Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“Yeah, you?” They were having a barbecue at their place, which I was pretty sure was code word for wedding planning.
“Yep, I’ll be there. I’m meeting Rush for a bit now. Linc is with Trey.”
“I think I’ll head out too.”
Jude held out his hand, and I let him help me up.
We walked back to our vehicles in silence. When we got to the lot, he said, “Good luck, figuring it all out.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. And I’m always around if you ever want to talk or anything.”
Jude nodded, smiled, got into his truck, and drove away.
I went to Fearless and got some work done in the back. The whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about Carter…about us…about what I wanted. And wondered if he missed me as much. If maybe he could want the same things as me.
I didn’t know what made me do it then, but I got my journal and began ripping out pages, tearing them up into tiny pieces and tossing them into the trash. It was the goodbye to my past I needed. It was something I should have done a long time ago.
At six, I made my way to Ash and Beau’s. Beau’s brother, Kenny, was also there with his girlfriend, as were Trey and his dad, Tyson, plus the original Saturgay crew, along with the newbies—Jude, Dax, and Jace. Apparently Keegan and Owen would be late.
I was sitting on one of the lawn chairs when a shadow crossed over me. I looked up to see Dax.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” he asked.
“It’s goin’,” I replied.
“He misses you. He would kill me for saying that. I’ve never seen him this way. Life is fucked sometimes, ya know? An opportunity like this coming when it does.”
I nodded, understanding what Dax was saying. Carter cared about me too, but this was big. “Yeah, I get it. I just want him to be happy.”
“You make him happy. I hope you don’t doubt that.”
I didn’t…not really. Not when I could shut up the voice inside my head wondering if I was enough for him.
“Dax! Come swim with me!” Jace called.
Dax looked at me.
“It’s fine. You can go.”
He nodded and said goodbye before running to jump into the pool with Jace.
Fuck, I wanted that. Wanted what Jace and Dax had. What Keegan and Owen had, and Linc and Rush, and Ash and Beau.
I wanted it with Carter.
And if he wanted me, I’d leave Fever Falls to have it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Carter
Elliott and I made our way through the hotel ballroom, chatting with the guests. We were at a fundraiser we’d helped organize, which meant several of our clients were in attendance. Events like these were a great chance to catch up with everyone, and Elliott used the opportunity to let our clients know they would now be working directly with me in the same capacity as they had with him and Dax.
A promotion, a pay increase…and more respect than I’d ever received from the celebs we worked with, apparently.
As I stepped out of the men’s restroom, my phone buzzed with a text. I found myself wishing it would be Sawyer. It was a stray thought that had come from time to time since we’d stopped seeing each other.
It was for the best.
Of course, no amount of telling myself that made me feel like it was true.
Helping Elliott out in LA hadn’t made me any more confident that what we’d done had been the right decision. Yes, I was good at the job. Hell, I’d basically been doing it alongside Dax while we were working together in Fever Falls. However, it had never been my dream to get there. Just seemed to be the natural progression from having worked at the company so long.
As I checked the text, I noticed the S at the start of the name and grew excited until I saw it was Serena.
“Carter, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you check your phone so much at a party,” Elliott said as he approached.
I knew he meant more than that text. It was definitely a habit I’d picked up after Sawyer and I had called things off.
“Just Serena,” I said, perusing her text. “She’s asking if we know anyone with So You Think You Can Dance.”
“Eh, I might be able to come up with something. You think she can dance?”
“I guess we’ll find out on the show,” I teased, which got him laughing.
“Come on, what’s eating you? You’ve been this way the past few weeks. You feeling okay? This isn’t about your mom, is it?”
“No, no. I mean, she’s called a few times, but I haven’t quite worked up to talking to her yet.” Between transitioning back to LA and the promotion, I hadn’t had the time or inclination to deal with it.
I scanned the list of names in my text feed. Sawyer, Jace, Ash, Beau…so many of the guys from Fever Falls, checking in on me to make sure I was okay.