Chapter 8
Carter
Lacing my fingers through Andrea’s, we leave the range with a quick wave to Joe on the way out. “Want to grab some food?” I question as we're walking up to my vehicle.
“Mmmm….yes please, I'm starving,” she answers, putting her hand to her stomach.
“Whatcha hungry for my queen?” I ask her, pulling her hand up to kiss her knuckles. It's then I see the gunpowder remanence and the big smile crosses my face.
“How about just the Coney Island? I haven't seen Cindy in a while. A good BLT from there sounds perfect,” she says wrapping her arms tight to me with her chin on my chest smiling up.
Leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead, I answer, “As you wish.”
The drive to the restaurant is pretty short, but she's quiet and gazing out the window. “You're thinking so loud over there, Starfish, I'm gonna need to turn the radio down,” I tell her putting my hand on her knee while I drive.
She turns her head to me, and just puts her head back against the headrest and gives me a small smile.
“Everything will be fine, it will always be okay. I'll make sure of it,” I tell her as she worries her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I know, it's just not easy. I’ve had it in my head that he’s away. I've gotten comfortable. I trust you, please don't think I don't. It's just a terrible gut feeling that he isn't done making my life hell,” she tells me pleadingly while placing her hand over mine. She turns my hand over and laces our fingers together.
Pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant, I walk around to open her door and pull her in for a hug. I'm freaking out about the fact that Trent will be trying for early parole. Andrea’s come so far in the last two years. I don't want her to slide back just when everything we've ever wanted in our lives starts to come together.
I can't let her know how much it affects me, I'm her strong backbone when she needs it. She's my perfect match to always calm me. I can look into her eyes and be totally at peace. Just to hold her is an unreal feeling. I'm so thankful to have another chance with her. I really screwed things between us three years ago and thought my Starfish was forever gone from me. Fate twists its beautiful ugliness in mysterious ways.
Seating ourselves, we go to the table I usually sit at when I'm here. Pulling the menus out that are permanent to the table, I see what I'd like to order. Andrea gets the same thing every time we are here. It's cute really.
“Well if it isn't my favorite Hollywood couple,” Cindy says walking up, smacking her gum, and leaning down to pat my shoulder. I swear, this woman pulls out some of the most random things to say.
“Hey Cindy,” I look up to her giving her a wink.
“Hello Cindy,” Andrea says while giving a shy smile and putting her hair behind her ear.
“You ordering the same as always doll face?” she asks Andrea while just plopping down on the bench next to her, forcing her to scoot over a bit. “Sorry, beauty queen, just giving the howlers a little break while we order,” Cindy says while patting Andrea’s hand like a distant aunt may.
“Same as always, the BLT and a Mountain Dew,” Andrea confirms the usual.
“Why you get a BLT just to take the tomatoes off is beyond me,” she mutters to her, knowing her entirely too well.
“What about you, handsome?” She looks up to me smacking the table.
Chuckling at how comfortable she is with us and so many other regulars Cindy has, I order. “I'll take the All-American Cheeseburger with seasoned fries and a Pepsi.”
“Of course, handsome. I'll be right back with your drinks and then your order,” she tells us as she gets up and starts to walk away.
“Don't you leave this doll sitting at this table, sexy buns. I can see the sharks circling for a bite of this sweet one here,” she winks and says to me.
“Nah, I'm not going anywhere. Making an honest woman out of her,” I tell while grabbing Andrea’s hand across the table. It's then that Cindy sees the ring.
“Well I'll be damned. Congratulations! The panties of the town are all gonna be crying at the news of the town sex magnet being taken for good,” she says winking at Andrea.
Andrea just laughs. “Sorry for them, but lucky me.” She looks down at her ring and beams back up to me.
Reaching across the table, I rub my thumbs across her knuckles and her ring. “Whatcha doing with your week off before you go back to school, my love?” I ask her as I watch her face split wide on a grin.
“According to my mom, and yours, we have a wedding to plan.” She laughs.
“And it begins.” I laugh. I couldn't be happier to finally feel like our life is falling into the place it always should have been. She took my head firmly out of my ass when she left me alone for a year. A year that was hell on me, and even more so on her.
“They feel like time has finally set itself right with the news we are finally making us forever...well, officially that is. You've always been my forever, Carter. It just took a little road block to make us see,” she says while bringing her watery eyes up to mine.
