Chapter 31 THIRTY-ONE
Carter parked the car in front of the Gomezes' house and grabbed the bouquet of flowers, which mainly consisted of Natasha's favorites. He had stopped by the flower shop to buy them before heading to her house.
Carter breathed and pushed the doorbell. He waited until the door clicked open. It was Mrs. Leticia Gomez, Raven's aunt, who greeted him with a warm smile.
"Beta Carter," she said.
"Hi, Ma'am. Is Natasha in there?" he added nervously as he clutched the bouquet tightly.
"She's inside; come in," Leticia said, opening the door widely for Carter to enter. Carter went inside, his beating loudly in his chest. "I will just call for her," she added and walked away, leaving Carter in the living room.
"Hello, sir," Carter greeted the Gomez patriarch, Diosdado Gomez. Diosdado looked at him and quickly nodded his head. Civilly acknowledging Carter's presence. Surprised at how the patriarch acted toward him, Carter remained standing, waiting for Natasha.
"Carter, she's coming down to see you. Hon, let's go get something in the bakeshop," Leticia said. Diosdado looked at her, forehead creased, but the old lady walked towards her husband and pulled him. "Take care of my Natasha," she whispered and went out of the house.
Natasha came down and smiled at Carter. Carter gripped the bouquet tightly. There it is—the smile he has been missing for three years.
"Hi again," Carter said.
"Hello," Natasha said.
"Tash... I'm sorry," Carter whispered. "I apologize for what happened about three years ago," he continued.
"It's alright; I already forgave you," Natasha said. "Is that for me?" she added and looked at the flowers. Carter scratched the back of his head and shyly nodded.
"It is. I remembered you liked these flowers," he said, handing Natasha the bouquet.
"Thank you, Carter. Come sit down," Natasha replied while she smelled the flower and smiled. Carter sat on the couch and Natasha on the opposite side.
"Tash..." Carter began to stare at the woman he was in love with.
"Mommy!" Carter looked at the child who was running down.
"Ciara! Oh gods, why are you running?! You could have fallen!" Natasha angrily uttered those words and embraced the child tightly. "Please don't do that again," she added, begging, but the little girl just giggled at her.
"You're married?" he whispered and bowed his head. He felt like his heart sank. He was too late—really late.
"No," Natasha responded, drawing Carter's attention to her. "Ciara, meet Carter. Carter, meet Ciara, our three-year-old daughter," she said, dropping the truth like a bomb.
"He's daddy?" Ciara asked, her little eyes growing big and twinkling with delight.
"He is. Go give him a hug; he's in shock," Natasha said and put Ciara down. The little girl ran towards Carter, climbed onto his lap, and hugged him.
"Daddy!" Ciara exclaimed.
"You weren't going to return the hug?" Natasha asked. Carter snapped out of his reverie and stared at the little girl sitting in his lap. Without hesitation, he embraced the girl.
"She's my kid?" Carter asked and Natasha nodded. "Why...why did you hide it from me?" he added, tears streaming down his eyes.
"Ciara, baby, come with me to your grandma's room. Your dad and I will talk," Natasha said. Ciara kissed Carter's cheek and went down.
"I'll be back, Daddy." Don't cry!" Ciara yelled and walked away, holding Natasha's hand. Carter couldn't believe what he just found out. He's a father to a three-year-old daughter! Carter wiped his tears when he saw Natasha coming back.
"Tash, why?" Carter asked. "Why didn't you tell me about our daughter?" he added hopelessly.
"Because you didn’t want me or our relationship to work. Would things change if I revealed this to you? Natasha asked, her voice cracking.
"It would!" Carter yelled as he stood up. "I would have stopped you that goddamn day! I wouldn’t have let you go if you had just told me," he said, cupping Natasha's face.
"But you did. You let me go," Natasha said, sadness filling her eyes.
"Tasha, I'm sorry," Carter replied. "The Goddess knows how much I regretted everything three years ago," he said, holding her hand.
"Then why didn’t you contact me in those three years, Carter? There were so many ways you could have reached out," Natasha asked. "But it’s alright; I’ve already moved past that."
"I'm not here for us. I'm here so Ciara can know her father," Natasha said, avoiding Carter's gaze.
Carter clenched his fist. It was all his fault. He thought letting go of Natasha was the answer, but it wasn't. She had a life ahead of her, and Carter didn’t want her to be stuck in the pack where she couldn’t explore. But he was wrong. He should have been there supporting her, not leaving her when she needed him the most.
"Tash...please, I'll do anything. Just give me a chance to prove my love for you and our daughter," he said. "I want to make it up to you and for the mistakes I've made."
"Just... just make it up to Ciara. She needs you right now," Natasha replied, stepping away from him. "You can visit her here," she added with a wry smile.
"I’ll make it up to you both. I promise," Carter said firmly. He wouldn’t back down. Not again. He had let her go once; he would never let her go again. "Can I see Ciara now?" he asked, smiling, his heart beating erratically with excitement to meet his little one.
On the other hand, Brienne knocked on Raven's door.
"Come in," he said. Brienne turned the knob and pushed the door open. He saw Raven fixated on something.
"Hi… Are you busy?" she asked shyly. Raven put his pen down and stood up.
"Never for you, darling. What is it?" he asked, walking toward her. Brienne closed the door and waited for him.
"Nothing. Can I stay in here?" she asked while fiddling with her fingers.
"Of course you can, darling," Raven said and pulled her closer to him. "Just in time for my break," he added and inhaled her scent. He pulled her gently, and they sat on the couch together.
"How was talking with my cousin?" Raven asked.
"She's nice and beautiful," Brienne said.
"She's Carter's ex-girlfriend, and he's planning to win her back," Raven said, which made Brienne look at her with a surprise expression in her face.
"Oh, that's why Carter said that," Brienne said. "They looked good together," she added.
"What did he say?" Raven asked.
"He says he wanted to talk to her, and Natasha immediately left after Carter went in here," Brienne said, making Raven chuckle.
"Interesting," Raven said and kissed Brienne's cheek. "What do you want to do today, darling?" he asked.
"I will stay here and read if that's okay with you. I'll be back in the office tomorrow," Brienne said. She took a leave of absence to completely rest her body. She doesn't want to risk her baby's safety.
"It's okay, darling. Do what you want," Raven said. Brienne smiled and allowed Raven to place her between his legs while she read the book she had brought. That's how they will spend the day.