-law are right next door and he’s always got animals there.  I’ve got to be careful, I can’t have a dog barking at me. 

Yeah, I’ll sit back and wait, maybe decide what to do next.  I need to think this shit out.

Or maybe I’ll make new plans since it won’t be her first time.  I can write it down later.  I lay my head back on my seat and free my cock.  Closing my eyes, I start to think.  I know once I have her, she’ll want it as much as I do.  She’ll want it so much, she’ll be willing to wait on it—wait for me to have her whenever I want her.

I’m already half hard just thinking about it.  But it never takes long when I’m thinking about Paige, and knowing I won’t have to ease her into it is fucking brilliant.  Maybe this’ll all work out better than I thought. 

“Here’s your prescription and receipt.  Thanks,” the clerk says to me as I take them, tossing both in my purse. 

“Thank you,” I smile bigger than my thank you necessitates to the gal checking me out at Walgreens. 

I just left my doctor and came straight here to fill my prescription for birth control.  I’m excited, but I think Cam is more excited than a kid at Disney World wearing a mouse-ears hat with a huge sucker in one hand, cotton candy in the other who just got an unlimited fast pass for Thunder Mountain. 

Okay, so he might not have shown that much excitement.  But in his big-gruff-football-man-way, I could hear him smile big over the phone when he said, “Good news, baby.  Something to look forward to.”

And that right there was enough to make me have to fight back my smile.  He had a checkup and got a clean bill of health. I was up next.  Even though I can’t start until after my next period, I’m looking forward to it.  Just another week or so and we’ll be good to go. 

It’s been a little over five weeks since Cam dumped his drink on me and right at four since we’ve “been together.”  It seems like a whirlwind but at the same time I can’t, nor do I want to, remember what my life was like before Cam, Jordy and Cara.  I feel like the shades have been lifted on my life, and where I’d been living in the shadows, the sun now shines big and bright on me every single day.  And that sun has given me warmth like I’ve never known. 

But recently, I stopped falling.

Over the past four weeks, I’ve toppled.  I’ve slipped. I’ve tumbled.  I’ve skinned my knee.  I plummet every time I call Cara “sweet girl” and in return she giggles, “Okay, sweet Paige.”  I even took a nose dive when before his bedtime, Jordy came to hug me tight for many long moments and whispered into my neck, “Thanks for staying with us.”

And not too many nights ago, that same night he stood in his family room intensely watching Jordy hug me, Cam made love to me slow and sweet, and it was different than it’s been.  Ever since I gave him my V-card, it’s been heated and passionate and fiery—we’ve been unable to get enough of each other.  But not that night.  That night he took his time and don’t ask me how since I’m learning all this as I go, but I knew it was different.  That night he made love to me and afterwards but before sleep, he whisper-thanked me for making life sweeter for them. 

That was when I crashed. 

I’m gone for him.  For
them
. 

I’ve fallen completely and there’s nowhere else to go.  I’ve seen it happen a few times with my sisters and cousins, but I never knew it would feel so complete.  So right.  So perfect, that I know for a fact if it was ripped away, the pain would be unbearable. 

Unfathomable. 

Loving how it feels to have fallen and landed right where I am with Cam, Jordy and Cara, I turn to move away from the checkout at Walgreens.  I’m anxious to pick up the kids from camp because Cam wants us to meet him at The Shed this afternoon.

But I stop in my tracks when I look up and see him standing there.

“Hey,” I greet, trying to keep the shock out of my voice.

Brian’s standing a couple feet from me, trying to look casual, yet appearing alert.  Almost hyper-alert, with his hands stuffed in his pockets.  He doesn’t greet me when he narrows his eyes while tipping his head toward my purse as he alleges, “You sick?”

His question sounds like an accusation and out of instinct, I take a step back.  I feel my body go tight, my heart pound, not comfortable with his allegation or why he’s here when I haven’t seen him since our tense meeting at the coffee shop. 

I frown and say, “No, just picking something up.  How are you?”

“I’m great,” he pipes off quickly, his face, body and agitated voice telling me he’s anything but.  His eyes are surrounded with dark circles and seem jerky to me when he asks, “You?”

“I’m good,” I return quietly.

“You look good,” he rattles quickly.

