Trace + Olivia Series Boxed Set (60 page)

“Oh!” He exclaimed, hopping off the counter. “Gotcha!” He saluted me. “Come on, Ace. Potty time,” he headed towards the door.

Once he was gone, I asked, “Avery, what’s going on? Please, talk to me.”

She bit down on her lower lip, refusing to look at me. “I
can’t
.” Her voice cracked. “I’m sorry, Livie, but I can’t talk to you about this. Not to anyone.”

I tilted my head, studying her. Whatever was going on with her ran a lot deeper than I had originally believed.

“I’m your best friend. You can tell me anything.”

“Not about this.” She shook her head back and forth rapidly. Swiftly, she stood, the barstool almost falling over from her quick movements. “Tell Trace I said thanks for breakfast.” Not meeting my eyes, she asked, “Do you have some clothes I can borrow? My dress is ruined and I don’t exactly want to wear your boyfriend’s shirt home.”

“Sure,” I said softly, slipping from the chair, and padding across to the bedroom. She followed closely behind me.

Avery was a lot curvier than I was but I managed to find a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt that should fit her. “Here,” I handed it to her. “You—um—weren’t wearing a bra and we aren’t exactly the same size.” I had a decent sized chest, but Avery’s was a lot bigger. There was no way those were fitting in one of my bras.

“I’ll make do,” she smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. She let out a defeated breath as I closed the door behind me. I leaned my head against the door and closed my eyes. I was used to the crude, slutty, Avery I’d always known … this new sad and moody Avery was someone I didn’t even begin to understand. I didn’t know how to handle her.

The apartment door opened again and Trace poked his head inside.

“Where’s Avery?” He asked me.

“Changing,” I rubbed my hands over my face. I hadn’t even finished breakfast and I was ready to go back to bed and start this day all over again.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, coming all the way into the apartment.

Ace scampered over to me and proceeded to slather my arm in dog kisses.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I just don’t know.”

“Do I look okay?” I asked Trace, coming out of the bedroom in my black cap and gown.

He laid his guitar to the side, sticking the pick between his lips, and sat up. After I started getting better, he’d taken guitar lessons. He said music helped him to cope with everything. My way of coping had been to pretend it didn’t happen.

He was dressed nicely in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt. I may have grown to love his plaid shirts, but he cleaned up good. He crossed his arms behind his head and looked me up and down.

“What do you
want
me to say?” He asked, taking the pick from between his teeth and placing it on the table. “I feel like this is a test, and I’d really like to pass so I can be rewarded later,” he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not a test, Trace.”

“It’s a cap and gown, Olivia. It is what is. But,” he stood and strode towards me, “I know no one else will look as beautiful in it as you do.”

“You’re so full of crap you stink,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

He threw his head back and his laugh filled the small apartment. “Oh Olivia, you never cease to amuse me,” he guided me towards the door.

“Is your family coming?” I asked, being extra cautious on the steps that led to the parking lot. While Avery had made sure I’d gotten used to wearing heels, heels plus the long gown equaled dangerous territory for me. Hopefully Trace was paying attention and could catch me before I face-planted … because that was a definite possibility. Oh, gosh! What if I fell in front of the entire class?

I took a few deep breaths. I’d done fine at the wedding, but my dress had been short so it wasn’t like it could get tangled in my shoes.

“You have really got to stop worrying,” Trace’s voice broke into my thoughts. “You’re going to get a wrinkle right there,” he swiped his thumb between my brows. “And yes, they’re all going to be there. You know Gramps wouldn’t miss this.”

I smiled. Trace’s grandpa had welcomed me into their family with open arms and I honestly loved that man like he was a blood relative of mine. Trace’s grandma, mom, and brother were amazing as well, but not quite like Gramps. Warren Wentworth was an all-around special person.

I stumbled into Trace’s car. I made sure no part of the gown was sticking out of the car before shutting the door.

I smiled over at my ‘new to me’ Ford Fiesta. It was purple and a nice upgrade from my old Ford Focus. Trace had been more than willing to buy me a fancy new car, he’d thrown around names like Mercedes and Land Rover, but I wanted to buy my car by myself. I didn’t want to be dependent on Trace. I knew he meant well, but I was stubborn, and I didn’t really like being showered in lavish gifts. I wasn’t that kind of girl. Simple was my way.

I took the cap off my head and twisted it around in my hands.

“Ready?” Trace asked.

I nodded. “Mhmm.”

He chuckled and pulled out of the parking lot, waving to a humped over Pete, the owner of the garage, who was scolding one of the mechanics for something.

Trace’s apartment was fairly close to the University, but it took longer than usual to get there because of all the people trying to get into the school for graduation.

My phone rang and I pulled it out of the cup holder where I’d put it earlier.

“Hey mom,” I answered.

“Where are you? Are you at the school? Nick and I are in the parking lot.”

“We’re almost there. Stuck in traffic,” I frowned, craning my neck to see how much further we had to crawl before we could turn into the parking lot. “It’ll probably take us another five minutes. I have a parking pass though. Wanna meet us at the student parking lot and we can all walk over together?”

“Sounds good,” she replied and the line went dead.

We eventually made it into the parking lot and found a spot to park the car. Thank God I wasn’t one of those girls that took forever to get ready, otherwise I probably would’ve missed my own graduation. It was set to start in thirty minutes. Knowing Avery, she’d rush in at the last possible second.

