Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 66
Edward was too surprised to form words. These past few months he had been clinging on to hope that Carmen would pull through, that she would get her act together and accept the help that was being offered to her. While he was elated to see these sudden but positive changes in her, he wasn't sure if jumping into intimacy was the smartest idea. He weighed the merits of setting aside caution and just going with the flow against how badly Carmen might react to rejection.
He couldn't decide but figured he had the rest of the evening to formulate a strategy. For now something else nagged at his mind. He realized with a pang of guilt that he had been so engrossed by this sudden change in Carmen that he hadn't checked up on Ella yet.
"That sounds perfect. I'll just check on Ella and take a quick shower. I'll be back before you know it. Can't wait to dig into those fajitas," he said as he began to turn toward the staircase, but was stopped in his track by Carmen's restraining hands.
"No, don't!" she said with urgency, revealing a slight note of panic in her voice. "You know how cranky she gets when she wakes up from sleep. For once she's sleeping quietly. Let her be. We'll hear her on the monitor if she gets up," Carmen said as she pointed at the white plastic device resting atop the fridge.
"Plus, the food will get cold. You know they don't re-heat well. Come on, shower later. Just be with me now," Carmen insisted.
Edward was torn for a moment. Carmen was right. It wasn't very often that Ella allowed them uninterrupted hours of calm and quiet. It was a rare opportunity. On the other hand the father in him wanted to see the visual proof that his little girl was alright.
"Please," Carmen pleaded earnestly. "Can't we just have a little adult time to ourselves? She's fine; she's sleeping. Let her be. You can check on her later. I'll go check on her myself. After dinner."
Edward relented after a moment of second thought. Carmen was trying. She hadn't been this reasonable or cooperative in a very long time. Even if it was a temporary respite before the storm, he owed it to her to give her a chance and his full attention.
Giving the staircase leading up to the nursery a doleful look, Edward made up his mind. He would check on Ella soon enough. He would keep his ear out for the baby monitor. Carmen needed him more right now.
"Alright, let's eat," he said and allowed Carmen to pull him toward the dining table.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.
Thank you jmolly, my 3000th reviewer. If only you could see my lame attempt at trying to keep myself glued to the chair and not dance around the office. I love you BIG times! Thank you thank you thank you!
A special thanks to Chloe Masen for leaving a really awesome review for my OS, Forgive Me Not and rec-ing it in a FB group (now, that never happens!). I think I just about cried. I know it has nothing to do with this story, but maybe someday she'll read it, and will be happy to know how much her words meant to me.
Finally, thanks to this ridiculously good looking British guy called Robert Pattinson. His Cosmopolis clips/pics kept me on a constant high today.
Apologies for the long AN!
Hope you'll review...