Chapter 2

Tessa

"Good morning, Mila," Mr. Carter pecked my mom on her cheeks. My body went rigid when he did the same to me. His lips lingered there. "Morning, Tessa," he said, pulling away.

"Morning, Sir," I forced out a smile and spoke. He sat in between me and Mom.

"I figured out you don't have a maid, so I managed to make something out of the groceries I could find in the kitchen," Mom explained. I woke up and found her putting wet and dry ingredients together. I also didn't fail to notice how clean the house was compared to when we came yesterday.

"How sweet of you, Mila. Thank you. The last one left so I'm still searching for a new one," he said, taking a bite of the pancake.

"You don't have to worry about me doing all the work, Carter. We're family now." I wanted to roll my eyes at her statement. She had already started succumbing to wife duties. She didn't even consider whether I was okay with it or not.

"I'm glad you're here with me."  I could swear my heart almost bulged out when he reached for my hand and squeezed it. Didn't he know how a mere touch from him affects my brain cells and body? "Tessa, This is your house now. We're family now. Jasmine might not be here, but I would make sure you feel at home."

I thought he would withdraw his hand, yet he didn't. He was still looking at me, maybe waiting for my answer. I nodded my head. "Yes, Sir."

"Call me Dad," he said, finally pulling his hand away. The loss of warmth from him instantly left me.

I said nothing because obviously, I wasn't ready to call him Dad yet.

"Mila, regarding her school transfer, I've already made all the preparations. She can resume by next week since the week has already come to an end."

"Thank you, Carter. I can't thank you enough."

I turned my face towards the other side when he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, right in my presence. I could swear I saw the blush on my mom's face.

We ate breakfast in silence—or should I say I ate mine in silence. Mom and her new husband were engaged in a conversation in which I had no interest.

"I will be on my way, Mila. Here's my credit card. I will send someone over to pick you up. I know you're not familiar with the city yet," he said to my mom, then turned to me. "Take care, Tessa." I held my breath as he flashed me a smile.

I didn't realize I was staring at his disappearing figure until Mom cleared her throat. "You like him, right?"

"What?" I snapped my face towards her. "He's not bad. I told you he'd take good care of us. See, he even gave us his credit card without a second thought."

My mouth formed a thin line when my brain finally processed what she meant by saying 'I like him'.

"Well... He's not bad. But I'm still not ready to give the same space of a father in my heart. I hope you'll give me some time to adjust first." With that, I walked away.

**

I had rolled my eyes for the nth time throughout our shopping. Mom had been behaving as if it was her first time being married. She calls Mr. Carter on everything to buy. She went as far as to forget I existed. The amount of anger and jealousy for my late father coursed through me. I was on the verge of blowing up.

I waited till we arrived back home before I confronted her. "Am I your daughter?" I asked.

She was taken aback by my question. "What are you saying? Why—"

"Looks like your new husband has taken your attention away from me. You were on the phone all through. You didn't even cast a look in my direction. Am I safe?" I poured out my heart. She could tell I was unhappy from the expression on my face.

Her chuckle followed. She held me by the shoulder. "Oh, come on, Tessa. Why are you overreacting? Of course, you're my daughter. As for Carter, he's just being sweet. And this is my chance to get to know him."

I gulped down bitter saliva and rolled my eyes. I didn't know what to say again. I should focus on how to do better in the new school. The sound of her phone ringing blared through the living room. "He's calling again," I said boldly and walked to the couch, crashing on it.

"Hello. Yes, you're speaking to Mila Maxwell."

"Oh really? Right, I don't have it with me. I will be on my way now. Thank you." I looked at her with a curious eye.

"I left Carter's credit card at the convenience store. Let me go and get it. Will you be fine alone?"

"Of course. I'm not a small baby. Don't stay too long, please," I said.

"I will be back before you know it." And she alighted away. I rested my back and heaved out an exhausting sigh.

"I can't believe I'm starting a new life here," I muttered to myself. The memories we left behind in Newark surfaced, making a smile form on my lips. I missed my Dad. He died from an unexpected cardiac arrest.

While waiting for Mom, I decided to busy myself by going through my school books. I study human anatomy. I'm in my third year currently. I hope I won't find it hard to keep up my grades.

