CHAPTER SEVEN
Carter
Five long days pass before I return. I’ve worked my arse off to get back to Indiana as quick as I could. I can only stay for a few days, but it’s better than nothing. I’m still not sure how this back and forth thing is going to work, but I’m not giving up yet. Truth is, I’d travel to the ends of the earth for her if I had to.
Jax and I changed our usual Friday night card game to last night. We’ve been doing this for years now. I love catching up with him and having a few drinks. It’s our way of unwinding after a busy week. We used to alternate between my place and his, but lately he seems to be coming up my way. He likes it up here. We have the best pubs and nightlife.
He cheats his arse off at cards, but I don’t care. I’m just grateful for the company. After I left mum and Indi behind, he was all I really had. I’m not sure where I would’ve ended up if it weren’t for him.
He knows all about my predicament with Indiana. Only because one night I had too much to drink and blurted it all out. Confessing my love for the girl I left behind. He’d only seen the other side of me before then. The fuck ‘em and chuck ‘em side. He thought I was a legend until he found out I was secretly hung up on a chick from my past.
He gave me shit about it for weeks. One night he went too far and we nearly came to blows over it. It wasn’t mentioned again until last night. I was the one who brought it up. I needed his advice. We discussed opening up another parlour close to where Indi lives, but there’s already five existing tattoo shops within a twenty-kilometre radius. It just isn’t viable at the moment. I’ll work something out, or die trying.
My stomach is in knots as I drive into my old street. I have no idea what to expect. I’ve had no contact with her since I visited her at work five days ago. I pray she’s given what I said some serious thought. I pray that fucker hasn’t proposed to her yet. Fuck. What if he has? What if she said yes? I suddenly feel like I’m going to be sick.
Pulling into my mum’s driveway, I look over towards Indi’s house. Her car and Ross’ are both parked under the carport. It makes me wonder why she’s not at work today. Unless she got a lift with that wanker.
As I turn off the ignition and go to exit the car, Ross comes out of my mum’s house. I smile as he walks towards me. I’m grateful to know he’s been here comforting her. My mum told me when we spoke on the phone that Ross had been calling in every day to check on her. He’d been bringing over food and running errands. He’s such a great guy.
I’ve called her every day since I left, sometimes more than once. She cried every time we spoke. I still find it hard to comprehend her devastation. Especially for Fuckwit. But, I guess I didn’t love him like she did. If only she knew what a cocksucker he really was, but who am I to burst her bubble? I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t think he was so wonderful if she knew how he treated me when she wasn’t around, or what he did to Larry.
“Hey, son,” Ross says smiling. I love how he always seems happy to see me. “I wasn’t expecting to see you back so soon.”
“I tried to get back here as soon as I could,” I reply, reaching for his outstretched hand. “How’s my mum doing today?” He shrugs.
“As well as can be expected.” From our phone calls I was kind of expecting him to say that.
“I appreciate you keeping an eye out for her. Is Indi home from work today?” I ask, flicking my head in the direction of her car.
“She’s been home all week.”
“What? Why? Is she sick?” I feel panicky when I ask that.
“Heartbroken more like it,” Ross replies, making my mind race. What does he mean by heartbroken? What the fuck has happened?
“Why?” Ross shakes his head in disgust. The anger rolling off him is as clear as day. What the fuck is going on?
“Thinking about it still makes my blood boil,” he confesses.
“Don’t leave me hanging. Tell me what the hell you’re talking about.” I can already tell I’m not going to like what he has to say.
“That lowlife, Mark,” he sneers. I don’t even know what he’s done, but I already want to kill him. “He took Indi to a fucking restaurant on the North Shore. He got upset because she didn’t accept his proposal, so the mongrel abandoned her. Left her all alone in a strange place late at night. She was an absolute mess when she called me to go and get her. He’s lucky I didn’t damn well kill him for treating her like that.”
“He fucking what?” I scoff. I can clearly hear the venom in my voice. Utter rage consumes me. My hands are trembling as I turn and walk back towards my car.
