Chapter 17

As Maddie’s other bridesmaids bustled around the room, I couldn’t help but notice the tension in the air. Maddie, who’d been over the moon all weekend…was acting strangely twitchy, her movements distracted and strange.

“Are you okay?” I whispered, and she nodded, biting down on her lip in a very worried looking way. Her leg was tapping a million miles an hour underneath her gorgeous dress, and I gently touched her knee, trying to calm her down.

“Can you come into the bathroom with me?” Maddie suddenly asked, her voice suspiciously loud as she grabbed my hand and started dragging me to the door.

As soon as we got inside, she locked the door behind her, her gaze darting around the room like someone was hiding inside here with us.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked, concern lacing my voice as I studied her pale face.

Maddie took a deep breath, her hands shaking as she met my gaze. ‘I took a pregnancy test this morning,’ she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. ‘And…it was positive.’

My heart skipped a beat at her words, I was completely shocked.

I also was…jealous.

That was a weird thing to think.

I realized she was waiting for me to say something. “You’re going to be a mom,” I whispered, my eyes getting all watery with the weird emotions I was feeling. I was so happy for her. Harley and her were going to be the best parents.

But I was also feeling a little sad for me.

No matter how much Walker thought this was going to work, there was no way I was going to be having a family while I was under the conservatorship.

I reached out to her, wrapping her in a comforting embrace. ‘And I’m going to be a freaking aunt,’ I squealed. “A cousin aunt,” I amended, as I thought about the family semantics.

She laughed, but it sounded hollow.

‘Are you okay? How does Harley feel about it?’

Maddie let out a shaky laugh, the sound tinged with uncertainty. ‘I’m not sure,’ she admitted, her eyes clouded with worry. ‘When I told him, he got really pale and quiet. I can’t tell if he’s happy or not.’

I hugged her tighter. “I’m sure he’s thrilled. Harley wants everything with you. He was probably so excited, he was trying not to pass out.”

“Oh, I think he was definitely about to pass out,” she snorted. “He was literally shaking…and then I left the room.”

“You left the room?”

“I was scared,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what he was going to say. I kept him waiting for so long. I gave him so much crap when he just wanted to marry me. I’m afraid that this is going to be too much.”

Just as she said that, there was a knock on the door.

“Yes?” Maddie called, her voice a little high-pitched.

“It’s me,” a voice called.

I cringed, because unfortunately the voice belonged to Carlie, her maid of honor. I’d never liked the girl. There was something about her that rubbed me the wrong way, something fake and insincere that made my skin crawl.

“Come in,” Maddie said, straightening up and wiping at her eyes.

Carlie breezed into the room with a saccharine smile plastered on her pretty face, her gaze flickering over us with a hint of curiosity. ‘Hey, girls,’ she chirped, her voice too bright to be genuine. ‘How’s everything going?’

Maddie forced a smile, her eyes still red from crying. ‘We’re fine, Carlie,’ she replied, her tone surprisingly clipped. ‘Just catching up before the wedding.’

Carlie didn’t seem to notice the tension in the air, her gaze lingering on Maddie for a moment. “You’re not second guessing anything…are you?”

For some reason, she didn’t sound too upset about the idea of that.

I bit back a sarcastic retort, forcing myself to let Maddie handle it since I barely knew Carlie.

“No, of course not! Just having an emotional moment with my soon to be cousin,” Maddie said in a bright voice that almost sounded real.

Carlie nodded, her expression almost…disappointed. “Good. That’s good,” she murmured slowly.

“I’ll see you out there, okay?” Maddie said, nicely telling her to get lost.

Thankfully Carlie got the message. “See you soon,” she responded as she walked out the door and I closed it behind her.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” I asked. “I thought you guys were best friends.”

Maddie’s fake smile had dropped and she sighed. “I guess at one point we were, but over the years it’s felt more like she was a thousand pound leech, hanging onto me for dear life so she can hang around NHL hotties. It just seemed like what I was supposed to do, having her be my maid of honor…since she’s my oldest friend.”

Before I could dwell on that information further, there was another knock at the door.

“I guess it’s time to get out there and start hoping Harley shows up to the ceremony,” she tried to joke as the knock sounded on the door again.

“Maddie, let me in, sweetheart,” Harley said, and Maddie’s eyes widened comically as she stared at me.

“What do I do?” she mouthed frantically.

“I’m going to let him in,” I whispered, because I knew my cousin…he was so in love with Maddie. There was no doubt in my mind, they were going to be alright. If they weren’t, I would officially be convinced that true love did not exist.

Harley stepped through the open door, his eyes filled with so much love and adoration as he stared at Maddie, I immediately began to tear up.

‘Hey, baby,’ he murmured, his voice soft with emotion. ‘You ran away before I could say anything.’

A hiccuped sob fell from Maddie’s mouth, and I knew I should leave and let them have this moment alone, but I was frozen in place.

‘I just wanted to tell you,’ he began, his voice trembling with emotion as he stared at her as if his life depended on it. ‘That I’ve never been happier in my entire life than when you told me you were having my baby. All these years, all I’ve ever wanted was…you. And now, with this baby on the way, it feels like all my dreams are finally coming true.’

Maddie seemed unable to form words at the moment, just staring at him as if she’d never been more shocked.

I couldn’t believe she’d thought he would reject her.

Her tears fell like raindrops, and he took a step towards her, his own tears streaming down his cheeks. “Can—can I hold you?” he asked.

She nodded as she started crying harder.

I felt a lump form in my throat as I stood there, watching as he hurried over and wrapped her in his arms.

This was what love looked like—a bond so deep and profound that you couldn’t imagine your life without that person, that you didn’t know where their happiness began and yours ended.

