Chapter Twenty-Four
What I’m Counting On
Livia
Chloe and Will’s pool area had been completely transformed.
Edison bulbs stretched in strands above the water, their golden glow mirrored in soft ripples as the sun sank toward the horizon. In the pool, clusters of paper lanterns drifted lazily, casting shifting halos of light that made the whole place feel enchanted.
At the far corner of the yard, Chef Patel commanded her makeshift kitchen with a sharp voice that carried over the music, barking orders at her team of sous chefs. I caught Will’s uncle watching her from across the patio, smirk tugging at his lips, pride shining in his eyes.
Near the pool house where Chloe once lived, a string quartet played a delicate, romantic piece that threaded through the air as effortlessly as a breeze.
High-top tables dressed in crisp white linens dotted the space, each crowned with a petite vase of hydrangeas and eucalyptus and a few flickering candles.
It was breathtaking, like stepping into a modern-day fairy tale — and it was exactly what Chloe and Will deserved.
The bride and groom floated from guest to guest, weaving in and out of conversations with ease.
There were only about thirty people gathered, but I knew even that small number stretched Will’s tolerance for crowds.
Brooding in solitaire was more his natural state.
Still, he kept a gentle smile fixed in place, his hand anchored at Chloe’s back, his gaze never once straying from her.
On her wrist gleamed the bracelet I’d made her, one I’d given her in private before the party.
It came out perfectly, the moonstones making Chloe gasp just the way I hoped, and now I watched her absentmindedly touch it any time she felt a little nervous.
My job was complete, and the newlyweds were in heaven.
They were sun-kissed and radiant, carrying their happiness so openly it seemed to spill out of them, impossible to contain.
Maven and I were at the bar, waiting on fresh martinis as Maven filled me in on her latest philanthropic updates. I scanned the party as I listened to her, my eyes catching on the different packs of our friends who felt more like family now.
Vince and Jaxson were locked into a heated champagne pong tournament against Mia and Grace, their hollers of excitement ringing out over the otherwise calm and romantic space.
But no one seemed to mind. In fact, they’d gathered a small crowd around them who were cheering them on — Mia and Grace especially, who I wagered were winning, judging by the little dance they were presently doing.
Vince yelled something about cheating while his partner stood stupefied beside him, completely under Grace’s spell just like he had been since the summer they ran away on a secret road trip together.
Aleks had that same love-dumb drooling thing going on from where he chatted with Will and Chloe, his eyes on his wife even as he carried out a conversation.
It was nice to see the bastard smile. He was pretty insufferable before Mia got her hands on him.
I loved how Will was dressed casually in white linen pants and a sage-green collared shirt, like he’d just rolled up from the resort he and Chloe spent a week at.
And Chloe was her incredible, colorful self — her dress like a tropical sunset, all bright pinks and oranges and yellows flowing together in an eclectic and somehow elegant design.
The fabric was heavy silk, and it draped over her curves in ways that reminded me why I loved women so much.
And then there was Carter.
He was in the far corner of the yard with Ava, making Zamboni perform tricks while Ava clapped and giggled and begged for more.
I watched as he handed Ava a treat and illustrated what to do to command Zamboni to roll over.
Ava did as he said, and when Zamboni flopped onto his back and rolled quickly before snapping back up to attention, Ava squealed with delight.
Ava was an absolute doll, her dark curls pinned into the cutest updo and a darling white fluff of tulle making up the dress she wore. Zamboni was battling her for cutest thing at the party, though, the little fur ball donning a doggie suit complete with bow tie.
But it was Carter who held my eye the longest.
Gone was the awkward rookie who stumbled over his own feet the night I first met him.
Tonight, he looked like he belonged here — like he owned the place.
His outfit wasn’t overly formal, just a perfectly tailored navy jacket and crisp white shirt with the collar undone, no tie in sight.
The fabric stretched just enough over his broad chest and shoulders to remind me exactly what was underneath.
His beige slacks cut a clean line down his long legs, hugging those thick thighs and that impossibly toned ass.