“Where are you going?” Ross asks reaching for my arm.
“To pay that prick a visit.”
“There’s no need. I’ve already done that.” I thrust my arm out of his grip.
“I don’t care. He’s getting one from me, too.”
“Hold on there, son. Don’t go off all half-cocked,” he pleads, coming around to block me from getting into the car. My brow furrows. “If you really want to help, go see Indi. She’s been locked in her room for days.”
I have to give him credit. He has a way about him. A way of calming me with a look or a few words. I guess he’s trained in this type of thing. I let out a frustrated sigh. I’d love to go see her, but if she’s broken-hearted over that putz, would she really want to see me? Fuck it. Seeing her is all I’ve thought about all week.
“Okay. I have something for her anyway.” Opening the back door, I pull out the envelope that contains the old drawings of Larry. I went searching for them before I returned. It’s not much, but it’s something. Shoving the envelope under my arm, I reach for the box that’s also sitting on my back seat.
“What’s in the box?” he asks smirking. I open one of the flaps and show him what’s inside. He chuckles and slaps me on the back. “She’ll love it. You’re a good guy, Carter. Don’t ever doubt that.” I felt compelled to get it for her. Fuck I hope she likes it.
••••
“Indi. It’s Carter,” I call out knocking on her bedroom door. “Can I come in?” I’m really apprehensive about seeing her. I have no idea what kind of welcome I’m going to get. The nerves kick in as I stand and wait for a reply. I’m relieved a few seconds later when she opens the door.
Her eyes are all red and swollen. She looks so broken. The sight makes my heart hurt. I’ve never seen her like this before. I don’t like it. Where’s my fiery girl gone? It makes me hate that fucker even more. I place the box and the drawings on the ground and pull her into my arms. “I’m sorry,” is all I say. I’m not sorry that they broke up, but I am sorry about the way he treated her. I’m sorry that she’s so hurt by it.
She cries softly into my chest as I hold her. I’m still going to pay that prick a visit, whether Ross likes it or not. “I’m glad you came back,” she whispers. Relief floods through me when she says that. I was kind of expecting her to go all ninja on me again. I feel partly responsible for the predicament she’s in.
Was it my plea that stopped her from saying yes?
“I told you I’d be back,” I reply looking down at her. “Your dad told me what happened.” She bows her head, taking a step back and wiping her eyes.
“It was for the best, I suppose. Can we not talk about it? I’d rather forget it ever happened.”
“Sure.” My eyes drink her in. Her hair is piled up on the top of her head in a messy bun. She’s wearing a cute pink onesie that, believe it or not, looks incredibly sexy on her. She looks just like the kid I fell in love with. There’s something so sweet about her. She’s like nothing I’ve ever known. Perfect is the word that springs to mind. “Can I come in?” I ask.
“Of course.” She moves to the side so I can pass. I hear a whimpering sound coming from behind me. I stop, remembering the gift. “What was that noise?”
“I bought you something.” Christ I hope I did the right thing.
“You did?” A brief smile crosses her face. Bending down, I pick up the envelope that contains the drawings.
“I found these. Don’t look at them now. They’re some drawings I did years ago of Larry. I thought you might like to have them.” Tears pool in her eyes and now I feel like a dick. It probably wasn’t a good time to give them to her. She takes the envelope out of my hand, hugging it to her chest. I resist the urge to console her.
“Thank you. I’ll treasure them.”
“I got you something else,” I say hesitantly. I’m now rethinking my decision. Bending down again, I retrieve the box. Jesus. I hope this doesn’t backfire in my face. Seeing how down she is right now, this could go either way. Extending my arms, I hold it out to her. “Open the flaps.” Another brief smile appears on her face as she places the envelope on her bedside table before her hands move towards the box. I lower my arms. After all she is a shrimp. She can reach the top, but won’t be able to see what’s inside if I don’t.
I hold my breath when she looks inside. “Oh. My. God. Carter. You didn’t …” When she looks up from the box, her beautiful green eyes are brimming with tears. Fuck. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or not. “Oh. My. God,” she repeats.