“No tears, please, Starfish,” I whisper as I wipe the few tears that fall from those clear blue sky colored eyes of hers.
“They are happy tears, I promise. I'm so happy, Carter. You've given me back my reason.” She smiles up to me wiping the last tear that escaped.
“My reason to breathe is staring back at me with a beauty that rivals nothing else in this world, Starfish. I will never let you slip away again. You needed to know that you deserve and can be happy, even when you didn't believe it for a little while.”
Cindy sets our drinks down on the table in front of us. “Shit looks neck deep over here. I'll come back,” she says with a little bit of a concerned look.
“Oh no, Cindy, everything is fine. These are my happy tears,” Andrea says while reaching for Cindy’s arm as she retreats.
“Okay, that's good. Now I don't have to ruin his pretty face,” she says laughing to herself as she walks away.
Andrea's phone starts ringing, and she looks down with a puzzled look on her face.
“What's the matter?”
“It's an unknown number.”
“Answer it and see who it is. Could be just coming across that way.”
Picking it up, she answers, “Hello?” Her eyes look up to me, wide and a little scared. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Who is it, Starfish?” I ask as she's hanging up the phone and setting back to the table.
“I...I don't know,” she says looking to me with her brows drawn together. “No one was there at first, then there was just breathing. Lots of deep breathing.”
The little hairs on my neck stand on end. “It could be nothing, sweetheart, but let me know if you get any more. Then I will start looking into it.” I try to help her feel better about it. I really hope this and the call she got today aren't related in any way. The detective in me wants to somehow think they are. But who?
**********
Our lunch goes on with more chatter about wedding plans and discussing when we would like to get married. She's doesn't want to wait long, and that's good since I can't wait to just make her mine in all ways. For her to finally take my name.
I would honestly drag her away and just elope, but our families have waited for this day it seems our entire lives. They would be devastated if we didn't let them be involved. And when I say involved, I mean take over.
Nina Avery and Paula Jensen will not be swept under the rug on this one. I think they secretly have some giant book of plans already stored away for this day. Those two women have been thick as thieves since before either of us were born. My mom, Nina, says that the day I saw Andrea after she was born and was only days old….she knew I would take care of her forever. And I have and will.
I was in awe of her then and am even more so now at the woman she came to be.
I notice Andrea keep looking around every so often. I think that phone call has her more freaked out than she wants to let on. “What's wrong, Starfish? You keep looking around you like your looking for someone,” I tell her while looking over the bill and pulling out my wallet to pay.
“I keep feeling like I'm being watched. I know it's crazy, but I do. I hate that feeling, but it's been happening more often over the last few days. I felt it last night at the Gala too,” she tells me while worrying her lip with her teeth.
“I don't want to tell you that your gut is wrong. Always follow your gut, just make sure you are always with someone when you're out of the house please.”
“I will, I promise. There will be times I have to be alone, like when I go back to school. But I always have my phone close and we have the cameras at home, so that should ease you some.”
Taking a breath, I sit back and nod. I know I can't hover over her and expect her to not be annoyed. Her safety is always my number one concern of course, but we can figure it out together. It's how we've operated with everything the last two years and it works. We're a team. “We will figure it out as it comes. I promise.”
“Hey, I thought that was you over here,” a deep voice says from behind me, walking closer. Seeing Andrea’s face pale, I turn to see who it is. Henry Zito, lawyer extraordinaire. Also uncle of the douche sitting in jail for his attempts to get rid of my girl.
I stand quickly to head him off and pair off with him. “You have a hell of a lot of nerve, Zito,” I tell him while stepping closer.
Andrea is now standing behind me and pulling my hand back. “Carter, please don't make a scene. Hello, Henry, nice to see you. Can we go please, Carter,” she begs me while tugging my hand toward the exit.
I throw the money on the table and back away from the smug prick.
“You look as beautiful as ever, Andrea. Glad to see that, I really am. I'm sorry for what you've been through, I truly am.”
“Why do I feel there is a ‘but’ somewhere in there Henry,” I say back over my shoulder as Andrea continues to pull me out closer to the door.
The smug smile returns. “Family is family. Italian blood is thick, brother, as you know. My nephew may have fucked up, but he's reformed now and will have his chance to prove it soon enough.”
I turn fully back to him, but hear the gasp from Andrea and know I just need to get her the hell out of here.
“Happy New Year,” he calls out as we walk out the door.