Lies Beneath the Surface (Buried Secrets #2) (18 page)

Within minut
es, we are called back and the Phlebotomists explains the testing procedure and the results to us. I go first, so I can find my quick escape thereafter. Don’t need to see any blood-drawn, or shed…however it may be. Luke comes to the waiting room next, taking his seat next to me.

“
How ya hangin’ in there, beauts?”

“I’m okay, Luke. Thanks for being here for me and the baby.”

He smiles that charming smile as his baby blues twinkle back at me in adoration, “Done told ya angel, I’ll be there through the storm. Call me when you know the results, ‘kay?” He says as he stands to leave. Wrapping my hands around his neck I hug him tight, giving him the appreciation that he deserves. “You have no idea how thankful I am to have you in my life, Luke.” I whisper.

“Oh, by the way,” He says quietly. “When you have time, we need to talk about Savannah, ‘
kay?”

“Savannah? Why?

“Another time, beauts.” He says. Just as I pull away from Luke’s embrace, Colton walks out and his eyes fall as he catches Luke’s hand around my waist. Luke steps toward him offering his hand, to which Colton shakes it and words are mumbled quietly. Luke clamps his hand down on Colton’s shoulder with two swift pats and Colton nods with a small smirk dancing across his face. Luke walks past me and out of the lab, leaving me stunned at the sight that just played out before me.

“Darlin’?” Colton says, tipping my chin up to look at him. “You okay?” his voice a husky grumble. I nod as he takes my hand in his and leads
me out to the truck.

Making our way out onto the main road,
Colton laces his shaky fingers through mine. I trace small circles on the side of his index finger with my thumb mindlessly. “Do you have other appointments today, work or medical related?” He asks, keeping his eyes trained on the road.

“No, just your normal day at the office…if you can call any day at Simon Energy, normal.” I joke, trying to free the tension between us.

“Do you have time to grab some lunch so we can talk?” The shakiness in his voice causes my heart to race.

“Uhm, yeah. That sounds nice.”
I smile weakly at him. Colton veers the truck onto the I-64 West exit, heading to Lexington. He turns the stereo on for the remainder of the trip and the awkward silence begins to fade slowly. Pulling onto Man-O-War Boulevard, we pull into Rafferty’s, one of his favorite restaurants. There ain’t much in Williamstown in terms of good food and entertainment besides the Village Diner and the small ratty movie theatre.

Findi
ng our way into the restaurant, the hostess seats us in a small corner near the large picture glass window. Colton’s hands are a trembling mess and sweat is starting to bead at the top of his forehead. The distress flowing from him causes my heart to palpitate. I pick up the menu trying to distract my thoughts from his obvious panic attack. He excuses himself for the restroom then returns with a flush face, but more calm. When he takes his seat he grips my hand in his, looking up at me through tortured eyes. “I can’t keep doin’ this.” My breathing hitches in my throat and I fight to find air to inhale as my lungs feel tight.

“You don’t ha
ve to do anything, Colton. We’ll be okay.” I glance down at my stomach trying to look away from him. I beg the tears to stay at bay, standing strong as he rejects me and turns both of our hearts cold and black. He shakes his head in frustration then scoots his chair closer to mine, turning me towards him. He takes a deep breath as he lays his hand against my stomach, pinching his eyes shut.

“I can’t keep closin’ you out, pretendin’ that you don’t exist. I’ve died a thousand deaths these last
few weeks. I’d pray each night that death would carry me away, drownin’ me of my misery only to wake up the next mornin’ alone, empty and cold. But every mornin’ when I wake up, I’m still lovin’ you.” He rubs my stomach carelessly as he speaks through ragged breaths.

“What are you trying to say, Colton?”
I whimper out silently. He grips his hand around my neck crashing his lips down onto mine, kissing me with a heated fervor that causes my head to spin. When he pulls back, his lips are swollen and his eyes are pleading.

