Obligation, page 23
Bradley: Dad’s sending the private jet. Leaving at 3pm Friday.
Carissa scrambled to unfold the paper Danny had given her, and she quickly scanned the information. His flight was leaving at 3 pm, too. She hung her head, indecision heavy on her shoulders. Her phone buzzed again.
Bradley: No pressure, promise, but I need to let them know by tomorrow morning if they should expect another passenger.
She sank down onto her bed. Tears pooled in her eyes. A trip to Texas with Bradley would be fun and romantic. A trip to Maine with Danny would be full of tension and grief. What if Danny lost his temper again? What if he left her somewhere in Maine, and she didn’t have anyone to call for help? Was he truly in need of emotional support, or was he emotionally manipulating her again? Questions swirled in her mind, but only one stood out the loudest.
What the hell was she supposed to do now?
Chapter Thirty-Two
Unease slithered through Bradley’s veins, though he wasn’t sure why. He’d had an amazing afternoon with Carissa, and he was in the best mood knowing she’d ended things with Danny. That meant Bradley could finally make a real move without worrying about being “that guy” who broke up a relationship.
Yet, something was wrong. He didn’t know how he knew that. He just did. His instincts were on high-alert. The fact that Carissa hadn’t replied to a single one of his messages since he’d left her room an hour ago didn’t ease his fears, either.
Feet propped on the coffee table, he flipped aimlessly through the TV channels, but he was much too distracted to focus. He tossed the remote on the couch cushion, snatched his phone from the arm of the couch, and checked his messages. Again.
Still nothing.
He frowned, then stood. Aggravation was his companion as he strode into the kitchen, yanked open the fridge door, peeked inside, then swung the door shut a little harder than necessary.
Blowing out a breath, he rested his hands on top of the kitchen island and glanced around. For campus-approved housing, the place wasn’t too bad, though it wasn’t the penthouse. The urge to go back there, to be surrounded by the memory of Carissa being there consumed him. Hell, he wanted to take her back there. She never did get a chance to swim in the pool.
Across the room, his phone lit up, and he practically ran back to the couch. He scooped up his phone and read the message.
Carissa: I promise to let you know by tomorrow morning.
He furrowed his brow and tilted his head, rereading her message. That was all she had to say? He’d expected something more. His unease intensified. If only he could figure out what was wrong, or rather, what was causing all this dread.
Garrett raced down the stairs like his ass was on fire. “Have you seen my keys?”
“Over there.” Bradley nodded at the wooden bowl on the kitchen counter.
Garrett dug through the items in the bowl, then held his keys up in triumph. “Thanks, man.” He headed for the front door.
“Where are you rushing off to? Is the house on fire or something?”
“Carissa’s,” he said and slipped his feet into a pair of Nike sandals.
That had Bradley’s attention. “Oh yeah? Everything alright?” He hoped his voice was calmer than his heart.
Garrett shrugged. “No idea. She sent me, Cory, and Tiff a message saying she needed to talk to us ASAP, but she wouldn’t tell us why.”
Bradley’s stomach sank. Was Carissa going to tell her brother and closest friends about his invitation to go to Texas with him? Was she about to ask for their advice? That was what girls usually did, right? He’d seek Jeremy’s advice when needing to make a big decision. Shifting on his feet, Bradley forced himself to remain calm. For all he knew, Carissa’s message had nothing to do with him.
“Anyway, I gotta go.” Garrett practically stormed out of the house, slamming the door closed behind him.
Bradley’s first inclination was to text Carissa, ask her what was going on and if she was okay. But maybe he wasn’t supposed to know she’d summoned her friends, and he didn’t want to unintentionally snitch on Garrett. Then again, Garrett hadn’t said anything about Bradley needing to keep his mouth shut.
Before he could send a message he would probably regret, the front door swung open, and Danny walked in. He looked like hell, and for a split-second, Bradley almost felt bad for the guy. That feeling quickly went away.
“Where is everyone?” Danny asked.