I watched them embrace, their tears mingling with their laughter and joy…and that longing twinged inside me once again.

Seeing them made me want to jump headfirst into something with Walker. Rip out my soul and give it to him, just for a chance at a love like that.

I left the room, closing the door behind me, a sense of peace floating over me for the first time this weekend that maybe…what I was dreaming of wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibilities.

Maybe happily ever afters could exist after all.

Marco had officially announced the concert was happening tomorrow. He’d texted me as soon as the news went out.

I was standing at the reception when the whispers began—evidently, it was going viral online already. And evidently, guests weren’t abiding by the no phones rule.

Shocking.

That had been Marco and Jolette’s plan, to create a commotion, so I hoped they were happy.

Or at least as happy as miserable people like them could ever be.

Marco had figured it would be a bigger deal if it was announced last minute, that it would make people terrified they would be missing out if they didn’t drop everything to go to a “once in a lifetime” concert. “Olivia Darling”, practically back from the dead.

It was amazing how fast being back in the headlines could make people connect the dots. Literally no one had recognized me all weekend. And now, as I was dancing with Walker, it felt like everyone was staring, like everyone was talking about me.

That familiar itch under my skin began. The one that made me want to claw at my flesh until it was unrecognizable…

Someone’s phone flashed nearby and I shrank against Walker’s chest, like somehow he could protect me from what was about to happen.

“News spreads fast,” Walker murmured, slipping his phone out of his tux and staring at it. I’d told him about the concert yesterday so the news wasn’t a surprise.

“Don’t google my name,” I begged under my breath. “You won’t like what you see.”

He huffed as if I was being ridiculous. “I’ve had Google alerts on you from the second I discovered who you were. There’s nothing about you I don’t want to know, that would change my mind.”

Now I was the one laughing. But the sound of my voice was harsh and sarcastic. “We’ll see about that.”

He squeezed me tighter against him, like his embrace could prove me wrong.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to pretend that they weren’t all staring at me. It had been a beautiful ceremony. Maddie and Harley had cried the entire time. And Walker, looking like a dream in his tux, had stared at me throughout it, like he was making the same vows that they’d made to each other.

Or at least that’s what a deranged part of me was imagining. The one that was more and more desperate to keep him with every passing hour.

I’d stay like this for a little longer, stay in his bubble and pretend like tomorrow’s concert wasn’t going to change everything.

“You’re not doubting me, right?” he said suddenly, anxiety sharp in his voice.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling at the moment,” I told him, keeping my face nestled in his chest. “Or at least I don’t know what I’m feeling besides dread.”

“I was hoping that my little reveal last night would make you feel better today.”

I snorted, as his “little reveal” pressed into my stomach. Walker’s dick was a sight to behold on a regular day. But seeing my name beaded down the underside of his length…well, I still wasn’t sure about that.

I’d never heard of something like that before. I especially didn’t know what to think about the fact that he’d done that after only one night with me.

I wasn’t that impressive in bed.

The psycho part of me did feel much better about the reveal though. The part of me that was desperate for someone to love me…to want me—that part of me loved the fact that he’d done something so permanent, so outlandish to himself.

The psycho part of me needed obsession. And your name on someone’s dick had to be the definition of that.

“I’m still analyzing how I feel about your…friendship beads,” I finally teased, and he wrapped me tighter, like he was afraid I would run away.

“Can I cut in?” a deep voice said from behind me.

“No,” Walker responded succinctly, keeping me plastered against him.

I glanced back to see it was that guy that had tried to talk to me at the engagement party—the one on Harley’s team. What was his name again?

“Come on, man. Give the rest of us a shot with her. Olivia Darling’s never been a one man kind of girl anyway.”

I froze at that, irrational hurt and embarrassment flooding my chest. Here we go again. I guess two years wasn’t enough to make people forget all the rumors about me.

It took me a second to realize the way Walker had stiffened as well.

“What the fuck did you just say?” he hissed, his voice dark and…a little terrifying.

I hadn’t heard that tone from him before.

Walker pulled me to his side, still keeping me tucked under one arm.

The guy took a step back, clearly intimidated by the sudden shift in Walker’s demeanor, but he mustered a nervous laugh. ‘Davis, I was just joking around,’ he stammered, his bravado faltering under Walker’s intense gaze.

Walker’s eyes flashed with barely-contained rage, his fists clenched at his sides. ‘Oh, you think that’s a fucking joke?’ he growled, his voice rising to a guttural snarl. ‘You think you can say that, and I’ll let you get away with it?’

Walker closed the distance between them, dragging me with him even as he towered over the guy. ‘Let me make one thing clear,’ he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. ‘Olivia is mine. If you ever even think about disrespecting something that’s ‘mine’ again…I’ll fucking end you.’

The guy’s eyes widened in fear, his bravado crumbling under the weight of Walker’s aggression. He stumbled over his words, trying to backpedal, but Walker wasn’t having it.

‘I think it’s time for you to leave the party,’ he suggested in a voice that I was going to label as his “serial killer” voice from now on—because it was that terrifying. “It’s going to be a lot of fun next time I see you on the ice.”

The guy turned and fled the room, like Walker had pulled out a literal knife and waved it at him.

Walker stared after him for a second, like he was waiting for him to reappear.

He finally turned to me, his eyes softening immediately. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, his voice rough with concern.

“Yeah,” I whispered in a shaky, awe-filled voice. “Thank you. You didn’t need to do that.”

He shook his head at me. “I’ll prove it to you eventually,” he said quietly in response.

“Prove what?”

“That you have a safe place now, Olivia. That I am that safe place.”

He pulled me back into his arms without waiting for a response, and his heartbeat felt like a ticking clock, counting down the moments when the real world returned…and I would see if that was true.