His Secret Obsession
Chapter 36

(Emery)

I gripped my small hands around the multiple stuffed animals I held in my arm, Asher's "great" idea was to convince one of the game vendors to sell us the prizes without having to play the games. The guy said it was usually against their policy but I guess he recognized Asher as the centre for the wildcats and said he would this one time.

Apparently these are the most expensive stuffed animals I will ever receive in my life..considering Asher slipped the guy two hundred dollars...my jaw hit the floor..seriously?! The guy was pretty shocked too and seemed taken aback with Asher even more. I couldn't help but blush as Asher stuffed my arms full of the prizes and kissed me sweetly.

"There, now our time is accounted for." He beamed, pressing his lips to mine once more as he gripped my hips with his large hands.

"Shouldn't we be a little more realistic? You think we could win all of these?" I teased, looking down at my arms.

"You doubt your boyfriend's ability to win at carnival games?" He gasped with mock offense.

"Well..I'm just not sure how good your aim is." I quipped, turning to walk away as he quickly lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me up..the swift action caused me to yelp as his mere touch made my skin tingle with excitement. "Not sure how good my aim is?! Did you seriously just say that to me?" He leaned down, peppering my neck with kisses as I let out a giggle, trying not to drop everything in my arms.

"I'll show you how good my aim is.." he grumbled, biting at my neck as I let out a gasp, trying not to go completely limp in his arms.

"Asher.." I breathed out..feeling that wanting rising once more as he went back to placing delicate kisses down the crook of my neck.

"Let's go before I'm tempted to say 'fuck it' and take you straight home." His words struck me hard, making my heart palpitate as he nuzzled his nose against me and finally pulled away.

"This is just the start Emery..I don't plan on leaving your side for a single second after today." He whispered right before standing next to me and staring down into my eyes.

I was speechless..still feeling unsure if this was some type of dream..how can any of this be real?

"Let's go baby, before I have to buy more stuffed animals." He gave me the biggest grin and I swear those butterflies have just taken up residency in my stomach at this point.

I nodded my head, trying to focus as Asher's hand kept bumping into me and began grazing my hip oh so softly..it had to be intentional because when I looked at him from the corner of my eye I swear I saw the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. What a big tease.. "Here we go." he mumbled next to me and I glanced straight ahead, seeing Carson stalking towards us with Jackie and the rest close behind. Carson was glaring at Asher before his eyes darted to me and he seemed to visibly relax a little, noticing all the stuffed animals in my hands. Jackie on the other hand was beaming as she waved towards us..we must have been gone for only thirty minutes I swear but it felt like hours. "There you guys are...why didn't you just say you wanted to go to the gaming area?" Carson spat, directing his poor attitude toward Asher. Asher just shrugged, reaching over towards me as he plucked a stuffed dolphin out of my arms and gave it to Carson.

"Got one for Jackie too." Asher explained while Carson looked down at it and then glanced over toward me..

My stupid self darted my eyes away..knowing it made me look suspicious as I was digging my own grave..ughhh..I hate having secrets and hiding stuff from Carson..it's just for today..I have to keep reminding myself of that fact. Jackie yanked the dolphin out of Carson's hands and smiled so brightly..I could tell that alone was making Carson's mood so much better.

"Thanks guys I love it!" Jackie beamed, lunging forward and hugging me tight before cuddling back into Carson's arms.

"Em, can I talk with you for a moment?" Carson's voice pierced right through me, making my eyes go wide as I swallowed hard and nodded softly. I could feel Asher's gaze on me as I turned and shoved all the prizes into his arms. Glancing up, I saw the annoyance on his face as he was about to say something and I just shook my head slightly.

"It's fine." I smiled reassuringly and he let out a sharp breath. I could tell he wanted to touch me, his eyes darting down to my lips as he sighed once more.

"Don't be long." He said firmly, the struggle of not being able to whatever we want with one another already making an impact.

I turned around, walking toward where Carson stood, and tried to psych myself up for whatever conversation we were about to have.

I took a deep breath and nervously brushed my hair behind my ear before standing right before him.

"Em, are you okay?" He asked worriedly, making my heart ache as I saw the genuine concern on his face.

"Yeah..I'm okay Carson I promise." I looked into his eyes..that wasn't a lie at least, I was more than okay.

Suddenly Carson's eyes went wide, as they darted to the side of my neck and he reached forward, moving my hair to the side.

"What the fuck!" He shouted, glancing back behind me as his hands balled into fists.

