“Okay. I hope Baxter doesn’t freak.”
“He won’t,” Chappy reassured her.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. He’s been so much better around us. He’s getting used to us and realizing that not all people are bad. Just yesterday he almost came into the cabin when you left the door open. If nothing else, I think he’ll stick around, if only to make sure you’re okay.”
“He is kind of protective, isn’t he?” Carlise asked with a small smile.
“Yup. I about crapped my pants when he barked yesterday when I was tickling you on the couch, and he heard you shrieking through the door. I’m sure he thought I was hurting you.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me,” Carlise said firmly.
He loved that she sounded so sure. “Of course I wouldn’t. But Baxter doesn’t know that. He’ll learn, though.”
“Do you think Cal will remember to bring the bag of dog food? I mean, as much as I’m sure Bax is enjoying the human food, it’s probably better to wean him off it sooner rather than later.”
“He’ll remember.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to meet Callum Redmon. He’s famous!”
Chappy chuckled. “Whatever you do, don’t bow or call him Your Highness. He hates that.”
“Oh my God, I wouldn’t do that. That would be . . . weird or something.”
“It would.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking it,” she said with a small laugh.
“I know I don’t need to tell you this, because I trust you, but I’m going to anyway. Please don’t stare at his scars. He went through hell when we were POWs, and he got the brunt of the torture from our captors.”
“I won’t. Scars don’t make the man, it’s what’s inside that I care about. The prettiest men are sometimes the biggest assholes, while the ones who don’t fit society’s mold of what’s masculine or handsome often have the biggest hearts and are the kindest people.”
“That’s very true. He’s just had a lot of crap said about him because of his royal status and the scars. It takes a toll.”
“Well, he’s safe here,” Carlise said. “I’d never do anything intentionally to upset your friends.”
“And they won’t do anything to upset you,” Chappy returned.
“It’s . . . we’ve . . .” She paused. “I think they’re going to be concerned about how fast things have moved with us.”
“They won’t.”
“Of course they will. I mean, it has been fast, Riggs.”
“Does it feel wrong to you?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Then screw what anyone else thinks,” he said firmly. But Chappy knew where this was coming from. She had yet to call her best friend or her mom because she was afraid they’d judge her, just as she thought his friends would.
“Yeah.”
They were standing in the kitchen, and he cupped her cheek as he urged her to look at him. He loved putting his hands on her. Touching her in any way he could. Her skin was dewy soft, and she was so fragile looking, but he knew she had a spine of steel.
“If Susie tells you that you’re making a mistake, will you believe her? Or trust in what you feel building between us?” Chappy hadn’t really meant to ask the question, but he was a little concerned about how stressed she seemed over the speed of their relationship. As far as he was concerned, they were perfect together, but if she didn’t feel the same way, he’d wait as long as it took for her to realize this was meant to be.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered, dropping her gaze—and not answering his question.
Chappy’s stomach churned. They hadn’t talked about what had brought her to Maine in the first place, but it was there between them, like a boulder they’d eventually have to get around. He was trying to be patient, to let her tell him the details when she felt comfortable.
“Then talk to me,” he said, hearing the pleading tone of his words.
“I . . . I’m scared.”
“Of me?” Chappy asked.
“No! Not of you. Never of you.”
“Then what?”
She opened her mouth to respond but stopped when a sound from outside caught their attention.
Mentally cursing his friends’ bad timing, Chappy leaned down and kissed Carlise gently. “We’ll talk later. But in the meantime, know this: Whatever happened. Whatever you’re afraid of . . . we’ll figure out together how to move past it. A few skeletons in your past aren’t going to scare me away, sweetheart.”