Ignoring that, I say, “I’ve wanted to call you, but I didn’t know if you’d want me to.  So obviously, I didn’t.”  He doesn’t respond but shifts his weight, so I go on lamely, “But I wanted to.”

“You’re still with him,” he states.

I frown, tipping my head, “Yes.”  And interject more firmly, “I am.”

“So you’re right.  You shouldn’t have called,” he keeps frowning.

I nod and move to leave, trying to walk around him but he steps into my path, halting my progress.  He’s closer than I want him to be when he leers down at me, but says nothing. 

Trying to keep my voice strong, I say, “I miss you, Brian.  I miss the way things used to be.  You’ve given me no choice—you made this decision for the both of us.  But I miss your friendship and I’m trying to keep that door open.  Please let me do that.”

“You know what I want,” he says and I see a sadness creep through his features.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly.  “I can’t give that to you.”

He closes his eyes tightly and I can actually see him swallow, his whole being tight and tense. 

“Brian – ” I start, but he interrupts me.

I shut my mouth when he steps abruptly to the side, “Go.  Just go.”

I pull my lips in to bite back my emotions before finally moving around him, escaping Walgreens as fast as I can.  I move through the store quickly, digging through my purse for my sunglasses, because I know they’re coming and won’t be able to hold them back much longer. 

I get to my car and after starting it up, reverse out of my spot as fast as I can without looking at the entrance to see if he’s followed.  My phone starts to ring over the speakers of my car and looking to the dash, I pull in a breath and answer as cheery as I can, “Hey, I’m gonna be a little late.”

“What’s wrong?” Cam asks.

“I haven’t picked the kids up yet, I’m on my way now,” I say and try to sniff quietly.  Damn the fancy Bluetooth in my new car.  You can hear everything.

“No, what’s wrong with you?  You sound upset,” he says and I can tell he’s frowning.  But it still kind of melts me that he can tell I’m upset over the phone.

“Nothing,” I insist and swipe my cheeks quickly as I drive to get Jordy and Cara.

“Paige,” he starts and I can tell he’s moved into his office at The Shed.  The background noise has gone from whistles, yelling and echoes to complete quiet.  He goes on, “I can tell something’s wrong.  What happened?”

“I just – ” I take another big breath to try and calm down.  “I just saw Brian.  He’s still so angry.  I feel terrible, I wish I could fix it, but I don’t know what I can do.  He seems different, I never thought this would happen.”

“Where did you see him?” he asks angrily.

“Walgreens.  After I picked up my prescription, I turned around to leave and there he was.”

“What do you mean, ‘there he was’?” Cam asks.

“I don’t know, he just surprised me is all,” I explain.

“You think he knew you were there?” he keeps on.

“I doubt it.  It was just a surprise seeing him.  And he’s so cold with me, he’s not the same person he used to be.  He made it clear he wants nothing to do with me as long as I’m with you.  We’ve been friends for years. 
Years
, Cam.  We used to be so close, he’s one of the few friends I have outside of my family.  But he’s laid down the gauntlet, making it clear what he wants and if he can’t have it, he’s cutting me out completely.  I still can’t believe it,” I say, breathing deep trying to control my tears.

“You think we need to worry about him?” Cam asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Darlin’, he seems intent on what he wants.  Did you get a weird feeling?  Is he threatening you?”

“Well, yeah.  He’s given new meaning to weird vibes, but he’d never hurt me if that’s what you’re asking,” I say, pulling into the parking lot.  I decide to sit here and collect myself before seeing Jordy and Cara.  I don’t need to scare them with a blotchy red face.

“I’m not so sure.  The whole thing makes me uneasy,” he answers, and I hear him sigh.

“It’s fine,” I try to put him at ease.  “He’ll either come around or not.  I’m in this position because I didn’t do anything months ago when I should’ve, it’s my fault and now I’m paying for it.  I’ve just got to suck it up and deal with it.”

“Where are you now?” he asks.

“I just pulled in to get the kids, but I’m sitting here trying to get rid of my red face.  I don’t want to scare them,” I say and blow my nose.

“Baby,” he says softly.

“I’ll get over it.  I was in a good mood and now this.  He ruined my birth control high,” I say.

