Bound, Chalen D. [notion reading list txt] 📗

open our own newspaper!”

“You need to sleep. Your pregnant remember?”

She sighed, and settled into the bed.

“We’ll go in the morning.”

 

It was six in the morning when Morgan woke up. Carson had his head on her stomach. She grabbed his ear lobe and played with it. What did they find at the bottom of that well? A secret passage? A dead body? An animal? Treasure?

“You’re tickling me.”

“Sorry.” She muttered, letting his ear go.

He grabbed her hand and set it on his head. She grabbed a lock of hair and twisted it.

“Do you want a ride to the station?”

“Yes.” She said slowly.

“Alright, come on.”

“Yes!” She jumped up.

“Let’s take Belle too. Liv’s been bugging me to see her when she sees me in town.”

“Yeah.” Morgan got dressed.

Morgan was so nervous that she asked for Carson to stay. The cop looked at Carson, and Morgan told him that Carson was her husband and he was going to find out anyways. Carson smiled at her. He was her husband. It was the second body that went missing. They had starved to death. They headed over to Her Mom’s next. Liv started to feed Belle cheese balls. Morgan, Carson and Victoria sat at the table with a cup of coffee and a slice of Coffee cake. They were talking about the body.

“Okay!” Millie said, coming in her hair freshly curled. She slapped a magazine down. “This is the perfect wedding dress for you. It’s not white, it has a Victorian bottom and a corset top. See?”

“Oh that’s nice.” Morgan looked at it.

It was beautiful, of course. 

“How much is it?” Carson asked from across the table.

“Well I have this issue for hunting down good sales. It’s five hundred bucks.”

“Good Grief!” All three of them said.

Victoria and Morgan knowing it wasn’t a good deal, Carson with a hint of admiration for Millie.

“Do you like it Morgan?” 

“Of course I like it, but it’s too much money. I don’t have any.” She took a sip of her coffee.

“You have some saved up and for ten bucks more it will come in two weeks. I think we should have the wedding in three weeks that way you won’t be fat Morgan.”

“Thank you.” Morgan said flatly. “For something to look forward too.”

“Put the dress on a list Millie I’ll buy it.”

“No you won’t.”

“On the list.”

“And I went online and shopped for flowers, and they’re cheap too.”

“Perfect. I’ll give you my card, the amount of people coming and you can plan the whole thing.”

“Perfect.” Millie kissed Morgan’s cheek and ran from the room.

“Liv, come help me pick you’re your brides maid dress.”

“It better not be pink!” Liv yelled.

“It’s not!”

“Millie!” Liv yelled pounding up the stairs.

“You have no idea what you’ve done.” Victoria said.

“It’s his money.” Morgan mumbled.

“It is.” He grinned at her, “Now get happy.”

She took the last bite of her coffee cake.

“You want some to take home?” Victoria asked.

“I’m good.” Morgan looked at Carson.

“I’ll take a few pieces to go. They’re delicious thank you.”

“Of course.”

Morgan and Carson stared at each other until Victoria set a wrapped plate on the table.

“Thank you.” He smiled at her.

They were supposed to be going home but Morgan was staring at His parents’ house.

“What are we doing here?”

“I haven’t told my parents you’re pregnant yet.”

“Good luck.” She smiled at him giving two tumbs up.

“Are you really going to through me under the buss like that?”

“Yep.” She nodded once. “Besides, Belle needs someone to stay with her. She gets nervous in cars alone.”

“And she told you this?”

“She told me this.”

Carson kissed the Mother of his Baby, and got out of the car. He shut the door behind him. His Mom was in the kitchen which wasn’t abnormal. She always baked.

“Emmy.” Carson snagged her. Better go the safe route. “Want to tell mommy a secret for me?”

“Mommy, Mommy!” Emily ran into the kitchen.

“What is it?” Vivian asked her only daughter.

“Auntie Morgan has a bun!”

“What?” She blinked at her.

“It’s in her oven!”

