Where Did We Go

Chapter Seventeen

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1955

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

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Carter: Be there in about five minutes

You smiled as the text popped up on your phone. Despite the busy week that you and Carter both had, the two of you had finally found some free time for him to come over and visit while Tyler was out at his final meeting. This, of course, also meant that he was bringing your nephew along, not that you were complaining. You looked forward to any time that you spent with Max.

Now that you knew Carter was close, you got off the couch and started to straighten out a few things that you noticed were out of place, even though you knew it would be a mess again as soon as Max arrived. As much as you loved him, he did have a habit of throwing things around at the moment.

Carter arrived almost exactly five minutes after he had sent his text, carrying Max in one arm and a bag of things in the other. Max immediately lunged at you when you opened the door, throwing Carter off balance and nearly making him run into the door frame. You quickly scooped Max into your arms, which was a relief to Carter.

"Thank you, he's been high energy all morning. He woke Marenna and I up at six this morning to demand breakfast."

"Oh geez, how much sleep did you get then?" you asked as you closed the door behind him.

"Five hours, if that. I just couldn't fall asleep last night, I don't know what it was."

"It's been getting warm lately, I think. I've had some sleep troubles too."

Carter nodded, "That makes sense."

He set his bag down next to the couch and immediately fell back into the cushions. His eyes fluttered closed when he was comfortable, and for a moment you thought he was going to take a nap on the spot.

"Auntie," Max said, patting your shoulder to grab your attention. "Toys."

"You want to grab some toys from the closet?"

He nodded, so you carried him down the hallway towards the toy closet. Once you got close, he began to wiggle in your arms. You waited until the door was open before you set him down.

"What do you think, Max?"

This time, his first choice was a set of colorful building blocks. You grabbed them off the shelf and carried them back to the living room for him since they were a bit heavy for his little arms to handle. Carter was still sitting with his eyes closed, but his peace and quiet was quickly interrupted.

"Dadda!" Max said, running over and smacking his hands down on Carter's legs. His eyes shot open. "Toys!"

"Did Auntie Y/N get some toys for you?" he asked.

Max nodded proudly and grabbed Carter's hand, pulling him off the couch. Carter sighed and followed after him, taking a seat on the ground. You decided to join them.

"I haven't really had a chance to ask yet because of this little one," Carter said, ruffling Max's hair. Max playfully pushed his hand away. "How have you been?"

"It's been... a week, to say the least," you nodded. Because of Carter's busy schedule, you hadn't had a chance to talk to him about the huge fight you had with Tyler yet.

"Did something happen?"

"You could say that."

Carter looked at you, his eyebrows furrowed. You began to chew on your lower lip; thinking about the fight was still a sore spot for you, even if things had gotten better. Still, you knew Carter would provide some reassurance about the entire situation.