The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

“What are you doing, Kiddo?” Jake nudges me in the side as he comes up beside me on the wooden bench, where I have been watching their kids play together from afar. Sat in the far end of their beautiful gardens under the shade of the trees.

Arrick left. I don’t know if he drove one of his family cars back to the city or hopped on a flight, but all I know is he is gone and has been for a couple of hours.

“Sitting in your garden” I clear my throat and avoid eye contact, knowing fine well what he means.

“Breaking up with the guy you want to marry and sending him packing? We both know you can’t survive without him, so I am asking again… What are you doing?” Jake slides his legs out casually and stretches beside me, occupying way too much space to ignore him and I sink back beside him with a huge sigh.

“Trying to get though whatever this is, alone for once. To stop needing other people to help fix me.” I avoid him, even though I can feel those green eyes zoned in on the side of my face. Studying me with that quick brain and picking me apart. A Carrero trait that is a little annoying at times.

“So, sending home my little brother in a complete mess, thinking he’s lost the only girl who will ever make him happy… Probably has his head in his shiny oven right now.” Jake nudges me playfully and even though I know he’s trying to get to me with humor, it cuts a little close to the bone.

Arrick probably is a mess. I know him, how much he loves me and that’s half the problem. He is suffocating me with it.

“If I didn’t make him think it was a breakup … He wouldn’t have gone. I need space right now. Arrick isn’t good at space when all his care giver cylinders are firing full throttle.”

That’s an understatement.

“So, you send him off single and broken-hearted back to the city to spend the next week with a busty PA who practically undresses in front of him at every opportunity… Smooth move.” He chuckles and shoulders me as I spin to him in a flash of fury, insane instant jealousy as my breath and heart stop simultaneously and a fire engulfs me. I catch him grinning at me and gawp in reaction.

“You’re an asshole… Why would you say that to me?” I balk, slapping him hard across the shoulder a tad aggressively. He laughs at my feeble assault and shrugs.

“Just checking you still love him.” He winks, and I glare harder.

“If she lays one fucking finger on him…” I grind out murderously, seething inwardly with a picture of that bitch in my mind’s eye. Even the thought makes me feel sick and Jake shoves me.

“He’s single, isn’t he? … You don’t have a say really.” He’s trying to get to me, because Jake can be an ass and he thinks he can play me into running home after Arrick, but it will fix nothing. All he is doing is making me feel crazy frantic and insecure about what he might do now we’re not together.

makes me feel ill to my stomach. I don’t even want to think that he could or would do something like

Hand coming to my shoulder as I start to cry, and I

makeover and a name change to one Sophie Huntsberger, then no… Arrick was lost a long time ago to the wiles of mere women when a certain blonde took a firm grip of his heart. Will he be stupid enough to go home, get drunk and try to punch his heartbreak out? Most likely… Sex with his PA? … No. He’s a hopeless romantic, committed to you and he knows if he does anything like that then he won’t ever get you back. We both

arm so he can hug me on the seat. Heart erupting in little splintered splices of pain and head a mess with this new worry to add to all of it. The thought of Arry ever betraying

higher around my shoulder and pulls my face against his chest in a fatherly way, kissing me on top of my hair affectionately. Jake is good

you that I’m jealous about her, didn’t he?” I swallow down my frayed

that he went into full panic mode that you might not believe it was innocent. I know that he proposed to you that night because he wanted you to know you had nothing to worry about, and that he is still infatuated with you. Arry understands why it’s left you a little sensitive.” He kicks his feet out on the grass and sinks lower, pulling me with him so he’s comfier and I end up with a face full of Jake bicep in the process. I wriggle and squirm to get free, but he doesn’t relent until I end up pushing his arm back down out of my way. Over the years I have learned to trust him like a second father, and I know he would never do anything to hurt me and

get comfortable, wondering how much he actually notices with working beside them. I feel awful for asking, like I’m snooping on Arry, but this is something which has crossed my mind a few times.

then no. I think you should trust him and let it go. If he felt working with her crossed any line concerning you, he would have fired her, Sophie. Arrick’s a straight player and he doesn’t mess about. He knows what he would lose.” Jake looks and sounds completely factual. He wouldn’t lie about something like this

wasn’t so innocent in him not getting his plane back to my show a few weeks back. He maintained she couldn’t get him a flight, but I have doubts she tried until it was too late. I know I’m trying to deflect my mind to something pointless and I sigh heavily at everything. “My head is way messy. I have no clue what to think or feel lately, about anything.”

and I think time apart might not be the best idea, but if it’s what you think you need then I’m here if you need me. Emma is here to talk, when you’re ready and even though your family have no idea what’s going on… They know something’s up, Sophs. Arrick

to consider his words and stare blankly back at the garden. Mia is throwing sand over Lucas, who seems to be encouraging it, and Ava is rolling in it,

Kids are weird.

I stayed to get head space and not talk this out with other people. Well my mom; I have yet to find the courage to go and do it. We have never had the kind of relationship where I

doing all the hard talking

like him. Open up to Jake, seeing

wasn’t about me at all! I had no say in anything, no control, and now I want to be able to take some time to think

to blinker himself when trying to take care of everything… His head was on his future kid, Sophie. It wasn’t about not caring about you or your feelings, he brushed them aside without really taking them into account, because he thought you would warm to the idea in time. He was wrong

loved died in our lifetimes, so we have never had to handle any sort of sadness in that way. At no time have we both needed someone to be there for them at

tantrums go. He does way too much

a little, so I can sit up again, and he keeps his arm around my shoulder. I watch Mia in the sand pit showing her siblings how to turn out a little castle from a pink bucket now she has stopped throwing it around. Watching them makes my chest tighten and the tears

what each other

about weathering the storm and finding a way to get through it. Deep down you do still know each other, you’re both blinded by your own pain right now. Hold onto how you

keep that in my

him such a hard time and I don’t mean to. Arrick could have chosen any other girl in the world and had