Even playing with a dog and a kid, he exuded a swagger I wasn’t sure when he’d picked up…
or how he’d learned to wear it so damn well.
He looked devastatingly handsome, but it wasn’t just the clothes.
It was the way he carried himself, like he finally believed he deserved to stand tall, to be seen.
Confidence dripped off him in a way that startled me, in a way that made me wonder if this transformation was my doing, or if he’d simply been waiting for the right moment to step into himself.
That confidence rattled me, too. Because every new layer of him I uncovered made it harder to pretend I wasn’t peeling back my own defenses along the way.
I didn’t want to want this, the butterflies and the stuttering heartbeats — not with him, not with anyone.
But my pulse apparently didn’t care what my brain was trying to tell it.
I still felt a little raw as I watched him from across the yard, like all my nerves had been exposed the night I confessed everything to him, and even a slight breeze had me wincing.
That man had held me reverently as I broke in his arms, and he’d been with me every day since — even if all I had to offer him were a couple hours after work.
It was like he didn’t want me to be alone after what I’d told him.
Or maybe like he never wanted me to be alone again.
And all of it was just too much. I was dressed to kill in a champagne-colored dress that fell like starlight over my slight curves, but inside, I was as uncomfortable as a nun in a strip club.
Add in the fact that I couldn’t help but think of Lacey, of how my sister would get married soon just like Will and Chloe, and I had yet to decide if I’d be a part of it or not…
I was sick over it.
I wanted to be there with her, to hold her bouquet if she wanted, or help her navigate a giant dress when she had to pee. I wanted to see her all blubbery as she professed her love to the man who’d stolen her heart.
He was a man I didn’t even know, and somehow, that made the pain of it all worse.
And I knew I couldn’t be there with her without facing my biggest demons, without being in the same room with a man who’d assaulted me and the two people who were supposed to protect me but didn’t.
Inside, I was an emotional tornado.
And at the same time, standing there in that fairy-tale backyard, surrounded by friends and love and light, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so safe. It was the lingering feel of Carter’s arms around me that had me feeling that way, despite how my mind raced.
That contradiction unsettled me. It was confusing and terrifying and dangerous.
I was still swimming in that discomfort when Carter looked up. His eyes found mine across the crowd as easily as if there was a tether between us, invisible but undeniable. He smiled, his warm, dark eyes dancing in the glow of the party, and I felt my own lips curve before I could stop them.
My stomach dropped like I’d stepped off the high dive, like there was no ground beneath me anymore and I didn’t know if I was diving into the safety of water or the certain death of concrete.
“Earth to Liv,” Maven said beside me, snapping my attention to her. She arched her brow with a knowing grin as she waved my fresh martini in front of my face until I took it. “You okay over there?”
“I’m great,” I lied. Or was it a lie? I did feel great, but I also felt… nervous.
Of what, I had no clue.
“Mhm,” she said, sipping her glass with her eyes still assessing me. “Then tell me what I just told you about the Sweet Dreams initiative and who signed on to help.”
I cringed. “Um… Cardi B?”
Maven swatted my arm playfully. “Brat. I knew you weren’t listening!”
When my eyes drifted back to Carter without permission, I wanted to smack myself. And Maven clocked it immediately.
“Oh, I see. We’re a little distracted, are we?” She looped an arm through mine and led us away from the bar to one of the cocktail tables. “I have to say… he seems like a completely new man. How are those lessons going?”
I sighed, curling my fingers around the stem of my glass. “I think he’s well past ready to graduate.”
“So, that’s it, then?” Maven asked. “Deal’s done, debt paid, and you two just… go back to him being a bumbling fool around you and you pretending like it annoys you?”
My throat was tight when I nodded. “That’s the plan.”
Carter’s gaze swept to mine, and this time, he sent me a wink that had my stomach fluttering like a jar full of fireflies.
“Huh,” Maven mused, sipping her drink with her eyes sliding to me again. “I don’t think your student agrees with this post-graduation procedure.”
