Emergence (Awakening Series Book 2) (8 page)

Chapter 14

Lou

I glanced up at Carson over my sandwich and met his eyes, which were wide as he stared at me.

I talked to Charlie, my sister, and my friend, Liz, over the weekend, and was convinced that telling Carson about Carly sooner rather than later was the best course of action, but I was nervous about how he'd respond.

I knew he was a nice guy, but we were both so young, and whereas I had nine months to prepare for motherhood, I was worried he would balk at the responsibility of a child. Especially one as young as Carly.

Steeling myself for his response, I looked him directly in the eyes and blurted it out.

"I have an almost seven month old daughter, Carly. I should have told you on the 4th of July, but there never seemed to be a good time."

His gaze widened as he leaned back in his chair, the bright green of his eyes glued to mine.

"Carly," he breathed, finally looking down. "Wow."

I didn't know what to say, so I sat there staring at him and hoping that my words would sink in soon. A few moments later his eyes met mine again and I braced myself for rejection, digging my fingers into my thighs.

"Sorry, I think I was just shocked for a moment. A daughter, huh? Do you have any pictures of her?" he asked, and my breath caught in my throat as I dove into my purse for my phone.

As I flipped through my pictures, trying to find a recent one of her, I started rambling.

"She's the sweetest thing ever, all blonde curls and gummy smiles. Her eyes are bright blue like mine, and when she laughs it's the best sound you've ever heard in your life." Pulling up a picture from my visit with Charlie, I handed him my phone. "That was over the weekend, the other little girl is my sister's toddler, Margaret."

"She's beautiful, Lou. You must be so proud," Carson said, flipping through a few more pictures.

"Thank you. She looks just like her father."

"I don't know her dad, but it looks to me like she has your eyes and smile," he said, showing me a picture of the two of us that Kelly had taken a few weeks back.

I smiled to myself. We're both incredibly happy in the picture, and I thought she did somewhat resemble me, but if you put her next to her father, there would be no denying who she really looked like.

"Can I meet her?" Carson asked, stunning me silent.

It took a moment for me to form a response because I was so overwhelmed by his almost immediate acceptance of her.

He continued, "I mean, if you don't want me to, I understand. But at some point....."

"No, no," I said, holding up my hand to stop him. "Of course you can meet her. I'd love nothing more," I said, feeling relieved.

"Are you going to the company party tomorrow night?" he asked.

To tell the truth, I really hadn't thought about it. I didn't have anything to wear and I couldn't really afford to drop a bunch of money on a dress I was only going to wear for one night.

"I wasn't planning on it," I admitted. "It's more for the account reps, managers, and the customers than it is for the employees."

"Can I change your mind? I need a date. I'll come over around five and you can introduce me to Carly, then I'll drive us down to the Westin. It'll be fun."

I was thinking I could probably borrow a dress from Kelly if I had to, she and I were about the same size and she was always going to events with her boyfriend.

I must have taken too long to answer because Carson reached over and took my hand. "I won't take no for an answer. If I have to be there, I want a gorgeous woman on my arm, and I can't think of anyone more beautiful that you, Lou."

How could I say no?

**

"What do you think?" I asked, surveying my rear end in the floor length mirror. "I don't know if this color does anything for my figure," I added, turning to see how washed out the champagne color of the gown made me look.

"Yeah, that one's not my favorite on you. Try the blue," Kelly said, bouncing Carly on her hip.

I started stripping as I talked to Kelly.

"I told Carson about Carly today at lunch. He's coming to pick me up for the party tomorrow early, so he can meet her."

"Did you tell him everything?" she prodded.

"Not yet. That's one thing I'm not ready for. We just reconnected and I'm not ready to drop that bomb on him, but I promise, when the time is right, I will."

I grabbed the blue dress, stepping into it as Kelly gave me a disapproving look.

"I think you're making a mistake here, but since it's really none of my business-"

"What do you think?" I interrupted, turning to face her.

"Wow, Lulu, that's definitely my favorite so far, it's stunning on you! And your eyes look incredible."

Eyeing myself in the mirror I took in the dark blue satin dress. It had a double ruffle that started at the back of my right hip and wrapped up around my waist and over my left shoulder, fastening behind my neck. The ruffle distracted from the width of my hips, which was my problem area, and drew attention to the neckline, I loved it.

"It's perfect. What shoes!?" I asked.

Kelly laughed as she rummaged in the bottom of my closet for something acceptable.

**

When Carson rang the doorbell on Tuesday evening I was incredibly nervous. I hoped that Carly would like him, but more importantly, that he would like her.

Racing into the living room, I threw open the door.

"Hey, come on in," I said, opening the door wide.

"Thanks, you look incredible," Carson said, kissing me on my cheek. "That color looks amazing with your eyes," he said, holding out a lovely bouquet of roses.

