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eighteen

Olive

Rory

Hey, Liv!

Are you still coming tonight?

Olive

Are you sure it won’t be weird if I’m there?

Rory

Of course not!

We’re all friends now

Olive

But I still haven’t met Knox, Josh, or Matt

Rory

And you’ll meet them all tonight

I know Harlow would love for you to be there

Olive

Then I wouldn’t miss it

I’ll see you later, Rory

I look damn good tonight.

I haven’t been to anything like this in years, so I wanted to put in extra effort. My black turtleneck is skin-tight. The high-waisted houndstooth skirt hugs my hips and lands at my mid-thigh. The thigh-high heeled black boots are layered on top of a pair of black tights.

Tonight is a special occasion, so I want to look the part.

…I might also want to impress Lane.

I haven’t seen him or Sage since her lesson on Tuesday, but we’ve been texting non-stop. I’m so excited to see him tonight.

Knox and Harlow’s penthouse is in Battery Park City, and you can see all of lower Manhattan through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view is absolutely breathtaking.

Rory and Cole are the only ones here right now—they came early to set everything up since Harlow is his sister—but Lane texted me a little bit ago, so I know he and Sage are on their way.

I’m in the kitchen pouring myself a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon when I hear the front door open and little footsteps padding down the hall.

“Ann Wory!”

“There’s my Lovebug!” Rory chimes, probably scooping Sage off the ground and into her arms.

And if Sage is here, that means Lane is, too.

As if on cue, he walks into the kitchen, looking like he stepped right out of a magazine. He’s in a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up and tucked into a pair of gray plaid slacks.

I’m staring. I know I’m staring, but I can’t help myself.

He’s doing some staring of his own, though, too.

Lane’s throat bobs as he crosses the kitchen in long strides, coming to a stop right in front of me. With his hands on my hips, his gaze locks on mine.

“God, you’re beautiful, Olive.”

“Thank you,” I reply shyly. “You look great yourself.”

“Not as good as you.” He bites his bottom lip. “I’ve never seen anybody as beautiful as you, Ballerina. My God.”

I can’t help but smile under the praise, loving this reaction out of him. I’ve never thought myself unattractive, but after everything I’ve been through, I haven’t really felt beautiful.

That’s no longer true.

How could I not feel that way when Lane is so honest with his words? There’s truth in everything he says, and I have no doubt that he finds me as beautiful as he claims.

“You’re so sweet, Lane,” I smile softly.

“You’re special. Something about you brings this out of me. You have me ready to drop to my knees and worship you, baby.”

Baby.

I heard him call me that when he was comforting me after my nightmare, but I didn’t think much of it.

He means it, though. He’s calling me his baby, and that realization has me glancing at his lips, wanting to get a taste.

This isn’t like me, but maybe the new Olive will be an improved version of the Olive I was at seventeen.

I watch as Lane wets his lips, all the while staring at mine. Seems I’m not the only one with kissing on my mind.

But nothing happens because Rory walks into the kitchen now. “There you a— oh.”

We quickly break apart, but it’s clear something is happening with the way my cheeks are still flushed.

“Hey, Rory,” Lane says nonchalantly, as if he’s not at all affected the way I am right now. “Just talking to Liv.”

Rory bites down a smile. “Sure didn’t look like talking to me.”

“N-nothing was happening,” I stammer. Lane just smirks.

Goddamn him.

“Whatever you say,” she snickers. “The rest of our friends will be here soon, and Harlow and Knox should be here in about an hour. Come help us finish setting up.” With that, Rory walks away and out into the living room.

“Come on, Liv,” Lane says, gesturing behind him. “Let’s get out there.”

“You go ahead. I’ll be out in just a minute.”

He leans closer, whispering against my ear. “Better compose yourself then, baby. If you walk out there with your cheeks still flushed like that, everyone is going to know just how much of an effect I have on you. Wouldn’t want that, would we?”

He winks and then turns around, leaving me alone in the kitchen and wondering just how the hell I’m going to make it through this party without combusting.

“How was Korea, man?” Lane asks Ari as he joins us in the crowded living room.

“Awesome,” he smiles. “Miss it already.”

“Why were you in Korea?” I ask.

Ari laughs heartily. “I thought it was pretty obvious by looking at me. I’m half Korean. My mom still lives in Seoul.”

“Oh,” I blush, cringing at my ridiculous question. “That makes sense.”

“Happy to hear this bastard finally told you his name, Liv,” Ari teases, pointing at Lane with his beer bottle.

Lane rolls his eyes. “I told her I’d tell her when I saw her again. I did exactly that.”

“Because you’re cocky,” I smirk.

I hear a man laugh loudly as he walks up next to us. I don’t recognize him, but he has dark-ish hair. I’m guessing this is one of the guys I haven’t met yet.

“She’s got you pegged already, Lane,” he chuckles before turning to me. “Happy to see someone finally put this fucker in his place.”

Lane sighs and shakes his head. “Liv, this is Josh, Ella’s husband.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Josh. I’ve heard a lot about you.” I turn to Lane now. “Who else haven’t I met here yet?”

“The four by the window are Harlow’s parents, James and Vivian, and Knox’s parents, John and Katherine. The man holding my daughter is our field manager, Rory’s dad, Paul. And the guy hovering over Lucia would be Matt.”

“Fucking Matt,” I hear Ari mutter under his breath.

Based on the looks of Lane and Josh, it doesn’t seem that anyone likes Matt.

I wonder why.

Rory shouts over the crowd to get our attention now. “They just got to the building, everyone! Time to get ready.”

Silence falls over the room now as we all turn toward the door, waiting for the couple of the hour to arrive. A minute later, the door opens gently, and Harlow and the man I presume to be Knox step inside.