My ribs squeezed painfully tight around my lungs, but before I could laugh and wave her off with all the nonchalance I could muster, there was a clinking of glasses and a call of attention to the makeshift dance floor near the pool.
Mia and Ava stood there together, Mia tapping a fork against her champagne glass as Ava bounced excitedly on her toes next to her, eyes alight with mischief.
I silently thanked the universe for the excuse to run from my confusing, terrifying thoughts a while longer, dragging Maven closer to the action.
“Our esteemed guests,” Mia began as everyone gathered around. “We are gathered this evening to celebrate the union of Chloe and Will Perry, our little ball of rainbow sunshine to our grumpy little rain cloud.”
Ava giggled loudly at that, and the rest of us chimed in, Vince elbowing Will where he stood next to him.
“And what better way to celebrate than with… a dance?!” Ava twirled with the words, landing in a wide stance with one hand on her hip and the other pointing off beyond the pool. “Hit it, DJ!”
And who was the DJ but Carter Fabri?
Seemingly out of nowhere, a giant speaker on a tripod had appeared. Carter must have had his phone hooked up to it because he tapped something on his screen and then a catchy pop beat rang out over the space.
I recognized it instantly as Mia’s song, “Perfect Storm.”
Mia handed her glass and fork to Grace, and then she and Ava launched into a fully choreographed routine — one that had all of us in stitches by the second line of the song.
The lyrics were about finding your person in a time you least expected it, about bracing for a storm to be greeted with sunshine, instead.
It was playful and fun, a complete bop, while also being layered with profound sentiment.
That was the magic of Mia Love’s songwriting, and watching her and Ava dance around throwing confetti over Will and Chloe, it was impossible not to smile.
It was impossible not to get emotional.
I felt it as soon as Chloe’s eyes watered, her laughter sweet like the sound of wind chimes as she watched the show. Will tugged her in closer, his smile the brightest it’d been all night, his eyes on his daughter.
It was a full-circle moment for them, and my heart burst at the sight.
“Oh, my God,” Maven said beside me, swiping tears from under her eyes. “This is illegally cute.”
No tears found my eyes when I nodded my agreement, but my heart was in a vise grip. It was impossible to be surrounded by that kind of love and not feel it permeating through you.
As the chorus repeated, Ava and Mia snagged Chloe and Will and shoved them onto the dance floor, forcing their hands together like dolls.
The newlyweds laughed, awkwardly swaying at first before melting into their own rhythm.
Then Mia and Ava kept grabbing whoever was closest—friends, strangers, teammates — and shoving them into pairs until the whole yard was moving.
We howled when they tossed Jaxson and Aleks together. Jaxson performed a ridiculous curtsy before yanking Aleks into some sort of chaotic waltz, Aleks muttering curses the whole way.
I was still laughing when Maven was dragged onto the floor with Vince.
And then my laugh died in my throat at the sight of Carter sliding in front of me.
His hand closed around mine before I could protest, and suddenly I was being pulled through the crowd, straight into the chaos.
“Carter—” I warned, heels digging in, but he spun me out before I could finish. The crowd whooped. I nearly toppled over, but Carter was there, steadier than ever.
“Relax, Professor,” he teased, catching me by the waist and spinning me back in. “It’s just a little dance.”
I scowled, or tried to. It was hard to look menacing when he twirled me again, his grin wide, his body warm against mine each time he reeled me in.
“Carter,” I hissed, though laughter cracked through my voice. “That’s enough.”
“Mm, I think not. Besides, what are you going to do? Punish me?”
“That’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Carter’s grin turned salacious, and he dipped me low enough I gasped before slowly, dramatically, pulling me upright once more.
“Don’t you think that’s exactly what I’m counting on?”
His wink was too smooth, too charming, and I couldn’t fight the laughter that bubbled out of me even if I’d tried.
And I hadn’t.
I’d let it consume me, that breathless, unguarded laughter.
For one wild, fizzy second, the lighthearted girl I used to be burst free. No fear. No past. Just the dizzy joy of music and motion, of him holding me steady as the world spun.
And for just a moment, I decided to let it stay.