Chapter Four:
Erin went home and climbed into her shower relaxing away the day the best that she could. Even she had to admit that it hadn't been one of her better ones and the more she thought about it, the worse she felt about shocking Carter in the trauma. But he had been being an ass there was no two ways about that.
She dried off and pulled on her favorite pajamas before climbing into her bed. It was late and she needed the sleep. She snuggled down under the blankets closing her eyes the minute her head hit the pillow.
"Young lady," a voice said to her, "he does not need your influence. You have been nothing but trouble and my grandson would be better off without your presence in his life."
"I haven't done anything." Erin replied back. "All I have done is loved your grandson." Her stance and posture started to take on a more defensive nature. "What are you saying to me? That you don't want us to get married, we're supposed to in the morning. It's to late to call it off. I don't want to call it off."
"If you know what's best for both of you, you will pack your bags tonight and I will see you off."
Erin could taste the blood in her mouth from where she had bitten her lip. She didn't want to do that to Carter, to just up and leave like that. There had to be something else that could be done. "I can't do that. I can't give him up just like that; walk away from him is something that I am not willing to do, not for you."
"Yes you can." The older man said to her now, his grasp becoming firm on her arm. "The boy is to blind to see what's good for him, you on the other hand, I know you know what's right. And getting out of Chicago as soon as you possibly can would be in your best interest."
Erin tried to pull her arm away now. "No, I told you I can't do that and I will not let you bully me into running away."
"Oh but my dear I can and I will. He won't chose his family over you, his blind loyalty won't allow that, but I can tell you this, it's either going to be you and constantly having to worry about where the rent money will be coming from, how you will be paying for both of your tuitions, where you will be living and what you'll be eating, or his family."
He had hit on the one thing that Erin knew needed to be held dear. You could fall in love with anyone, but you only had one family and that is where your loyalty needed to lie. She couldn't be the reason that Carter no longer was a part of his family. "You are lying." She managed to finally get out.
"Do you really want to try me on this?" He said back to her with an icy tone, one that sent shivers up Erin's spine.
She looked at him now with tears in her eyes, "no I don't." She said softly her eyes falling down now so that she was looking at the ground rather than at him anymore. She didn't want him to see that he had gotten to her, that he had brought those tears to her eyes, her pride, what was left of it wouldn't let that be.
"I knew you wouldn't my dear." He said as he pulled on her, "no you run upstairs and you pack and we'll get you on the first plane out of here. Don't worry you will be fully compensated for your troubles in having to relocate on such short notice."
"Where… where am I to go?" She asked softly.
"Anywhere but here." He said, "I will make sure that you have arrangements to be able to continue on with your education." He wasn't completely cold hearted and if it would get the girl out of his life the better it would all be in the end.
"But John, I can't just leave…."
"No you will get on that plane and you will never look back."
"But he will never forgive me." Erin said her voice not more than a whisper, "I can't do that to him." She was protesting now trying to get the old man to at least give her some sort of chance to say goodbye.
"He will forget you in time and you'll forget all about him as well. No contact, you won't come back here again, do we have an understanding."
Erin nodded from behind her crying eyes now as he led her up the stairs back into the room where she had been staying and he practically helped her pack her bags, taking very little, insisting that she could get what she needed when she got there. In his eyes the sooner she was out of Chicago the better things would be.
Before she could blink she was sitting on a plane heading out of Chicago bound for someplace where she had never been before, taking her away from everything that she had ever known. From her home, her friends, her life and the man that she would forever love with all her heart and knew she would never forget no matter how much time had passed.
She awoke in a cold sweat now as she sat up on her bed. A nightmare that she hadn't had in years, remembering that day that had changed her life in ways that she never imaged that it could. She got up and walked over to her dresser pulling open and drawer and taking out a small box that was tucked behind everything.
That small box held one of her most treasured belongings, something that she never would part with for it reminded her of a time when she had the world to look forward too and nothing but happiness in her heart. This small box held two small mementoes that were kept in there. She lifted the first one out gently and with great care, for it was the engagement ring that Carter had given to her. She had never worn it after she had gotten off the plane in an attempt to forget the pain, but she had never gotten rid of it either, for there was something about it at times that was almost calming to her.
The second was one to remind her always of why she had walked away from Carter, his family. For there also tucked away in that box was the payoff his grandfather had given her. Never once had she even thought about touching it, she was better than that and would never let him be able to have that much control over her life. He had taken away the one thing that she had held dear for fear of him being alone, for hating her for coming between him and them.
Erin put the painful reminder back in the box but she slipped that ring back onto her finger for just a moment, she could remember the shy smile that was on Carter's face that night he asked her to be his. She could feel the small hint of a smile creeping onto her face as she closed her eyes to be there again.
They were both about to start their fourth year of undergraduate work at Penn State. It was summer and neither of them had wanted to really go home. Erin had nothing anymore to go home to and Carter was there just to spend more time with her. They had decided to take a road trip and just spend some time out in the middle of nowhere. They were now in some southern state camping out like a couple of kids with too much free time. Carter had managed to somehow by the grace of god start them a fire and they were sitting there under the stars now.
It was there out away from everyone else that he caught her completely off guard. He moved from having his arms wrapped around her holding her close to him. He moved so that he was in front of her and pulled her to her feet so that she was now standing. He then took her hand into his and dropped down onto one knee with the glow of the fire and the light of the moon the only light that was there. She could still remember the way that his faced looked with the soft light from the fire, how his eyes danced with the flames.
Standing there in her bedroom she could still feel her hands the way that they shook when he took her hand into hers. How her heart had pounded just a little more when she saw him down on that knee in front of her. That night was perfect in more than one way.
"Erin." His voice was soft and you could feel that he was as nervous as she was as she waited for the rest of his words, "I have waited for the right person to come into my life, someone who gives me as much joy as you do. When I'm with you I feel as if there is nothing that I cannot accomplish and when we are apart I long to be back with you. The past year has been something that I will never forget because you have been by my side, and I hope that we can turn this one year into many, many more. You hold the keys to my heart. Erin Josephine Delaney would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
A knock on her door snapped her from the thoughts of a time long passed, on that she would never get back again, to much had happened and be said for them to feel that way towards each other again. While she might have still loved Carter, she was under the impression that he no longer felt that way towards her. Erin quickly shut the box back in the dresser and pulled on her bathrobe as she caught the clock out of the corner of her eye, it was 4 a.m. Who in their right mind would be stopping by at this time of the morning?
She moved from her bedroom into the other room stepping up on her toes so that she could see through the peep hole the person on the other side of the door was the last person on earth that she ever thought would be gracing her door at this time of the morning. It had been a long time since she had gotten a visit at this time of the morning.