The sound of the front door opening caught my attention. "Mom, you're—" My words hung in the air as I saw Mr. Carter walking through the door.

"Hi, Tessa," he ushered, swapping his shoes for slippers. My heart, flipping inside its ribcage, started again. "Hello... Sir," I managed to spell out.

"How are you?" He asked nearing me. He occupied the empty part next to me, allowing a little space between us.

"I'm good."

"Where is your Mom?" He asked, his eyes scanning around the living room. "She left the credit card at the convenience store, so she went to get it."

He nodded his head. "Are you studying?" His eyes finally noticed the books and textbooks scattered on the table.

"Yes. I figured it would be better to go through them before I start school." His lips curved up into a smile.

"Do I sense a hardworking girl here?"

Was he trying to start a conversation with me?

"What is your current CGP?"

I was skeptical at first before answering him. "2.80."

"That's pretty low. You need to work hard to get a 3 point. I take human anatomy course at the college. Feel free to let me know where you're having problems." My mind traveled to my Mom's words when she said he'd take good care of me.

"Would you tutor me?" The words left my lips before I could control them. I bit my lip in disappointment, seeing the look of confusion on his face.

"I mean, if you can give me some tips and—"

He stopped me from saying what I wanted when he placed his hand on my lap. Did he have any idea what that was doing to my body? "Don't worry. You're in my care now. I can help you with anything you need."

He made the situation I was in worse when he squeezed my thigh. Our eyes met, and I could swear his eyes spared my lips a glance. My heart hammered inside at the tension in the room. We both pulled away at the sound of Mom's voice from the door.

"Carter, you're back," she said, approaching us. His hand left my thigh, and he stood up. They hugged each other. "I called to inform you I would be back early; you weren't picking up."

Mom checked her phone. "Sorry, I was worried I would lose your credit card. Here," she fished it out of her bag.

"No, Mila. Keep it with you. Use it to buy whatever you need."

"Thank you, Carter. Have you eaten lunch? I can make us something light," she questioned, her eyes going to both of us.

"Yes, please. I'm starving. Let me freshen up while you're at it." He gave me one last look before walking upstairs. I released the breath I didn't know I was holding inside me.

"Looks like you two are getting along," Mom teased, raising her brows.

"Come on, Mom, I was studying when he came in. But then, he offered to tutor me whenever I have a problem with a course."

She nodded her head. "That's nice. You can get back to studying while I make us something light. And no, I don't want you in my kitchen." It was as if she knew I would offer to help. Mom always prefers to cook all by herself.

I watched as she sauntered away to the kitchen before getting back to the couch. "Let me get the other textbook," I said to myself, then stood up and climbed up to my room.

I picked up the textbook I needed for the next course I would study and walked out of the room when I found myself stopping and glancing at Mr. Carter's room. The urge to go to his room grew in me. The thought of his touches and his stares roamed around in my head.

I held onto the doorknob, contemplating whether to go in or not. He did mention he'd take a shower. I didn't want to invade his privacy. I was about to drop my hand down when the door was pulled open, making me almost lose balance since I was still holding onto the knob. Mr. Carter was quick to save me from falling. "Sorry... I was..." I trailed off, thinking of what to say to defend myself on the reason why I was standing at his door.

Seeing his eyes fixed on the textbook in my hands prompted me to speak. "I wanted to show you the course I have a problem with. I will come back later since—"

He grabbed my hand and pushed me inside the room, closing the door. I was met with a dimly lit room. My heart hammered inside. What the hell am I doing here? I said in my head. What if something goes wrong?

"Come, sit," he spoke. It was then I noticed he was sitting on the bed. With my heart thumping inside, I made my way towards the bed and sat down next to him, leaving enough space. "Come closer. Why are you behaving as if I'm a stranger?" Before I could move, he snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me to him.

"We can go through it before your mom finishes cooking," he whispered, his eyes fixed on me. I found myself staring back at him. Something was ringing in my head, topped with the heat I felt between my legs. His hand that was wrapped around my waist began moving down.

A voice in my head was telling me to back out, but my body was betraying me. I clenched my hand on the textbook. His face was a few inches away from mine. "You have cute lips," he whispered, igniting a fire within my body and brain cells.