“Sounds like you love her, son,” my father states very matter-of-factly, the ghost of a smile on his aging face.
“I do.”
“Then where is she?” my mother asks, her tone instantly pissing me off all over again.
“Trying to decide if she wants to see me again. For the past month, I’ve lied to her. It was to protect her and myself, but lies nonetheless. She found out the other day that I was the man responsible for her father’s incarceration. She found out that I’m not the man I said I was. Carly has a lot to process right now, and I just pray that at the end of it, she finds it in her heart to forgive me.” What little dinner is left on my plate turns cold and inedible.
“What does her father have to do with this?” my dad asks, all food at the table completely forgotten.
When I’m finished telling them what I can about the case and how it affects Carly, neither of them speak. Everyone, including Luke, seems to be lost in his or her own thoughts. My cell phone chimes in my pocket, which is a welcome reprieve. I politely excuse myself from the table and step into the living room. When I open the screen, I see a text from the woman I can’t stop thinking about.
Carly: Tomorrow is Halloween. I’m taking Nat to the festival on Broadway if you want to join us. 2pm.
I quickly type as fast as my fingers will allow.
Me: I’ll be there. Tell me where to meet you.
Her response is instantaneous.
Carly: Corner of Broadway and Jackson.
Me: I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Thank you, Carly. See you tomorrow.
This response comes several heartbeats later. For as long as it took her to type it, I was expecting a longer message.
Carly: You’re welcome
I’m suddenly ready to go home–or back to Luke’s place–and get to bed. The sooner I get to bed and sleep, the sooner it’ll be before I see Carly and Natalia again. I’m not sure if she invited me primarily because I’m Nat’s father, or if she invited me because she misses me. I’d like to think it’s a combination of both. But tonight, I’m going to hang on to the fact that she invited me at all. That’s the lifeline she’s dangling in front of me and I’m going to hang onto it with all I have.
Being without her and Natalia isn’t an option.
Chapter Twenty-Seven – A Ghoulishly
Good Time
Carly
I have the cutest little witch that Las Vegas has ever seen. With her pointy black hat that she’s actually keeping on her head at the moment, black dress, and purple and black striped tights, Natalia is sitting proudly in the stroller as we hit the streets to partake in her first Halloween festival. So what if she really has no clue what’s going on? There’s still a hum of excitement in the air. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that I’m walking down the street to meet Blake for the first time in three very long days. Days that transitioned straight into restless and sleepless nights. Nights that mocked my misery by filling my dreams with green eyes and broad shoulders.
Reaching the designated meeting spot, I scan the crowd for Blake. Costumed children are everywhere with handfuls of cotton candy, caramel apples, and hot apple cider. Vendors are set up as far as the eye can see peddling everything from handmade goods to holiday décor to every food option you can imagine. Games are littered along the blocked streets while kids run from one side to the other. Even half the adults are dressed up, which makes it harder to pick Blake out of the crowd.
I scan the crowd once more, anxiety coursing through my body, when a familiar voice speaks from behind me. “Carly.” Just the sound of my name from his lips is enough to send shivers of delight through my body. Familiarity. Comfort. Love.
Hearing her father’s voice, Natalia flips around, trying with everything she has to see around the stroller and knocking her hat crooked in the process. When she finally catches her first glimpse of Blake, her face lights up in a way that I haven’t seen for days. She has been doing so well lately with sleeping at night. The colic hasn’t been as bad as it was before Blake. In all honesty, I have no idea if Blake is the reason or not, but I’d like to associate him with it. Ever since he stormed into our lives, everything has been different. Everything.
“Hi, baby girl,” Blake says with a matching smile that could be spotted from the space shuttle.
“Da da,” Natalia hollers, reaching upward with gripping fingers and doing everything she can to get free from her seatbelt restraint.
“Have you been a good girl for Mommy?” he asks while squatting in front of the stroller, unbuckling her belt. Before he releases her completely, he looks up, those emerald green eyes finding mine for the first time in three days. The entire world suddenly shifts. Hell, maybe it just finally aligns. My heart rate picks up and my breathing becomes labored. Suddenly, I’m having a hard time remembering why I was so upset with him in the first place.