“Garrett just left. No idea where he went,” Bradley lied smoothly, not wanting to give Danny an excuse to go see Carissa. “And Jeremy’s in class.”
“When they get back, can you let them know I’m going to be gone for a few days?” Danny stood behind the living room chair, hands clutching the back of it.
“You can’t tell them yourself?” Bradley crossed his arms, his need to tell Danny off burning hotter with each passing moment. “I’m not a messenger service.”
Danny scowled and stood to his full height, which was the same height as Bradley. In that regard, they were evenly matched. Danny, however, had a hell of a lot more muscle than Bradley did, but he was positive he’d be able to hold his own in a fight.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Danny asked.
“You’re my problem,” Bradley said, letting his anger take control for once. “You’re an asshole, and you treat Carissa like shit. I have an issue with that.”
“Of course you do.” Danny snorted and moved around the chair until he stood face to face with Bradley. “Because you want her, don’t you?”
Bradley’s jaw tensed, and the vein in his temple throbbed. He refused to let Danny bait him. So, he remained stoic and silent.
“You want her, and you’re pissed that you can’t have her,” Danny said, a tone of gleefulness in his tone. “Well, too fucking bad. She’s mine.” He pointed at his chest to emphasize his words.
“Not anymore,” he said coolly. “Last I heard, you two broke up.”
Danny’s lips flattened into a thin, angry line, and he curled his hands into fists by his sides. Bradley was hyper-aware of every move Danny made, no matter how small, in preparation for a physical altercation. Danny was the type of guy to throw a sucker punch without warning.
“Right.” He nodded, his grin smug. “That’s why she’s going home with me this weekend, right? Because she’s not mine?”
Bradley’s anger reached its boiling point, and he dug his fingernails into his arms to stop himself from knocking Danny flat on his ass. No way was Carissa going home with Danny, not this weekend. Not when Bradley had invited her to go to Texas. Unless…
The dread and unease from earlier intensified, and suddenly, everything made so much more sense. No wonder Carissa hadn’t jumped at his offer—she already had plans to go home with Danny, and she was too ashamed or scared to tell Bradley the truth. That would also explain why she hadn’t said much in her message to him.
“Do us all a favor and don’t come back,” Bradley said. He shoved past Danny, knocking into his shoulder hard enough to jar Danny, and then Bradley stormed out of the house.
His body was tense as he jogged down the porch steps and across the lawn toward his car. He fully expected Danny to run after him, jump him from behind, but a quick glance over Bradley’s shoulder confirmed that he was alone.
What the fuck was Carissa thinking, agreeing to go home with Danny?
Bradley jerked open his car door and slid in behind the wheel. He fired up the ignition, then revved the engine. Slamming the car into reverse, he peeled out of the driveway, kicking up dust and dirt behind him, creating a cloud of debris.
Why in the hell would she want to go away with Danny when she’d finally gotten away from him? Of course, Danny could be lying, but why would he? And why about something like this?
Bradley had half a mind to drive straight to campus, bang on Carissa’s door, and demand to know why she’d been all over him that afternoon when she knew she’d be spending the weekend with Danny?
His grip on the steering wheel was brutal, his knuckles ghost-white, and he shifted hard, not caring if he grinded the gears or trashed the transmission. Right now, he needed an outlet for the anger burning in him.
As he sped down the on-ramp toward the highway, his anger morphed into hurt. He wasn’t mad at Carissa—he was disappointed and heartbroken by her choice. And knowing she didn’t even have the guts to tell him? He shook his head and slowed his speed to be within the legal limit.
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around any of this. Carissa wouldn’t agree to go home with Danny, regardless of why—which Bradley had no idea what the reason was. He slowed his speed and focused on calming his breathing.
He’d told Carissa he was going to win her away from Danny, for good, and God damn it, that’s exactly what Bradley intended to do. He wouldn’t sulk and stew over maybes and possibilities. Instead, he’d go straight to the source to get the truth.
