Page 18 of Finding Carly
“What, Carly? You can ask me anything. Tell me anything.”
“You only have one bedroom,” she blurted. “I thought I’d sleep out here.”
“No.” His response was firm and nonnegotiable. “If anyone’s sleeping on my couch, it’ll be me.”
“I can’t take your bed,” she protested.
“Why not?”
“Because,” she said.
“That’s not an answer,” he teased. “Look, it’s a king-size bed. There’s plenty of room for both of us. I swear on my honor as a SEAL, I willnottouch you or do anything to make you uncomfortable. You’re safe, angel. From anyone who might want to get their hands on you, and from me. But if you don’t feel comfortable with me sleeping in there, I’ll stay out here. It’s fine. This couch is comfortable, I’ve fallen asleep on it plenty of times while watching TV. Besides, I’ve slept in way worse places in my lifetime. The only thing I care about is you, about you feeling safe.”
Carly stared at him for a long moment. He couldn’t read the emotions swirling in her eyes, which bothered him. A lot.
“Okay.”
He relaxed a fraction at her answer, but still grinned and echoed, “Okay what? You want me to stay out here, or in the bedroom with you?” He held his breath as he waited for her answer. Mostly because he wanted to sleep next to hermorethan he wanted to breathe.
Last night had been a dream come true. Her presence calmed the demons swirling around in his head, which seemed like a minor miracle, since he’d lived with them for so long. But he’d do whatever she needed him to do, and would simply be grateful she was sharing his space.
“I have one question,” she said.
“Shoot.”
“Which side of the bed do you like? Because I like the right, and I’m not sure I can sleep on the left.” Her lips twitched as she waited for his response.
Jag chuckled. “You can have the right.”
“Jag?”
“Yeah, angel?”
“I can’t thank you enough for—”
“No.” He totally interrupted her, but didn’t care.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” she protested.
“I do, and the last thing I want is your gratitude,” he said honestly. “I’m already kicking myself for not acting sooner. The thought of you huddled in your apartment, scared out of your mind, is…” He shuddered. It hit too close to home, is what it did. But he didn’t say that. “You’re here because I care about you. Because I hate the thought of you not living your life. So no more talk of gratitude, okay?”
“I’ll try,” she said.
“Good. I’ll be in a bit later.”
Carly stared at him for a beat before nodding and standing. She headed down the hall and he heard the bedroom door shut.
Taking a deep breath, Jag stood and grabbed his phone. He’d been itching to call Baker all afternoon. The man wasn’t going to take what he had to say well, but he didn’t want to wait another second.
Keeping one ear open for Carly coming out of the bedroom, he impatiently paced as the phone rang in his ear.
“Baker.”
“It’s Jag. I have info.”
“Hit me.”
And he did. Jag told Baker all about the detective speaking with Luke in person, and how they believed his alibi. He went on to detail the other people Carly had mentioned, explaining that the police didn’t believe any of them were involved.
