“What did my brother do now?” Brayden asks from behind me.

I spin around to face the eldest Jackson brother. He’s in a dress shirt and tie, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Knowing Brayden, he’s probably been working most of the day. “Nothing.” I force a smile, even knowing my friends can see right through it. “Carter’s a prince.”

Brayden snorts. “Now I really don’t believe you.”

“Are you talking about me again?” Carter asks.

I’m so relieved to see him walking toward me that I almost melt into a puddle. “I was telling Brayden that you’re a prince.”

“Of course I am.” He wraps one arm around my waist—for show or because he wants to touch me? “Do you need anything?” he asks softly, studying my face in that way of his that makes me feel like I’m precious.

I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

He brushes his knuckles down the side of my face and gives a shaky smile. “You look amazing. Just . . . stunning.”

Even as my heart swells, I try to tamp it down. I can’t let myself want him too badly. We have so much to figure out.

Molly grabs Brayden’s arm and backs away. “You know where to find us if you need anything,” she says before pulling Brayden back to the kitchen with her and leaving us alone.

“Thank you,” I tell Carter. “You’re stunning too.”

He laughs, but I wasn’t making a joke. Carter in a suit is a sight to see. His broad shoulders fill it out perfectly, and there’s something about seeing him like this that makes me want to wrap his tie around my hand and drag him down to kiss me.

“The pictures went okay?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah. They were easy.” I press a hand to my stomach. I haven’t eaten all day, and the champagne I had in the car is starting to go to my head. “Are you okay?”

He looks out the long bank of windows that face the lake and nods. “I will be.”

Between me and a chance with Carter is a gaping hole where my courage should be. If I want him, I’m going to have to find it. “We should talk.”

I almost expect him to evade, but he pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “I’d like that.”

I don’t get to say more, because Valarie appears. “Teagan, could you get the bridal party to take their seats, please? The bride and groom will be arriving soon.”

“Later,” Carter says, scanning my face.

I nod and force myself to take a deep breath. I haven’t lost him. “Later.”

“If I could have your attention, please?” I use both hands to hold the microphone, trying to hide my trembling. We’ve made it through dinner and to the part of the evening I’ve been dreading since Saanvi asked me to be her maid of honor—my speech. As everyone turns their attention to me, I remember why I hated my public speaking class so much.