“I can
’t live without you. I see now that you made the same mistake that I made; a mistake that you had forgiven me for. I don’t care if that baby you are carryin’ is Ashton’s. It’s still a part of you and I will love that baby as much as I love Heidi Jo.” He brings my hands to his lips as he feathers delicate kisses across the top of my knuckles. “And if by some amazin’ blessin’ this baby is mine,” he pauses, his thick lips curl half a smirk, “damn, there just are no words. I can’t waste another second of my life without breathin’ you in each mornin’, baby. I can’t take another second without you in my arms. I feel like I’ve lost my damn mind, but I see things clearly now and I just can’t risk losin’ you over a mistake. Please. My God, Carly Jo, please tell me that I still stand a chance.”

I rush the words out as quickly I can before I lose the confidence to say ‘em. Carly Jo sits with her mouth hung open wide, ready for a fly to land. Her eyes well up with tears as she stares at me, my undyin’ words of love for her soakin’ in. I can’t believe I’d ever turned my back on her, but I was a stupid jack ass and did just that.

“Say so
methin’, anything baby, please.”

“I don’t know what to say. Holy hell, Colton
, I swear I never in a million years meant to hurt you. I love you so much. I thought you had left me for good.” She wails through her words as the tears fall freely down her face. And this is the very reason I brought her to a public place to talk to her, hopin’ she’d ward off the tears and stand strong through the rollercoaster of emotions I’d pull her through.

To be hone
st I didn’t know what to expect; whether she’d be pissed, scared or just hurt. I didn’t know whether to expect open arms or a cold goodbye. I rub the pads of my thumbs under her eyes as I shush her tears, pepperin’ feather-lite kisses over her face. Restin’ my forehead against hers, I lay my hand against her waist, feelin’ the barely there bump that is shapin’. “I love you, Carly Jo. I can’t ever run from that, no matter how hard I fight it. We belong together.” Tears escape my eyes as I look deep into her beautiful sunflower irises, into the soul of the amazin’ woman I love to the ends of the earth.

When we both are able to sto
w our emotions, we order dinner and eat quietly, holdin’ hands. I can’t keep my hands from havin’ even the slightest contact with her.

The drive back to Williamstown the world feels right
with her tucked to my side, right where she’s supposed to be; where she shoulda been all this time. I don’t even bother with takin’ her to the mines to get her car. I take her home, where she belongs.

When I pull up the dri
ve way, I put the truck in park shuttin’ the engine off. The light sound of Carly Jo snorin’ filters about the truck and I swear to God my heart skips a damn beat, seein’ her snuggled up next to me asleep. I pop the latch on the door climbin’ down from the cab of the truck, before scoopin’ her up in my arms and carryin’ her inside. I lay her on the bed, pullin’ the covers back before removin’ her heavy winter boots. She rubs her eyes as she stretches her arms and a sly, sleepy smile splays across her face. She is content right where she is, right where she belongs. Sleep finds her faster than I’d like, but I undress then crawl in bed beside her. Tuckin’ her to my side, I cross my arm under my head and stare at the ceiling deep in thought. I thank God that I finally see the big picture, and am on the right path of rightin’ my wrongs.

Sad
ly, it took that bitch ass punk, Luke Ashton to open my eyes, makin’ everything so vividly clear. Okay, so I’m not bein’ entirely fair here. Over the last several weeks I got to know Luke for the man he truly is.

I was pissed as hell that he had the balls to approach me at the diner, tryin’ to act all friendly and shit.
But I kept my cool and let him say his peace, only because Heidi Jo was with me. Had I been anywhere else and he’d approached me, I’d beat his ass again. But havin’ that talk with Luke intrigued me. I knew he had a clearer way of seein’ things than I did. Hell he saw right through all of the stress Carly Jo was livin’ under when I was as blind as shit to it all. I didn’t know how or why, but I had to find out.

My girl was about to crumble from the weight of the world on her shoulders,
but before her fight or flight instinct had the chance to shine through, Luke stepped in, givin’ her the shoulder she needed to lean on. Luke saved her. That may taste like horse shit now, considering the circumstances. But I’m thankful for the friendship Luke was able to offer Carly Jo. He is a bigger, better man than I’ll ever have the balls to be and I’m thankful to him for it.

