Chapter 13

Lindsey

When we left the Christmas party, it was close to six in the evening and it was pitch dark. As Carter drove home, I felt as if I was in a daze. Carter kept asking if I was okay, I lied and told him that I was. I was far from okay, my heart felt as if it was broken into two pieces. My family had one part of my heart and Karly had the other part. As Carter pulled up at our house, I stepped out of the car to find that Charity was fast asleep in the back seat. I shook her gently to wake her. She slid out of the back seat and followed me into the house and into her room. I slid her into bed and was just about to put some covers over here when she stared up at me.

“Mom, thanks for not leaving me,” Charity replied sleepily.

I placed a kiss on her cheek.

“I made a promise to you Charity. I’m always going to be here,” I whispered into her ear.

As Charity dozed back off into a deep sleep, I headed into my bathroom so I could take me a hot shower. I removed my clothes and stepped inside the shower a few moments later. As the hot water washed over my body images of Karly began to resurface in my mind. I closed my eyes tightly, but Karly didn’t leave my headspace. Now that she was leaving, I was going to lose her forever, did I really want that?

I stood there in the shower and continued to let the hot water beat down my body until it was time to get out. I wrapped my body into a big black towel and wiped the foggy mirror with my hand.

Carter stepped into the bathroom a few moments later and placed a kiss on my cheek.

“Lindsey, get out your head. You are making the decision that any female with a family would make.”

“I’m not every female,” I muttered to him.

Carter sighed before pulling away from me.

“I don’t want to force you to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

He left out the bathroom and left me with nothing but my own thoughts.

∞ ∞ ∞

The Next Morning

I slid out of bed and was grateful that Carter was still asleep. I hurried to throw on me a pair of black leggings, a baggy green sweater with my black booties. I brushed my short hair and made sure to brush my teeth just before I slid on my big black coat and headed out the door. If I wanted to make it to the airport in time, then I needed to hurry up and get my ass there. Ten minutes later I pulled up at the airport and rushed inside. It was packed as fuck, but it wasn’t long before I heard that the next flight for Atlanta was leaving out in the next five minutes. I ran towards the terminal of the Atlanta flight and that’s when I spotted Karly sitting down with her luggage. She was on the phone with a cup of coffee in her hand.

“Karly!” I called out.

She looked up at me and I walked over to her.

By the time I reached her, she had already ended her call.

“What are you doing here?” Karly asked for a confused look on her face.

“I came to say goodbye. I never did get the chance to say goodbye last night,” I choked out.

Tears fell from my eyes and that’s when Karly embraced me in a hug.

“Be safe,” I muttered to her.

“I will,” she told me gently.

I pulled away from her and that’s when our lips locked together. The kiss was deep, and it set my soul on fire. Our tongues danced together for the longest time before the kiss was broken.

“I love you,” I cried out to her.

“Sometimes love just isn’t enough,” Karly whispered.

When it was time for her to board her plane, tears blurred my vision

“I just got off the phone with the CEO of Victoria Secrets. You should be getting a shitload of phone calls from now on. I put in a good word for you.”

I stood there dumbfounded as I watched her board her plane. I stayed not able to move until her plane had taken off. I headed back to my car and sat there for over twenty minutes. After, I had finally gotten my emotions in check only then did I head home to my family.