Page 124 of A Forever Love
When the front door finally shuts, I let out a deep breath. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem. But I wasn’t lying, you know. He did monopolize you. Last night, I called Lukas to take Keith away under the ruse of some urgent work, and he completely refused. To quote him, ‘Keith is like a mama bear right now, and I’m doing nothing to pull him away from his cub.’ I’m the mama bear in this house. You’re my cub too.” Clem throws her hands into the air, squinting toward the door Dad just left from.
“You are my mama bear, Mom,” I try to pacify her. I didn’t know there was so much tension in my home over my care. “Maybe Dad didn’t want me to be alone, in case—”
“If Keith believes he can keep you from contacting Carter, then he’s more dense than I thought.”
“Okay, Clem. Breathe. I really want you to be calm when you tell me what the heck happened between Dad and Carter.”
Her expression immediately changes. She grabs the pillow from behind her and places it on her lap, then leans in. Her voice is conspiratorial when she says, “This is what I heard from Minnie and Autumn, based on what they’ve tried to extract from Gavin and Lukas. Believe it or not, your dad is being all cloak and dagger about it. Even my sexual tricks, including some completely foreign ones, have failed.”
“Okay, TMI once again, but I’ll let it slide this time. Now tell me what you heard.”
“Keith saw your room,” she says and then stops abruptly. “What the hell was there, anyway? Sex toys? Handcuffs? Porn?”
“What? I’m still me, Clem. Sleeping with Carter doesn’t mean I’ve joined some secret sex club.” I look at her in stunned surprise. When she still waits for a response, I shrug. “He must have pieced the tiny things together.”
“Okay, so your dad blew his top. He rushed from your room like a madman to find Carter and then grabbed him by his collar and slammed his head against the bar. Keith was about to hit Carter again when Gavin pulled them outside so they could fight in peace. Carter’s face was all purple and black by the time your dad was finally done. God, I almost feel bad for not being there and missing seeing Keith in action.”
“What?” I gasp, and Clem takes a pause from her breathy commentary, which is closer to giving me a heart attack with every passing second. “Did Carter hit Dad in return?” I’m scared to even know the answer to that question.
“No, not even once,” she replies quickly, shaking her head for extra emphasis. Before she can say more, the doorbell rings.
Clem rushes off the couch. “It’s the girls. They must have seen Keith’s car leaving the campus.”
And a second later, our living room is filled with Autumn, Birdie, and Minnie, who are placing bottles of iced tea, nachos, and fresh guacamole onto the table.
“So, how much did you tell her already?” Birdie asks Clem, not wasting any time on checking up on me. We all know what’s more urgent right now.
“We just started. I told her what happened in the hotel parking lot.”
Birdie’s face loses its usual playfulness. “So you know Keith threatened Carter that if he doesn’t stop seeing you, the whole Adams family will go underground.”
“What?”
My gasp is drowned out by collective yells from Autumn, Minnie, and Clem. “Birdie!”
“No one is going anywhere. Keith was just being dramatic.” Clem retakes her seat next to me, and Minnie and Autumn sit on the opposite couch, while Birdie perches on the ottoman to my right.
“Has this caused any rift between Dad and the others?” My words come out as a quiver.
“No, Mere! Not at all.” Minnie shakes her head. “Everyone is more upset with Carter.” Before my stomach drops, she clarifies, “Don’t misunderstand, all the Kingsmen are happy for you both, but they really think Carter could have done a better job on how the news came out to Keith.”
“Exactly.” Autumn nods.
“And are you sure they aren’t shocked or surprised with everything?”
A silence fills the room, and they exchange glances before Minnie speaks up. “They all sort of had a feeling.”
My jaw drops, and no words come out for several seconds until I find my voice again. “Everyone?”
Clem shrugs. “Everyone except your dad.”
“Oh.” My head spins with all the information. I believed Carter would have politely told Dad about us, and he would have asked for some time. But this is all so messed up. I can’t even imagine what they’re thinking right now and how it’s going to affect me. “I need to make a call.”
The girls nod in understanding as I make my way to my room, and as soon as the door closes behind me, I dial Carter.
He picks up immediately. “Everything okay, mittens?”