This is definitely not my best work, but I needed to update this. It's been a longggg time since I've been able to write anything Caryl. Not because I've lost inspiration, but because I've been working on a McReedus on Nine Lives, and it's consumed ALL of my writing time! I promise the next chapter will be MUCH better.

Chapter Twenty

Carol went straight home once she was done grocery shopping, but she found, after putting away all of the groceries, that she was extremely antsy and being alone in the house at the moment was frightening her. What if Ed had somehow followed her without her knowing it? Daryl was still at work, and she knew he wouldn't be able to make it to her house in time if Ed did show up.

I still have to go shopping for a dress and other clothes. The thought flashed through Carol's mind. Right now would be a good time to go shopping for those items. Ed was most likely going to stick around town, and she would have to go out of town to do this shopping because their little town didn't have a decent clothing store.

Atlanta wasn't that far, and it had several malls she could visit. Daryl wouldn't be off work for a while, and even if he came to the house and saw she wasn't there, he had a key and could let himself in. Maybe she would pick up dinner when she got back...or she could have him make something. A mischievous smile crept across her face and she took out a notebook and pen to scribble a quick note. Maybe she would take her time out shopping so that she could come home to a freshly cooked meal.

Or a freshly burnt one? Daryl did tell her that he almost burned down his house making spaghetti...

"Nope," Carol said to herself. "Daryl is going to make a nice, non-burnt dinner, and my house will still be intact when I get back home."

Placing the note where he could easily see it, she grabbed her keys and purse and headed towards the front door, but before she pushed it open to go outside, she paused. What if Ed was out there and planned to follow her to the mall? How would she defend herself? She turned her head in the direction of her room where her gun was still stashed in her underwear drawer. Should she bring it, just in case?

Yes, she would bring it. If Ed were to follow her and try to harass her while she was out, she wouldn't hesitate to pull the gun out on him. She barked out a laugh. How surprised would Ed be to have a gun shoved in his face by little mousy Carol?

Grabbing the gun, she made her way out to her car and stashed the weapon in her glove box. That way it would be within reach and out of sight. Taking one last look around, making sure there was no one around, she pulled out of the driveway and made her way to Atlanta.

Several hours later, Daryl had made considerable progress on the Dodge Charger, and it would be able to be picked up by the owner in the morning. Now, it was closing time, and Daryl wanted to rush home for a quick shower. Or...he could head to Carol's house and take a shower there, instead. His clothes were there, and he was going to be spending the night there, anyway. It would be the last night he would spend before their wedding.

"Heading home?" Jim walked up to where Daryl was washing his hands in one of the sinks located on a far wall.

"Yeah," Daryl answered.

"So that woman that came in here, today, is she your girlfriend? Wife?" His eyes zeroed in on the ring on Daryl's finger. It hadn't been there a few days ago.

"She ain't my wife, yet. But she will be on Friday." Which reminded him that he needed to talk to his boss about calling off for the weekend.

"Congratulations, man. You're one lucky man for getting to marry such a pretty lady."

"Yeah, I am pretty damn lucky." He wiped his hands off on a towel. "Well, I'll be seeing you tomorrow." He began to walk to his Charlie's office.

Twenty minutes later, he was pulling into Carol's driveway and was surprised when he didn't see her car. However, he had a key and knew that she knew he was coming over. So, he used the key and found a note addressed to him on the kitchen counter.

After picking it up and reading it, Daryl looked around the kitchen. Carol wanted him to cook dinner? But what should he cook? Hell, what was he even capable of cooking. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed Carol's number and placed the phone to his ear.

She answered on the third ring. "Hello, Daryl!" She said, brightly.

"Uh, hey."

"Something wrong?" She paused. "Oh God, you burnt the house down, didn't you?"

"No! Course not. I uh just got to your place and was wonderin' if there was somethin' specific you want me to cook." He leaned against the counter and chewed on his thumbnail.

"Cook whatever you want, Daryl. I don't care. I just went shopping, so the cupboards and fridge are stocked."

"Uh, okay." That hadn't helped his dilemma, at all, but he figured he would be able to figure something out. "So, what are you doing, now?"

"Oh, um, I'm doing a little shopping in Atlanta."

"For what?"

"I-It's a surprise, Daryl," she sounded a little nervous, which made Daryl even more curious.

"A surprise, huh?" He smiled. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, mister."

"I hate waitin'."

