"I'm surprised you wanted to go out tonight after everything that we
found out today," I said, twirling fetticini alfredo around my fork.
"I figured we could use some time for ourselves," Carter said, ignoring his veal parmesan and completely focusing on me.
"We haven't really been alone together except at night," I said. "And then we're both just so tired all we want to do is sleep." I grinned.
"We can do that differently tonight," Carter said, grinning back. I looked over at the dance floor and then back at Carter. He got the message. He stood up and offered me his hand. "Would you like to dance?"
"I would, indeed."
*************************
"Have you thought anymore about marriage?" Carter asked. We were lying in bed, relaxing after the most amazing sex.
I nodded and yawned. "I have," I said. "And I will." I rolled over onto my side. "I will marry you. But I want to say yes at the ice skating rink with all those rose petals."
Carter laughed softly. "You had your chance," he said. "So this will have to do."
"But it's so unromantic," I whined. Carter stood up and lit a candle and then turned on some music.
"Better?" he asked.
I giggled. "A little."
Carter opened the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out the small black box. He crawled across the bed and sat on his knees in front of me. He opened the box and looked into my eyes. "Abby," he said. "You are the love of my life, part of my soul, and the fire in my heart. Will you marry me?"
I smiled and bit my lip. "Yes," I said. "I love you." I took his face in my hands and kissed him.
**************************
"Married?" Annie said, wrinkling her nose. She was sitting in- between Carter and me on the sofa. "Like Cinderella and the prince?"
I laughed. "Sort of."
"But without the fairy godmother," Carter said.
Annie looked from Carter to me. "You'll wear a pretty dress?"
I kissed her head. "Yes, and so will you."
"Then there can be babies?" Annie asked, hopefully.
"Babies?" I asked. Was she serious? I wasn't about to have kids. I loved Annie but loving someone so much caused a lot of pain and I couldn't do that with anyone else. Maggie, Eric, Carter, and Annie were more than enough love and pain for one lifetime. But Carter was already answering her.
"Possibly," he said. "Probably."
"Annie, why don't you go play with your Barbies for a minute," I said, staring at Carter who looked suddenly scared.
"'K, Mim," she said, and scurried off to her room. I waited until her door shut before I started to speak.
"You're kidding, right?" I said.
"About what?"
"About having more kids!" I tried not to raise my voice but I could feel it was going to get louder.
"Of course not," Carter said. "I love kids. I want at least one more."
"At least!" As predicted, my voice had risen. "You ever plan on telling me this?"
"I'm telling you now," Carter said, his voice getting louder too.
"Carter, I don't want anymore kids."
"Why not? You're so great with Annie . . ."
"But what if they're bipolar? Annie's only three and I've only known her for sixth months but I've already had my heart broken watching her suffer. I won't create another person so I can watch them suffer too. I can't. I won't." I stood up and walked over to a picture of the three of us that was hanging on the wall.
I reached out and gently touched the image of Annie's smiling face. "Abby," Carter said, coming up behind me. I expected him to touch me but he didn't. "I want more kids."
"I'm sorry," I said, not turning around. "But that's just something I can't do. If you want kids so badly then maybe we should . . ." I took a deep breath. "Maybe we shouldn't get married."
Carter turned me around. "What?" he yelled. "But I . . .you . . ."
Response to reviews -
Board-monkey - thank you. I hope the rest of the fic lives up to your expectations.
Aaron - you are sooooooo sweet! Will you marry me?
Carbytothecore - It is sad but Annie's being very brave.
Jackie - Perfectly? Wow, cool. Thanks! Yeah, we're moving right along with the Carby plot now. It's a bit iffy at the moment.
Carbylobsterandavrilfan - This is the last chapter I have written but I'll be writing more on Sunday. I usually write chapters on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
"I figured we could use some time for ourselves," Carter said, ignoring his veal parmesan and completely focusing on me.
"We haven't really been alone together except at night," I said. "And then we're both just so tired all we want to do is sleep." I grinned.
"We can do that differently tonight," Carter said, grinning back. I looked over at the dance floor and then back at Carter. He got the message. He stood up and offered me his hand. "Would you like to dance?"
"I would, indeed."
*************************
"Have you thought anymore about marriage?" Carter asked. We were lying in bed, relaxing after the most amazing sex.
I nodded and yawned. "I have," I said. "And I will." I rolled over onto my side. "I will marry you. But I want to say yes at the ice skating rink with all those rose petals."
Carter laughed softly. "You had your chance," he said. "So this will have to do."
"But it's so unromantic," I whined. Carter stood up and lit a candle and then turned on some music.
"Better?" he asked.
I giggled. "A little."
Carter opened the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out the small black box. He crawled across the bed and sat on his knees in front of me. He opened the box and looked into my eyes. "Abby," he said. "You are the love of my life, part of my soul, and the fire in my heart. Will you marry me?"
I smiled and bit my lip. "Yes," I said. "I love you." I took his face in my hands and kissed him.
**************************
"Married?" Annie said, wrinkling her nose. She was sitting in- between Carter and me on the sofa. "Like Cinderella and the prince?"
I laughed. "Sort of."
"But without the fairy godmother," Carter said.
Annie looked from Carter to me. "You'll wear a pretty dress?"
I kissed her head. "Yes, and so will you."
"Then there can be babies?" Annie asked, hopefully.
"Babies?" I asked. Was she serious? I wasn't about to have kids. I loved Annie but loving someone so much caused a lot of pain and I couldn't do that with anyone else. Maggie, Eric, Carter, and Annie were more than enough love and pain for one lifetime. But Carter was already answering her.
"Possibly," he said. "Probably."
"Annie, why don't you go play with your Barbies for a minute," I said, staring at Carter who looked suddenly scared.
"'K, Mim," she said, and scurried off to her room. I waited until her door shut before I started to speak.
"You're kidding, right?" I said.
"About what?"
"About having more kids!" I tried not to raise my voice but I could feel it was going to get louder.
"Of course not," Carter said. "I love kids. I want at least one more."
"At least!" As predicted, my voice had risen. "You ever plan on telling me this?"
"I'm telling you now," Carter said, his voice getting louder too.
"Carter, I don't want anymore kids."
"Why not? You're so great with Annie . . ."
"But what if they're bipolar? Annie's only three and I've only known her for sixth months but I've already had my heart broken watching her suffer. I won't create another person so I can watch them suffer too. I can't. I won't." I stood up and walked over to a picture of the three of us that was hanging on the wall.
I reached out and gently touched the image of Annie's smiling face. "Abby," Carter said, coming up behind me. I expected him to touch me but he didn't. "I want more kids."
"I'm sorry," I said, not turning around. "But that's just something I can't do. If you want kids so badly then maybe we should . . ." I took a deep breath. "Maybe we shouldn't get married."
Carter turned me around. "What?" he yelled. "But I . . .you . . ."
Response to reviews -
Board-monkey - thank you. I hope the rest of the fic lives up to your expectations.
Aaron - you are sooooooo sweet! Will you marry me?
Carbytothecore - It is sad but Annie's being very brave.
Jackie - Perfectly? Wow, cool. Thanks! Yeah, we're moving right along with the Carby plot now. It's a bit iffy at the moment.
Carbylobsterandavrilfan - This is the last chapter I have written but I'll be writing more on Sunday. I usually write chapters on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
