Page 19 of Until the End (The Lost Letters #3)

Carson

S he’s utterly toasted.

The thought makes me smile. I haven’t seen Ginny let go like this in a long time.

I’m actually not sure I’ve ever seen her get this drunk.

Her smile hasn’t faded, and her laugh’s only grown louder.

It’s as if we’ve gotten the old Ginny back.

The one before she became a famous singer and had to watch everything she said and did.

She’s become so reserved over the past six years. As much as I’d love to blame it on the Weasel, I can’t. When her first album skyrocketed up the charts, Ginny seemed to box up her personality and set it aside for the picture-perfect version of herself she’s presented for the past few years.

I don’t blame her. Every single thing she did was scrutinized by both the media and her fans.

Headlines would say she’d been fighting with her bandmates if she wasn’t smiling after a show.

They talked about her clothes and hair and anything else they could pick apart until nothing of the old Ginny was left.

I hated every second of watching her curl in on herself.

It’s one of the reasons we never picked up on the abuse.

She was already half of who she used to be.

It pisses me off that I didn’t stand up for her.

I thought this was what she wanted. Now, I’m not so sure.

Seeing her bloom into the outgoing woman I remember makes me question everything.

How could I not notice Ginny withdrawing from us so drastically? Why didn’t I say something before?

I won’t let her become someone she isn’t again. She deserves to thrive, to have someone bolster her when she’s down and remind her how perfect she is when the whole world wants to tear her apart.

I can be that person. I want to be that person.

And right now, she needs me.

Because she’s about to fall off her stool.

“Easy there.” I grab her arm before she can tilt too far.

“Carson!” she exclaims. “You’re always there when I need you.”

“And I always will be.” I wrap my arm around her waist.

Gia gags. “Gross.” Then she gasps. “Ouch. Why did you do that?”

“Because you deserved it.” Lottie humphs.

Ginny leans heavily against me. Keeping my arms wrapped around her, I lean down to find her eyes closed. Yeah, it’s time to get her home. This is why I switched to water a while ago.

I stroke Ginny’s silky hair. “Come on, gorgeous. It’s time to go.”

She gripes, “But I’m having fun.”

“You’re sleeping. And while I don’t mind that you’re doing it against me, you’ll be more comfortable at home.”

Her weak protest rumbles against my chest, making me laugh. I scoop her into my arms, bridal-style, and say a quick goodbye to our friends. Michael and Ryan will likely end up on Lottie and Gia’s sectional tonight. It isn’t the first time we’ve had to sleep over after drinking too much.

I had selfish motives to quit drinking early—I wanted to be the one to take care of Ginny. She deserves to be treated like royalty, and I intend to do just that.

I get her to the car and settle her into the front seat.

The streets are empty at this time of night.

Everyone’s already tucked into bed in our sleepy little town.

With no other cars on the road, I get to Ginny’s house in a few minutes.

My headlights shine across something in the forest surrounding the property.

I squint, trying to make it out, but it’s gone before I can see what it is.

I’ll have Daren double-check the cameras once we’re settled inside.

When Ginny told us she had a stalker, I was livid. I couldn’t believe some asshole would break into her house and violate her like that. After everything she’s been through, this is the last thing she needs.

I’m not taking any chances that Ginny’s stalker has found her here. Creepy bastard has done enough damage. I refuse to let him get any closer to her.

I park by the front door and pull Ginny into my arms again. She groans, nuzzling into my neck. “I can walk.”

“Can you, though?”

“Hmm. Probably not.”

I chuckle. “Thought so. I don’t mind carrying you regardless.” Using the keypad on her front door, I get it unlocked and head straight for the stairs. Only a few minutes later, I’m regretfully laying Ginny on her bed. I’m not quite ready to stop holding her, but I have no reason to prolong it.

Ginny flings her shoes off with dramatic flair. Then she’s fumbling with her jumpsuit. Her arms can’t reach the zipper, but she flops around on her bed, trying to grab it anyway.