When I saw the mass destr
uction I caused to his house the night Carly Jo told me about the two of them, I felt the size of an ant. This man endured abuse for years at my hand. I destroyed his bike, damaged his truck, and wrecked his home. Yet, here he was, his hand stretched out offerin’ me of all people his friendship.

He checked in
on Carly Jo, made sure she and the baby were both doin’ well. He took care of her, when I couldn’t. Now, I know you’re wonderin’ why the hell it took me so long to come around and why I had Luke Ashton doin’ my bitch work. The truth is, I was so ashamed of the man I had become. I wanted time alone to analyze my life, my faults. I needed that time to become a better person. It ain’t no overnight transformation either. I still have my moments where pride gets the best of me and I have to take a step back and think before I speak.

To be completely honest
, over these last several weeks I realized that I didn’t harbor hatred for Luke Ashton, but absolute jealousy. Yeah, at first I laughed at that thought too. The only reason why I could imagine bein’ jealous of Luke was his connection to Carly Jo. Then I realized it went back farther than these last few months. Hell, it went back to our frickin’ childhood.

Luke and I were
havin’ a conversation one night after he’d checked in on Carly Jo. Don’t have a damn clue how shit got deep, got real on us. But he went there and I followed. I was learnin’ from Luke so I figured I might as well keep up. He asked me why I always treated him like shit. My initial answer was that I never liked his ass. He understood, but pressed me with why I didn’t like him. I had no answer. So, I let it stew for a while, thinkin’ long and hard about the feud between Luke and me.

Ya see, Luke didn’t come from the perfect raisin’ I came from. His dad worked
for my dad’s truckin’ company until he was involved in an accident that nearly cost him his life. Truckers don’t make shit, they make less than damn Red Hats make. He was raised on the wrong side of the tracks, literally. He lived up Miller’s Branch, a small holler that was divided from the rest of Williamstown by the railroad crossing. Only damn thing up Miller’s Branch was slums, dead beats and pill heads.

As a kid, you only see the outside of things…and all I sa
w in Luke was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks with old tattered clothes, and no name shoes. Yet, the kid was always happy, upbeat and smiling. I can honestly remember wonderin’ what the hell he had to smile about. Dude was poor as hell, came from shit, yet he lived life to the fullest and never had a mean word to say about a soul.

We were complete o
pposites. He was tall and lanky. I was thick, and broad. He was a bit goofy and loved to make people smile. I was a pompous ass who didn’t give a damn about anybody smilin’ but myself, or Carly Jo. Luke Ashton had a genuine heart and I was a damn son of a bitch. Luke came from shit, but always thought of everyone else first. Me, I always had it all, born with a frickin’ silver spoon in my mouth.

And that my friends, is why I despised Luke Ashton. Call me a callous ass, I totally agree with ya there
, honey. But at least I’m a man who can stand up and admit my faults and try to make shit right. Oddly enough, I have Luke to thank for that shit.

After I realized my mistakes, I made a vow to myself that I was gonna become a better man. The firs
t step to becoming a better man was to start with rightin’ my wrongs with Luke. Once I had come to peace with the error of my ways and was forgiven by Luke, I knew I was ready to pour my heart out to the girl who owns my heart with every ounce of who she is. I knew it was time to forgive Carly Jo.

I
t’s too damn early to sleep, but Carly must be exhausted. So I lay here in bed revelin’ in the sensation of her soft body pressed against mine. When she finally stirs in her sleep and those beautiful hazel eyes flutter open meetin’ mine, damn it, my heart stops. The smile that reaches her eyes jump starts my heart back to a steady rhythm quickly though. Entranced by her beauty and the overwhelming happiness that floods through my veins, I simply can’t look away from her.

“Good Morning,” she whispers softly. I press a kiss to
her forehead with a chuckle hangin’ off my lips.

“No
darlin’ it’s just after ten PM. Ain’t mornin’ yet.”