Vivian looked up to see Carson standing in the door way.

“Surprise?” He offered holding up his hands.

He was just as nervous as Morgan was, only he couldn’t stay in the car.

“Shut up!” His mom yelled at him.

Well that went better then he thought.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god!” She screamed jumping up and down.

“What’s going on?” Alexander came into the kitchen followed by his son.

“Morgan’s pregnant!” Vivian announced.

“What?” Alexander asked.

“No Shit!” Peter hugged his younger brother and patted his back, “Congrats bro!”

“Aren’t you a little young?” Alexander asked.

“Oh Hush!” Vivian smacked him, “I was his age when I had Nick!”

“It seems a little sudden is all.” Alexander said.

“The wedding is in three weeks.” Carson added.

“Really!” Vivian asked.

“Yeah, Millie’s planning the whole thing. She’s Morgan’s Seventeen year old sister.”

“It’s such a big job for someone so young.”

“She’s like Aubrey guys, I swear it.”

Everyone went quite.

“So you can all talk about her but I can’t?” He demanded.

“Carson wait!” Vivian called.

“No, I’m going home with my wife, and my four legged daughter.”

Morgan looked in the back seat at Belle who was panting.

“He sure is tanking forever isn’t he?”

Belle licked her.

“So now you agree with me.” She muttered.

Carson jogged back to the car.

“The moment of truth.”

Carson pulled on his seat belt and pulled away from the curb.

“Well?” Morgan asked, the suspense killing her.

“It went a lot better than I expected.” He answered.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I love you.” He kissed her wrist and held her hand.

A hard rain began to fall and Morgan fell asleep like she always did, When it rained. As soon as they got into the house the phone rang.

“Can you get that?”

“Hello?” Morgan answered the phone.

Morgan!” The woman said excited, “It’s Momma Vivian.”

“Oh, how are you?” Morgan asked.

“Fine, Just fine. How are you?”

“The nausea passed. So that’s a plus. And I feel little guppies.”

“That’s all normal honey. Listen I was hoping you and Carson would come over tonight. I want to make a congratulations dinner for you two. Please say you’ll come?”

“Sure.” Morgan sighed.

“Perfect. Come over at Six.”

“Will do Bye.”

“She suckered you into a dinner didn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Morgan pulled him close to her by his belt loops. “Want to take a shower with me? It saves water.”

 

Morgan was in the living room of the Maxwell’s looking at pictures in frames on the wall sipping water. Alex’s slave was doing the same. Morgan Poked her in the arm.

“Are you aloud to talk?”

The slave just blinked at her.

“I’ll take that for a no.”

“Jace, More wine.” Alex said.

The slave left.

“A woman of very few words I guess.” Morgan said.

“That’s how I like my women.”

“Without a voice?”

“Not being able to say no.”

“Oh.” Morgan looked back at the pictures.

“Who’s that?” Morgan pointed.

It was the girl with brown hair and eyes again. This time she was at a lake, but she was still with the dog and Carson.

“That’s Aubrey.” Alex said carefully watching Morgan’s reaction.

“Was she an Ex-girlfriend?”

“No.” Alex looked at the picture. “She was our younger sister.”

“Was?”

“She killed herself last year.”

Yikes. This must be the angel big sister Emily was talking about.

“Carson didn’t tell you about her?”

“Nope.”

“So I’m guessing he didn’t tell you there’s a way out of this arranged marriage then?”

“How?”

“You marry another man before the wedding  date comes. That’s how Caroline got out of it. Do you really think You’re the only one in line to marry My brother?”

“I’m silly I guess.”

Jace handed him a glass.

“Thank you.” He gave her a kiss.

“Morgan-“ Carson paused.

“Hello, Brother.” Alex nodded and then left with Jace.

“What did he say?” Carson took her arms. “What did he say to you.”

“Not much.”

“Then Why won’t you look at me?”

She finally did, “Why did you never tell me that there was a way out of the arranged wedding?”

