Hello! We've gotten a lot of snow and stuff and it's really doing a number on my internet service so be patient with me until I thaw out a little! I'll update every chance I get!
Chapter Twenty Nine
Daryl parked his truck in Buck's driveway and sat there for a few long moments, staring at the house. What the hell was he doing? He didn't have any business at all doing anything he was about to do.
Which wasn't much by any stretch of the imagination.
He was going to take this woman somewhere to get food and then he was going to take her ass back to her Hotel and then he was going to high tail it home, hopefully before Carol got there and then it would be over and he would never have to think about it again.
They had sat Damon and Sophia down right in the kitchen and went over rules. His face flamed just thinking about it. He had actually felt bad for the both of them. He'd just stood there while Carol went on and on about teenage pregnancy and venereal diseases. She was thorough, too. He made a face. The memory of her explaining childbirth and blisters would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.
But by the end of her speech Sophia and Damon couldn't even look at each other and Daryl couldn't look at them either. After that Carol had cleaned. She pulled out furniture and she dusted things he forgot was even there. She washed all the damn bedding and she scrubbed baseboards. He could tell she wasn't cleaning because she thought him and Damon were a couple of filthy slobs that got a kick out of wallowing in their own muck. She was working off nervous energy.
Having to watch her ass swaying in the air for half the day while she cleaned those baseboards had him ready to work off that nervous energy for her but he had simply left her to her work and he had actually done the yard work that he had lied about doing the day before.
Damon had conned Sophia into helping him haul all of his stuff to the basement. He'd been after that room for a few years now and the kid was ready to set it up.
Carol had left at four, claiming she had things she needed to take care of at Andrea's but when she left she looked completely wired. Jumping at anything he said. And every time she looked at him he saw it. There was guilt in her eyes and he couldn't figure out why it was there. Maybe she thought he really didn't want them there. He'd talk to her about it once they were both home and this awful night was behind him.
He sighed and hopped out of the truck, slamming the door and walked towards the front porch. Unfortunately for him, Piper walked out, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrow raised.
He stopped in his tracks and cursed. He hadn't thought about Piper. She'd know exactly what his plans were for tonight and if she knew then Damon would know and then Sophia would know and then Carol would probably bash him in the head with something in his sleep.
"Cheating on your girlfriend? I had more respect for you than that, dude. What the fuck is wrong with you?" She looked more pissed off than he had seen her in a while.
"I'm not cheating on her," he snapped and then he scowled at his choice of words. "She ain't my girlfriend," he amended quickly.
"I'm serious. What the hell are you doing? You got a good thing going, Daryl. I talked to Sophia earlier and she said that-"
"Ain't you the one that threw a fit because of Sophia and her mom? What the hell is this about?"
"I was being a dick. She isn't so bad and Carol is fucking great. Way better than anyone else your brainless ass could find! Hell, I'm the one that found the two of you last night. That wasn't nothing. That was a whole lot of something."
"I have to do this for Buck. We need those sales and what you saw was-"
"You don't let people in like that you stupid bastard! You never have! It's something and you're too stubborn and pigheaded to see it and you're gonna sabotage it with this stunt! I've never seen Damon so happy. Not since we were little. He needs her! "
"Mind your own business, Piper. It ain't like that. Me and Carol ain't a thing. We've never been a thing. This is a favor I'm doing for Buck. I ain't plannin' on taking this chick back to her Hotel and sleepin' with her, okay? With any luck I'll be back home by eight thirty and I won't ever have to think about it again."
"What if you found out that she went behind your back and went out with some man?" Piper quipped.
He snorted. "She wouldn't do th-"
"It's a hypothetical question, Daryl. In your head, right now, Carol hanging off the arm of some guy. Laughing at his jokes. Sharing a meal with him and knowing that when that man looks at her, he's imagining all kinds of dirty things to do to her."
He glared at the girl, trying to force the image out of his mind. How would he feel if she did what he was about to do? And he could claim that it was innocent all he wanted but if that were true then why hadn't he told her about it? He thought back to yesterday when she had kissed him and tried to imagine her kissing some other guy the same way.
"You look like you're about to either puke or fuck something up. Should I step aside now?" Piper asked.
"Look, you know that nothing is gonna happen with that woman tonight. You keep your mouth shut about this okay? If you go blabbing to Damon then all you're gonna do is make my life miserable."
"Too late," she said, raising her chin defiantly.
His eyes widened and his stomach dropped to his feet. "You fucking told him!"
She nodded. "About twenty minutes ago when I heard dad and Buck talking about it. Let's just say, you're gonna have hell to pay when you get home tonight. I don't think I've ever heard him sound so pissed off."
He cursed. "Did he tell Sophia?"
