Road to Absolution (9 page)

He backed away,
but I could see he didn’t like it. I changed quickly, threw sweats over my
dance stuff and walked into the living room.

“Mav, take over
the game for a bit, yeah?” Carter said, rising to his feet.

“Okay,” he said,
and focused back on the television.

Carter slid my
bag from my shoulder, his other hand at my waist, pushing me gently back toward
my room.

“What are you
doing?”

He closed us in
and wrapped his arms around me, leaning down to kiss me as he guided me to the
bed. Without warning, the front of my leotard and bra were pulled down,
exposing my breasts. I moaned when Carter drew a nipple into his mouth, then
focused on the other one.

Cupping my
breasts together, he gently blew on the sensitive nubs before giving them each
a gentle nip and righting my clothes.

“What are you
doing?” I rasped.

“I wanted my
mouth to be the last thing you remembered before he put is grubby hands on your
body.”

“Ohmigod.” I bit
back and groan. “You’re an idiot.”

“Mom!”

“Just a second,
buddy,” I called. “We’ll be right out.”

“Can I have some
juice?”

“Sure.” I
wrinkled my nose. “Do you see why we can’t do this?”

“We’ll have our
time,” he promised.

“I’m a single
parent, Carter. I don’t have those times often, if ever.”

“Well, you’re
not a single parent anymore.” He slipped his hand to my neck and squeezed.
“We’ll make time.”

“Easy for you
to—”

His kiss cut off
my retort and my focus was once again drawn to what he could do with his
tongue. Good lord, the man could kiss. He rolled a nipple between his
fingertips before breaking our connection and dropping his forehead to mine.
“You gonna remember who your man is?”

“And who’s
that?”

“Cassidy,” he
growled.

Two could play
this game. I slid my hand to cup him on the outside of his jeans, smiling when
he hissed against my neck. “I had a feeling you’d be big,” I breathed. “Wasn’t
quite expecting that though.”

He chuckled.
“You know exactly what to say to a man.”

“Just speaking
the truth, Carter.” I smiled. “You’re almost as big as Kevin.”

“What the fuck!”
he bellowed, and knifed off the bed.

I dissolved into
giggles and I heard him swear again, and then his hands were at my waist and I
was being tickled mercilessly.

“Carter!” I
squealed.

“Say Uncle,
Cassidy.”

“You know
Kevin’s cup is an extra large.”

He squeezed my
middle again and I squealed.

“Say Uncle!” he
demanded.

My door popped
open and Maverick stood at the threshold looking worried as he asked, “Mom? Are
you okay?”

Carter released
me immediately and I sat up, waving Maverick over. “I’m fine honey. Uncle
Carter was just making me giggle.”

Maverick let out
a sigh of relief and rushed to the bed. “What were you doing, Uncle Carter?”

Carter grabbed
Maverick and pulled him onto the bed, starting the tickle attack he’d just laid
on me. “This.”

Maverick howled
with laughter and I couldn’t help but join in the fun.

“Okay, okay,”
Maverick cried in between laughs. “Stop!”

We stopped and
the three of us lay sideways across my bed trying to catch our breath.

“Can we play Hot
Wheels now, please?” Maverick asked.

Carter had
showed up with a little video game surprise for Maverick, which now firmly
placed Carter in the favorite of anyone category.

Carter chuckled.
“Yeah, let’s go.”

We moved as a
group into the living room and I grabbed my bag, purse, and keys. “Bed time
eight o’clock,” I ordered, leaning down to kiss Maverick. “No arguments.”

“Okay, Mom.”

“I’ll just walk
your mom out, Mav,” Carter said.

“’K.”

Carter walked me
to the door and laid another kiss that had my breath coming in short bursts.
“Mine,” he decreed, as he cupped my breasts and kissed me again.

I giggled.
“Yeah, yeah.”

“Cassidy.”

“Don’t worry,
honey, you’re the only man to cop a feel since I stopped breastfeeding. Relax.”

He sighed. “I
can still come with you.”

“And risk a fall
because I’m worried you’ll kill Kevin if he touches me somewhere you don’t
approve of?”

“I don’t approve
of him touching you at all.”

“I rest my
case.” I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him again. “I’ll see you later.”

“Drive safely.”

“No. I’m going
to ram my car into a tree.”

“Cassidy,” he
hissed.

“Love you,” I
called, and headed to my car.

F
RIDAY AFTER WORK, I loaded Maverick in
the car and we made the three (plus) hour drive down to my parents’. Because
Kevin wasn’t available for our normal dance time next week, I’d taken advantage
of that fact and taken Monday and Tuesday off work. My sisters would be there
as well, so I was looking forward to quality time with the family. What I
wasn’t looking forward to was not seeing Carter.

He’d called just
before I left and hearing his voice made me miss him before I’d even left. He’d
stayed Monday night, but our schedules for the rest of the week meant I only
saw him briefly on Thursday as well, but he couldn’t stay. I hated to admit it,
but if I could have finagled a way to bow out of the trip, I might have
considered it if it meant I got two days alone with him.

