Carl： Caveman Instinct series 2.5(32)

“Ah, yeah I can.”

Rolling my eyes at the cocky man lying on the bed, I continued packing the suitcase. “I don’t think you know my mum then. I bet since you called her a couple of hours ago she’s found allies.”

Carl sat up, grabbed my hands as I placed the toiletries into the suitcase and gathered me to him. I knelt before him. “Don’t you want to get married here, on this beautiful island?”

I didn’t want to leave Vanuatu either, but I knew mum was excited about me getting married and planning my wedding. A quick island wedding I knew she wouldn’t mind, but I knew my mum wanted a bigger fanfare for me. She wanted to help me plan my wedding, choose my dress and have relatives I’ve met once or twice in my life there. I wanted to give my mum that. “It would be nice, yes, but I would like to have a wedding where I get to plan. You know, go with my mum to flower shops, try on wedding dresses and eat cake.”

He groaned and flopped back. “Is this going to happen all the time?”

“Is what going to happen all the time?”

“You being right?”

Giggling, I crawled up and over him. Hovering over him, I smiled down at his arrogant smirking face. “Yeah, all the time.”

His arms snapped around me and he rolled so I was on the bottom and he caged me in over the top. “Okay, fine. I’ll pack and we’ll fly home. Two weeks in paradise isn’t enough though.”

Sighing, I sat up and locked my lips to his. He was right, two weeks in paradise wasn’t enough, but we needed to go home. I had more to tell my mum than just getting engaged, she was going to be a grandma.



Groaning as I saw my mother waiting for us at the airport I considered seeing if I could convince Carl I was wrong and we could go back to paradise. Carl squeezed my waist and I glanced up at him. “Who let my mum come meet us? I didn’t even think she knew we were coming home today.”

His brow raised. “You don’t want her here?”

“Argh no. Not for the half an hour drive home. You know that means there’ll be no escape?”

He laughed. “I’m sure if she gets bad we could pull over and kick her out.”

“Ha, ha, very funny. Did you invite her?”

“No. I have no idea how she knew we were coming in now.”

“I told her.” Shocked, I turned to Rafe. I’d never seen him look embarrassed. Well he barely showed emotion, though he wasn’t as bad as Lurch, but still right now his cheeks were pink and he wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“Rafe, why?”

He finally met my gaze and his eyebrows narrowed and his lips thinned. “I’ll tell you why, because your mother is worse than Gillian. I’d like to know how she got my number.”

Carl burst out laughing and I wished I could hide. I stopped walking down the ramp to the arrival bay and went to turn around, only for Carl to stop me. Oh my God, what had my mother done for Rafe to cave and tell her? I reminded myself I loved my mother, but right now that didn’t work.

“What did she do?” Carl dragged me to the exit and towards my mother.

“She’s pure evil.” I choked on a cough at the smirk on Rafe’s face. “I told her no and that I wouldn’t tell her anything without Carl’s or your permission, not only did she badger me, which I could handle, when that didn’t work she somehow contacted my mother.”

Okay, that was funny. How the hell had my mother found out who Rafe’s mother was? I was even scared to find out how she did that.

Carl was in hysterics. “Oh honey, I love your mother.”

“Oh you say that now,” I grumbled as we exited to the arrivals bay. I bet he wouldn’t be saying that when he was on the other end of her intrusion into his life.

My mother ran to me, pushed Carl away and hugged me tight. “Bellie, I missed you baby.”

“Hi mum. How are you feeling?”

“I’m great now you’re home.” She let go of me and wrapped her arm around me and walked toward the luggage carousel. I turned to see Carl narrow his gaze. I giggled and wrapped my arm around her. Mum one, everyone else zero.







Carl

“Honey, you can’t go to work like this. The oral maxolon isn’t working. I’m taking you in to work.” We’d been back from Vanuatu for four days and Annabelle was getting sicker. She was showing all the signs of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a condition in pregnancy that can start around four to seven weeks which causes severe sickness and can lead to other problems such as low blood pressure, depression, tiredness and migraines. Today was a pupil-free day and tomorrow school started. Annabelle was determined to go to work, even though she could barely move.