I put everything away in the diaper bag, texted Bree back what sandwiches we wanted and sat in my chair just as the guys came back in.
Carter looked at me, then back to Brandon, “Uh, what’s going on?”
“You said you wanted to talk,” I gestured toward another chair, “so let’s talk.”
“I kind of hoped we could talk alone?”
“Anything you say to me, I will tell him, so you might as well just say it in front of both of us.”
He looked uncomfortable, but sat down and wiped the sweat off his face with the bottom of his shirt, “I don’t, um, really know where to start.”
Well I do, “What happened to you? The Carter I knew didn’t go to strip clubs and screw a bunch of girls, he didn’t go and get wasted all the time, and he certainly didn’t marry a base tramp that he had just met.” I turned to look at Brandon, “I’m sorry, but there’s really no other way to describe them.” Looking back at Carter, I continued, “You were the first guy to make fun of those kinds of girls, and then you married one? Even without that though, you turned into such a douche Carter.”
“I know, trust me I know. It wasn’t the best few months of my life.”
“And yet you continued to keep doing all of that, and for whatever reason you felt the need to always tell me what you were doing. I just don’t understand.”
He opened his mouth, eyed Brandon warily and quickly shut it again.
“Just say it.”
“It’s just,” He exhaled loudly and sunk further into his chair, “I had to pull a lot of strings to move here with you, you have no idea how hard it was to do that. I get here, and you’re with someone and my hopes of being with you were completely thrown out the window. I mean, I obviously was wrong, but I’d always thought you knew how I felt about you and thought you felt the same. So you can imagine how pissed off I was when I found out how wrong I was.”
“We were just friends though, I don’t know how many times you and I both said that.”
“No, to you we were just friends. Yes, you were my best friend, but that wasn’t it for me. You don’t realize how much time I spent with your dad talking about you. He knew exactly how I felt, he knew why I wanted to follow you to California, he was the one who helped get my transfer pushed through.”
“Sir did?” I deadpanned, “The same guy who wouldn’t let me wear women’s clothes?”
“Yep.”
“I thought you said he wouldn’t let you date Harper when you were in his unit, so why would he help you follow her here?” Brandon asked calmly.
“Uh yeah he did, but he was also the one to suggest the transfer.”
“What?” Who was this guy Carter was talking about, and what did he do with my dad?
“I know, shocked me too. I’d already been thinking of a way to move out here when he called me into his office that Monday after you got your acceptance letter. He said something like, ‘You know, Harper’s leaving for California soon, she’ll be near Pendleton. If you were there, you wouldn’t be in my unit anymore.’ And then he gave me that look, you know the one where he expects you to know what he’s thinking? Then he said he’d start the paperwork if I was serious about being with you, and that was that.”
“That just seems…” I trailed off not knowing what word to use.
“So unlike Sir?”
“Yeah.”
“Shocked me too when it happened. So maybe you can understand why I was so miserable, and I guess I wanted you to know how miserable I was. I know how stupid that was, but I just couldn’t stop. And Ashley, well, that was a mistake.”
I shook my head slightly, “I still can’t believe you did that, what were you thinking? Did you not learn how bad of an idea that was from any of the other guys in the unit? Like Ramos? You were there when he found out about his girl! You could have your pick of girls that would love you and would be faithful to you while you’re deployed, instead you went for one of those skanks? They sit around waiting in the parking lots on base for a guy to come hit on them, when their guys go off on a deployment, you know they’re waiting on base the very next weekend for another guy.”
“I know Blaze,” He snapped, “you think I don’t fucking know that?!”
“I would strongly suggest you don’t talk to my wife that way.” Brandon said through clenched teeth.
Carter took a deep breath in to try to calm himself, “Sorry,” he said to both of us, “Harper I know it was stupid, I knew what would most likely happen when I left, but she looked like you and I couldn’t help myself.”
Oh that’s creepy.
