He wasn't sure what he was doing there. Sonny Corinthos couldn't remember the conscious decision he'd made that morning to visit his ex-fiancée. He'd only started walking to find himself at Carly's cottage. It was the same cottage Brenda had lived in for a short time. The cottage he bought from Jax for Carly and Michael.
As he stood on the front porch, studying the window patterns, he couldn't determine why he was there. Sonny wasn't even sure what he would say if he knocked. Didn't even know if he was going to knock. The last time he'd seen Carly was the day Marie broke up with him.
Carly had been so happy then, even if she hadn't realized it. Sonny was sure Carly hadn't even noticed she was unintentionally in a relationship with A.J. Quartermaine. And it was working.
From inside the house, Sonny heard Carly or Leticia moving around, preparing breakfast for Michael. He stole a glance at his watch and admitted it was too early to be visiting them. Sonny studied his Italian leather loafers as he ran through the list of reasons he should just leave and not let the blonde know he was here. He had a lot of good reasons. But, he wanted to see Michael. And Carly.
Finally, Sonny knocked. After a minute or so, the door opened and Carly's eyes widened when she saw who it was. Pushing the screen door open, she smiled at her old friend. "Michael."
"Caroline," he returned. Sonny took the screen door from her as they studied each other.
"What…what are you doing here?" she asked. If possible, Carly's eyes widened even more. "What happened to him, Sonny? What happened to Jason?"
"Nothing." Sonny smiled warmly at her, trying to calm her. "Jason's fine, I promise you. I just…" he trailed off, shifted on his feet. "I wanted to see you."
"Why?"
"Can I come in?" Sonny requested.
The blonde smiled at him finally and moved out of the doorway. "I've got coffee and doughnuts in the kitchen."
"I'll make you an omelet."
Carly laughed as she closed the door behind him. "The eggs are in the refrigerator door." She stopped at the stairs and asked, "Should I wake Michael? Do you want to see him?"
"Later."
"O-kay." Carly watched him as he effortlessly pushed through the swinging kitchen door, already pulling his suit jacket off. He didn't seem to be there to just see Michael, but he wasn't really talking to her either. He said there was nothing wrong with Jason, but why else would he be there? Shaking her head, Carly followed Sonny into the kitchen. He already had the ingredients for his omelet spread out on the table. "Finding everything okay?"
"Yeah." Sonny went to a cabinet and pulled a small pan from it. "Do you have any cooking spray?"
"Nope." Carly hoisted herself onto the counter so she could watch him work. "I have butter in the fridge."
Sonny laughed to himself. "You're gonna give yourself a heart attack, eating like you do. You realize that, don't you?"
"Hey," she said, sounding offended. "I work out every day. Plus, chasing after Michael is a workout in itself."
"How is he?"
"He misses his Uncle Sonny. But, he's okay. He's getting big."
"I've seen him and Leticia in the park while you're at work. He's getting big." Sonny looked up from the stove to find her watching him. "And his Uncle Sonny misses him. I just… it's easier this way."
"Easier for who?" Carly questioned. "You or Michael?"
"The kid has had three dads, Carly. Like Jason, I don't want to confuse him. I mean, Jason is at least his uncle. What am I? Some guy Mommy lived with for a while. You don't want him thinking that, do you?"
"Michael knows you love him, and that's not how he thinks of you. Sonny, you've been good to both of us." Carly watched as he flipped the omelet and put it on a plate. When he turned to bring it to her, she asked, "Will you bring me some OJ, too?"
Sonny put the plate on the table and went to the refrigerator. "Anything else, Your Majesty?"
"Well…" she began.
Sonny knew that tone. It was playful, but seductive at the same time. And it was a place he never wanted to go with Carly again. "Jason told us you came to see him."
"Us?"
"We all had dinner at Elizabeth's that night. It came up in conversation."
"Of course," Carly remarked snidely. "He probably reports his every move to her. Tell me Sonny, what is it about Wittle Wizzie Webber?"
"Carly…"
"I mean, really, she's not that pretty, and she's not that special. What the hell does he see in her?"
When he finished pouring the juice, Sonny took the omelet and juice to her. He stood by her as she began eating. "He loves her Carly. You and I have had this conversation before."
"Oh, he loves her. Spare me." Carly took a bite of the omelet and sighed. "I love him, but you don't see me chasing him all over town like some little lost dog."
"She doesn't chase him," Sonny told her gently. "She loves him too, Carly. And well, you aren't in love with him. Besides, you're happy here, with Michael and A.J. Don't pretend you aren't."
Carly couldn't hide the small smile. Yes, she was happy. But there was no way she was going to admit it. Not to Sonny, anyway. "What're you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. To talk to you. It's been a long time… ever since that day at the apartments."
"You're the one who doesn't come to see me, Corinthos." Carly took the last bite of the omelet and placed the plate in the sink. "He really loves her, huh?"
"Yeah, he does." Sonny turned his head to study the blonde. "I'm jealous of them."
"Jealous?"
"I want what he has, so much. I had it once, but I couldn't walk away from the life. I couldn't…I didn't believe that I could be the man Brenda saw. And well, I didn't want to disappoint her. So I just…left."
"You're a good man, Sonny. And don't ever let anyone tell you differently. You've taken care of Michael and me when no one else gave a damn, and for that I'll always love you. You've chosen this life for yourself, but that doesn't mean you're always going to be alone. I believe Brenda was your best chance at happiness… or being as happy as you'll allow yourself to be. But there's someone else, out there, somewhere, looking for you just like you're looking for her."
"I'm not looking." Sonny smiled at the woman. "I'm just tired of being alone, honestly. I'm tired of seeing my best friend with his wife and being jealous. I just want one day where I can experience that kind of love."
Carly lifted her hand to his cheek and studied his face. His eyes were alive with emotion, his skin warm against her own. She was staring at the man who she had loved so much, long before Sorel had taken Abby and killed their family. It was in moments like this that she could love him again. "If they love each other so much, why aren't they together?"
"Who?"
"Jason and Elizabeth." Carly pulled her hand back from him. "She lives at Audrey's, him at the penthouse. They're a family, but they aren't together. They don't have a home."
"They're each other's home, Carly. A house doesn't make a home. You know that. They…" he sighed. "They aren't together because they just haven't gotten it right yet."
"Do we ever get it right?"
"Yeah, we do." Sonny pushed away from the counter and went for his jacket. "I need to go…give Michael my love."
Carly sat on the counter as she watched him leave. "Sonny!"
The mobster appeared in the doorway again. "Yeah?"
"Thank you, for coming by." Carly looked down at her manicured fingers and sighed through watery eyes. "And tell Jason I hope he and Elizabeth make it."
"Tell him yourself. He needs a friend like you, Carly. Don't ever forget that."
Carly smiled as her silent tears slipped down her face. She expected Sonny to say more, but he didn't. Instead, he turned and walked away. She sat there for a few more minutes, listening to the quiet of the house. Finally, she heard Michael's footsteps on the stairs, running towards the living room. Gathering her strength, she jumped off the counter and went to watch Saturday morning cartoons with her son.