Carter
After dinner, they all retired to the parlor. There was a fire going, and Carter started throwing things in it and watching them burn.
"Stop it, Carter," Jack said. "You know I don't like it when you do that. You're going to burn the house down."
"No, I'm not," Carter retorted and tossed a napkin in the fire. "You're just mad because Allie cut you off."
Walter snickered. Jack glared at his brother and walked over to the drink cart.
"Maybe youhavehad enough," Nancy said, pursing her lips.
Jack ignored his wife.
"I hate coming here," Carter muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Jack growled, rounding on him.
Carter slowly stood up. Grant positioned himself between the two men.
"You're almost out of the military, Carter," Grant said.
Carter could tell he was trying to change the subject.
"What are your plans?"
"Find a girl, settle down, make babies, then become a horrible father and drink through their entire childhoods."
"You ungrateful prick," his father sputtered at him. "After all I've done for you."
Walter grabbed his brother and hauled him away from Carter. "Settle down, Jack."
"Don't youdare, Walter," Jack spat. "After everything you did, the myriad ways you've wronged me. Stealing my company, turning my sons against me."
Walter rolled his eyes. "Carter's trying his best."
"No, he isn't," Jack said. "He needs to grow up. Look at that tramp he brought in here!" He motioned to Allie, spilling part of his drink in the motion.
"She's standing right there!" Carter shouted.
"She is unsuitable to marry a Holbrook, and I will disown you if you marry her, Carter," Jack said.
Allie looked down her nose at Jack.
"You're a disgusting, horrible woman, and I will not let you marry my son," Carter's father said, his eyes narrowed in rage.
"And why should you be the judge of that?" Carter said.
"Let's calm down," Walter said. "There's nothing wrong with Allie."
Carter knew that Allie was just his pretend fiancée, but still. It rankled him that his family was treating her like a second-class citizen.
"You all think I'm going to end up like Uncle Walter," he said in a low voice, sweeping his gaze over his family's guilty looks. "Allie's not like Danielle."
"I know you still miss the kids, and you're just making a rash decision," Nancy said soothingly.
"I'm not making rash decisions!"
"Could you please go somewhere else?" Nancy said to Allie, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Maybe take thatanimaloutside?"