"Thank you, they're beautiful," I said, taking them from him and planting a chaste kiss on his lips.

His arm slid around my waist, pulling me into him. His cologne swirled through my nose, highlighted by his clean male scent. I sighed into him as he nuzzled and kissed my neck, the feel of his open mouth on me sending chill bumps across my arms.

I stepped back, raking my eyes down his body. His tux was made for him, pants hanging just right off his hips, and fitting across his thighs and backside in just the right manner to make me feel faint. His shirt pulled across his wide shoulders, hinting at the think corded muscle beneath.

Yum.

"If you keep looking at me like that we'll never get to the party," he whispered.

I snapped my mouth shut, holding my hand up to the corner to make sure I hadn't drooled.

"Sorry, you're just so distracting!" I laughed. "Kelly?" I called back towards Carly's room. "Carson is here."

A few moments later she came down the hall carrying Carly, who was wearing a cute little white sundress covered in cherries with lime green piping. Her chubby cheeks were rosy with her soft blonde curls bouncing at her nape.

I went to reach out for her, but Carson beat me to it, stepping in front of me to pull Carly out of Kelly's arms.

"Hi sweet girl," he said, holding her gently. "My name is Carson. You sure are beautiful." Carly smiled at him and it warmed my heart. "Yes, you are, just like your mama."

Carson walked over to the couch, sitting down with Carly in his lap. "I brought you something," Carson said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a teething toy in the shape of a football, with the Georgia Bulldogs logo on it.

"You remembered!" I said, surprised that he recalled I was a Bulldog fan.

He looked over at me and winked making my heart clench. "I couldn't forget."

He held it up for Carly to see and she quickly began gnawing on it. Her other hand came up to rest on Carson's cheek for a moment and he smiled a full face smile at her. My heart beat in triple time as I watched the two of them together, overwhelmed at the sight, tears springing to my eyes.

"I'm just going to stick these in water," I sniffed, "I'll be right back," I said, gesturing to the flowers.

As I left the room I heard Kelly introduce herself to Carson and I mentally smacked myself for forgetting to do that.

How rude.

About forty five minutes later, before we left for the party, Kelly insisted on taking our picture.

"With Carly too," she said, slipping her phone out of her pocket.

Carson and I stood together, with Carly between us, and smiled while Kelly took a few shots.

Afterwards we said goodbye to Kelly and Carly and left for the Westin Resort Hotel in downtown Savannah.

My phone vibrated while we were parking and I looked down to see a text from Derek.

Please talk to me.

I deleted the text as Carson came around to open my door and help me down from the truck.

"Anything important?" he asked, gesturing towards the phone.

"Not at all," I said, slipping it into my clutch.

The band was gearing up as we walked in the door, and Carson led me to a bar off to the side for a glass of wine. After saying hello to his parents and Carson introducing me to some old family friends we made our way onto the dance floor.

Carson was an excellent dancer, which I wasn't expecting. He held me close and led me flawlessly around the room. I loved being in his arms, and realized nothing had ever felt so right before in my life.

After several songs, Carson led me to the side of the dance floor and pulled out a chair for me. Then he went to get me another glass of wine. Kissing me on the cheek he whispered something in my ear about the main event and wandered off toward the band.

A moment later the band began playing the beats of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Allison Foster sit next to me. "You're going to want to watch this," she said, nodding toward the dance floor.

Moving my eyes back to the floor I watched as Carson began to emulate Michael Jackson's dance moves. It was amazing how spot on he was, and I found myself on my feet, cheering him on, along with his mother, father, and most of the guests in attendance.

He was incredible, thrusting his hips, spinning around, popping the collar on his jacket, his feet moon walking across the floor. I clapped and laughed along with everyone else, and when the song was over, he came straight to me, lifting me up against him.

"You're crazy, you know that? And you were completely awesome!" I said, laughing as I kissed his sweaty forehead.

"Too crazy for you and Carly to have dinner with me at my parents house this weekend?" he asked.

"Just the right amount of crazy," I giggled as he pulled me back out onto the dance floor again.

Chapter 15

Lou

The next evening I was recounting tales of Carson's dance moves to Kelly when my phone rang. It was Carson's name on the screen.

"Hey hot stuff, I was just talking about you!" I answered.

"Lou, have you talked to Caroline?" he asked and my smile dropped at the tone of his voice.

I sat up straight in my seat, clutching the phone. "She called this morning to say she was taking the day off, but I haven't heard from her since then. What's wrong?"

Kelly picked Carly up out of my lap and I stood quickly, pacing the living room.

"She was at my grandmother's house late this morning, and was headed back to Luke's but she never made it there. Luke found her cell in the woods and there was sign of a struggle, but no Caroline. I'm heading to Bluffton to see if I can help. My dad and Luke are organizing a search party with local law enforcement. Apparently there have been several abductions in that area recently."

