If only she knew just how much attention he’d been paying. Especially to that gorgeous body of hers. As for what she’d been saying, not so much. “I heard you but wasn’t really listening. I like watching you instead. And just so you know, Mr. P is hard, and the more you move around the room, the harder he gets.”
“How can you think of sex at a time like this?”
He lifted a brow. Was that supposed to be a serious question? “Baby, I’m always thinking of sex when I’m alone with you. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“Well, I’m not in the mood,” she snapped.
He smiled because he knew just how to get her in the mood. And he intended to do it. “That’s okay.”
“Don’t you see what she’s done?”
He frowned. “Who?”
“Edwina. She’s messing with our livesagain. Why won’t she just go away?”
Naked, he eased out of bed, and when her gaze settled on his sex, he said, “I told you he was hard. And talking about that witch Edwina won’t make it go down.”
He walked over, coming to a stop in front of her. “Why are you letting Edwina get to you? You and Lance made it clear that neither of you have any intention of going to see her. Hell, neither one of you even bothered to read the letter. So, what’s the problem?”
Carrie placed her hand on her hips and lifted her chin. “The problem is that it’s clear she’s trying to take advantage of Pop again. And I won’t let her.”
Connor crossed his arms over his chest. “How is she trying to take advantage of Jeremiah?”
“By writing him that letter, she’s playing on the goodness of his heart. Pop is a wonderful and caring man. Who else would claim me as his long, lost daughter without requiring a DNA test first? I begged him to get one, but he refused, saying it didn’t matter what any test said.”
“And in the end, he proved that he was right,” Connor said.
A smile touched her lips. “Yes, I am Pop’s true daughter. Tricking Edwina into admitting it that day was priceless.”
Connor knew how much that had meant to her. “Why are you so worried? Last time I checked, your father was of sound mind. And he’s a happily married man. Edwina doesn’t have a chance against someone like Thea. They are total opposites. Edwina is vulgar, nothing but trash, whereas Thea is sophisticated, cultured, civilized, and polished. There’s no comparison.”
“I know that, but what if Pop gets too wrapped up in wanting to do the right thing by Edwina and ends up losingThea. What woman wants her husband caught up in his ex-wife’s drama? Especially, an ex-wife who was the reason he stayed single for more than twenty years. Pop hasn’t even been married to Thea a year. His time and energy should be focused on her, not Edwina.”
“You think it’s not?”
“All I know is that he didn’t say he wouldn’t go and see her,” she said.
Connor’s fingers reached up to tuck back a few strands of hair that had fallen in Carrie’s face. “And if he does decide to go see her? He has that right. You can’t make his decisions for him.”
“But I want to protect him, Connor. He’s done so much for me—him and my brothers. Logan, Lyle, and Lance stood up to Edwina. You were there. You saw the sacrifices they were willing to make for me.”
“Yes, baby, I was there, and I know that your father took you in without proof that you were his. Because they are real men, ones who stand up for what’s right. But only they can decide what is right for them.”
Her eyes began filling with tears. “I’m afraid this is just another sadistic ploy on Edwina’s part, to gain some people’s sympathy.”
“You heard your father, Carrie. His minister verified Edwina’s medical condition. Don’t let her appearance back in your lives scare you.”
“She is not back in my life, and nothing about her scares me anymore,” she said, wiping her eyes.
“Good. And you can’t worry about what decisions your father and brothers might make. That will be up to them. Not you.”
“I can’t help it,” she said. “I love them so much. They took me off the streets, Connor. They offered me a life I could only dream about. They protected me from Edwina.”
“And now you feel the need to protect them from her,” he said. “Trust me, those Montgomery men can handle anything thrown their way. Even someone like Edwina.”
He pulled Carrie into his arms and held her tight as she sobbed. It broke his heart to hear her cry. The woman he held in his arms was his life, the possessor of his heart, his one and only true love, and the mother of his sons. She was his everything.
Sweeping her off her feet, he headed for the chair in the room. She needed him to hold and comfort her more than he needed to make love to her. That would come later. At this moment, his job was to assure her that everything would be alright, and that she couldn’t fight her father’s and brothers’ battles for them. They were more than capable of doing it themselves. He had gotten to know Jeremiah, Logan, Lyle, and Lance pretty well since he’d become a part of Carrie’s life. And he knew her family would proceed with caution where Edwina was concerned.
