Page 70 of Contentious

He was involved with her—and her son—whether he’d intended to be or not.

Was this how it’d happened to Julian?

This situation reminded him of the time he’d been hiking with friends in the Hollywood Hills and accidentally stepped off the trail into a slide that had him clinging to anything he could grasp to keep from falling to his death.

Just like then, he’d stepped off the cliff without intending to, and now he was flailing as he tried to stop the slide into a place he’d never planned to go, knowing it could turn out to be the most painful thing to ever happen.

Listening to Ty tell his mother a story about a boy at school who got into trouble for spitting on another kid, Carson was riveted by her expressions, the obvious love she had for her son and how delightful he was as he conveyed every disgusting detail about the incident.

It occurred to him as he soaked up the moment with them that he wasn’t doing a goddamned thing to stop the slide. Rather, he was plunging into an irreversible fall with every minute he spent with them.

He was about to stand up and tell them he couldn’t do this, that they’d have to find someone else to protect them and teach Ty to surf…

But then she smiled at him, and the desire to run away disappeared like wisps of smoke.

When she looked at him that way, the fall didn’t seem so scary or out of control.

It became exhilarating, like riding a perfect wave or nailing a cheating husband with proof of an affair that would result in a huge settlement for the firm’s client. Those were the things that had excited him in the past.

Now it was her.

She did it for him, and denying that would be foolish at this point.

That didn’t mean he had to promise her forever or anything that dramatic. He’d do well to remember that as he watched her pose for a selfie with the delighted girl working in the shop. Then he guided them out of the shop and onto the sidewalk, which he scanned in every direction, looking for trouble that wasn’t there.

If Beckett was smart, he was hiding out somewhere the cops would never find him, but he hadn’t proven to be smart so far. Carson hoped they’d get lucky with Marlon being quickly apprehended so he could stand down and get back to normal.

Chapter Fifteen

“Can Carson stay for dinner, Mom?”

“That’s up to him. I’m sure he has other things he needs to be doing.”

“I don’t. I took a few days off, so I’m free.”

“Let’s have spaghetti! It’s my favorite!”

“I love spaghetti,” Carson said.

“Mom makes the best meatballs, too. Do we have any, Mom?”

“We do.”

“You’re so lucky,” Ty told him. “They’re the best meatballs in the whole world.”

“I can’t wait to try them.”

When Ty ran ahead of them to the car, Cresley said, “You don’t have to stay if you have work or other plans.”

“I don’t. I cleared my schedule until this situation is resolved.”

“Carson… You don’t have to do that. We can stay home with the alarm on until he’s found.”

“How would I have a second of peace if I wasn’t right there to make sure you guys are safe?”

“Carson! Unlock the door!”

He found the key fob in his pocket and hit the unlock button. “We’ll talk about this later. I need to swing by my place to grab a few things and then let’s get you guys home.”