Never Get Enough (Enough #1) (23 page)

Bray looks like he is going to start hitting Keller all
over again; he start talking in a voice trembling with anger. “You think Carter isn’t everything to me, Keller? She means more to me than anything else in the world. Lena was threatening me about telling Carter we had hooked up when I was fifteen. I hadn’t even met Carter yet, but I didn’t want to tell Carter till after volleyball season was over.” He looked straight at me then, “Baby doll, I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable when you had to play with Lena. I knew if she knew that I had told you; she would taunt you with the information and make it miserable at practice. I was going to make myself tell you today, but I waited one day too long. I am so sorry for keeping it from you, but I was a coward. I hate to see you upset or uncomfortable. Especially when I am the person causing any of it, please forgive me for being a selfish prick. I love you so fucking much that I know I can’t live without you. I would just stalk you pathetically until you gave in, just cause you felt bad for me.”

My heart immediately softened towards Bray. “Am I enough for you in every way, Bray?”
He nodded frantically, “You are everything to me, Carter. I will never get enough of you. You know if we are together I have to be touching you, and I always want us together. You are every dream I have ever had. You are so kind, thoughtful, but tough. You know what it is like to have no support but me and Keller. It will always be you for me.” He looks straights in my eyes at the end and says in a shaky voice, “I promise you that for me this will always be forever!”

I know he is speaking the truth in that moment, and I try to let all the anger and betrayal go. “I really wish you would have told me, Bray, about Lena. Yeah, it would have sucked to know you had slept with one of my teammates, but nothing could be worse than hearing you have a private conversation about sleeping together.
It sounded like you had cheated on me.” “I know, baby, I know. When I figured out what you had heard it felt like my heart was ripped from my chest then I couldn’t even find you to explain what you heard.”

He
holds out his hands and I run into them and wrap my legs around him. It feels like I haven’t even really taken a deep breath until now when I know we are going to be okay. I was almost at a point of shock to think of no Bray in my life. He leans down to bite my lip gently, and Keller groans and protests, “Guys, I am really happy that Carter isn’t upset anymore, but I can’t watch any of that.” I hear him trying to say this lightly but I look at his face and I can tell he is hurting from the news of me and Bray. I was so focused on myself and my hurt that I never saw how much telling Keller had hurt him. He stepped up and was there for me last night, but now I can tell how much that took for him.

Bray turns to him now, “Ke
ller, I was really hoping we could tell you that there was no fighting it for either of us at the appropriate time, but I fucked up and all this was laid on your lap. I’m sorry, brother. I don’t even know how to begin to make it up to you. I have always loved her, and I am so fucking happy to be with her. But I can’t imagine how this is making you feel, and that hurts me for you, Kell. It really does.”

I can tell Keller is almost to
o wounded to answer back so I stop him from even having to try. I shoo Bray out of the room for a few moments and just wrap my arms around Kell. He rests his head on mine and just silently cries for what he knows will never be. Stroking my hair, he just holds me until he finally says, “Carter, I want the best for you always. I love you like I have never loved anything else in this world. If Bray is what you want, then I will support you in all ways. But I do ask that you will never separate yourself from me. I need you and Bray in my life. I don’t trust or socialize easy, and just because I love you does not mean I ever want to be apart from the only family I have. I felt like you and Bray were not yourselves these last few months, and that was because of your relationship.” I watch his beautiful face as he explains all of this to me. His features are so carved and handsome. His eyes so bright with his dark hair and tan skin, and he is even more built than Bray right now cause of college football. I can even see the love in his eyes for me, but it has always been Bray who I’ve wanted. He brought out the fun more relaxed me where Keller always made me feel protected but not free. He would still be a great big brother though, and he and I had to just get back to that. “I will always love you, Kell.” I said trying to smile through the pain of hurting him. “But not enough, princess, just not enough,” he says softly and I can tell this hurt is not going to heal quickly or easily. Keller was never one to give me the harsh truth and that was harsh.

But I feel like now is the time to put Kell f
irst instead of my own hurt over his disappointment. “Do you want us to both try to come to Florida State? We can both probably get full rides here, and then you can play football with Bray and see me all the time. Do you think that is what you need, Kell?” “That is exactly what I need. I have to be around my family even if it will be painful to watch you and Bray; it would hurt so much more to not have both of you. If you went somewhere else I feel like you would make your own lives. I would hardly ever see you, and that is my own personal nightmare. Any moment I have with you, Carter, I treasure. It might sound pathetic, but I have no pride where you are concerned. Anytime Bray messes up or you ever feel you need me; I will always be here for you with open and ready arms.” I am crying now from how secure Keller can make me feel in him and how much he really does love me. I just sob and hug him since I have no more words to say after that.

Bray knocks on the door a little while later, and he and I go to talk to the volleyball and football coaches. Bray mak
es no protest about trying to come to Florida State. He completely understands Keller’s need to be around me, and since it is his brother, he will do whatever he can to all stay together. The coaches both seem really excited to have us interested. We head back to Virginia after saying subdued good byes to Kell. After me running from Bray, he is even more possessive on the plane. He has me practically sitting in his lap the entire flight, but I have to admit to loving every second of that.

                                                                             
 
Chapter 24

Brayden

Carter and I are graduating from high school today, and I can’t believe it. We were able to put the whole Lena shit behind us and have a close to perfect senior year together. She is speaking as the salutatorian and the student body president. She looks so beautiful even in her graduation robes with her long hair flowing around her in loose curls. As she steps up to the podium, I hear people just whisper to each other about how sweet or beautiful she is.