"He fucking did this to you?!" He shouted even louder, making me place my hands on his chest and try to push him further away from the group..I have a feeling if we stay here Asher will show up any moment...that is not what we need. "Carson please..you need to listen to me." I begged, gripping his hand as I pulled him over toward a small garden area with benches.

"I can't believe he did this..I can't f*****g believe it." he ran his fingers through his dark curls, frustration pulsing off of him as he began to breathe erratically. The anger was rising more and more by the second.

"Carson stop!" I raised my voice, causing him to stop in his tracks, looking towards me like I grew two damn heads or something.. I never raise my voice..I never get mad or angry..but right now I felt both.

"I..I love him." I blurted, my heart beating out if my chest as I couldn't believe I just admitted this outloud..all the plans to lie and push this under the rug going south real quick..I couldn't lie..it's not who I am. I can't keep things from Carson because he was my best friend..he was more than that..he was my family..

He studied me carefully, his face softening as he stepped forward and put his arms around me. The realization that I was crying set in as Carson reached up, wiping my cheeks softly as he let out a deep breath.

"I know you do Em..I know you have for a long time..that's why.." He cut himself off, letting out another sigh as he pulled me close once more.

"That's why I told him not to do this..that's why I know whatever this is could possibly mean so much more to you than it could to him. If he hurts you Em..there is no way I could look at him again without hating his guts, without me wanting to kill him for hurting the one person that means more than anything to me." His voice filled with emotion and I held onto him tighter, hearing this confession making me cry even harder.

"You and your family..I don't think you know how much you truly mean to me..you guys saved me..you showed me what it's like to have a real family..to have people who care for me and love me no matter what I do in life. I promised your dad I would always watch over you Em..that's why I am like this..because..because if I lose you..I lose them too." His confession shocked me, making me pull back as I looked into his eyes carefully.

"Carson..you know that isn't true..my dad loves you so much, no matter what he will always care for you..and me too..if Asher decides this..well..if I'm not for him, that won't change anything between us. You will always be in my life no matter what and I know my dad and Uncle feel the exact same. You are our family." I hugged him once more, seeing how his eyes began to fill with tears. That's why he was so scared for me getting hurt..because he feels like if he let it happen, we won't care about him anymore and my dad won't love him anymore..how ridiculous. Nothing could ever change how we feel about Carson.

We stood there for a moment, hugging each other as the weight of what we said settled in.

Carson pulled back, letting out a shuddering breath as he looked down at me and sighed.

"Em..is this what you really want?" He asked carefully and I nodded my head yes while wiping my cheeks ans stifling. I also felt relieved that he has already calmed down a lot more than I thought he would.

"Fine..just..please don't do..stuff...in front of me..and if he does anything to hurt you I swear I will beat his ass." He grumbled and I couldn't help but fling myself into his arms and hug him excitedly. I know Carson's permission doesn't really matter and I am my own person..but the fact that he is in the loop and isn't totally against it makes me feel so much better.

"What happened to that online guy though?" He wondered out loud making me look away guiltily as I tried to figure out how to explain this.

"Well actually..turns out it was Asher the whole time." I whispered quietly making Carson scoff.

"No fucking way..I knew he played that damn game! So you're the one he was talking to this whole time..you kept that from me all this time Em?" He sounded hurt and I shook my head vehemently.

"No I swear, I just found out this past week..I just wasn't fully sure until today..like I was sure but didn't confirm it fully." I explained, watching as Carson studied my expression carefully and then shook his head.

"What a fucking asshole..this whole damn time.." he muttered and I nodded my head.

"He..he says he loves me too.." I whispered, feeling embarrassed as I looked down at my feet. Carson stepped forward once more and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Of course he does Em..you are very loveable.." He said sweetly, making me look up at him and smile as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"That doesn't mean I'm still not pissed at him for lying and doing all this behind my back. At least I know you are honest..thanks for coming clean before I figured it out on my own." He added and I nodded my head while feeling a weight lift off of my shoulders. I am so glad I listened to my conscience..I knew it didn't feel right to lie about this.

"Thank you Carson..for listening to me and not freaking all the way out." I teased, bumping into him playfully as he smirked.

"Only for you Em..now please help me with this Jackie shit..I'm losing my f*****g mind out there." He admitted and I patted him on the back, feeling bad for essentially abandoning him.

"Okay..let's go get you your girl.." I said confidently and saw him smile nervously and nod his head. Right at that moment I truly felt lucky..not only did I land the guy of my freaking dreams..but I also had someone as amazing as Carson care about me..what the hell did I do in life to deserve that?