CHAPTER 91: CHAPTER 91 POOL PARTY CONFESSIONS

Caroline’s POV

We got to Ryan’s huge place, and Elle and Ruby came running out. They grabbed Liam right out of Draven’s arms, making him look all pouty and cute.

"Hey, watch it!" Draven called after them, acting all protective. "Be careful with my little man!"

"So this is the famous Liam!" Kyle said, walking up with a big smile.

My son was soon surrounded by friends, giggling and squealing as they tickled his tiny belly, making me smile at the heartwarming scene.

Suddenly, Liam’s eyes found Draven across the yard.

"Daven, pool!" he called out excitedly, his violet eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Let’s put on the floaties and sunscreen first, baby," I reminded him as he was already stretching his little arms toward Draven.

"I’ve got this, Caroline. I’ll take care of our pup today. You relax and enjoy yourself," Draven said, flashing me that heart-stopping smile of his.

He looked absolutely gorgeous under the summer sun, his golden-brown hair slightly tousled, designer sunglasses perched on his nose, and a simple white t-shirt paired with board shorts. Even his feet in flip-flops were somehow perfect. He took Liam’s bag from my hands and busied himself applying sunscreen on my son’s fair skin before inflating the floaties and securing them on his little arms. Then, with the care of an experienced father, he stepped into the pool with Liam, both of them splashing and laughing almost immediately.

"Your son is absolutely adorable, Caroline!" Kyle said, settling into a lounge chair beside me.

"It’s incredible how much he resembles Draven, especially those distinctive violet eyes!" Joseph commented, looking slightly puzzled.

"I’d say our Caroline has a very specific type," Ryan grinned at me, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh right, because gorgeous, tall, muscular men with authority issues are so rare," Ruby teased.

The guys decided to join Draven and Liam in the pool, and suddenly there were six grown men acting like little boys in the water. While they were distracted, the girls seized the opportunity to interrogate me about everything that had happened between Draven and me, refusing to let me skip any details.

"So what happened after we left?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"My brother took off right after you guys. I feel bad for him, but I did warn him not to get his hopes up," Ruby sighed.

"I really don’t wanna hurt Jax. He’s a good guy," I said.

"Don’t stress about it. He knows you’re with Draven. Plus, he’s a big boy, he can handle it." Ruby got this sneaky look. "But I gotta ask you something."

"Sure, shoot. I’ll be honest."

"That neck kiss my brother gave you was pretty hot. Like, how did it feel?" she asked straight up.

I felt my face get hot. "God, Ruby. Look, your brother is hot as hell, and neck kisses are like every girl’s weakness. And yeah, Jax definitely knows what he’s doing. I’m not gonna lie, it got to me. Gave me goosebumps and everything. It was sexy and bold, and if things were different..." I stopped there.

"So you liked it," she grinned, and I had to nod. "Next time Draven acts like a dick, I’m totally telling my brother to try again." We all cracked up.

"Okay, enough about me! What happened with everyone else?" I asked, desperate to change topics.

"Girl, it got crazy after you left," Elle said with this naughty smile. "I won next and did what Kyle did. Kissed both Nate and Dominic at once." My jaw dropped. "Like, I love my man, but damn, Dominic can kiss!"

"Elle! Was Nate cool with that?"

"Babe, Nate loves watching me have fun. We went home and had the hottest sex ever!" Elle said all dreamy-like. I just laughed.

"What about you, Ava?"

"Joseph freaked out. Theo won and kissed my ear. Joseph just grabbed me and dragged me home, telling Theo to back off," Ava said, looking pretty pleased.

"Ruby?"

"Got twenty-one points again and gave Kyle and Wesley both a hot kiss! Ryan over there lost his shit!" Ruby couldn’t stop laughing, pointing at Ryan by the pool.

"And damn girl, you can kiss," Kyle winked at Ruby, making us all giggle. "But then Ryan and Luke basically dragged me out."

"Both of them?" I asked, and she just nodded with this dirty smile.

"Then the Joesph kicked Wesley out. And things got super hot with the three of us. That man is something else!" Ruby said, checking out Ryan.

"Oh my god, you guys are wild!" I laughed, and everyone joined in. The guys looked over curious but went back to playing with Liam in the pool.

"Real talk though, are you and Draven back together?" Elle got serious.

"I don’t know yet. We were talking about it when Ryan called. Draven explained his side, but I’m still thinking," I said.

"The guys told us what happened too. Maybe you need some space to figure things out," Ava suggested.

"That’s actually a good idea. I miss my parents back home. A weekend away might help clear my head," I said, liking the idea.

"Done deal. Next weekend, it’s you, me, and Liam heading to Maplewood," Elle said. "But we’re keeping it secret, not even telling Nate. You know these guys would probably follow us."

I nodded. This was exactly what I needed.

After lunch, Draven put Liam down for a nap in one of Ryan’s spare rooms and came to cuddle with me.

"This feels so good, being with you and Liam," Draven said, kissing my cheek and holding me tight. "I really love that kid, Caroline."

"It’s crazy how close you two are. He’s always asking about you," I said, wondering how they clicked so fast.

"Some things just work, you know?" Draven gave me that sexy smile that gets me every time. "He reminds me of how close I was with my dad before he died."

"You really miss him, huh?" I said quietly, thinking how lucky I am to still have my parents, even if they piss me off sometimes.

"Every single day," he said with a sad smile. "Caroline, now we’ve talked, when are you coming back to work? Ava starts tomorrow."

"You’re not part of any pack right now, and I want you in mine. I want you to marry me, be my choose mate, be my forever."

Rory whined uneasily in my mind at his words.

But for me,his words sounded like a proposal and totally caught me off guard. But if this was supposed to be a proposal, it was way too casual and simple. Plus, I hadn’t even fully forgiven him yet.

"Draven, I heard you out, but I’m not sure I’m ready to forgive you yet." I was honest, "I hate Ella, and you slept with her on our couch. I can’t go back to the office and look at that couch thinking about you with her."

"I’ll throw that damn couch out! Hell, I’ll redo the whole office if you want," Draven said, looking at me hard. "I was a total dick and screwed up big time. But I love you for real. Please come back."

"I just need time to think."

"Why’s it so hard? You feel this thing between us, I know you do. We belong together, Caroline. Let’s fix this," Draven sounded desperate.

"Just give me a few days. I don’t wanna come back and end up hating you later."

"Fine, but I’m not staying away," he pulled me closer. "And no way in hell am I letting Jax get near you again."

The rest of the day was awesome. Being with all these friends felt like home. Liam had the best time, and watching Draven with him just felt so right it hurt.

When Draven drove us home later, Liam was passed out in the back. He carried him inside and put him to bed. Before he left, he held my face and kissed me deep, thanking me for such a perfect day.

Watching him drive off, I wondered if I was being stupid keeping him away. Something about him just felt right, in a way I couldn’t explain. But I still wasn’t ready to just give in.