Page 46 of Until the End

“That’s so cute! I can’t believe he remembered,” Lottie gushes.

“I’m not surprised he remembered. He got to dance with Ginny the whole night. Did you fuck?”

“Gia!” I smack her in the arm. “Why do you have to say it like that?”

Her grin is evil. “Because it makes your face all red. No,but seriously. Did you guys have sex, and was he generous? Because if he wasn’t, I’ll kick him in the nards.”

“I amnotgiving you details…but yes, and yes.” My face still flushes at the admission.

“He was good, wasn’t he? I bet he’s packing.”

“Okayyyy. I’m done with this conversation.” I shoot off the couch to Lottie’s and Gia’s laughter.

“That totally means he is,” Gia snarks.

I race upstairs to the kitchen. It’s one long space, with the dining room between the kitchen and the living room. There’s an array of drink options on the counter, but I grab a soda from the fridge.

“Hey, you.” Carson wraps his arms around my stomach and drops a kiss on my neck. “Where did you go?”

“Gia and Lottie kidnapped me and then embarrassed the heck out of me.”

“Let me guess, Gia asked about the size of my dick.”

“How did you know?”

“Because she loves to say bawdy things to get a rise out of you.”

“I hate that she’s so good at it.” That’s not really true. Gia’s teasing has always come from a good place. She’s helped me expand my comfort zone in ways that make me feel safe. I turn around in Carson’s arms. He holds me close, not caring for a second that anyone could walk in and see us. I worried that he’d take a step back in front of our family, but he’s only pulled me closer.

“Hey, lovebirds.”

“Speak of the devil,” I murmur to Carson, making him snort.

Gia and Lottie grab drinks from the kitchen, and we head out to the backyard. A few years ago, Lottie’s parents redid their patio, and now there’s space for everyone to hang out. There’s a kitchen area with a built-in grill, bar top, and hugetable off to one side. Then there are a couple of sitting areas, one that surrounds a fire pit and the other with outdoor furniture that’s set up in a square shape.

We head straight for Michael, Ryan, and Ryan’s middle sister, Adalaide, who are sitting on the couches.

“Hey!” Addie jumps up. “Can I just say I am so freaking jazzed the two of you are together?” She gives me a big hug, and I grin at the others over her shoulder. Addie is the biggest juxtaposition. She’s incredibly loud and always happy while oddly shy and introverted at the same time. I’m sure part of it is that she skipped a grade because of how smart she is, and I think she worries she’s missing social cues.

“How’s school going?” I ask, skipping over her remark about me and Carson. Addie sits down next to her brother while Carson and I take the couch opposite her.

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe I’m almost done. I’m ready to graduate, though. Interning with Uncle Ben has only made me more excited to start working.”

“I can’t believe you’re graduating next year,” I muse.

“It feels like it’s taking forever.”

“I know how that goes. At least you’ve got a guaranteed job when you graduate,” Lottie says.

“True. I probably wouldn’t be as pumped if that wasn’t the case.” Addie turns to me. “When will you have to go back to LA?”

“Probably in a week or so. I’ve officially signed with Mariana, and she wants to meet in person to go over contracts. I also need to work on this album with my producer. There’s only so much I can do from home.”

Carson stiffens next to me.

“How long will you be gone?” Lottie’s putting on a brave face, but her tone says she’s disappointed.

“I don’t know. It’ll depend on how long it takes to record the album, but I’ll be back. After the whole stalker thing,there’s no way I’ll be able to stay in my LA house. Plus, I want to be here more than there.”

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