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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

ANDI

“What the hell kind of reality TV show are you living in right now?”

My eyebrows pull together as I dry my face and glare down at my phone on the counter that is on speaker phone. Matteo went to sleep a little while ago and my brother called while I was getting ready for bed. “Vincent, don’t be dramatic. It’s not that bad.”

My brother is a total softie and a hopeless romantic, which normally I find comical...until it’s my life that we’re talking about.

My brother lets out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, maybe not. Although it does sound like you’re telling me the plot of a romance movie.”

My face relaxes and laughter spills from my lips. “Yeah, right. Carson doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t really strike me as the type to settle down with someone.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, for starters, the first night we were together he told me as much.” I pause, blowing a breath through my nose. “From what I know, he’s never been in a serious relationship.”

“Maybe you’re the one who changes it all for him,” my brother chimes in, a chuckle breaking up his sentences. “Maybe you’re the one who makes him think differently.” He pauses, laughing again. “And then you all live happily ever after. The end.”

“You’re an asshole,” I laugh, leaving the bathroom and slipping back into my bedroom. “You know I’m only staying here until Aunt Bella’s house is ready to be listed.”

Vince is quiet for a moment. “You could move there. You’re able to work remotely and it could be good for Matteo. He hasn’t started school yet, so now would be the perfect time to make a life change like this.”

I’m momentarily rendered speechless by my brother’s suggestion. “You think we should move to Aston?”

“I didn’t say that,” he counters. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to do it, now would be the time.”

I kick my slippers off and pull back the comforter on the bed to slip underneath the organic cotton sheet and pull everything back over me. “I have no plans of moving to Aston right now.” Scooting back, I lean against the pillows resting against the headboard. “It would definitely make things easier, although I feel like it’s a drastic change after we’ve already experienced something big.”

“I get that,” he agrees. “I do think you have a lot to think about, but maybe just wait and see how things go. Who knows, by the end of summer, you might be Mrs. Carson Ford.” He pauses. “Although, I will need to have a word with him when I come to visit before he even considers doing something like that.”

“Please, Vincent,” I sigh, rolling my eyes even though he can’t see me. “He’s the father of my child and that’s about it right now. There may be chemistry and we may have kissed, but I honestly don’t think it will go any further than?—”

“Wait, you guys kissed?”

Shit. I didn’t mean to let that slip. “Oops. Uh—love you, bye!”

“Hold up, do not hang up on me, Andalina.”

“Talk to you soon!”

My brother lets out a huff. “Goddammit, Andi.”

I quickly end the call, a giggle slipping from me as I shake my head at my phone. He can be so damn annoying sometimes, but I’m so glad to have him. Vince and I have been close since I was born, it feels like, and if there’s one person who will always have my back, it’s him.

He has a huge heart and is a total golden retriever. Vince has always been the one who attempts to see the good in people and the world. I don’t know where he gets it from, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and has never been the type of guy to sleep around. He’s a total relationship buff and even though he’s single right now, I just know there is someone out there who is perfect for him.

A soft knock on my door immediately pulls me back into the moment and slices through the thoughts of my brother. “Come in,” I call out softly, adjusting in bed while pulling the covers up over my lap. I’m only wearing an oversized T-shirt and underwear and judging by the weight behind that knock, I know it isn’t Matteo.

There’s no privacy with him. He would have come bounding through the door without even thinking about knocking.

The door slowly opens and Carson stands on the other side. His eyes meet mine from across the distance. He lifts his hands, gripping the top of the door frame as he stares at me. My gaze immediately begins to take a detour south. He’s shirtless, leaving his tattoos on both arms on full display. A thin gold chain rests just beneath the top of his sternum.

My eyes continue to rake over the lean muscles of his chest, tracing and memorizing every curve and plane of his abdomen.There’s a small script tattoo just along his ribs on the left and it’s red around the writing, as if it’s something fresh.

Gray sweatpants hang low along his waist and theVshape on the front of his torso disappears beneath the waistband of his black underwear and sweats. My mouth is instantly dry.

“Who was that?” Carson questions me, his voice low, gaining my immediate attention. My gaze flashes to his, but his expression is completely unreadable. His throat bobs as he swallows, the muscle in his jaw tightening as he hovers in the doorway.