I tip my head back, so I can look into his face. “Like you could get me to leave.” I smile.
That makes him smile, and he snuggles in closer. “I’ll feed you soon. I just want to lie here and hold you for a bit.”
“That works for me because I want to be held by you.”
We lay in content silence, my fingers stroking over his back in a pattern of our names, and it’s not long after when I hear Carrick’s breathing start to even out.
He must be worn out from all the sex.
Then, feeling the most peaceful I have in a long time, I let my eyes drift shut.
When I awake, it’s dark out, a low light in the room. As I turn my head, I find Carrick already awake, head on the pillow beside me, watching me.
“Hey.” I smile, stretching my arms up. “How long have you been awake?”
“A while.”
“You should have woken me up.”
“You were tired.”
It’s then I notice the unease in his eyes. “Carrick…is everything all right?” There’s a slight tremor to my voice.
“Everything’s fine.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “You’re still here, and everything’s good.”
You’re still here.
Still.
He thought I was going to leave. Even after what I said in the garage, he still thought I was going to leave.
And I have nobody to blame but myself for him thinking that. What he needs from me right now is reassurance, and I’m going to give him it.
Turning my body to his, I rest my hand against his chest. “You thought I’d wake up and leave?”
He gives a light shrug of his shoulders, but I see it flicker through his eyes.
“I’m not leaving. And I’m sorry for every stupid thing that I did in the past—pushing you away after we had sex, running out on you, all of it.” Leaning in, I softly kiss his mouth. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He pulls me close, hooking my leg over his hip, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m being fucking stupid. I know. I just didn’t want to wake up and you be gone. Then, I was scared that you were going to wake up and realize that you made a mistake and leave.”
“You’re not being stupid. I’ve given you every reason to think this way, and I’m sorry. I can’t change the past. But I can promise that I’ll talk to you, explain everything I’m feeling, why I behave like I do.”
“You mean freak out?”
I let out a small sad laugh. “Yeah, freak out.”
Moving back, I lay my head on his pillow, so I can look at him.
“There’s something I need to tell you—about me.”
“Okay.” He gives me a wary look.
“It’s nothing bad about us.” Now that I’m about to say it, it feels like I’m making a big deal out of it. “It’s not crucial to anything. It’s just something that I haven’t told you, and you should know. I mean, I haven’t told anyone here—well, apart from Petra. She knows and Uncle John knows, but he’s always knew because—”
His hand touches my arm. “Andressa, it’s okay. You can tell me.”
Deep breath. One. Two. Three.
“My dad is William Wolfe.”
I expect him to look surprised, but he doesn’t.
Staring steadily back at me, he nods his head once. “Yeah, I know.”
“You know?” Air whooshes into my lungs as my brows pull together in consternation. “How do you know?”
His cheeks redden a bit, and he bites his lip. If I wasn’t so perturbed right now, I’d bite his lip, too, because he looks so goddamn sexy.
He blows out a breath before speaking, “When I saw you there at that car show, looking at his car, and you were crying, I just knew right then that there was something, and it was bugging the fuck out of me afterward. I knew the car was important to you. I just didn’t know why—and that’s why I bought it.”
My chest tightens with so many emotions. Taking his hand, I kiss it. His face warms with his feelings for me. Cupping my cheek, he presses a kiss to my lips.
Keeping his hand on my face, he strokes my skin with his thumb. “I had to get that car, no matter what, so I called up the owner, and I got him to sell it to me. After the deal was done, I got off the phone with him, and I started researching the car, finding more about it, like what I was going to need to get it up and running again. There was no way that car was going to sit pretty in my garage—not after what you said to me. And honestly, it was a good reason to have you with me, to be able to spend time with you again.
“While I was researching the car, I stumbled on this picture of your dad with the car. He was standing in front of it with his wife…and that was when I knew. I remembered your mum from the photo you showed me in Kuala Lumpur. Sure, she looked younger, but it was like looking at you. I looked up your dad’s Wiki page, and it was all there. Spouse, Katia Amaro-Wolfe. Child, Andressa Wolfe. It didn’t take a genius to work out that you’re his daughter, babe. I should have realized before because of John. I knew he’d worked for William and that they were good friends. I just…” Carrick rubs his face with his hand. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me. Why keep it a secret?”