Whipping around in the median, Bradley merged with the traffic heading in the opposite direction, and he drove at a more reasonable speed back toward campus. Hopefully by the time he arrived, he’d be calmer and have some clue as to what he’d say to Carissa. One thing he wouldn’t do, though, was hurl accusations at her. Bradley had no reason to believe Danny had been telling the truth, so unless he heard the same thing from Carissa, he’d give her the benefit of the doubt.
His cell phone rang, startling him, and he fumbled to reach for his phone that he’d tossed into the passenger seat. Swiping his finger across the screen, he answered. “Hey, Jer. What’s up?”
“What the hell happened with you and Danny?” he asked in a low, urgent whisper. “He’s tearing through the house cursing and throwing shit around.”
Bradley couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly, he’d gotten under Danny’s skin more than he’d realized. That thought brought him a lot of satisfaction. “Nothing. I told him in no uncertain terms that I didn’t like him, and I didn’t like how he treated Carissa.”
“Dude, what the fuck?” Jeremy laughed.
“Someone had to say it,” Bradley said with a shrug. “He’s an emotionally abusive dick.”
“I’m not disagreeing with you, but did you have to tell him that to his face?”
“He asked what my problem was, so I told him.” Bradley flicked on his turn signal and exited the highway. “Not my fault he can’t handle the truth.”
“Well, head’s up… you might want to steer clear for a little while. Let him cool down,” Jeremy said.
Bradley wasn’t afraid of Danny. Sure, Danny might have more muscle, but Bradley could hold his own. And truth be told, he was itching to slam his fists square in Danny’s face. The asshole deserved much more, but Bradley did have some restraint.
“Thanks. I have to do a few things anyway, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
That depended on what Carissa said to him, because if she confirmed everything Danny said, Bradley wouldn’t be going back to the house. Hell, he wouldn’t be staying in California for a while. He’d either stay at the penthouse or fly home to Texas a day early.
“Alright, man, let me know if you need me,” Jeremy said.
“Will do.” Bradley ended the call and tossed his phone back into the passenger seat.
The street that would lead to campus loomed ahead, and he made the necessary left turn. His nerves intensified, and his palms were sweaty. The closer he got to Carissa’s residence hall, the more unsure he became. What right did he have to show up at her room uninvited? Maybe he should call or text her first.
He pulled into one of the commuter parking lots and drove around a few times until he found an empty spot. Killing the engine, he sat there for several seconds, his gaze bouncing from his phone to her residence hall in the distance.
Indecision gnawed at him. His mother’s voice echoed in his thoughts, scolding him for showing up anywhere unannounced. That’s rude, she’d told him more than once. And you never show up without a gift for the host. He shook her voice from his mind. This situation wasn’t normal, and adhering to proper southern etiquette would only make the whole thing much more awkward.
With a heavy sigh, he opened his door and climbed out of the car. His heart was in his throat, and his limbs shook with a combination of nerves and excitement. Nerves for showing up like this, for what she might tell him and how he’d react. Excitement for being able to see her again, because he was always excited to be near her.
Locking his car, he pushed away all his doubts and strode toward her residence hall. He was on mission to find out the truth, and nothing was going to stand in his way.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Carissa paced the length of her room, her hands trembling and heart racing as she waited for her friends to show up. She’d messaged Tiffany, Garrett, and Cody in a panic, and based on their responses, she’d scared them. That hadn’t been her intention—she simply needed to unload and get their advice—but maybe that unintentional fear she’d caused would make them hurry the hell up.
A knock sounded on her door, and her heart lodged in her throat. She rushed forward and swung open the door. Cory and Garrett stood on the other side, their expressions masked with concern.
“Where’s Tiff?” she asked and glanced around them and down the hall.
A second later, Tiffany rushed off the elevator and toward their room. Carissa stepped farther into the room and waved for them to come in.
“What’s the emergency?” Tiff asked, panting and out of breath. “I legit just walked out of class and ran across campus.”