He says nothing but I do hear him chuckle.

“Pisses me off,” I keep going.

“Okay,” he starts.  “I was going to ask you with the kids when you got here, but how about a road trip?”

“A road trip?” I ask.

“Yeah.  My littlest sister, Ellie, had a baby a couple months ago and we haven’t seen him.  She and her shithead husband are going to be at my parent’s this weekend.  The kids and I usually go down for a few days every summer before football training starts in August, but since she’ll be there with the baby, I’m thinking we’ll go earlier,” he explains.

“Oh,” I say.

“Paige, I want you to come,” he says in a low voice.

“You do?” I ask quietly, because this is different.  He knows my whole family, even Tony is starting to come around and my parents really like him.  They see he’s a good dad and a hard worker.  He’s really hit it off with Jude, which has helped bring Tony around.  I think they’re going to put together an old man softball team this fall.  Maybe not old man, but more like a hot guy softball team.  Zeke is even going to play.

But he wants me to meet his family?  That’s a big deal, right?  Meeting out of town family?

“We’ll leave Thursday and come home Monday.  My middle sister, Jen, lives close so everyone will be there.  I’ll even get you up on a horse,” he says planning the weekend.

“I have an event Thursday.  I can’t cancel and leave them hanging,” I say.

“Can you leave Friday?” he tries.

“Yes.”

“Okay, we’ll leave Friday, come home Tuesday.”

I smile, “I can do that.”

“It’s settled.  It’s a long drive, over twelve hours each way.  You good with that?” he asks.

“I love road trips,” I keep smiling. 

“Of course you do,” I hear him say, but I think he said it away from the phone, like he was talking to himself.

“I’m going to get to meet the people who named you Campbell,” I keep on.  “I can’t wait.”

“I told you not to talk about my name, but I’ll warn you, I got off easy.  We all got family names.  Jen is short for Jensen and they saved the worst for Ellie.  They fucking named her Twichell, if you can believe that shit,” he explains.

“Twichell?” I ask.

“Yeah, and if anyone’s pissed about their name, it’s Ellie.  She wouldn’t even put it on her wedding invitation.  That didn’t make Kipp and Hattie very happy,” he says.

“Kipp and Hattie?”

“My parents.  They’re crazy,” he says.

“More than my mother?” I keep on, finding this all fascinating.

“Your mother is polite about being crazy.  My parents are just crazy,” he huffs.

“Maybe I should rethink this road trip,” I tease.

“I’m not worried about you, baby.  If you can handle fucking Bekki and the bitchy mom club, you’ll be fine.  They might be crazy, but they’ll like you.  My mother was over the fucking moon when I told her about you.  If anything, she’ll love you so much she’ll start to stalk you.”

I smile and decide I can’t wait to meet his family full of strange names. 

“You okay now?” he asks, his voice softening and I realize he wanted to tell me about the trip to Texas when we got to The Shed this afternoon, but he asked now to make me feel better.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I whisper. 

“Good.  Thanks for getting the kids, I’ll tell them about the trip when you get here.  They love the ranch,” he says.

“It’s not a problem.  I like picking them up.”

“My sweet Paige,” he says, soft-like.

“See you soon,” I smile.

“Soon, baby.”

“Bye,” I say and hit disconnect.

I pull down my mirror to make sure my scary red eyes are gone.  Friday is just a few days away.  I have a trip to plan for and I could really use a trip to the mall.  Between packing clothes for Cam’s house over the past few weeks and doing laundry, I’ve lost some of my favorite pieces.  I’m starting to think Cam’s washer is eating my clothes. 

I smile into the mirror and decide I can’t wait.  I get out of my car to pick up Jordy and Cara so I can get to Cam as quick as I can. 

A road trip is just what I need to get my mind off Brian. 

*****

I circle his cock with my tongue before taking as much of him as I can, being careful for my teeth.  Even if he is rock hard, he feels like silk and I wouldn’t think teeth on silk would feel good.

Cam’s body is beautiful.  It’s not only a shrine to physical fitness, but ever since he stripped down to nothing in front of me, I’m fascinated by the contours of his muscles and now, his cock.  I love the feel of him in my hands, especially knowing he’s hard because I made him that way.