“Wow, really. It felt like I’d sleep for ages.”

“So you slept good then, huh?” I can’t hide my smile. “Guess you know where you belong then, right?” She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth and I can’t resist takin’ a little taste of what I’ve been missin’. I gently trail my tongue across her bottom lip before sucking it between my own, teasin’ her. Before I get carried away, she presses against my chest pullin’ away from me. “What’s wrong?”

She sits up in the bed, wrappin’ her arms around her legs. “We can’t move so fast just yet, Colton. I need to know without doubt that when I get the pater
nity results in two weeks you’ll be by my side regardless of the outcome.”

I tilt her chin up, forcin’ her to look me in the eyes. “Darlin’ I ain’t goin’ anywhere. If the baby is Luke’s it’ll just have to have two Daddies.
If the baby is mine, it’ll have Daddy and Uncle Luke. So wipe the doubt outta that pretty little head.” I press a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Uncle Luke? Where the hell did that come from?”
She asks, shocked.

“You told me that Luke’s your best friend, right?
” She bobs her head. “I realized that I was drivin’ a wedge between us because of my jealousy for him. I was so hurt when you told me about the two of you, but mistakes can be forgiven. Luke made me see that.” Her stunned expression ain’t lost on me.

“
Okay, can you start at the beginning and explain all of this to me, please? We haven’t really talked much in almost two months and I’m sure a lot has happened.”

“Sure, baby.
Let’s find you something to eat and talk.” I pull her up from the bed and lead her into the kitchen. Pointin’ to the barstool at the island I instruct her to sit while I raid through the fridge. “Chili and grilled cheese okay?” I toss back over my shoulder at her.

“Sounds good. Now start talking, please. You have me on the edge of my seat here. What happened between you and Luke? The two of you were
oddly pleasant with each other at the hospital earlier.”

I make quick prep work on the chili and grilled cheese, choosin’ my words carefully. “
Heidi Jo and I were havin’ dinner at the diner when Luke came in. We talked briefly, but something he mentioned just stuck with me after he left. I can’t even remember now what it was. I went by his house sometime later and we just laid things on the line.”  I lean against the counter, waitin’ to flip the grilled cheese in the pan.

“So it’s that simple? You two talked it out, no blood shed?”

“That simple.”
I place the food on the table in front of her and turn back to the fridge to pour two glasses of sweet tea.

“
So are y’all like friends now, or do I need to still tread lightly where Luke is concerned?” She asks quietly as she shovels the chili around on the spoon.

“I think we both could use a friend to be honest. I don’t know what demons he has, but I know the man has frickin’ Superman X-Ray vision and c
an see straight through anyone.”

“Luke’s been through his fair share of pain. But he’s a good friend. He need
s me as much as I need you. Maybe I’m greedy by wanting to have my cake and eat it too; ya know having my best friend and you both in my life.”

“Darlin’,
ain’t no point in dredgin’ up all the pain again. Fact is, we’ve both made mistakes. One thing I’ve realized is I can’t stop lovin’ you. I don’t wanna stop lovin’ you. So, until the last breath extinguishes from my body, I’ll be here, by your side, holdin’ your hand, lovin’ you.” I kiss the back of her hand, then shoot her a quick wink that earns me a wide smile.

“So we start fresh? Put it all, and I mean everything behind us and move forward?”
She questions.

“No, we start where we left off…just another bump in the road that’s made us stronger.
Ain’t no point in movin’ slow, pacin’ things along. We always come back to each other, Carly Jo; only because that’s where we belong, together. I know everything there is to know about you, darlin’. If you’re more comfortable keepin’ things above the sheets until you get the results of the paternity test, I’m fine with that. As long as I have you tucked by my side each night.”

Carly Jo clears the table, rinsin’ the dishes before placin’ ‘em in the dishwasher.
Makin’ her way back to the table she wraps her arms around my neck, plantin’ herself in my lap and kissin’ the corner of my mouth. She leans her head against my shoulder as she releases a deep sigh. “For the first time in months, I feel like I can breathe. I feel like I’m home.”