She smiles nervously out at the crowd then starts her speech, “Dear Graduates, We are about to embark on the next journey of our lives. Jefferson has equipped us with everything that we should need to bring with us in this next step. We have had the opportunity to play sports, be in social clubs, and go to dances.
We have been given the opportunity to excel in academics with the best teachers and opportunities around us. We have won championships and celebrated at the after parties, but what this school has given us that are irreplaceable to me is a sense of family. The teachers and the principal at this school really care about their students. They care about their successes and their well-being. They have given up countless hours of their time into shaping us into being the best most well rounded individuals that we can possibly be. For someone that really needed adult guidance this is a gift that is irreplaceable. So I thank the staff for the sacrifices and love that you have poured into us students. We will do everything in our power to make you proud.”

Everybody stands and cheers as Carter completes her speech. She is so good at praising others, and I know how grateful she has been to her coach and the principal for helping and guiding her
, as her mother has not showed back up since that awful visit back in the fall. We will not see our parents again if we can help it. They have decided to do what they want, and we will invest in our immediate family of Carter, Keller, and me. We will support each other and not depend on parents that pop in and out at their convenience. My goal is to keep Carter away from her mother at all costs.

The graduation ceremony finishes, and Jace’s mom makes us take a ton of pictures of Hampton, Carter, Jace, and me. Hampton and Jace are still going strong and are both heading to Virginia Tech together. I will miss Jace cause he is just so fucking hilarious, but I know my girl is right. We have to go to Keller at Florida State. Carter and I were able to line up full rides there. She is so excited to live somewhere that never gets cold, and I am excited to see Carter in a bikini all year long.

We finally load up and head back to my house to get ready for the after party at Jace’s tonight. His mom and dad have agreed to give him the house for the night, and we are all taking advantage of it. The girls go up to where Carter keeps her stuff since we share a room, and Jace and I just grab other clothes and head down to the kitchen. Jace asks me a question I have been thinking about since we decided on Florida State, “Man, Carter is like the hottest girl on the planet. How are you going to feel with all those college guys drooling all over her? I am nervous about Hampton, so I can’t believe you are going out of your head thinking about Carter in that atmosphere.” “I do hate to think about guys asking her out all the time, but thankfully even though she is unbelievably hot, we are bonded. She doesn’t even look at other guys. I will never trust them, but I completely trust her.”

At that moment the girls decide to make their appearance, and I can’t even believe what Carter is wearing. Her dress can’t be any shorter, and her boobs are so visible that I can tell she couldn’t wear a bra with it. “What the fuck are you wearing, baby doll?” I ask her and decide quickly that wasn’t the smartest of moves. Confronting her is not the way to get her to change.
I can tell that comment just pissed her off. Now that her back is up there is no way to get her out of that sad excuse for a dress. I considered how fun it would be to take her upstairs and try to wrestle the dress off of her, but then if I get her naked, we won’t be going to the party at all.

We start heading to my car, and I lift her in it. I lean down and whisper in her ear, “You stay right by my side since you decided to wear a scrap of material for a dress. We might be retiring for the night earlier than you had planned if you are going to dance around in that thing. I am only just a man, baby, and I can’t resist the kind of temptation these are providing for long.” Looking down at her boobs that
are pushed up and huge in her halter dress, I groan with need. She bats her eyelashes at me, “Maybe I don’t want you to, Bray, ever think of that.” I lean down for a kiss and get punched in the shoulder by Jace. “At least get her to my house before you start all that, Bray. Come on, you guys promised to help me get setup for the party.” I forgot we are setting up which sucks so bad. It will be at least two hours before I can get my girl alone again, damn.

We move stuff around at Jace’s and get all the alcohol set up. Jace gets his sound system ready, and Carter and Hampton organize his back yard into fun games like beer pong and suck and blow. Carter and I can play beer pong as much as she wants, but she better think again about her lips being close to anybody
else’s, ever. Suck and blow will never be a game she plays.

People start arriving, and we are all having a
good time. I am talking to some of the football team and standing right beside Carter as she dances with all her friends from dance and volleyball. She looks like she is having a blast, and I know guys are watching her dance in her barely there dress. But I know I will be the one to have her tonight, and every night after that. That’s what I keep telling myself as I spot another douchebag watching her.

Cole starts to talk shit to me and I turn back around from watching Carter dance. “Okay, Bray, so you already have the trophy girl and a huge trust fund. What the fuck are you even going to try to play professional football for? You already have everything the rest of us could ever dream of. Why work that hard to get your ass beat?
Are you even hungry enough to work for it?” I know Cole always wonders why I work so hard when I already have so much. It is hard to explain to someone that doesn’t have as much drive as me. Carter and I are both like this. When your parents don’t really give you any approval, you can either go with the “I don’t give a shit attitude” or the “I can conquer the world attitude.” We both went the same way on that one. “You don’t keep a girl like Carter just sitting on your ass, Cole. I bet she makes the Olympic team in the next four years. I don’t want my girl to be the only star athlete in the relationship. I want us both to reach all of our goals. I love her so much that I want the best man for her that I can be.” Cole just laughed at that speech and said, “Dude, you are so much deeper than me. I would just want to enjoy having a girl that looked like Carter with me. Should you really just be finishing high school?” We all laugh and make fun of all my serious goals. I turn back around and don’t see Carter. I will give her a few minutes, and then go find her. I don’t like her to be around all these drunk guys who’ve been watching her all night without knowing where she is.