Brandon’s face hardened even more and he quickly turned his attention to our son. Thank God he was holding him. From the way the muscles in his arms were flexing, I knew Brandon was itching to hit something and Liam was the perfect thing to calm him down. I flashed a small smile at them before looking back at Carter.
“And now? After all that, what have you been doing this last year since you got back from Afghanistan? You still drinking all the time?”
“No, other than a beer or two with the guys every now and then, I don’t do much of anything. I knew if I wanted any chance of getting you, I had to stop what I was doing. And then of course, I find you again, and you’re married and have a baby.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head in his hands, “I can’t believe you have a freakin’ baby.” He whispered.
“I am sorry that you spent all this time, and moved to California, thinking that we would be together. I don’t want to hurt you, but Carter I never saw you as anything more than my friend, and I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear enough back in North Carolina. But I’m not going to be sorry for being with Brandon and having Liam, I can honestly tell you I’ve never been happier than I am now.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to understand that. Congratulations, by the way.” He said grimly, “How old is he anyway?”
“He’ll be a year in two weeks.” Brandon smiled down at him and bounced him up and down on his knee.
“Wow.” Carter looked at him for a long time before looking back at me, “Really cute kid.”
“We think so.” I beamed. It got silent for a few awkward moments so I looked back at my old friend and sighed, “Well Carter, I don’t know what you think about anything now that we’ve talked, but if you think we could go back to being friends, or I guess…what I thought was friends anyway, then I want that. But if that’s not enough for you, then this is the last time I’m going to see you.”
He furrowed his brow and leaned away slightly, “Blaze, I can’t – I hate not having you there. I get that we’re never going to happen. I know it took me probably too long for your liking to understand that, but I know now. I still want you around, or for me to be around I guess. Brandon, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want that though. I know I acted pretty shitty before, but I would never try anything now that you’re married. I’m not that much of a douche.”
Bree and Konrad walked in with wide eyes when they saw Carter with us. “Uh, we have the food?” Bree said it like a question and mouthed What the hell? from behind Carter’s back
I shook my head at her and looked back at Brandon as he spoke again, “If you want, we’re having some friends over for a barbecue next Saturday, you and your friends are more than welcome. Harper can text you our address.”
My eyes widened.
Um, what?
Carter took that as his cue to leave and stood from the chair, “That’d be great, thanks man.” He shook Brandon’s hand and brushed his knuckles against Liam’s arm. “Thanks for this Blaze.” He hugged me tightly for a second and backed away, probably trying not to push his luck further. “Guess I’ll see you next weekend?”
“Yeah, see you then.”
With another awkward glance at everyone in the room, and a nod in the direction of Konrad, he walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
“Um, what just happened?” Bree asked as she handed out the sandwiches.
“We talked it out.” I put my sandwich on the desk and grabbed Liam so Brandon could eat, “Brandon, why’d you invite them over? You really didn’t have to do that.”
He shrugged and took a big bite, speaking around his food, “People mess up and make mistakes all the time. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?”
It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. How was I any better than Carter? I’d slept with my boyfriend’s friend and gotten pregnant. I’m practically the queen of getting second chances, especially from Brandon.
“Hey,” he leaned over to whisper in my ear, “I didn’t mean anything by that. I love you.”
I nodded, “Love you too.” I smiled when he pressed his full lips to my neck.
“So you guys are just back to being okay again?” Bree started searching for an explanation.
“Not at all, we’re going to try though. He said he’d stop pursuing me or whatever now that he knows Brandon and I are married. So maybe eventually we will. I guess we’ll see how everything goes next weekend.”
“That’s weird, do you not re–”
“So what wedding stuff are you girls doing today?” Konrad cut her off with a wink in my direction.
Bree’s face lit up and she went into a detailed checklist of all we were going to get done. Or rather, what we’d already gotten done.
“Harper, if you don’t want him to come over, he doesn’t have to. I was just trying to help.” Brandon said softly so we wouldn’t interrupt Bree.
“No, I think it’ll be good. Like I said, we’ll see how it goes. If it doesn’t seem like he’s changed at all, then we don’t have to see him again.”