“Please don’t make this harder than it is.”
Seconds turned to minutes as we both sat perfectly still.
Carly’s voice was nothing more than a soft whisper. “I’m going to head back to New York tomorrow, Matt.”
FUCK! There was no way I was going to allow that to happen. Carly had come back into my life for a reason and there was no way in hell that I was going to let her go. But I knew she was stubborn. I needed to reason with her. And fortunately, I had the perfect way to do it.
“First of all, let me tell you how much I appreciate you being here for me this week. It’s made all the difference.” I watched as her smile made its way up to her eyes. There she is. That’s my girl.
“I know you want to go, but before you do, you need to hear me out.” I continued. “I’ve spent a lot of time this week researching how you can get out of that clause in your dad’s will. I’m very close to having a solution for you. A solution that gets you the money that’s owed to you but without having to comply with the restrictions.”
Carly’s mouth dropped open. “What? What do you mean, Matt?”
“I’m almost there, Carly, I just need a little more time to make sure that I’ve done my due diligence. But I swear to you, there is another way.”
Carly stood up and began pacing around the fireplace. “Matt, stop. I appreciate you trying to help, but I’m not sticking around for that. I want no part of it. Besides, the clause has a deadline. Not sure if I mentioned that before, but yeah, it’s December 20th. That’s when we all have to be there or we’ll all lose the money anyway.”
I grabbed Carly’s arm as she paced up and down and took both her hands in mine. Staring into those eyes that I got lost in every time she looked at me, I tried again. “Carly, hear me out…you need the money…”
“No, I don’t, Matt! I’ve been doing just fine without anything all these years, and I can continue that way. I don’t need anyone to help me. I don’t need anyone …”
I pulled her into my chest, her lips inches from mine, as my voice shook with the electricity that we could both feel.
“You’re as independent as you are stubborn, little kitten, but here’s the thing. You may not need the money but you do deserve your part of it. Your dad might not have been the best guy, but clearly he cared for you and included you in the family.” She softened in my embrace, but still I refused to let her go.
“The thing is…you also don’t have to follow these stupid rules. My job is to find loopholes and these stipulations have several. So, if you trust me, and give me just a little more time, I think I can figure this out for you.”
“What are you saying, Matt?” Carly whispered, her lower lip quivering.
“I’m saying you have two choices here. The fact is, you’re being evicted. You haven’t paid rent in months and your landlord is at his wit’s end with your excuses. According to my information, you haven’t sold a painting in months. And I’m not sure if you’ve even been painting lately. I think your dad’s death affected you more than you let on and things have been slowly disintegrating ever since.”
“How the fuck…? How do you know all this?” I watched as a cloud of grey covered those blue eyes that I loved so much.
“Because it’s my job to do the research, Carly.”
“I didn’t ask you to.” Her voice trembled again, but this time it was more than before. I could feel the wrath of her anger bubbling under the surface. “How dare you go snooping around in my life? How dare you? I fucking came here and put aside my whole life to pretend to be your fiancée just to keep up a stupid charade, and somehow I get roped into drama like this?” Carly’s voice was shaking.
“Sorry, Matt, but fuck this shit. I’m not your fiancée and I didn’t need to stick around this long. I’m done, out of here. And by the way, get your nose out of my business once and for all.” She stormed back into the house, slamming the door behind her.
Fuck! This was the last thing I needed. Couldn’t she see that I was trying to help her? I ran my hands through my hair, pulling at the roots in frustration. Not only had this not gone according to plan, but it had been a fucking disaster, and it was only going to get worse if I let her walk away.
I went after her, inadvertently pushing the Adirondack chairs we had been sitting on earlier to the ground, being careful not to slam the door for a second time. The last thing I needed was Dave nosing around in our business.
Frustration burned inside me as I jogged down the hallway. As I closed in on her near the room we had been sharing, I felt mesmerized by her long blond ponytail swinging back and forth. I just wanted to grab it and pull her back, stop her from running out of my life.
“Carly!” I growled as my hand reached out and slid around the back of her neck. I stepped in, closing the space between us as I flipped her around and caught her in my embrace. The feel of her slamming into my body seemed to affect us both. A brief moment in time, silently staring into each other’s eyes, said more than words ever could.
“I need more time. Give me the chance to help you. You have done so much for me these last few weeks. Please.” I pleaded.
Her eyes sparkled with tears. “I don’t need to be paid back. I was happy to do it.”
“This isn’t payback, Carly.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s everything but.”
Chapter 31
CARLY
That was the moment. My very own You had me at Hello moment. Suddenly, the warmth that had started with just his hand on my neck shot through my body and enveloped me whole. Like a magical serum that was traveling through my bloodstream, suddenly my eyes opened to what had been in front of me all along.
Matthew Harris, my first love. The guy who had mysteriously disappeared on me as a kid and had suddenly come back into my life as my fiancée. Being with him made me feel like anything was possible. It was something that I couldn’t control, even when I had tried. He made me feel safe without feeling trapped, which was both new and absolutely terrifying.
“Okay.” I answered in a soft whisper, barely audible even to my own ears.
I watched as his chest heaved up and down. The electricity between us shot through the roof.
“Okay what?” Matt asked.
“I’ll stay.”
He stared at me even longer, never releasing his hold on me. But finally, he spoke. “This fiancée thing was a sham sure, but Carly, you make me want to see if…”
I rolled my eyes as I grinned. “Matt, don’t…let’s take this one step at a time.”