He winced, “Because your mine.”

“Anything else you want to tell me before I decide to marry you?”

“I had another sister.”

“Alex told me. Anything else?” Morgan demanded. “Another wife in another country? Have any other kids, what about Dogs?”

Carson grabbed her hand and led her to a bathroom.

“Well?” Morgan demanded.

“I have an ex-wife. I married her out of high school and we divorced when we turned nineteen.”

Damn. When She was nineteen she was struggling with not cutting herself, and he had a life.

“I have no other kids, and no other dogs, and no other surprises. I promise.”

Morgan looked down, and he lifted her face.

“I love you. That’s what matters here.”

“You have to talk to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

There was a knock on the door. Carson pulled it open to A blonde hair blue eyed woman.

“Carson.” She said shocked.

“Caroline.” He said just as shocked.

“That’s it.” Morgan pushed past her. “I’m going Home. And I mean My Mom’s house.”

“Morgan, wait.” Carson hurried after her. “I had no idea she’d be here. She married my Cousin. My Mom must have invited a lot of people for dinner. It’s probably a dinner party.”

“I want to go home.”

“I’ll take you home. Come on.”

“Everyone gather around!” Vivian called. The two of them froze. “We have gathered everyone here today for a surprise!”

They both turned around and the living room was packed with people.

“Morgan and Carson are expecting a baby!”

“That’s great!” Nick clapped and everyone joined him. “I cooked a nice dinner, so if everyone will head to the dining room I can serve it out.”

Carson looked at Morgan. She glared at him and followed the heard of people to the dining hall. After dinner the Brothers took turns telling stories about Carson when he was little. It made her feel a little better. It turns out he was always a nudist. As soon as he got into the car when he was two, he would strip off all his clothes before they got home. Carson and Morgan hurried to leave.

They jumped in the car and took off towards home. She wasn’t annoyed with him anymore. But she did wonder what kind of person Aubrey was. Did she have a sense of humor like Daniel? Was she soft spoken like Austin?

“What are you thinking about?” He whispered.

“Nothing.” She looked down.

“I want to know.”

“I’m thinking about Aubrey.”

He was quiet for a couple of seconds, “Aubrey.”

“What was she like?”

“Well. She was pretty. She had Alex’s snide sense of humor, and she was soft spoken like Austin most of the time until she was mad. She was easy to get mad just like Nick. She could give speeches on the fly just like Peter can, and She was protective like Daniel is.”

“What about you?” She asked. “What did you two have in common?”

“Apples.” He smiled.

“Apples?” She laughed.

“We climbed trees together a lot. My mom said that Aubrey was sneaky like I was. And we never lied when growing up and we were Loyal.”

Morgan looked down. What could she say to that?

“Hey.” He grabbed her hand. “I love you.”

“I have a Doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

“It would mean a lot to me if you came.”

He looked at her, “Why wouldn’t I go?”

“You work and stuff.” She looked down.

“I’ll always be there for you Morgan.”

“It’s after I get off, so I’ll meet you there.”

“We have to talk about your Job.”

“What about it?” She asked weary.

He knew he was crossing the line with this. “I think you should quit. It’s not safe. You fell into a well for Good grief!”

“I like my job.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“I’m not going to quit, So.”

“So what?”

“So deal with it.” She said flatly. “I enjoy what I do. It means something to me.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“You quit your job first.”

He grabbed his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“How fast can you find another general manager? I need to quit.” Morgan grabbed his phone, “Just kidding. April fools early.” She hung up the phone and tossed his phone into her purse. “What is your problem?”

“Did you really have to put my phone in your purse?” He asked hand held out. “It’s going to get lost in there.”

“You know what?” She demanded as they pulled into the lot.

“What?”

She pulled the phone out and slapped it into his hand.

“What are you doing?” He asked

He watched her get into the other car and drive away. She had to be shitting him. Morgan stopped at her apartment and angrily shoved clothes into her basket.

“Stupid, insensitive,” She hurried