Carissa cringed. “Sorry. I forgot you were in class.” She closed the door, then turned to face her friends and brother. “I need your help.”
“With what?” Garrett asked, head tilted.
Taking a deep breath, Carissa licked her lips. She’d called them here to come clean about everything, and she couldn’t change her mind now. “Y’all might want to sit down.”
Tiffany eyed her suspiciously, but she didn’t hesitate to sink down onto her bed. She was still breathing heavy, but her face was no longer red with the exertion of running all the way here.
“You’re starting to scare me,” Cory said as he sat next to Tiffany.
“Yeah, me too.” Garrett sat on Tiffany’s other side.
Now or never. Carissa sat on her bed so that she was facing everyone. She twisted her hands in her lap. Where did she even start? She wasn’t quite ready to tell them about the miscarriage just yet, but she had to tell them about everything else.
“Danny and I broke up,” she said.
“Yeah, we know.” Cory shifted on the bed, closer to Tiffany.
“Right.” Carissa nodded. “Things haven’t been so great between us lately.”
“Yeah, we know that, too,” Garrett said.
Carissa frowned and exhaled heavily. “Then I’m sure you all know Danny’s cheated on me, too. I mean, he had another girl in his room during the bonfire after party.”
All three of them nodded sympathetically, guilt flashing across their faces.
“That wasn’t the first time he’s done something like that,” Carissa said softly. “At the end of last semester, just before he left to go home for the summer, he’d cheated on me with Lily.”
“The cheerleader?” Tiffany asked, eyes wide.
“Yup.” Carissa sighed. “He swears all they did was kiss and make out a little, but I’m not sure I believe him.”
Garrett grunted and shook his head. “Why the hell would he do that? You two were so great together.”
Carissa shrugged, but she did know why. Her secret burden hung over her head like an anvil suspended by dental floss. The threat of tears burned her throat and nose. She was tired of lying and shouldering all the pain and shame on her own.
“It’s my fault,” she whispered and lowered her head.
“Stop it,” Tiff snapped. “The only person responsible for Danny cheating is Danny.”
Tears pooled in Carissa’s eyes, and she lifted her head to look first at her twin brother, then her two best friends in the entire world. They deserved to know the whole truth.
“I started to pull away from him before he ever cheated. He could feel that I was becoming more and more distant.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I had found out I was pregnant, and I was terrified.”
Tiffany gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
“What?” Cory said. “You’re pregnant? Do Mom and Dad know?”
“I was pregnant,” she emphasized. “The night Danny was with Lily, I had a miscarriage. I was in the hospital, alone and scared and confused, and he was with another girl.”
“Oh, Carissa, honey.” Tiffany moved over to sit beside Carissa and pulled her into a hug. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too,” Garrett said, moving to sit on Carissa’s other side. He gently rubbed her back.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Cory asked, his tone compassionate and devoid of any judgment or accusation. He crouched in front of Carissa and rested his hands on her knees.
“At first, I was in shock.” Carissa sniffled. “I did tell Mom and Dad.” She looked at her brother. “They weren’t happy, and Dad threatened to cut me off.”
Cory muttered a curse and shook his head.
“When I told Danny, he was so happy, and I thought maybe things would be okay, y’know?” She once again fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “He talked so much about our future and how we were going to have the perfect life. And for a little while, I agreed with him. But then I really started to think about everything, and I realized I didn’t want to be a mom. Not yet. I was too young.” Fresh tears streamed down her face.
No one spoke, but they all offered comforting touches and wore understanding expressions. She should’ve known her friends wouldn’t judge her or turn their backs on her for a mistake she’d made.
“But Danny just kept talking about marriage and buying a house and having more kids.” She laughed bitterly. “He was just so happy, and I didn’t know how to tell him I didn’t want to have a baby right now.” She wiped her tears and swallowed around the lump in her throat. “So, I began to find excuses not to spend as much time with him. He noticed.”
