Carter Reed 2 (Carter Reed 2)

This was normal protocol. I don’t know why I was surprised. As I stepped outside into a back alley, I found Amanda with her jaw hanging down. She leaned against the wall with her phone still in her hand.

I looked around at the guys. They’d positioned themselves ten feet from us at both ends of the alley, and Michael took point at the door. They were all going to be able to hear, which meant this would be reported to Carter—which you should’ve done yourself by now, an inner voice reminded me.

“Is something going on?” Amanda asked me, straightening from the wall.

“I came out to talk to you.” And not with them. I studied the guards. The conversation I needed to have—it couldn’t happen. Plan B. “Don’t say what you were going to say to the person on the other end of that phone.”

“What?” She looked at her phone, her forehead wrinkling.

“The phone call you left to make—don’t do it.”

She showed me her phone, and I read the name, Shelly, on the screen. “To her?”

“No. Is that who you’ve been talking to this whole time?”

She grew sheepish, glancing down at the ground and biting the inside of her cheek. “I chickened out.”

“Oh.”

“I will. I promise—”

“No, don’t. I…” What could I say here? “Don’t.”

“But…” She gave the guards a meaningful look.

“I know. I’ll fix it. I’ll make it work somehow.” By leaving you, but I couldn’t say that. That wouldn’t be a topic of discussion. It was just going to happen, and by the time they realized it, I’d be gone. It would be done. I’d need help with Carter, but that was for another day. “I promise. I’ll make it right,” I told her.

“How?”

I shook my head. “Who’s Shelly?”

“My coworker. I was asking if she could take over some of my workload for next week.”

“Oh.” I felt a tiny bit foolish. “Okay.”

She skirted between me and the door, then asked, “You hurried out here to tell me that?”

I nodded, feeling my throat tighten. I rasped out, “Yeah.”

“Do you mean it?”

“I do.” A little hole had formed in my chest, and I felt it growing as this conversation continued.

“Thank you, Emma.”

I couldn’t talk. I knew what this meant, what I was saying. Even if I changed my mind, she might not be willing to end it with Brian. Love was powerful. I had been given a blessing. Amanda had felt a moment of weakness, but it wouldn’t come back. I could see the relief in her eyes. It was so strong. She loved this guy with everything in her, and Amanda had never loved a guy before. She’d dated a couple, but that had been it. There’d been no mention of love. My soul mate couldn’t be the reason she had to give hers up, and I hoped, right now, that he’d be that to her—her soul mate.

I was giving my family up for him. He’d better goddamn well be.

“Theresa and Noah are still inside?” she asked.

I nodded. “We should go back.”

Amanda grabbed my arm. “I mean it, Emma. Thank you.” She pulled me in for a hug and murmured, “I really love him, a lot.”