Harlow looks beautiful right now in a flared black dress and heels, but she clearly had no idea we would be here as she stares at us, stunned.

Knox kisses the top of her head before looking at the crowd of friends before him with a bright smile. “She said yes!”

The silence is replaced by raucous cheers and congratulations, everybody happy and ready to celebrate the newly engaged couple.

“Congratulations!” I say cheerily as I finally find Harlow and Knox.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Liv!” Harlow chimes, quickly wrapping her arms around my shoulders for a tight hug. Pulling away, she gestures to the man next to her. “Olive, this is Knox, my fiancé.”

“Nice to finally put a face to the woman Lane can’t stop talking about,” he chuckles.

Does Lane really talk about me that much? Every time I meet someone, they say some variation of the same thing.

“I’m going to go talk to my parents for a little bit.” Knox kisses Harlow softly. “Love you, Freckles.”

“Love you, too, Slick.”

When Knox is out of earshot, I turn back to Lo. “You make such a sweet couple!”

“Thank you,” she smiles. “Can you believe that man used to not talk to anyone?”

“It’s a little hard to believe,” I chuckle.

“Love changes a man,” Rory chimes, joining us.

Harlow laughs. “Cole didn’t change a damn bit, babe. He was always so far gone for you.”

“He was,” she grins. Her look is more mischievous now. “What do we think about Lane?”

Lo smirks. “Oh, he’s completely gone for her.”

“No,” I blush. “We’re, uh… friends.”

“Friends who sure looked like they were about to kiss in the kitchen a little bit ago,” Rory teases.

Harlow lights up. “Wait, really?!”

I groan. “We were only talking when Rory walked in.”

“Neither of you were speaking a word when I walked in,” Rory says. “You were just staring at each other.”

My blush deepens, and I take a sip of my wine to keep myself composed. “Sage looks adorable tonight, doesn’t she?”

They both laugh but roll with my change of subject.

“She’s the fucking cutest,” Harlow says.

She’s even cuter than usual tonight. She’s wearing a tan sweater tucked into a burnt orange skirt with a pair of white Mary Janes over top of some white tights.

So fucking cute.

“Ballerina,” a husky voice says, resting a hand low on my back. “Wondered where you ran off to.”

Rory eyes him. “Possessive much, Lane?”

His laugh is deep. “Can you blame me?”

Harlow smiles brightly. “You two are so damn cute.”

Lane looks right at me, eyes full of affection. “She is cute, isn’t she?”

I gulp the rest of my wine, clearly having lost any sense of composure I had. “It’s, uh, late. I should probably get going soon so I can hail a taxi.”

“You’re not leaving alone, Olive.” Lane’s voice is stern but gentle. “It’s late, and who knows if you can trust your cab driver.”

“What am I supposed to do then?” I challenge.

Rory pipes up. “Why don’t Cole and I watch Sage tonight? We can take her off your hands, Lane, and you can make sure Olive makes it home safely.”

Her smile is full of faux-sweetness. I don’t know what she’s setting up, but she’s obviously trying to make sure Lane and I spend more time together tonight.

“That would be great, Rory,” Lane says happily. Turning to me, he adds, “There we go. Looks like I’ll be taking you home.”

“Okay,” I reply, unable to mask my smile.

Rory isn’t the only one who wants me to spend more time with him.

“My car is right here,” Lane says, hand resting on my lower back, as he likes to do. He leads me to where he’s parked on the street.

We come to a stop in front of a navy blue Subaru Outback.

“This is your car?” I ask, surprised.

He chuckles. “I used to have a Ferrari. But this car is very safe, and that’s my top priority with Sage.”

I turn to look at him. He glows under the light of the streetlamp, the chiseled features of his face highlighted and oh-so enticing.

He really is a beautiful man.

The more I get to know Lane, the more I see him, and I really enjoy the person he is.

“You’re staring at me again, Ballerina,” he says, voice low, as he steps closer to me.

“I am,” I reply, owning it. “You’re a good-looking man, Lane. I’m not going to pretend I don’t see that.”

His hands find my hips, and he pulls me in, anchoring my body to his. “You like my looks, huh?”

“Yes,” I breathe. “But I like a lot more than that, too. I like you as a person, Lane. I love being around you.”

“You don’t know how much I like hearing you say that, Liv.” He slips one hand around my waist, pulling me even closer as he rests the other against my cheek. “Talking to you has been the highlight of my day for weeks now.”

Snow is falling around us, but the beauty of this moment is in Lane’s eyes, not our surroundings. It’s in the way he gazes at me as if I’m precious to him. It’s in the way he sees me.

Lane licks his bottom lip again, and I track the movement, unable to resist asking my next question.

“Lane,” I whisper. “Earlier in the kitchen… were you going to… kiss me?”

He smiles at me softly. “Yes.”

“Do you still want to kiss me?”

He lowers his forehead, resting it against mine while staring right into my eyes. “Yes. God, yes, Liv.”

I don’t let myself mull over the words. I don’t let myself overthink it.

I just lean up and press my lips against his softly one time before pulling away.

But Lane immediately leans back down, capturing my lips again in a searing kiss and wrapping both of his arms around me, holding me close. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, and I part for him, enjoying the feel of his tongue against mine.

I’ve never been kissed like this before. I feel the heat from this all the way down to my toes, and I don’t think I’m ready to end the night just yet.

Once we pull apart, I say, “What if you don’t take me home yet, Lane?”

“The last thing I want to do right now is let you out of my arms, baby. Where do you want to go?”

“Your place,” I breathe. “Let’s go to your place.”