Carter kept his eyes on the road. He was so damned confused. Elaina had called at least three times. He had zero desire to talk to her. All he could think about was Harlem. He was quickly coming to the realization that he wanted to be a father . . . and maybe even more. Being with Harlem was so easy. It didn’t feel like work. And Carter enjoyed her company and conversation. He wondered if she felt the same. He also wondered what she really thought about their kiss. She hadn’t pushed him away. She also hadn’t said a word about it. Then there was Damian. He was gone but not forgotten. His presence loomed large between them.
Carter glanced over at the woman who occupied the entirety of his thoughts only to see that she had fallen asleep.
After a twenty-minute drive, he pulled up into the parking lot of the plaza. Carter got out of the car. He was about to go into the restaurant when he stopped in front of a florist. He glanced over his shoulder at a sleeping Harlem and then back at the store. It was Valentine’s Day. Should I buy her flowers? He was so mixed up in the head.
Harlem was Damian’s girl.
Something within him pushed past that fact, and Carter walked into the florist anyway. After ten minutes, he emerged carrying one long-stemmed red rose with an order to deliver several dozen to his home within the hour. Friends could give each other flowers. He rationalized.
*****
Carter whispered into Harlem’s ear. “Hey. We’re here.”
She cracked open her eyes. “I fell asleep? I didn’t feel tired.”
“What did you tell me? ‘You’re incubating a whole human.’ I’m sure that requires a lot of energy.” Carter laughed.
“We’re at your house?”
“It was closer than driving all the way back downtown to your condo. I’ll take you back later.”
“I don’t care. I’m just ready to eat!”
“Yeah, you and your cravings got my car smelling like fried chicken.” He laughed as he got out. Carter came around to help Harlem out. He walked her to the door and opened it. “Oh. I forgot something. Go on in. I’ll be there in a second.” Carter jogged back to the car, reached into the backseat, and grabbed the single rose.
When he went back into his home, Harlem was in his kitchen, taking the food out of the bags. She looked very comfortable as if she belonged there. “Carter, your kitchen is beautiful.”
“You’ve never been in here?”
She shook her head. “I always sat in the car when we came over.” Harlem could tell that Carter was hiding something behind his back. Her eyes narrowed. “What you got there?”
“Nothing much. Just this.” He pulled out the red rose.
Harlem stood frozen and just stared at it.
“Did I overstep? I didn’t know . . .”
“N-no.” She stuttered as she reached for the rose. “Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. He was sending such mixed signals. Her own feelings were kind of all over the place too.
Carter had never been nervous around a woman before in his life. He always knew exactly what to say to get the desired result. It was different with Harlem. “I just figured, it’s Valentine’s Day.” He lifted a shoulder. “I know that’s important to women. I didn’t want the day to pass and not even acknowledge it.”
“That was very thoughtful. Again, thank you.” She put the rose to her nose and took in the scent as she looked up at him.
Her gaze was intoxicating. Carter didn’t know if Harlem was doing it on purpose or what. At some point, they were going to have to clear the air. He wasn’t sure if either of them were ready for that conversation, so for now, he dodged it. “Let’s take the food into the theater room.”
Harlem could see that Carter was trying to work something out in his mind. She would let him figure it out, and then they would talk about it, especially when she was doing the same. “Okay, sounds good.”
Carter picked up their plates, and Harlem followed him out of the kitchen. He helped her get situated on the couch and then found a movie before sitting next to her.
“Why in God’s name do you have such a big house when you’re the only one in it?”
Carter shrugged. “I liked it.” Of course, there was more to the story than that, but Carter didn’t want to bring down the easiness between them with the real reason he chose this house. Instead, he decided to keep it light as they ate.
“You liked it, huh? Men. I’ll never understand why everything has to always be so big.” Harlem ate a piece of chicken, and the moment it hit her pallet, her eyes rolled into the back of her head from pure ecstasy. “So good.”
Carter enjoyed watching the expressions on her face change. He wondered if she had the same look when making love? The wayward thought caused him to choke.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. The chicken just went down wrong.” He picked up his drink and took a long sip. “I’m fine.”
They chatted