"Well, good thing you won't have to wait for long." She laughed. "Now, get to work on fixing my supper! I'll be home in an hour."

"All right. See you soon. Love you." He hung up, quickly, knowing that he wouldn't be hearing those three words back.

Carol bought more than one pair of lingerie. She had walked into the small store in the mall and instantly all the different colors and styles caught her eye. There was no way she could have picked just one thing. So, with a bag full of surprises for Daryl, she began the drive home, feeling giddy. She would get home to a meal already cooked and a nice quiet evening with the man she was going to marry in two days. It was going to be perfect, and she wasn't going to allow herself to think about Ed's visit.

Nope.

And thank God, there was no use for the gun still in her glove department. Ed hadn't followed her to Atlanta, and if he had, he hadn't made his presence known.

Pulling into her driveway, she parked next to Daryl's truck and walked through the door. Instantly she noticed the dim lighting in the kitchen. What was going on?

"Daryl?" She called to the room. "Is everything okay?"

He appeared in the doorway, a large smile on his face. "Just fine." His eyes went to the bag in her hands and she quickly hid it behind her back. "You hungry?"

"Starving? What did you make?"

"Put away that bag behind your back, and see."

"Okay," she said and quickly made her way through the kitchen to get to her room. Whatever he had made smelled good and her house was still intact, so having Daryl make dinner was a success. Maybe she would have him do it more often.

Coming back to the kitchen, Daryl took her gently by the arm and led her to the table, where four flickering candles sat. "Now, it ain't nothin' special, but I thought I'd at least make the atmosphere a little romantic." He kissed her on the cheek before walking over to the stove to grab the meal.

"We could be eating macaroni and cheese, right now, and I would think this was some kind of date night." She smiled and picked up one of the wine glasses. It had shocked her to see them on her table. Inside sat a dark liquid, and when she took a sip, she couldn't help but laugh aloud. It was grape juice!

"Well, it ain't macaroni and cheese." He set down a small glass casserole in the middle of the table and lifted up the aluminum foil. "My mama used to make baked chicken a lot when I was young, and I found a recipe for it. I hope it's good." He set another pan on the table. "Also, made mashed potatoes. Pretty sure I did them good. It's mighty hard to fuck up mashed potatoes."

Carol giggled and agreed with him. "It all looks good, Daryl. I can't wait to start eating."

"Neither can I." Daryl took his seat and the two dug into the meal.

The meal had been a success, and Carol enjoyed herself, immensely. It really felt like a date, and every time Daryl made eye contact with her over the flickering candles, her heart began to beat faster.

"That was so good, Daryl. I may just have to make you the official meal cooker once we get married." She finished her drink. "I'll just laze around the house all day."

He chuckled. "Hm, that arrangement seems a little unfair, huh?"

"Nope. I think its plenty fair." She smiled. "So, what do you say about saving the dishes for later and calling it a night? I'm exhausted."

"I think that's a good idea." Daryl stood and began clearing off the table. Carol stood to help, too.

"So, how was work? Did you finish working on that charger?" She asked after setting the dishes in the sink.

"Just have to give it an oil change tomorrow, and then its good to go." He walked over to the table and blew out the candles, which hadn't been a good idea. The room went dark, and the sound of Daryl running into a chair and cursing had Carol laughing.

"Shit!" He felt along the counter top until he reached Carol, and together they maneuvered until they were walking down the hallway to Carol's room, where they turned on the light.

"So, what did you do all day?"

"Shop. That's about it." They were having such a good night. She didn't need to bring up Ed.

"Sounds...fun." He walked over to his bag, which sat by the dresser, and when he saw that it was empty, he frowned.

"Everything is in the drawers," she pointed out. "I thought I would put them in there for you."

"Thank," he said and pulled out one of the drawers and took out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I'll be right back." He brushed past her and headed towards the bathroom. Carol took that opportunity to quickly shed her clothes, throw on her pajamas and climb into bed.

Daryl returned a few minutes later, changed, and climbed into bed with her. Propping himself slightly above her, he leaned down and kissed her soundly. "Tomorrow is going to be torture," he said after pulling away. "I ain't goin' to see you all day."

"It'll be worth it." She cupped his cheek and ran her thumb across the scruff on his chin. "After Friday, you'll be seeing me every day."

"And I'm going to love it." He kissed her some more.

That night, Carol fell asleep in his arms and not once did Ed cross her mind.

The next chapter will be the wedding chapter!

Thanks for reading!