I can’t take watching her struggle a minute longer. I place my hand on her shoulder to stop her wiggling. “You want some help?”

“Please,” she whines. She flops onto her stomach, her arms spread out to the sides. I slide the zipper down her spine until her bare back is exposed and force my hands away from her soft skin. She’s not in any state to consent to me touching her. Not even platonically.

Ginny sits up, her body swaying just a bit as she finds her balance on her knees. Then she rips her jumpsuit off her shoulders and down her hips until all she’s left in is her underwear.

Oh, fucking Christ, it’s a thong.

I whip around, turning my back to her to give her privacy. I’m not even sure if she realizes I’m still in the room.

“In the top drawer of the dresser in my closet are my pj’s. Can you grab some for me?” Her emerald green jumpsuit lands in a heap on the floor in front of me.

Guess she knows I’m here. “Sure,” I croak. Keeping my back to her, I side-step to her closet to keep from seeing any extra skin. Opening the drawer, I groan. “Ginny! This is your underwear drawer.”

Her giggle makes my eyes roll. She did that on purpose. “Oops! The second drawer, then.”

I open the second suggested drawer and find her matching pj’s.

I grab out a silky light blue tank and shorts set.

When I walk out of the closet, Ginny is covered with her comforter, and I hand over her pajamas.

She wriggles under the blankets as she puts on her clothes.

Once she’s settled, she gives me an adorably sleepy smile.

I can’t help myself. I run my hand across the top of her head before palming her face. She hums out a happy sigh as my thumb swipes across her rosy cheek. God, she’s beautiful.

“Good night, gorgeous.” I press a kiss on her forehead.

“Will you stay with me?” The question is hesitant. “I don’t want to wake up alone tomorrow.”

Just kill me now. Snuggling in the same bed now that we’ve both admitted our feelings might be the death of me.

But there’s nothing in the world that could keep me away from her.

“Of course. Give me a minute to get ready.” I quickly brush my teeth and use the bathroom.

There’s a pack of makeup remover wipes in the drawer where I found the extra toothbrush.

I grab those as well as a bottle of pain reliever and then fill a glass of water before heading back into Ginny’s room.

Sitting on the side of the bed, I brush Ginny’s hair off her forehead. “Goose, you still awake in there?”

Her lips quirk. “Barely.”

I puff out a laugh. Fair enough. I pull a wipe from the pack and warn Ginny what to expect. Then I gently swipe it across her eyes and face. Black streaks smear across her cheeks, and I keep wiping at them. It only seems to make it worse.

I pull out another wipe, continuing to clean Ginny’s face until it’s slightly pink and no trace of makeup remains. That was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

“How many wipes did you use?” she murmurs, a teasing smirk on her face.

I glance at the large pile. “Just a couple. Think you can drink some water?” Distraction at its finest.

Ginny nods, sitting up enough to drain the glass. Hopefully, she won’t feel too awful in the morning.

I clean up my mess and refill her glass.

At this point, I’m well aware that I’m delaying getting into bed with her.

This feels different than any other time we’ve shared a bed.

The lines were clear before. We were merely friends, and if we ended up cuddling, it was no big deal because it didn’t mean anything.

Well…it meant something to me, but I could push those feelings aside.

Now, the lines are muddied. I’m not sure what she expects from this. Will it be weird to cuddle with her now? Does it mean something different if I pull her into my arms while we sleep?

I’m overthinking this. I just need to let things progress naturally. Ginny can help me reset boundaries in the morning if needed.

With my mind settled, I slide into Ginny’s bed, the sheets cool against my overheated body. I still have my T-shirt on, but I took my jeans off. There was no way I could sleep in them even if it would’ve been the proper thing to do.

Ginny slides over to my side of the bed, slinging one arm across my stomach and laying her head next to mine on my pillow.

With my arm tucked between her neck and the bed, I find myself more comfortable than I imagined.

I shouldn’t encourage the cuddling while she’s still half drunk, but I’ll deal with the consequences in the morning.

For now, I’ve got my girl in my arms, and there’s not a single place in the world I would rather be.