Taylor crawls over and stops in front of us. “What are we talking about? Is it Mindy? She still avoiding me?”
I wave a hand. “No. It’s not you. She has other things going on.”
“Things involving a certain soulful-eyed singer?” Taylor presses.
I spread my hands. “She hasn’t been sharing much.”
Taylor snorts. “You don’t think it’s ironic that Miss I’m So Perfect, who never does anything even slightly wrong, did something, like, majorly wrong?”
“Taylor.” Finley gives her the mom voice.
Taylor exhales a disgruntled sigh and leans back on the blanket, turning her stony face skyward.
Even if I knew more of what was happening, I wouldn’t share Mindy’s private struggles with Taylor—not with the way their relationship has been going. Mindy only gave me the basics, anyway. She’s been on edge because of work, and it didn’t help that Blake went radio silent. Mindy has been put on administrative leave while Rebel Records investigates her connection to the whole scandal. I’m not sure who leaked the truth—whether Mindy slipped pieces of it to her assistant or someone else at work or if Blake said something or if someone just figured it out from watching the video. But they’re looking into the ramifications of her being even loosely involved with a client and the resulting media attention.
Fortunately, after Ben was arrested—and many lawsuits were flung around—most media outlets retracted the story about the love triangle between Blake and Oliver and me and pulled down the videos. It didn’t entirely stop the nonsense—the internet holds onto things forever—but the furor has died down.
After the fireworks end, we stay on the blankets and talk, waiting for the crowd to thin. Taylor is staying the night but leaving tomorrow—she never remains in one place for long. Archer and Jake and Oliver continue the sandwich-and-hot-dog debate, but eventually, we pack up the blankets and snacks and head to the parking lot.
“We’ll meet you back at home,” I say to Finley when we have to split to get to our respective vehicles.
“Meet us at the main house so we can hang out for a bit?” Finley says.
I nod.
“We cleaned up the cabin Oliver stayed in last month for you both to sleep in.” She grins and waves as they turn away.
We wait in a line of cars attempting to exit the park. We aren’t in a hurry.
Oliver leans back in the driver’s seat and looks at me. “Thank you for inviting me this weekend.”
I reach for him, and our fingers tangle together. “Of course,” I say, surprised by his gratitude. I thought it was assumed we would spend the holiday together. “You’re always invited. I’m not sure I can sleep without you, actually. I’m addicted now.”
He chuckles, his hand squeezing mine.
We haven’t spent a night apart since the whole Ben debacle. Mostly, we stay at his place, but some nights, he comes over to Mindy’s. I haven’t wanted to leave her on her own too much. I think we annoy her a little with our constant touches and heated looks, but I can’t control it. I don’t think he can either.
“Will you come with me to Guy and Scarlett’s wedding? Since I’m a groomsman, I may be busy for parts of it, but… I want you to be there.”
My brows lift, my mouth stretching with a smile. “I would love to go with you.”
We roll forward a few more feet, and when we come to a complete stop, he stretches over the center console, his lips grazing mine. “You make me believe in love.” His words are a heated brush against my skin. “You make me feel like—” He swallows “Like I might actually be worthy of it.”
My heart swells, a twisting expansion pressing on my rib cage, the emotion filling me, too overwhelming to be contained by the small organ. I reach up, cupping his face in my palms, and then I kiss him. The kiss deepens immediately, both of us eager and desperate within seconds, unable to get close enough with the console acting as an inconvenient barrier between our bodies. His lips are warm and firm, and he tastes like beauty and devotion, like summer nights and falling in love.
A car horn blares, breaking us apart. I laugh, shaky with lingering exhilaration. He doesn’t let go of me or make any moves to resume our drive, unconcerned with the impatient driver behind us.
His thumb brushes my cheek, and his serious eyes lock on mine. “I love you.” His voice is low and assured.
“I love you so much.” Emotion builds inside me, spilling out of my eyes.
His mouth sweeps my skin, my lips, my eyes, my cheeks, his touch stroking away my tears. “I love you,” he says over and over between kisses, as if the words tumble out and he can’t stop them.
Happiness is a glow in my chest that can’t be contained, not even when more cars honk around us. The sounds fade into the background, and all that’s left is me and Olive and the whispered words of love between us.
The End