Page 20 of Making Home with You (The Rockport Beach #3)

Hell, maybe she won’t be worried at all, because maybe this thing between us isn’t as serious for her as I’d like to think it is.

“Something, yes, but it’s really not that big a deal,” I say, smiling a little.

“Is it something to do with Carla?” she asks, her eyes searching my face. “Kelsey and Erin mentioned her,” she adds, as though she can read the questions now racing through my brain.

“Shit,” I mutter before I can stop myself. “Sarah,” I add, reaching out a hand and brushing my fingers across her cheek. “Honestly, babe, it’s not that big a deal,” I say.

“So why won’t you tell me?” she asks and I can hear the sadness in her voice.

I take a deep breath, my eyes never leaving hers as I contemplate what it’s going to cost me by telling her the truth about all of this. “Yes, it involves Carla,” I eventually say.

“Who is she?”

My hand is still in both of hers and I use it to pull her closer, needing her to be close when I tell her this.

“She’s someone I went to high school with,” I start.

“We hooked up one night, but it never went any further than that,” I continue.

“She married someone else and for ages we never really spoke. But when her marriage ended…” I pause, unsure how best to explain this next part.

Sarah presses a kiss to my chest, the gesture simple, but reassuring.

“Then she seemed to set her sights on me,” I continue. “She kept asking me out for dinner and was practically throwing herself at me. I wasn’t ever interested and I thought I’d made that clear.”

“So what’s happened to change all that?” Sarah asks.

I take another deep breath, my head falling backward. I know exactly what it is that’s happened and she’s lying here in my arms. But I can’t tell Sarah that, because as much as I might hate what’s going on right now, there’s no way I want Sarah to think that any of it is her fault.

“I don’t know,” I say, shrugging. “She’s just hassling me more, doesn’t seem to want to give up.”

Sarah says nothing now, her head resting against my chest as she takes in everything I’ve just told her. I have no idea if she believes me or what she thinks and I desperately want to convince her that everything’s going to be okay. Even if I have no idea if that’s true.

“Baby,” I eventually say, sliding down the bed a little so we’re face to face. “Please don’t worry about this, okay?” I whisper, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Everything’s going to be alright. I’m right where I want to be and exactly who I want to be with,” I add.

“You’re sure?” she asks, her voice barely audible.

I smile, brush back her hair as I pull her closer. “I promise,” I tell her before kissing her again.

By late afternoon, we are up and dressed, Sarah mentioning how she wants to run over to Kelsey’s and show her some of things she was working on for her yesterday while I was at work.

I feel like we’re in a better place now than we were this morning, and while we haven’t spoken anymore about Carla and what’s going on with her, we have fallen back into that easy rhythm we seem to have together.

“Will you come back when you’re done?” I ask, as I kiss her goodbye at the front door.

She looks up at me, a soft smile on her face as she brushes my hair back. “You want me to?” she asks.

I lean down and kiss her. “Always.”

Her smile widens. “Okay. I’ll stop by Erin’s on my way back and grab some clothes. You want me to get something for dinner?”

I kiss her again, deeper this time. “I’ll sort dinner,” I tell here. “Just hurry back here.”

She grins, swatting me on the butt before walking out to her car.

I watch her drive away, only closing the door when her car disappears down the street.

As I head back inside, my mind starts to turn over the events of last night, the noise on my back deck and the very real possibility that Carla was out there.

Just as I’m picking up the phone to call Sam, fill him in on what I think happened, there’s a knock at my door. My stomach immediately clenches as I picture Carla, standing there ready to accuse me of a million other things that are all lies.

But when I open the door, it’s Beck, a six pack of beer in his hands and an unreadable expression on his face.

“Hey,” I say, opening the door wider. “What are you doing here?”

Beck wordlessly walks inside and heads straight for the kitchen. Taking two beers from the six pack, he turns and hands me one before opening his own and taking a long pull. When he’s done, he meets my stare and says, “You wanna tell me what that comment was all about last night?”

I exhale, opening my own beer. “It was nothing,” I say, swallowing the cold liquid. “An offhand remark.”

Beck straightens and takes a step toward me. “Bullshit, Finn,” he says. “Tell me what’s going on,” he adds, his voice softening a little.

I stare at my brother knowing there’s no chance I could ever fool him about this. Despite our years apart, he knows me better than anyone. Plus, he was a cop and he can read people, tell when their lying. We’ve both been trained in that.

“It’s Carla,” I eventually say.

“Yeah, I figured,” he says. “Kels told me there’s been some talk around town.”

I roll my eyes, frustrated at how this shit seems to get around. “That’s because she and her friends are a bunch of gossips.”

“Yeah, well we knew this,” Beck says, taking another sip of beer. “But what’s happened?” he asks again. “What’s changed?”

I mirror his action, emptying half the bottle as I brace myself for my brother’s reaction when I tell him the truth. “She’s made an accusation,” I eventually say, not looking away.

“Of what?” he asks, his body stiffening a little.

I finish my beer and immediately reach for another. “Sexual harassment,” I say. “Sixteen years ago.”

“What?” Beck asks, shocked. “That night at the party?”

I nod, but don’t say anything.

“For fuck’s sake,” Beck says. “I thought you said she started that?”

“She did,” I reply.

“Well, what the fuck is she on about then?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know,” I admit. “But I’m guessing it’s got something to do with the fact I’m seeing Sarah.”

Beck stares back at me, his face a mixture of shock and concern. “You haven’t told Sarah any of this, have you?” he eventually asks.

“No,” I say. “And I’d really like to keep it that way.”

Beck exhales, running a hand through his hair before he finishes his own beer and grabs another. “But you’re serious about her?” he asks.

I nod.

“Finn, you gotta tell her,” he says. “Especially if you feel the way I think you do.”

I stare back at my brother, unsure whether I can admit how I really feel about Sarah. It’s not like it’s something I’m afraid of. Weirdly enough it feels totally normal, totally right, even if love and a relationship and playing house with someone was everything I thought I didn’t want.

It’s that I don’t know how Sarah feels. Or how long she’s going to be around for now that she’s got this job in Boston.

“I will, Beck,” I eventually say, even if my words are a half-truth at best. “But it’s gotta come from me, okay?” I tell him. “Not you, not Kelsey and definitely not Erin or Ryan.”

Beck stares back at me, not saying anything as though he’s internally running through all the ways to convince me this is a bad idea. Just as I’m about to ask him again, beg him not to say a word, he nods. “Alright,” he says. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you,” I say letting out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“But in the meantime,” he continues. “What the fuck are we going to do about this situation with Carla?”