Traffic had been
light, so I arrived a little after eight-thirty. Maverick slept most of the way
and I had to admit, I was pretty tired by the time I pulled up to the house…
driving always did that to me. Even so, there was something cathartic about
coming home. Even if I didn’t want to move back to the small town, it was nice
not to have to worry about the day-to-day grind. I would get to sleep in and
that was huge.

Before I turned
off the ignition, Dad walked toward the car and opened the back door.

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey, honey.
I’ll take Mav up,” he whispered, and unbuckled him.

“Thanks.” I
smiled and locked up, grabbing our stuff from the trunk and following them
inside. Setting everything down in the foyer, I made my way to the kitchen. Mom
was pulling cookies out of the oven while Shannon was pouring a glass of wine.

“Is that for
me?” I asked hopefully.

Shannon giggled.
“Yes, but hug first.”

I obliged and
then took the glass of wine from her. “Kids asleep?”

Shannon had
married John Worth four years ago and now had two children, a son, Kai who was
three and a daughter, Alana, who had just turned two.

“Yes, thank
God,” she said. “They were a little harder to corral today. Being a single
parent is
hard
.”

I giggled. “Tell
me about it.”

Mom hugged me
and then shooed us out of the kitchen. I followed Shannon into the family room.

“Maverick’s so
big,” Shannon said, sitting on the sofa. “I got to kiss his head before Dad
swept him off to bed.”

“I know. Mav’s
looking forward to playing with the cousins and I’m dying to see Kai and Alana…
they probably don’t even look the same.”

John and Shannon
had moved to California for his job over a year ago, which we all hated, but
the money was far too good to pass on. Shannon promised they’d be back one day
and I secretly hoped it was soon.

Shannon grinned.
“They seem to change daily.”

“When does John
arrive?”

“He’ll be here
Sunday night. He had a few things to finish up, so will be catching a flight in
the morning and grabbing a car at the airport.”

“Mia’s coming
tomorrow, right? She texted me last week, but nothing since.”

“New boy haze.”
Shannon sipped her wine.

“Ohmigod, I
know. I wonder how long this one will last.”

“Let’s hope
longer than a week,” Mom retorted as she joined us. “I’m too old to keep up
with the changing lovers.”

I wrinkled my
nose. “Ew, Mom, please never say lover again.”

Mom grinned.
“Loverrrrrr.”

Shannon and I
dissolved into giggles.

“What’s so
funny?” Dad asked, strolling in and sitting next to Mom.

“I was
discussing Mia’s boyfriends,” Mom said.

“Let’s not.” Dad
groaned. “She’s going to kill me, that one.”

“Mav go down
alright?” I asked.

“Didn’t even
stir.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

The rest of the
evening was spent catching up, but by ten I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I
headed up to bed.

* * *

The next morning (okay, it was just past
noon, but I’d slept in, so for the sake of argument, it’s morning), I was
sitting at the table with my coffee when I heard the screen door slam. Shannon
and my dad were in the back yard with the kids and Mom was in the kitchen.

“Lucy, I’m
hoooome,” Mia called in her best Desi Arnaz impersonation.

“In here,” I
responded, and met her halfway, pulling her in for a hug. “Hey there gorgeous.”

“Hey, Sassidy.”
Mia grinned. “Ohmigod, you’re never going to guess what I heard!”

“Hug me first,
then gossip,” Mom ordered.

Mia did as she
was told and, once she grabbed herself a coffee, sat with me at the table.
“Carter Quinn’s home.”

I gasped,
drawing hot liquid down my throat and choking as I tried to breathe.

“You okay?” Mom
asked, rushing over with a glass of water.

“Wrong pipe,” I
rasped as I slapped my chest. “What do you mean, he’s home?” I asked, once I
got my breath back.

“Like, he drove
into town early this morning and stopped at the Smiths’ flower shop to pick up
something for his mom,” Mia continued. “He told them he was home for a few
days.”

Once Carter had
left the day of my confession, he hadn’t been back. I knew this only because
Mia told me. Even when there was a huge Quinn reunion, he’d stayed away, which
I always found sad. But since I’d never asked him about it (partly because I
didn’t want to find out the reason he hadn’t been back was because of me), I
was able to put it out of my mind.

“Well, this
is
news,” Mom mused, and smiled at me. “Interesting.”

My stomach
flipped to think he’d changed his plans to come home knowing I’d be here, but I
played dumb. “Is it?”

“Very.” Mom
raised an eyebrow.

“Mom!” Maverick
called, running in, his face red with excitement. “I caught a frog.”

He opened his
palm and Mia shrieked as the frog jumped at her. She spilled her coffee in her
haste to escape the amphibian, and Maverick slid under the table in an effort
to catch it. I made a run for paper towels while Mia hid behind my mother, who
was laughing hysterically.