“I hope you don’t mind. I know he’ll never replace …” I can’t bring myself to finish that sentence. “It was my way of trying to … you know … right the wrong.” I’m fumbling with my words like a damn fool. I’m not good at shit like this. I don’t know what to say to her. The way I see it, she tried to right the wrong that was committed against me all those years ago, and now I’m trying to return the favour. I also feel partly responsible for what happened to Larry.
Tears are streaming down her cheeks as she reaches into the box and lifts the little puppy out. I find I’m holding my breath again as I watch her. She clutches him to her chest and sobs. It warms and breaks my heart all at once. The puppy extends his neck and starts to lick her chin. Even through her tears, she giggles. “I love him,” she sniffles as her eyes meet mine. “I don’t know what to say, Carter. Thank you.” I place the box on the ground and pull her into my arms.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I tell her. “I’m just happy you like him. I have all his things in the car. Food, bed, toys, leash, stuff like that. He’s only six weeks old, so this is the first time he’s been away from his mum.”
I searched online for days until I found him. He’s a cute little guy. I bought the same breed as Larry, a long-haired German Shepherd.
“Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed this. How much I needed you back here.” I’m pretty sure I’m fucking beaming when she says that. She gets up on the tips of her toes and plants a small kiss on my cheek. My heart is singing. “I need to give him a name,” she says making me chuckle nervously.
“No need. Going on past experience, I took the liberty of already naming him.” She looks up at me again, slightly narrowing her eyes. It makes me laugh. “No offence, but you kind of suck at that.”
“I do not,” she replies, playfully nudging me with her shoulder.
“His name is engraved on his tag.” Looking down, she grasps for the heart-shaped medal attached to the pup’s collar. She starts to laugh. I feel my smile grow when she reads it out loud. I couldn’t help myself. The name I chose is brilliant.
“Larry Junior,” she laughs. “I love it, Carter. It’s perfect.”
••••
It took a bit of convincing, but I manage to talk Indi into having a shower and getting dressed. She needs to get out of the house. While she’s getting ready, I head over to see Mum. I take Larry Junior with me. He’s an awesome little guy. If she didn’t want him, I definitely would’ve kept him for myself.
Indi and I end up going out for lunch. Nothing fancy. We go to our usual burger joint, but get the food to takeaway. Indi couldn’t bear to leave the puppy at home so we brought him with us. We take Larry Junior, or LJ as he’s now affectionately known, to the park for a picnic. First picnic I’ve ever been on, but fuck me if I didn’t enjoy it. I’m realising that it doesn’t matter where I am. As long as I have Indiana by my side, I’m happy.
As the day goes by, Indi becomes more like her old self. We both laugh as LJ bounces around and barks at everyone and everything. It’s nice to see her happy again. She’s even opened up a bit about what happened with that dick, Mark. I struggled to keep my temper at bay as she explained everything.
Not only did he leave her stranded so far from home, but he left her with the four hundred dollar restaurant bill, and basically fired her from her job. One thing is for sure, I need to get my hands on that fucker and teach him some damn manners.
She confessed he’d left a few messages on her phone the next day, but she ignored them. I’m happy about that because he showed his true colours in the end. No amount of grovelling can make up for that.
I get the impression she’s upset about the breakup, but more so by the way it came about. I don’t blame her. What he did was a low act. He never should’ve left her like that. I’m pretty confident she’ll get over him quick. I’ll make sure of it. If I have my way, she’ll forget he even exists. For the first time in my life, I truly want this. I want her for myself. I want to own her, possess her, and be able to call her mine.
There’s no talk of us over the course of the day, but I’m cool with that. We need to rebuild our friendship first, and she needs to get over that wanker. I don’t want to be her rebound. If we do end up getting together, I want the timing to be right. I certainly don’t want it to be when she’s still hung up on someone else. It’s going to be all or nothing.
After dropping her and LJ off at home later that afternoon, I head back out. I want to spend some time with my mum tonight, but there’s one stop I need to make first. I’ll never be able to sleep if I don’t get this off my chest.
