Chapter 16
Kade
It’s been a week since the final walkthrough at the school was completed, and now that everything’s signed off and handed over to the owners, the whole crew’s heading to The Rig to celebrate a job well done.
By the time I walk through the doors, I spot the guys gathered around a few of the tables at the back with baskets of wings already in front of them. My parents are already sitting beside Trent, along with Brandon and Aubrey, but my eyes are drawn to Liv.
She’s sitting next to Aubrey, laughing at something my sister just said, her eyes crinkling in that way that makes my chest pull tight.
She’s in dark jean shorts and a simple white crop top that shows just the slightest sliver of skin when she moves—just enough to make my brain short-circuit for a second.
Her dark hair is down, soft and loose around her shoulders, and when she lifts her drink to take a sip, her gaze skims the room and lands right on me.
The smile she gives me isn’t big, but it’s real and it’s just for me.
God help me.
I make my way over, clapping Trent on the back and catching a wing someone tosses in my direction.
“Took you long enough,” Trent says, smirking as he lifts his beer. “We were about to start without you.”
“You say that like you haven’t already,” I shoot back, grinning as I pull out the empty chair beside Liv. “Hey,” I say, quieter now, just to her.
“Hey yourself,” she replies, and there’s that look again, shy, but steady.
For a second, everything else fades. The noise, the music, the smell of buffalo sauce and cheap beer. It’s just her. Just us.
And suddenly, the end of a job doesn’t feel like the highlight of my week anymore.
Around us, the table is loud—Brandon and Trent arguing about sauce flavors, my dad laughing at something Clay said, someone clinking bottles across the way—but all I can focus on is the way Liv’s eyes keep flicking back to me, warm and a little nervous.
“You look incredible tonight, by the way,” I say, just loud enough for her to hear.
Her cheeks go pink, but she doesn’t look away. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
And right then, I don’t need anything else. Not the drinks, not the music. Just her, right there, looking at me like I’m not the guy who usually screws this kind of thing up. Like maybe, for once, I’ve got it right.
Before I can say anything else, Aubrey stands up and tugs Liv by the hand. “Come on,” she says. “We’re dancing.”
Liv laughs, clearly hesitant, but let’s herself be pulled to her feet. I catch a quick glimpse of bare skin as she moves, the hem of that white crop top riding up just enough to make my stomach twist in the best kind of way.
No Scrubs by TLC is thumping through the speakers, and the whole place is leaning into the chaos—people belting lyrics, bumping hips, doing dance moves they haven’t attempted since high school. It’s loud, messy, but full of life.
As some of the guys join Liv and Aubrey on the dance floor, my parents take the chance to move closer to me and Brandon.
“I’m real proud of you boys,” Dad says, eyes warm with that steady kind of pride only a father can carry.
“Thanks, Dad,” Brandon says, giving me a nod—a quiet acknowledgement passing between us.
Mom smiles gently, resting a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve done more than just finish a job. It’s the way you carry yourselves. The way you’ve upheld the values your father built into Jenkins Construction.”
I know letting go of the company wasn’t easy for him. He’d been promising Mom he’d retire for years, but walking away from something he built with his own two hands? That kind of thing doesn’t come easy.
Even though Brandon and I always knew the day would come, taking over still felt huge. Not just because we wanted to prove something to Dad—but because we needed to prove it to ourselves. That we could carry it forward. That we could do it justice.
And standing here now, with the job wrapped and our crew laughing behind us, it feels like maybe we have.
As the night gets later, my parents decide to head out, but not before Dad throws one last warning over his shoulder.
“Behave yourselves.”
Brandon lifts his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, it’s not me you need to worry about. It’s him.” He jerks his chin toward me, grinning.
“I’m talking to both of you,” Dad says with a smirk. “Behave—but enjoy yourselves.”
With that, he takes Mom’s hand, and I watch them walk out of the bar together, the door swinging shut behind them.
My attention shifts back to the dance floor, where Liv’s spent most of the night moving between songs and laughter with Aubrey. But as I scan the crowd, something in her expression changes.
She’s not smiling anymore.
My gaze moves just past her, to the guy dancing behind her, too close, clearly not reading the room. Liv takes a half step forward, but he follows, his hand brushing her side like he’s got a right to it.
That’s all it takes.
My jaw clenches, and I’m already on my feet.
I don’t think. I just move.
Crossing the floor doesn’t take more than a few strides, but every step tightens something in my chest. I watch her shift again, uncomfortable, clearly trying to play it off without making a fuss.
That tells me everything I need to know—she’s not okay with this, and the guy isn’t getting the message.
He reaches for her again—too familiar, too entitled—and that’s when I step in.
I move in beside her, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. Not possessive, just there. Solid. Protective. And the way she leans into me, no hesitation, warms something deep in my chest.
“She’s with me,” I say, calm but clear. There’s no room for misinterpretation.
The guy blinks, caught off guard. “I didn’t know, man. Just dancing.”
“Yeah? She didn’t look like she was enjoying it.” My tone stays even, but my stare doesn’t budge. “So, take the hint.”
He mutters something under his breath, but backs off, disappearing into the crowd without another word.
Beside me, Liv exhales slowly. When she looks up, her eyes are wide—but not afraid. There’s relief there. Maybe even something like trust.
“You, okay?” I ask, voice low, just for her.
She nods. “Yeah. Thanks.”
I don’t drop my arm, and she doesn’t ask me to. Instead, she shifts a little closer, turning into me like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Want to sit for a bit?” I ask, needing, more than I want to admit, to just be close to her.
She glances around, spotting Aubrey still dancing in a group with Trent and Clay, then nods. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
With my hand resting on the small of her back, I guide her toward a quieter corner. I stop at the bar to grab a couple of waters, then slide into the seat beside her—closer than I probably need to be, but not close enough.
She takes the water with a quiet “thanks,” unscrewing the cap and taking a slow sip. Her cheeks are still a little flushed, either from dancing or from the way that guy wouldn’t take a hint—or maybe from me.
We sit like that for a beat. The music thumps in the background, voices rising and falling around us, but here, in this little pocket of calm, it feels quieter. Grounded.
“It was nice of you and Brandon to put this together for the guys,” she says eventually, her voice soft.
“It’s the least we could do after everyone’s hard work. You’re part of that too, you know.”
She lets out a quiet laugh. “I didn’t do much. They rebuilt an entire school. That’s… pretty incredible. And you and Brandon—you’re both so good at running things.”
“You do more than you think, Liv. I wouldn’t have made it through the last couple of weeks without you.” I pause, catching her eye. “Honestly, the paperwork’s the hardest part of the job—so believe me when I say, you’re more important than you might think.”
She smiles, and my heart damn near stops in my chest.
“This job… this town… it’s the first time I’ve felt like I belonged. Like maybe I was meant to be here.”
Something in me pulls tight at her words. That quiet confession, like it snuck out before she could stop it, and hits me deeper than I expect.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I say, voice low. “Not just for the job. Or the help. But because…” I swallow, dragging a hand over the back of my neck. “Because things feel different with you around. Better.”
She doesn’t say anything right away, but the look in her eyes makes my chest feel too small for the way my heart’s beating.
“I don’t know what brought you here, Liv… but I’m real damn thankful it did.”