Piper shrugged. "What if he did? It shouldn't matter since you and Carol aren't some kind of item."
He growled and then stepped past her reminding himself that she was little and it wouldn't be right for him to wring her neck. He needed to change his clothes and then get this over with. And then he needed to figure out what the hell was going on between him and Carol because Piper was right. The thought of her doing the same thing he was doing pissed him off to no goddamn end and that wasn't right. He shouldn't feel that way.
~H~
Carol ran a hand through her hair and double checked her reflection in the mirror. She had changed out of the clothes that Andrea had picked out for her.
"Jeans? Really?" Andrea huffed. "And there's a hole in the knee. A hole, Carol. I need to give you tips on how to properly show some skin. A knee hole isn't going to work."
Carol met her eyes in the mirror and then turned around. "I'm not doing this to impress this guy, okay. We need to make that perfectly clear. I'm doing this, against my will, because I owe you. I owe you big. That's it. And I'm really close to calling the whole damn thing off. I can't believe I agreed to this."
"My God, Carol. Listen to yourself! Do you have any idea what this man can offer you and Sophia? Security, social status... a real life. He isn't a bad guy. I don't understand why you are so hell bent on not pursuing this!"
She shook her head. Andrea wouldn't understand and she didn't have the patience to explain it to her at the moment. "Sophia is fine and so am I. I've been there, Andrea, remember? I've been the woman that needs a man around to take care of her and I know exactly how that ends. I'm not saying your friend would be like that but it doesn't matter. He isn't close to what I would be interested in if I were interested in pursuing a man at all. I know exactly what men have to offer and I'm not interested."
"Once we get settled in Atlanta you'll change your mind. Right now you're still thinking small town but that should pass within a month or so. I have faith in you." Andrea grinned.
Carol took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, calming her nerves. "Andrea, I'm not moving to Atlanta. I'm staying here."
Andrea's eyes widened. "What? Carol, do you have any idea what rent is for this house? You can't afford it!"
"I don't mean that I'm staying here in the house. I'm staying here. I've already talked to Sophia and she had a complete meltdown at the thought of moving to the city. I need to do what's best for her."
"What's best for her is getting her away from this town and these people!" Andrea said, anger lacing her voice. "You have the opportunity to change both your lives for the better. Of course she doesn't want to move away! But she's a child and you can't let her use her addiction to manipulate you."
Carol felt a flash of anger and she narrowed her eyes. "That isn't what she did. Not at all. I didn't want to go with you in the first place. Whatever comes, Daryl and I can handle..." She let her voice trail off when she realized what she had said.
Realization had Andrea's eyes going wide. "You don't need a man around, huh? Carol, you can't be serious. Daryl Dixon? I'll admit that he's been monumental in Sophia's turn around and he's been a great friend to you but he shouldn't have any say where Sophia is concerned! For God's sake, he is not that girl's father!"
Carol shook her head. Andrea wouldn't understand and she didn't have the energy to try to explain it to her. "In her mind, he's the closest thing to one as she has ever had. The way he is with her-"
"Carol, I'm serious. He's a great guy for someone that just wants to mess around but you can't seriously think that he's... father material. You're grasping at straws here!"
That anger spiked and she glared. "He dedicated the last six years of his life to raising Damon. He put himself on the back burner for years to try to give that boy a good life and he's done an amazing job. Better than anyone else that could have been put in that position. He sacrifices every goddamn day for that boy. I love you. You're like a sister to me and have been for a long time now but don't you ever question his ability to be a good father to anyone. And no one said that I was looking for that anyway. He's my friend. He's bent over backwards for me since the moment we met. He's the best man I've ever known and I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand here and listen to anyone, even you, try to convince me otherwise. I need you to try to understand that I know what I'm doing."
"Carol, I just want you to think about what you're going to miss out on. So many doors will be open for you. You and Sophia. You can't tell me that one man is worth missing out on all of that."
Carol thought back to last night. How good it felt just being with him. The rush she had felt when he refused to let her get out of his bed. And it wasn't sexual. He wanted her there just to be there. She'd felt safe with his arm around her. She felt... important. She had never felt that way before. He made her feel that way. "Tomorrow morning I'm moving our stuff over to his house," she said, keeping her voice quiet. "I'm not messing around with him. I'm not sleeping with him. I'll have my own room there. This is what we decided was best for Sophia. He understands her. She loves him. I'm not going to argue with you about it because the decision is already made."
Andrea nodded. "Okay. I understand. I just have one question."
"What?" Carol asked, knowing that she didn't want to hear it.
"Did you tell him that you have a date with another man tonight?"
Carol met her eyes and they stared at one another for a long time before Andrea nodded again and walked away. Carol turned, her jaw clenching tightly. What the hell was she doing?
