The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)(72)

“I’m good. I promise,” Carlise said.

“How would you feel about me coming out there to see for myself?” Susie asked.

“Seriously? Yes!” Carlise exclaimed.

“I want to meet this Riggs character and make sure he’s good enough for my best friend.”

“I’d love that. I promise to keep in touch better than I have, and we’ll figure out a good time for you to come. I mean, Newton isn’t exactly on the beaten path, so I’ll have to give you specific directions,” she teased with a laugh.

“Okay. Stay safe,” Susie said softly.

“You too. If you see Tommy anywhere around, just go in the other direction. Riggs said he was going to help me end this stalker stuff. He’s going to get his friends involved and the local Newton police.”

“That’s a relief, at least,” Susie said.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Love you, Suz.”

“Love you too. Bye.”

Carlise hung up, not sure how to feel about the conversation with her best friend. She and Susie had always been brutally honest with each other, but all her worry aside, today she seemed . . . weird. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly why, but the feeling persisted. Maybe it was because Susie seemed almost more angry than concerned.

She hated that her friend couldn’t be supportive of her relationship with Riggs, but she knew Susie had good reason to be wary, considering Carlise’s last relationship. And she probably hadn’t said anything that wasn’t expected. But she also didn’t know Riggs. Once she met him, she’d see that he was nothing like Tommy. That his feelings for Carlise were genuine.

It wasn’t until she got up and put the phone back on the kitchen counter that she realized Susie hadn’t told her anything about her new boyfriend. She’d neatly changed the subject.

Mentally shrugging, Carlise decided that would be the first thing she asked when she talked to Susie next. She wanted to know all about the new man in her life.

At the moment, though, she needed to see Riggs. Talk to him. Reassure herself that he was the man she thought he was and not the monster Susie seemed to assume he could be.

She put on her boots and jacket and stepped outside. Baxter saw her and immediately ran in her direction. He came close enough for her to just brush her fingers over his head before he bolted away and grabbed a mouthful of snow, throwing it up in the air.

Laughing, Carlise turned toward Riggs . . . and stilled. He was headed in her direction with a look she couldn’t interpret on his face. If she had to guess, she’d say he looked upset.

“What’s wrong?” she asked with a frown as she stepped off the porch.

“That’s what I was going to ask you. Were you not able to get ahold of your mom or Susie? Are they sick? Do we need to get you to town or back to Ohio? We can probably be there within a day if we drive, or we could head up to Bangor and catch a flight to Cleveland.”

Carlise stared at him in surprise. “Are you even real?” she blurted.

“What?” he asked, looking completely confused.

“I didn’t know men like you existed. You don’t even know if anything’s wrong, yet you’re talking about taking me to Ohio because you think I might need to see my loved ones.”

“So they’re okay? Then what’s wrong?”

Carlise shook her head. This man. Susie was so wrong about him. This right here was reason number five hundred and sixteen that proved it.

She stepped close and put her arms around his neck. Riggs immediately pulled her flush against him. Then he put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up so he could see her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Is your mom okay?”

“Yes.”

“Susie?”

Carlise nodded.

Every muscle in Riggs’s body relaxed. “Talk to me, sweetheart. Based on your expression when you came outside, I’m imagining the worst here.”

“My mom was thrilled for me. Said she can’t wait to meet you.”

“I want to meet her too,” Riggs said with a small nod.

“Susie . . . She’s not so sure. She thinks I’m insane, actually. That there’s no way I can love you. She’s basically worried. Wants me to come home before you steal all my money and knock me up with one of the fourteen babies she’s sure you must want.”

“Four,” Riggs said immediately.

“What?”

“I’d like four kids. I’ve always wanted a big family, and four kids seems like it would be perfect. They’d always have a friend and someone to play with, someone to have their backs in school, and someone they can lean on for the rest of their lives. I don’t care if they’re boys or girls, just that they’re healthy.”

Carlise swallowed hard.

“What about you? You want kids?”

She nodded.

“Am I freaking you out with the four kids thing?”

Carlise shook her head slowly. “When I was little, I used to tell my mom I wished I had brothers or sisters. I thought that maybe if there were more of us, we could’ve protected Mom better. Or Dad wouldn’t have been so mean. I don’t know. But actually . . . I always thought four would be perfect.” She practically whispered that last part.