Trace held my hand as we walked towards my mom and Nick, who were standing beneath the shade of one the large trees dotting the campus. I had unzipped my gown and it flowed behind me. A slight breeze picked up and the air felt amazing against my heated skin. It had to be close to one hundred degrees outside and I was already nervous, therefore I was turning into an unattractive sweaty mess … and graduation hadn’t even started yet.

A flash went off and I glared at my mom as we joined them.

“Mom!” I whined. “At least give me a little warning.”

She laughed. “Liv, I learned a long time ago that if I warned you I was taking your picture, you ducked and ran.”

“That’s because I hate having my picture taken,” I defended, fighting a smile.

“You better get over that phobia real quick,” Trace warned.

“Why?” The word had barely left my lips before he was pulling me against him and holding his phone out, snapping a picture.

He let me go and looked down at the phone. “Oh, that’s definitely a keeper.”

I stood on my tiptoes and peered around him to see the picture. “I look like a serial killer!” Trace looked amazing in the picture, of course, while I was cross-eyed and the look on my face screamed crazy person.

“You look cute,” he chuckled.

“Oh please,” I shook my head.

“Well, well, well,” Avery sing-songed sauntering up to us, “if it isn’t the old married couple,” she poked my side, “and the new married couple.” She smirked at her brother and waved to my mom.

“Glad to see that you’re back to your usual self,” Trace laughed.

Avery frowned, remembering the other night.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her.

“Never better,” she replied too quickly. Before I could comment, she grabbed my hand and began tugging me away. “We need to go get lined up. Like, now.”

I waved over my shoulder to my mom, Nick, and Trace. “I’ll see you guys in a bit,” I called.

Once we were away from them I wrenched myself from Avery’s grasp.

“What the heck is going on with you?”

“Nothing,” she toed the ground with the pointed end of her heel.

“I’m your best friend, you know you can tell me anything, right?” I questioned, looking at her sadly.

“I know …” She paused. “There are just some things that it’s hard for me to talk about with anyone. It’s nothing against you, Livie.” She looked up at the sky and let out a shuddering breath. “There are things about me that
no one
knows.”

“You can tell me, Avery,” I reached for her hand. “I would never tell anyone.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” her green eyes were full of tears she wouldn’t dare let fall, “but I
can’t
talk about it. Okay?”

Reluctantly I nodded in agreement.

“Thank you,” she reached out and pulled me into a hug. “Now,” she smiled, “we really do have to get lined up.”

I held my diploma proudly in my hands and smiled widely as my mom took picture after picture. If she didn’t quit soon, my face was going to be stuck this way permanently. My cheeks were already tired from all this smiling.

Trace held me close to his side and let her snap as many pictures as she wanted. Traitor. Wasn’t he supposed to be on my side?

“Warren, Ellie, Lily, Trent,” she called over the rest of Trace’s family, “I want to get one of you all together.”

After much directing from my mom, she finally got us lined up the way she wanted.

“Okay … are you ready? One, two, three—”

On three, Trent leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“Trent!” Trace scolded his younger brother.

My mom laughed, glancing down at the display on her camera. “Oh, I’m framing this one.”

I groaned. Parents just loved to embarrass their kids.

“Let me see it,” I stepped forward and reached out for the camera. “Oh gosh,” I laughed. Warren, Ellie, and Lily were smiling happily, but my eyes were wide and my mouth was open in shock as Trent’s lips pressed against my cheek. Trace was glaring daggers at his younger brother. “That is frame worthy,” I agreed.

She took the camera from me and instructed us to line up again. This time, she put Trace on one side of me and Warren on the other. Smart lady. Trent was trouble.

“Hey sweet pea,” Warren whispered.

“I’ve missed you, Gramps,” I said before smiling per my mother’s command. At first, I had thought it would be awkward calling Warren, Gramps. After all, he was Trace’s grandpa, not mine. But now, I couldn’t call him anything else.

“I’ve missed you too,” he said in his gruff voice. Coughing, he added, “Tell that grandson of mine he needs to let you out of the house more often.”

“I heard that, Gramps,” Trace chuckled.

“What? It’s true,” Gramps stifled yet another cough with his hand.

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

“I’m fine, sweetie. When you’re as old as me your lungs don’t work as well as they used to.”

I glanced at him skeptically.

After she’d taken over a hundred pictures of Trace’s family and me, she waved Avery over.

Avery and I posed for a few pictures and then she relinquished the camera to Trace.

“I want some of Liv and me, and then a few with Nick as well,” my mom told him.

“You got it,” Trace nodded, holding up the camera. “Smile, Olivia.”

I plastered yet another smile on my face, draping my arm over my mom’s shoulder.

After about ten more pictures, she finally said she had enough. I figured her memory card was full.

“Are we all going to get dinner?” I asked. “What’s the plan?” My stomach began to rumble at the thought of food.

“Actually,” Trace stepped forward, “I have something planned … for just the two of us.”

“Oh,” I shook my head. “I assumed—”

“We’ll see you two later,” my mom smiled, hugging me. With that, her and Nick disappeared. Avery had already left and Trace’s family was slowly backing away.

I narrowed my eyes. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he smirked, his green eyes sparkling, and giving away the fact that there was
something
.