Pulling up outside the building, I take a deep breath to try and calm myself down before going inside. To be honest I’m anything but calm when I push through the door. I’ve been stewing on this all day.
The reception area is empty, so I make my way towards the room where I presume he’ll be. I don’t even bother knocking. “Oh God,” he mumbles when he looks up and sees me standing in the doorway.
“Sorry, but not even God can help you now,” I say stepping into the room and locking the door behind me. He swallows nervously, taking a step backwards. As much as I’d like to kick his arse right now, that’s not why I came. Messing with him is much more fun.
“You … you can’t just barge in here,” he stammers.
“I can do whatever the hell I like,” I retort taking another step forward. He raises his hands in front of him as he retreats another step. I follow suit and take two more steps. He’s cornered. The first thing I notice when I get closer is his black eye. It brings a smile to my face. The swelling’s gone down, but it’s a beauty. Compliments of Ross I presume. Maybe I should give him a matching one. Fucker. He deserves it after what he did. Anything could’ve happened to Indiana after he left her stranded like that.
When he realises I’m not going away, he squares his shoulders and stands tall. It doesn’t intimidate me in the slightest. He can act like he’s not affected by my presence, but he is. His trembling hands and the uncertainty on his face says it all. It wouldn’t surprise me if he pisses his pants. Fucking coward.
“You owe Indiana four hundred dollars,” I state in the calmest voice I can muster.
“Excuse me? I don’t owe her a damn thing.” I beg to differ, arsehole.
“Are you going to hand it over, or am I going to have to come and get it myself?” I take another step towards him, letting him know I mean business. He owes her a hell of a lot more than money, but it’s a start. Knowing Indi like I do, she probably doesn’t even want the money back, but I’m going to get it for her. After everything he’s done, she should at least get reimbursed for that.
“Fine,” he says as he reaches for his wallet in his back pocket. “I’ll give you the money and then you can leave. If you don’t, I’ll call the police.” I chuckle at his reply.
“You really think they’re going to show up after the way you treated Indiana?” He inhales a sharp breath as the colour drains from his face. He knows I’m right. There’s no way they’ll be rushing over here after the way he treated Ross’ little girl.
He pulls the money from his wallet and throws it on the examination table in front of him. “There, now go.” I extend my hand, staring him down; I don’t need to speak the words, my look says it all. His shoulders slump and his hands shake as he reaches out and picks up the money off the table. The uncertainty in his eyes as he slowly approaches me has me smirking. Pussy.
When he’s close enough to put the money in my hand, he slaps it in my palm before taking a step backwards. I’m too quick for him though. Using my free arm, I reach out and fist my hand in his white coat, dragging him towards me.
“What were you thinking leaving her stranded at night on her own?” I seethe. “Anything could’ve happened to her.”
“I was hurt … angry. I didn’t really think.” Is that all he’s got? His piss poor excuse makes my fucking blood boil. Reefing him closer, I growl in his face. “Please don’t hurt me,” he begs like the motherfucking sissy he is. Shoving the money in the pocket of my jeans, I hold him in place with my other hand.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t?”
“Because I’m sorry I left her there. I’ve sent her a few messages, but she didn’t reply.”
“You think a message is enough after what you did?”
“I’d go around and tell her to her face, but her dad said he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in me if I went anywhere near her.” That statement has me smiling. “If I could make it up to her, I would.” Like fucking hell.
“Wrong fucking answer, arsehole.” Without hesitation, I raise my fist and pound it into his face. “Now you have a matching pair,” I say. Fuck that felt good. He deserves a hell of a lot more after what he did to her, but I decide to give him a break. He’s just lost the best thing that’s ever happened to him. I’ve been exactly where he is right now, so I know firsthand that he’s gonna regret it for the rest of his life. Letting him go, he stumbles backwards.
“My eye,” he cries.
“You’re lucky that’s all you got. Stay the fuck away from Indiana. If you don’t, next time I won’t be so forgiving.” My tone is full of warning as I turn and unlock the door and head back to my car.