He was falling for her again.
Still.
Always.
And this time, he wasn’t going to let fear make him lose her.
PART THREE – FAMILY, SECRETS, AND SCANDAL
The Thai restaurant was packed, noisy, and about as far from Carter’s usual haunts as possible while still being in New York City.
He loved it.
Or maybe he just loved watching Natalie demolish a plate of pad Thai with the kind of enthusiasm that made him smile like an idiot.
“What?” she asked, catching him staring.
“Nothing,” he said. “It’s just… really nice seeing you enjoy a meal.”
“First one all week that hasn’t made me want to cry,” she said cheerfully. “Pregnancy cravings are weird. Yesterday I wanted pickles and ice cream—together. It was confusing on a spiritual level.”
Carter laughed. Actually laughed.
“Did you actually eat pickles with ice cream?” he asked.
“Vanilla ice cream with dill pickle chips,” she said solemnly. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Although based on your face right now, you’re definitely knocking it.”
“I’m just… processing,” he said.
“Process faster,” she ordered. “Your spring rolls are getting cold.”
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
The restaurant buzzed around them—families talking, music playing, the sizzle of woks from the kitchen.
It was so normal. So ordinary.
It felt perfect.
“Can I ask you something?” Natalie said suddenly.
“Anything,” he said.
“Your siblings—” she began. “You mentioned them before. How old are they?”
He set down his chopsticks.
“Benjamin’s nineteen,” he said. “He’s a sophomore at Columbia. Wants to be an architect. Jasmine’s sixteen. Junior in high school. Currently convinced she’s going to be a marine biologist despite being terrified of fish.”
Natalie smiled.
“She’s afraid of fish but wants to study them?” she asked.
“She watched a documentary about coral reefs and decided it was her calling,” he said. “The fish thing is a work in progress.”
His expression softened.
“They’re good kids,” he added. “They lost their mom young. Car accident. Dad raised them mostly alone until…”
“Until he died,” Natalie said gently.
“Yeah,” he said. “Heart attack. Sudden. We got to the hospital in time to say goodbye, but barely. After that, everything changed. I went from just being the CEO to being guardian overnight.”
“That must have been terrifying,” she said.
“Still is, most days,” he admitted. “I have no idea what I’m doing. Ben’s easy—just make sure he doesn’t blow his entire meal plan on pizza. Jasmine’s harder. She’s angry. She lost both parents before she could drive. She takes it out on me more than anyone.”
“She’s lucky to have you,” Natalie said.
