His face brightens, and his hands clap softly the moment I step off the set.

My cheeks heat at his obvious pride, the way his eyes soften the moment they latch onto mine. "You were amazing." He wraps his arm around my shoulders, placing a kiss onto the crown of my head.

I chuckle, looking over my shoulder at the design set, at the cameras and lighting equipment, and at the rack of gowns I spent the past three hours posing in.

"I didn't know you were coming." I glance up at him, excitement bubbling in my throat. It's different with Carter; it has been from the start. With any other guy, they would have to come to my photoshoot just to drop it in a casual comment to their friends. Or to pretend to show their support. Or to tell Daddy about it later.

With Carter, it's because he cares. Because he is proud of me, Taylor Clarke, with the marred abdomen and the barely discernible limp. It has nothing to do with which designer I'm posing for or what magazine cover I'll be on. It has to do with my own happiness. I know, next September, when my schedule changes, and I take fewer modeling gigs in order to make room for more education courses, he’ll be just as proud.

And that is the most important thing in the world to me.

"I wanted to surprise you. Can I take you to lunch?" His eyebrows furrow as his face dips toward mine. "I should have called, huh?"

"No way. I love surprises." I lace my fingers through his and tug him forward. "Come on, come meet my modeling people."

"You're modeling people?"

"Yep."

"As opposed to normal people."

"We're a special breed."

He chuckles, low in his throat, so only I can here.

"Adriana, Fabio, Kenny," I say as we step into their circle, huddled around a computer screen, looking at one of the photos from the shoot. They all look up, confusion on Adriana's smooth features, a pinch of annoyance in between Fabio's brows, and a huge grin on Kenny's face. "Meet my boyfriend. Carter Kane."

Everyone exchanges hellos to be polite, but the focus quickly returns to my picture. And, if I'm being honest, that's where Carter's attention is, too.

"Wow," he says under his breath, knocking his shoulder against mine. "You really are a real-life angel."

I roll my eyes at the comparison.

Shaking his head, he continues to stare at the photo. "Hey man?" he asks Kenny suddenly.

Kenny looks up, his eyebrows raised.

"If you have any pictures of Taylor, you know, ones that aren’t going to be in a fashion show or whatever, just one of her laughing and being herself, can you make me a copy?"

My ears flame at the request, but Kenny looks between us, a slow smile working its way across his face. "Of course, man. Be happy to."

"Thanks."

Kenny nods, and I tug Carter away from the group.

"Lunch?" he asks, as I duck behind the folding screen to slip back into my jeans and shirt.

"Absolutely. I'm starving."

"That's my girl."

I come around the screen and reach up on my toes to peck my lips against his.

"Feeding time for models." I quirk an eyebrow at him and he chuckles, slinging his arm around my neck again.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He tugs on my hand and leads the way out of the studio, and into the sunshine and cool breeze.

"So, you're happy?" Ria narrows her eyes at me as we take a walk around her block, her hand grasping my wrist to check our steps on my Fitbit.

"Very happy," I answer. "How are we doing?"

"Halfway there." She drops my arm. "He's a good guy," she admits.

"Yeah, he's all right," I answer, and we look at each other, cracking up. "So, when are you coming to our place?"

Ria looks up at me, a hesitant glimmer of hope ringing her eyes that tugs at my heartstrings. Underneath all that armor and tough-girl attitude, she really is a sweet and sensitive girl. "I won't be in the way?"

"Are you kidding?" My mouth drops open. "I kicked Carter out this Saturday for our regular girl's night. I thought instead of going out for pizza, we could order in. Watch that new Ryan Reynolds movie."

She laughs, nodding slowly. "Okay, that'd be cool."

I bump my shoulder against hers. "Cool."

"You want to swing by the park and watch Marco's baseball game?" she asks, knowing that would mean seeing Carter since he's coaching the game.

"Sure, if you want to watch Marco play. But we don't have to go because of—"

"I want to."

"Okay," I agree, as we turn down the street toward the park. In the beginning, I was worried about how Ria would take to Carter. Even after encouraging me to hear him out, I wasn't sure if she would ever fully accept him, or view him as an interruption to our time together. But I've got to hand it to her, and to Carter, they've somehow settled into a friendship. In a way, I see glimpses of how Carter must have been with Daisy when she was growing up. He cares about Ria a lot but has no problem nixing ideas or trying to keep her in line if he thinks she could end up in trouble.

And while Ria grumbles and complains, deep down she likes knowing that Carter has her back, that he worries about her enough to look out for her.

Then, there's Marco. That boy is just too sweet. He's settled into our little misfit family as easily as breathing. At his insistence, brunch at our home, with the four of us, has become a weekend staple. So much so, Mom bought us a waffle maker for a housewarming gift.

And I gotta be honest, Carter whipping up pancakes and making waffles on a Sunday morning is a close second to everything that happens before our guests arrive.