Road to Absolution by Piper Davenport

earlier or he probably would have called you by
name. You have always been Uncle Carter in my home.”
    “Shit, Cass! Uncle Carter? I’m not your fuckin’ brother!”
    “Well, I’m
sorry, Carter, what would you have rather me told him? ‘Honey, this is Carter.
He was my best friend a long time ago, and I still love him more than anyone in
the world outside of you, but I decided to screw your biological father and now
the love of my life won’t speak to me. Please bear with me while I never date
another man as long as I live, and a part of my heart never truly heals,
probably because I named you after him, all the while we’ll stare at his
pictures together and wish for what could never be’?” I sighed. “I think that
would make me a pretty crappy mom, buddy. It was easier to just say you were
Uncle Carter, and you were off flying planes and saving the world.” I looked up
at him and rolled my eyes. He was staring at me as though I had lost my mind.
And then he let out a roar of laughter that had me scanning the room for
something to throw at him. “Bite me, Carter Quinn!”
    He continued to
laugh, but picked me up and threw me gently on the bed where he covered my body
with his and kissed me, his laughter and my irritation drying up pretty
quickly. I had never been kissed like this. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been kissed
before, but even Pierre, who I considered to be a boyfriend regardless of how
long it lasted, never kissed me like this. I knew Carter would be good at this…
he was good at everything… but I hadn’t banked on just how good. He slid his
tongue into my mouth and I met it with mine, arching into him when he slid his
hand under my shirt and cupped my breast. He tugged one of my bra cups down and
ran a fingernail over my nipple, making it pebble instantly.
    His mouth moved
to my neck, his warm breath against my skin sending shivers down my spine.
“Baby,” he whispered. “God, Cass, you’re amazing.”
    “Wait, Carter.”
I pushed at his shoulders.
    “Huh-uh,” he
whispered against my skin. “Not waiting anymore.”
    “No, Carter.
Stop.” I pushed at him again.
    He rolled off
me. “What the hell?”
    “I’m not doing
this with you.”
    “Ever?”
    I blushed.
“Well, no, but certainly not today.”
    “Why?”
    I slid off the
bed. “Oh, I don’t know… maybe because you had your hand up another woman’s
shirt less than three hours ago.”
    “Fuck!” he
hissed.
    “ And you
offered to do that to her later.”
    “Cass—”
    “ And you
have a reputation of being a total man whore.”
    He sat up and
scowled. “Who the fuck have you been talkin’ to?”
    “That’s not
important.”
    “Yeah, it
fuckin’ is, Cass. Those bitches—”
    “Please don’t
call them bitches.”
    “Fuck me,
Cassidy,” he ground out. “If those women can’t keep their mouths shut, don’t
matter that they’re old ladies, we’re gonna have a problem.”
    “Well, you
better get over that really quickly, buddy, because I like them, and I honestly
don’t get the impression they’re going around saying anything to anyone else.
They were simply filling me in on what they’d heard from their husbands ,
mind you, so if you have an issue, talk to them.” I crossed my arms. “Just
don’t start a fight.”
    “Holy shit,
woman, what the fuck does that mean?”
    “I just heard
you like to fight, which surprised me a little, because you were always so good
at keeping your anger in check.”
    “Yeah, well it’s
been a shitty few years, Cassidy, but that’s not really the point—” Before he
could finish whatever he thought would change my mind, his phone buzzed on the
nightstand. He groaned and grabbed for it, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“Maverick’s looking for you.”
    I nodded,
setting my clothes right. “I’m the worst mom ever.”
    “Baby, calm
down. He’s safe. We’ll go down and check on him.”
    “I shouldn’t
have to get a text from another person telling me he’s