I rounded the
counter, paper towels in hand, and came to screeching halt when I caught sight
of Carter standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Mia gasped, my mom stopped
laughing, and Maverick cried, “Uncle Carter!”

“Hey, buddy.”

“I caught a
frog!”

“You did?” He
smiled down at him.

“
Don’t
open your hand, Mav,” I rushed to say, and laid the towels over the spill.
“Show him outside.”

Maverick nodded
and ran back outside, Carter following.

“Ohmigod,” Mia
said. “What the hell is Carter Quinn doing here?”

“I have a
feeling he’s here for your sister,” Mom mused.

“Since when?”

I sighed and
threw the paper towels in the trash. “It’s a long story,” I admitted.

Before more
could be said on the subject, Carter returned, a bouquet of flowers in his hand
and a smug, but adorable smile on his face.

“These are for
you, Wendy,” he said, and handed the spring flowers to her (Mom’s favorite, I
might add).

“Oh, Carter,
that’s so sweet,” she crooned, and hugged him. “Thank you! I’ll just get a vase.”

“Hey, Mia,” he
continued.

“Carter.”

He smiled. “You
look great.”

She didn’t
respond. She just crossed her arms and glared. “What are you doing here,
Carter?” Mia had always been my protector and even though we weren’t kids
anymore, she still fell into the role on occasion.

“Mia,” Mom
admonished. “Be nice.”

“Hi Carter. Good
to see you. You’ve changed,” Mia said, her voice somewhat monotone. “What are
you doing here?”

“Was in the
area… thought I’d come say hi.”

“Hi,” she said.
“’Bye.”

“He just got
here,” I countered.

“So? The guy
takes off like a hundred years ago and shows up just when you happen to be here
for a few days?” She faced him and frowned. “I hope it’s not to hurt Cassidy
again.”

“Mia!” I
snapped.

“What? I don’t
trust him.”

My mouth dropped
open. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“He hurt you!”
she argued.

“Because of what
I did!”

“Cassidy,”
Carter warned.

“Ohmigod, don’t
talk to her like that,” Mia snapped.

“Mia, it’s
fine.”

“It’s fine for
him to growl at you?”

“You don’t
understand—”

Mia gasped.
“You’re seeing him! Ohmigod, you’re totally seeing him again and you didn’t
tell me!”

“I—”

“Whatever!” she
snapped, and stormed out of the room.

I gave Carter a
look of desperation and he just chuckled, sliding his hand to my neck and
pulling me close. I tried to pull away. “My mom—”

“Left the room
ten minutes go,” he interrupted.

I craned my neck
to see that the kitchen was in fact empty, before wrapping my arms around him
and giving him a squeeze. “What are you doing here?”

“No way in hell
I’m going an entire weekend, let alone five days, without seeing you two,” he
whispered.

My heart warmed
when he included Maverick in that statement. “Crazy man.”

He chuckled,
lifting my chin and kissing me.

“Mom!” Maverick
called. “There’s a dog outside, can I play with it?”

“She’s mine,
buddy,” Carter said. “Let me introduce you and then you can play with her.”

“You have a
dog?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to let my kid play with a strange animal.

“Yeah,” Carter
said, and tugged me toward the front door. “She’s a black lab. Super friendly,
but excitable. She won’t hurt you, so don’t worry.”

“Where’s she
been while you’ve been with us?”

“Jaxon or Aidan
take her if I need them to, but otherwise, she’s pretty much with me wherever I
go.”

I nodded and
followed Carter to the front door where Maverick waited. Carter pushed open the
screen door and the dog whined and shook her tail, but overall seemed pretty
chill.

“Hey, girl,”
Carter crooned. “I got some people for you to meet. Sit. Stay.” She did exactly
what he told her to do and then Carter guided Maverick forward. “Whenever you
see a dog, you should always make sure an adult is with you, okay? Never walk
up to it by yourself.”

Maverick nodded.
“’K.”

“Stand really
still and hold your hand out like this to let her smell you so she knows who
you are.”

Maverick did as
he directed and the dog sniffed him, her tail wagging a mile a minute.

“Good job,”
Carter said.

“Can I give her
a treat?” Maverick asked.

“I’ve got some
treats in my bag which I left inside. Let’s go grab them,” Carter said, and
smiled at me. “You okay?”

“Yep. It’s all
good.”

While Carter
took Maverick back inside, I introduced myself to the dog, looking at her
collar and then needing a minute to compose myself.

“Mav, if you
throw the ball, she’ll get it for you,” Carter said, as they returned to the
porch. “Just keep it close, okay?”

Maverick nodded
and led the dog onto the driveway.

“Cass?” Carter
asked.

“Hmm?”

He turned me to
face him and frowned. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“You didn’t
think to warn me?”

“About?”

“The fact you
named your dog Cassidy?”

Carter chuckled.
“I thought about it, but then I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the subject.”

“Why?”

“I would think
that would be obvious.”