Kelseyglancesatme,her hand brushing mine across the table. “You okay?” she asks.
I’ve been nervous since our plane touched down in Melbourne yesterday. Kelsey and I are sitting in the airport pickup line, waiting for her sister and Lila to arrive after dropping off their boyfriends in Sydney for their practice rounds. Despite knowing Izzy and, to some extent, Bryn—at least somewhat—my whole life, I’m still worried. I can’t help but feel like I’m going to be under some unspoken scrutiny. What if Bryn disapproves of me dating her sister? What if everything I’ve been building with Kelsey crumbles under the weight of family expectations?
I smile, a little more forced than I’d like, but I don’t want her to see the doubt clouding my mind. “Yeah, just…thinking.”
“About what?” she presses, her thumb tracing the edge of my palm.
“About Bryn. And Lila too. I want them to like me. I want them to know that I’m serious about us. But mostly, I’m just…nervous about how they’ll see this. Us.”
After my confession following the Singapore concert, Kelsey and I stayed together in her room, spending the night talking about anything and everything—from favorite colors to the challenges of being left-handed. It was exactly the level of connection I needed after my declaration.
Yesterday, thankfully, was a travel day. I got to spend the entire seven-hour flight with her. We watched movies, shared half-finished thoughts, and casually chatted between sending emails and catching up on work. Even though it was essentially the same dynamic we had before—friendly and collegial—it felt different. Now, there’s a thread of light connecting us, something subtle but undeniable, making everything we do together seem…more. Special.
I took her out to her top-rated Melbourne restaurant last night—an intimate spot that has the charm of a small-town diner but with food that could easily be mistaken for art. We laughed, ate, and talked about the future in a way that didn’t feel rushed. There were no looming deadlines or questions about what’s next. Just us, in the moment. And for the first time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, this could work.
Now, as we wait for Bryn and Lila to arrive, my nerves are back in full force. I have no idea how Bryn might react. The Harper sisters have always been close, and I’m worried I won’t measure up in Bryn’s eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about them, Carter. They’ll be excited for us. Honestly? They’ve essentially already figured out that somethingis going on between us. They seemed excited about the prospect of it being you when they heard your voice on that video call.”
“I hope so.”
“You don’t have to be anything you’re not. Not to my family. Just…be yourself.”
I nod, feeling a surge of relief. It’s just like Kelsey to cut through my worries with that calm, grounded reassurance.
I try to focus on the feeling of being seen, of being accepted, and let the anxiety about Bryn and Lila fade away. But all the insecurities I thought I’d overcome—the ones I’m realizing are directly linked to who I am in Wild Bluffs—are rearing their heads. And now is not the time for me to shut down, not when I need to make a good impression on the people important to Kelsey.
“They’ll like you,” Kelsey says, as if reading my thoughts. “And if they don’t, well, who cares what they think? They’re idiots anyway.”
I chuckle, knowing Kelsey doesn’t actually mean that. She’s closer to her family than most people I know.
“Oh! Here they come,” she says, sliding out of the passenger seat to go meet the women walking out of the sliding doors. “Oh my gosh! Is that Iz with them?”
I watch Kelsey walk toward her sisters, the familiar sway of her stride making my heart skip a beat. It’s so easy to get lost in her, to forget everything else when she’s near. But now, with not one but two Harper sisters finally in front of me, the nerves are back in full force.
Bryn and Izzy, both almost as tall as me, lead the way, their light brown hair catching the sunlight as they step into the Australian sun. Izzy’s the one I’ve known the longest, since she was just two yearsbehind us in school. She’s also the one who I’m very surprised to see at a Jaxon Steele concert. I wonder if Jaxon knows she’s here.
Lila follows behind, a black backpack like Kelsey’s over her shoulder.
Izzy wraps her arms around Kelsey first, laughing as she picks Kels up in a tight, almost crushing hug. I can see the bond between them, the one I’ve never had with my half brother. Bryn does the same before Lila steps forward, offering a more casual hug.
Kelsey helps them load their bags in the back of the dark SUV we borrowed from Jaxon’s fleet of rental cars. As the three travelers climb into the back, Bryn’s eyes narrow, scanning me carefully. She’s got that sharp, assessing look on her face, the kind of look that makes you feel like you’re being sized up for a test you didn’t study for.
Bryn’s gaze flicks between Kelsey and me, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. “Well, well, well. Carter Mitchell. It’s almost like we called this.”
Kelsey laughs, rolling her eyes. “It wasn’t a secret, Bryn.”
“And yet, you suggested you were going to hook up with Trent to try to convince us it wasn’t Carter we heard,” Izzy says, a teasing tone to her voice.
My head snaps to Kelsey, and she rolls her eyes as the three women in the back laugh.
“I’m obviously not hooking up with Trent.”
I laugh too.
“Anyway,” Lila says from the back row of the car. “I called you two getting together waaay before this trip even existed.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
