Adore You - Jack Mercer

- Chapter Four: Can't Compete -

"I swear to god, Jerry, you better have a damn good reason for banging this door so early in the fucking day!" Bobby calls with annoyance, his eyes narrowing as he unlocks the front door before pulling it open. However, his expression fixes into one of surprise the second he sees the person standing on the other side of it.

He takes a moment to scan the porch before returning his gaze onto Carter. "Jesus, lover boy. You really are whipped." He mutters before stepping back and opening the door a little wider to allow Carter into the home and out of the chilly weather outside.

Carter smiles awkwardly whilst wiping his feet on the mat at the door and stepping inside. "I'm here to pick Avery up," he explains while shuffling on his feet in the hallway and rubbing his hands together in an effort to warm them.

Bobby's brows furrow as he shakes his head. "What the fuck for? She ain't going anywhere, man."

"She knew I was coming," Carter mumbles whilst glancing up the stairs as he feels concern and suspicion rise within him.

In all honesty, he'd only been forceful when knocking because he'd grown tired of reaching Avery's voicemail all four times that he had tried to call her. "We're having thanksgiving at my place. Didn't she tell you?" He asks, confused.

"No, because it ain't happening." Bobby tells him with a confident smile. "I hate to break it to you, man, but Avery has spent every thanksgiving since her eleventh birthday in this house, so you're a fool if you think she is going to miss the first one without ma for your skinny ass." He explains whilst clapping him on the back with a laugh.

"Well, where is she?" Carter asks with a frown, his gaze flickering up the stairs once more as Bobby shrugs.

"She's upstairs. I'm sure she'll come running into your arms any minute now." Bobby mutters sarcastically whilst turning to head to the kitchen as he pulls his robe tighter around himself.

Carter's brows knit but he says nothing as he looks up the empty stairs. His worries and suspicions urge him to follow his gut instinct as he sighs deeply before rushing up the stairs without a glance back to Bobby. He moves with purpose as his eyes scan the different doors upstairs for the room he is looking for.

"Hey!" Bobby calls behind him whilst running up the stairs, his face full of annoyance as Carter turns his head and spots the name on the door he'd been looking for.

His feet move of their own accord, taking him to the room in three easy strides before he twists the handle down and swings the door wide open.

Though, the second the door opens, his heart drops.

He hears Bobby come to a stop just behind him as he stands in the doorway with a simple muttering of "shit," slipping from the older Mercer brother's mouth as his eyes fall on the couple entangled on the bed asleep. Bobby sighs and rests his hands on his hips as he looks down with a shake of his head.

This looked bad, even to him.

However, Carter remains frozen on the spot. His eyes locked on Avery and Jack as they lay asleep on the bed with their bodies entangled together as they face each other with their noses just touching.

His lips pull together as his gaze trails to Avery's porcelain face, taking in her peaceful expression as he realises that she has never slept this way with him. Her body was never as close to his as it was in this moment to Jack's.

Avery had always insisted that she was the same way with everyone. That she didn't like to be touched or in constant close proximity to anyone, but in this moment, it was clear that she had lied.

Jack Mercer was the exception.

"Yo! Ace!" Bobby calls from behind Carter, his loud voice shattering through the tense silence as Avery and Jack jump in unison, having been startled awake.