Because It's You (Carolina Rebels 2)

“But why is she a little on the crazy side?”

Her question makes my jaw clench. “Do you want me to go around spilling your secrets, Meredith? She’s not crazy. She’s a woman who’s had some shit happen to her. Surely you can understand that.”

“Back the fuck off, Marc,” Noah snaps.

“Sorry,” Meredith softly says. “I didn’t mean to be inconsiderate. I’ve been dying to know some details; I wasn’t thinking. What can you tell me? Why are Sylvia and Scott so protective over one of their friends? Or is that overstepping?”

I sigh and figure they can know one detail. “Elizabeth isn’t just their friend. She’s Scott’s sister-in-law.” Noah’s eyes widen. “His brother died nearly six years ago in some kind of hockey accident.”

“So that’s why she panicked when she went to the game,” Meredith concludes.

“Yeah.”

“Do you like her?”

I laugh. “Yeah. You can call her and hang out with her, you know. She could probably use another friend other than Sylvia.”

“Really?” Meredith sounds a little excited, which surprises me for some reason.

“Yeah, I’ll text you her number later and let her know you’ll be in touch. The waitress just dropped off our food, so, here’s Noah because I’m hungry.”

I hand the phone back to him and lift my sandwich while he wraps up his conversation with her. When he hangs up, he says, “So, Elizabeth is Scotty’s sister-in-law?”

“Yep.”

“Wow.” A moment later, he adds, “What was the hockey accident?”

“I don’t know; I haven’t asked. All she’s said is he died on the ice right in front of her.”

“Damn. But things are good with you guys?”

I nod as I finish chewing the bite I just took. “Yeah. She’s struggling with how to move on, but who can resist me?” I grin and Noah laughs.

“If it wasn’t for her meltdown at that dinner, I’d wonder if you could be serious.”

“Why do I need to be serious? Trust me, Elizabeth needs someone to make her laugh more than anything else.”

Maybe it makes me arrogant, but I one hundred percent believe I’m the person she needs. I’m determined to do whatever she needs me to. I want her to let me all the way in when she feels comfortable with it, but what makes me nervous is knowing I’ll eventually have to do the same for her.

I’LL SEE MARC today.

Marc is coming home today.

I’m freaking the hell out.

For the third time, I accidentally knock over the bowl of icing. Luckily, it’s not something that spills. I baked a cake last night, and I’m decorating it now while a healthy dinner is cooking in the oven. I figured if I’m going to feed him something he’s not supposed to have, I should balance it out by feeding him something he should have.

If he comes over at all.

He said he’d make me his first stop, but since I was working when he landed, he obviously didn’t stop by the house. I’ve been home for an hour and still haven’t heard from him yet. Maybe he won’t show. I almost hope he won’t. My nerves are starting to fray the closer we get to Christmas and Roger’s birthday, which is a little over a week away.

This time of year is always hard on me. I normally become a hermit in my own home and stay that way until February or so once the anniversary and my own birthday have passed. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do this year if Marc is going to be around, which is why I’ve been hoping he’d vanish until afterward to make it easier on himself. If he thinks he’s seen an emotional, crazy, uptight, piece of work Elizabeth so far, I’m only going to get worse the closer to those dates we get.

What’s odd is as much as I want to push him away and deal with it alone as I have been doing all these years, I want to keep him close just as much.

“You free me.”

My alcohol-induced words resurface in my memory to remind me just why I want Marc around. Stupid Sylvia was right. He is good for me. He’s also good to me. I wonder if we’re buying presents for one another for the holiday. What am I supposed to get him? Maybe I don’t know him well enough yet. Maybe it’s too soon for presents to be exchanged. What do I know? The last time I dated anyone I was in high school, and shortly after that, I was married.