soaked through.
I moved as fast as my artificial leg and the wet road would allow as I turned onto Carter’s street. He was number twenty-one. My eyes strained to make out the house numbers, but the streetlights merely lit up the rain in front of my eyes, making it even harder to see what lay in the distance.
I managed to see what I thought was a number seventeen on a door, but then the next house was apparently number twenty-nine so I must have been wrong. At least I knew what side of the road his house was on. I retraced my steps, but the next number I could pick out was number fifteen. The suitcase started to weigh down on my arm, so I resorted to dragging it until a wheel got stuck in a drain. I tried to pull the suitcase free, but it was wedged tight. I knew it was only a suitcase, but right now it seemed to perfectly sum up how I felt: stuck in the road and going nowhere.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose. To an onlooker I would have looked strangely calm and serene standing there in the rain. What I did next took me by surprise.
“Carter!” I yelled. I took another deep breath. “Carter!” I screamed, louder and stronger this time. Lights turned on in living rooms all around me, and I saw curtains open as people looked out at the crazy lady.
I felt stupid, but what the hell—I’d come this far already. I threw my arms open and screamed his name one last time. “Carter!”
“Emily?”
I spun around to confront the voice from behind me. The street lamp shone down on Carter, who stood there in the rain wearing an increasingly wet sweater and khakis.
For a moment I just stood there, looking at him. I’d spent most of the trip here thinking about what I would say to him, but now that he stood right in front of me, I had no idea what to say.
“Emily, what are you doing here?” he asked, taking a step toward me.
“You saved my life.”
“I don’t under—”
“Kerry explained everything. You saved my life the day of the crash. I’m so sorry, Carter. I didn’t mean to push you away. I just wanted to keep you safe and away from this whole mess. I… I…”
I had no words left in me. Warm tears streamed from my eyes and mixed with the cold rain dripping down my cheeks. Carter snapped out of his malaise and closed the distance between us in two quick paces.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, pulling my soaking wet body in toward him. “God, you’re freezing.”
“I want to be with you,” I said. “Will you forgive me?”
He released me from his embrace and put his hands on my shoulders. “I told you Emily, there is nothing to forgive. Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
I looked into his eyes and a smile started to form on my lips. “I love you, too.”
Carter effortlessly picked up my suitcase from the road and took hold of my hand. We were both drenched now, and I could see at least three people staring at us through the nearby windows.
He laughed and shook his head. “I still can’t believe you’re here. You came all this way for me?”
I nodded. “Yes. That, and I want to see Big Ben.”
He laughed again. “Come on, let’s get out of the cold and rain. The house is warm and we have the fire on.”
“You have no idea how appealing that sounds right now. Throw in a hot bath, and I will owe you big time.”
“I think that can be arranged. I need you nice and relaxed.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because it’s time for you to meet my parents. I’ve spent the last week talking about how amazing you are. They’ll be home soon and would love to meet you.”
Carter opened the door to his parents’ quaint, cozy home. I’d never been introduced to a man’s parents before, but then I’d had a lot of firsts with Carter, and I was sure there would be plenty more in store for me in the future.
We stripped on our way up the stairs, leaving a trail of wet clothes behind us, and sank into a hot bath together. There was no
I moved as fast as my artificial leg and the wet road would allow as I turned onto Carter’s street. He was number twenty-one. My eyes strained to make out the house numbers, but the streetlights merely lit up the rain in front of my eyes, making it even harder to see what lay in the distance.
I managed to see what I thought was a number seventeen on a door, but then the next house was apparently number twenty-nine so I must have been wrong. At least I knew what side of the road his house was on. I retraced my steps, but the next number I could pick out was number fifteen. The suitcase started to weigh down on my arm, so I resorted to dragging it until a wheel got stuck in a drain. I tried to pull the suitcase free, but it was wedged tight. I knew it was only a suitcase, but right now it seemed to perfectly sum up how I felt: stuck in the road and going nowhere.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose. To an onlooker I would have looked strangely calm and serene standing there in the rain. What I did next took me by surprise.
“Carter!” I yelled. I took another deep breath. “Carter!” I screamed, louder and stronger this time. Lights turned on in living rooms all around me, and I saw curtains open as people looked out at the crazy lady.
I felt stupid, but what the hell—I’d come this far already. I threw my arms open and screamed his name one last time. “Carter!”
“Emily?”
I spun around to confront the voice from behind me. The street lamp shone down on Carter, who stood there in the rain wearing an increasingly wet sweater and khakis.
For a moment I just stood there, looking at him. I’d spent most of the trip here thinking about what I would say to him, but now that he stood right in front of me, I had no idea what to say.
“Emily, what are you doing here?” he asked, taking a step toward me.
“You saved my life.”
“I don’t under—”
“Kerry explained everything. You saved my life the day of the crash. I’m so sorry, Carter. I didn’t mean to push you away. I just wanted to keep you safe and away from this whole mess. I… I…”
I had no words left in me. Warm tears streamed from my eyes and mixed with the cold rain dripping down my cheeks. Carter snapped out of his malaise and closed the distance between us in two quick paces.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, pulling my soaking wet body in toward him. “God, you’re freezing.”
“I want to be with you,” I said. “Will you forgive me?”
He released me from his embrace and put his hands on my shoulders. “I told you Emily, there is nothing to forgive. Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
I looked into his eyes and a smile started to form on my lips. “I love you, too.”
Carter effortlessly picked up my suitcase from the road and took hold of my hand. We were both drenched now, and I could see at least three people staring at us through the nearby windows.
He laughed and shook his head. “I still can’t believe you’re here. You came all this way for me?”
I nodded. “Yes. That, and I want to see Big Ben.”
He laughed again. “Come on, let’s get out of the cold and rain. The house is warm and we have the fire on.”
“You have no idea how appealing that sounds right now. Throw in a hot bath, and I will owe you big time.”
“I think that can be arranged. I need you nice and relaxed.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because it’s time for you to meet my parents. I’ve spent the last week talking about how amazing you are. They’ll be home soon and would love to meet you.”
Carter opened the door to his parents’ quaint, cozy home. I’d never been introduced to a man’s parents before, but then I’d had a lot of firsts with Carter, and I was sure there would be plenty more in store for me in the future.
We stripped on our way up the stairs, leaving a trail of wet clothes behind us, and sank into a hot bath together. There was no
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