"I'm going with you. Come get me," I said without hesitation, fear prickling up my spine.

"What about Carly?" he asked.

I looked at Kelly, "Can you watch her overnight?"

"Whatever you need," she responded immediately, knowing by the tone of my voice that something was really wrong.

"Kelly's got her," I told Carson.

"Okay, I'll see you in about ten minutes. Be ready."

I dropped the phone in my purse and raced to change out of my work clothes into a pair of jeans and a tank top, pulling my sneakers on quickly and grabbing a light jacket just in case. I stuffed a change of clothes into my bag and headed back out of my room.

I opened the hall closet, pulling out a flashlight, checking the batteries, and then ran into the kitchen, searching under the sink for bug spray and then grabbing several bottled waters from the fridge.

"What's going on, Lou?" Kelly asked, watching me dash around the house frantically, throwing things in my backpack.

"Caroline, Carson's sister, is missing. They think she's been abducted. I'm going to do whatever I can to help him, even if it's nothing more than being there for moral support. I'll call as soon as I know anything."

I heard the horn of Carson's truck and I quickly kissed Carly on the head before dashing to the door.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be fine," Kelly assured me.

With a nod in her direction I raced out to Carson's truck and he was backing out of the driveway before I even had the door closed behind myself.

I tossed my bag on the floorboard and fastened my seatbelt before reaching over to grab his hand.

"It's going to be okay, Carson. We're going to find her," I told him, hoping my voice didn't sound unsure.

"God I hope so," he responded.

The next mass of hours was a grueling haze of gridded searches through deep woods. Most of my exposed skin was covered in scratches from low hanging branches and underbrush and I knew I smelled like dirt, sweat, and insect repellant.

When we called it quits for the day, it was close to three in the morning. We had split into two groups. Caroline's parents, Anne Marie and Eva had been searching close to the house. Luke, along with Nick, Ben, Carson and I had been searching the wooded area on the other side of the island. No one had found anything.

Back at his grandmother's house, Carson showed me to the bathroom where I took a quick shower to rinse off the grime from the search and then I passed out in the bed he directed me to. I barely remember Carson climbing in behind me and pulling me close.

When I woke up it was barely light outside. I rolled over to find Carson pulling his jeans on.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"About six thirty in the morning," he answered as he pulled his shirt over his head. "You can go back to sleep. Luke is downstairs and they're heading out again in a few minutes. We don't want to waste any daylight."

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, and sat up in the bed.

"I'll be down in a minute. I'm coming with you."

He sat on the bed to pull his boots on and paused when I spoke, looking directly at me.

"You don't have to do that Lou. I know you're exhausted."

"Carson, I can sleep anytime. We need to find Caroline, and if you're going back out, then I'm going with you," I said, resting my hand on his back.

His shoulders slumped forward and his head dropped down.

"Thank you," he said gruffly. "I'm so scared for her, Lou. She's my sister, and I don't know what I would do if something-"

"Hey, don't talk like that. We're going to find her. I can feel it," I reassured him.

"I hope you're right," he said. "Thank you so much for being here. You have no idea what it means to me."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

By dusk on the second day we were almost finished combing the gridded area the police had laid out for us when Luke's phone rang.

He snatched it out of his pocket, answering it before the second ring.

"Jack?"

I watched him expel a heavy breath, his shoulders slumping and his tears falling as he listened to Caroline's father on the other end of the line.

"Thank God. Tell her I'm on the way," he cried, turning toward the rest of us who were looking at him hopefully. "They found her, she's okay. They're taking her to the hospital in Savannah to get checked out. I'll meet y'all there."

Luke took off running at a break-neck pace while Carson and I followed not too far behind.

The drive to the hospital shouldn't have taken that long, forty-five minutes to be exact, but when we reached the Talmadge bridge, crossing from South Carolina into Georgia, there was some sort of accident and we were delayed by an hour.

When we finally reached the hospital it was to more bad news. Luke had been in the accident on the bridge and no one knew anything more than that he was brought into the hospital as well.

Caroline was only suffering from dehydration and a blow to the head, which took a few stitches, but she was reeling from the news, or lack thereof, about Luke.

Carson went straight to her, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly, comforting himself that she was okay while reassuring her over the unknowns about Luke's condition.

After what seemed like hours of waiting, Luke finally appeared in the lobby with a stitched up gash over his eye. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief while we watched the heartwarming reunion between Caroline and Luke.

He held her close and she clung to him, both of them whispering words of love to each other.

Watching them pulled at my heart. Even in the good days with Derek we'd never had a love like that. I could only dream of one day being cared for and adored in that way. My eyes watered as I looked at them gazing at each other.

Two arms wrapped around my waist and then Carson's nose was in the space between my neck and shoulder.

"You ready to go home?" he asked.

Dragging my eyes away from the love birds, I turned my face into his neck. "Not tonight Carson. Can I just stay with you?"