Page 109 of Finding Carly
“Yes,” Baker said immediately. “You should be asleep. Is your head hurting?”
“Not my head. My heart,” Carly told him. “I justknewmy friend was blaming himself, and there’s no need. As I told Jag earlier tonight, I would go through the same thing all over again if it meant I ended up exactly where I am right now. Let it go, Baker. Please. No one thinks less of you because you didn’t figure out Gideon was Shawn’s accomplice before he took me. Not me. Not Jag. Not anyone. Cut yourself some slack. If you don’t, I’m gonna continue to lose sleep, and I’ll probably get a complex and be paranoid and won’t be able to function. I’ll lose my job and become a burden on society.”
Carly was laying it on as thick as she could, and to her relief, she finally heard Baker chuckle.
“Right, wouldn’t want that.”
“I’m serious. Get over yourself. That’s an order.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now how about you march your ass back to bed and rest? I’m guessing your head is throbbing and it probably wouldn’t hurt if you took another pain pill.”
Carly laughed. “I will, if you marchyourass back to your own bed and get some sleep. It’s not safe on the beach this time of night…or morning.”
Baker chuckled again. “Right. I’m a surfer dude. The beach is my second home.”
“Whatever. Then go back to your first home and sleep,” Carly told him.
“I will. Carly…”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Later.” Baker hung up without another word.
Carly stood to do just as he suggested, to snuggle back in bed with Jag, but jolted in surprise when she saw him leaning against the wall just inside the hallway that led to the bedroom.
“You scared me,” she said.
“Baker?” Jag asked, nodding to the phone she’d just put down on the coffee table.
Carly nodded.
“He good?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope so.”
“He’s good,” Jag said firmly, then held out his hand.
She walked toward him and took it, sighing in contentment when Jag pulled her against him.
“How’d I get so lucky?” he murmured into her hair. But he didn’t give her a chance to answer his question. He turned her and hugged her against his side and walked them back into the bedroom. He got her settled under the covers once more, then went into the bathroom. He came back out with a pill in his hand and a glass of water.
Carly wasn’t surprised he was on the same wavelength as Baker when it came to the meds. She took it without complaint, and when Jag got back into bed, she curled against him once more.
“Love you,” she told him.
“I’d be upset that you snuck out of our bed to call another man, but it’s one of the things I love so much about you. That you constantly think and worry about others. I love you, angel.”
Carly smiled. She thought she’d left the room without waking him, but she should’ve known better. She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes…and was asleep again in less than a minute.
EPILOGUE
Jag watched Carly as she walked along the beach and laughed with Kenna and Lexie. The barbeque was just what they’d all needed. Carly felt much better, and her various cuts and bruises were already on their way toward healing. Amazingly, she seemed to be putting her horrible experience behind her much faster than the rest of the team.
They all struggled with the fact that they hadn’t been able to prevent what happened, or even find her once she was taken. But Carly being Carly, she’d still thanked them profusely and so far showed no signs of PTSD. It was early days, but he was optimistic.
