As always cause someone requested it and I was bored, always makes for an interesting combo. 😄

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Carter stood before the mirror in the bathroom, tying up her hair, but not registering what she was doing. Behind her, Donovan emerged from the closet, barefoot and wearing only a pair of slacks. He held up two collared shirts.

"Carter, which one is less attractive on me," he said.

Carter didn't reply, staring unseeing at her reflection.

"Carter?"

When Donovan walked closer he finally caught her eye in the mirror. She blinked, coming out of her thoughts.

"Hmmm?" she said.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded and reached for hairband to twist around her hair. Frowning, Donovan set the shirts down on top of her vanity.

"What's going on?" he asked, resting his hands on her shoulders.

A brush off response rose in Carter's throat but she swallowed it down. They had been married long enough now that she knew he would never believe the lie. She sighed and leaned back into him, comforted by the feel of his steady body.

"I don't want to go tonight," she said.

Donovan cocooned her in his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Can you tell me why?"

She gave a wry chuckle. "I will sound cliché but I detested high school." She dropped her gaze, running her fingers over his forearm. "Until you and Link came along...I was so alone. I know a part of it was my own making, but there was another part of it I was never going to be able to fight. The part where I was a scholarship student with no money, no status, and a father who was simply a shield for someone more important."

Sighing, Carter lifted her eyes, meeting Donovan's. His were soft with sympathy and understanding.

"Well, tonight you can go prove to all those people who thought you were worthless that you've made a name for yourself."

Carter shook her head. "If I lived my life with the goal of proving wrong people I haven't seen in ten years then I was not living my life right."

Donovan kissed her cheek. "Fine, go tonight and show them you're married to an extremely hot man that they all wanted."

Carter spun around, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, when you say it like we have to go! And you have to wear the dark blue shirt."

He laughed as he kissed her and for a moment Carter forgot about the night, forgot the bad memories it had drummed up. When she broke away, she trailed her fingers through his hair, staring at him.

"Sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve you," she said.

He kissed her cheek. "Nothing. I spent a long time working to deserve you."

Carter was going to argue this, but Donovan started kissing her again and she forgot what she was going to say.

Twenty minutes later, they locked up their apartment and knocked on Link's door. They heard the shuffling of feet before it opened.

"You ready to go relive the misery that was high school?" he asked stepping out.

"Of course," Carter said. "I have nothing better to do on my Friday night."

Link laughed and the trio headed down the hall. As they rode the elevator, Carter couldn't help feeling a bit like she had ten years ago. These two men were her best friends and with them by her side, she didn't feel alone.

On the curb sat a black SUV idling. Even when they had all piled into the back, Mason didn't look up from his phone but made a gesture to the driver that they could leave.

"I don't understand why any of you are going to this thing," he said in lieu of a greeting. "As far as I can remember. Link no one knew who you were. Carter no one liked you. And Donovan everyone liked you too much."

"Well, you're not wrong about that," Carter said.

"You know why," Link said. "Maddy helped arrange the whole thing and we are supporting her."

Mason tucked away his phone. "That is true devotion."

Carter leaned back in her seat. "Mason, I don't understand how you would be in favor of going to this thing?"

"That answer is easy, I'll arrive looking amazing and be completely unavailable. Imagine what an ego boost that will be."

Carter exchanged a look with Donovan, who was trying not to laugh.

"It baffles me," Carter said, "how in ten years you have not changed at all."

Scoffing, Mason tugged at his shirt cuffs, straightening them. "It baffles me that you are one of the smartest people I know yet you didn't realize that I've never had any intention of changing." Link burst out laughing. "The only thing that's changed in ten years is now I have a brother."

Carter rolled her eyes. "It's amazing I haven't killed you yet."

"I appreciate the fact that you haven't," Link said. Mason grinned and nodded his head in gratitude. "Our father would be annoyed with having to deal with his death."

This time Carter and Donovan were the ones to laugh while Mason rolled his eyes.

The car pulled up in front of a towering hotel and the group climbed out. As they passed through the entrance, Donovan took Carter's hand. She let out a slow breath, her apprehension from earlier returning. Knowing this, Donovan leaned over and kissed the side of her head.

"Please stop," Mason said. "You're being that disgusting couple who has been married for years and are still in love with each other and it's going to make me gag."

Link turned to Carter. "You know what, forget my father, just take him out back and shoot him."

She laughed easing the tension in her chest. In retaliation for the comment, Mason hooked his arm around Link's neck, destroying his neat hair while Link tried to shove his brother away. Donovan cocked his head.

"You sure they're ten years older because I'm not believing this."

Leaving the two brothers, Carter and Donovan cut across the lobby of the hotel to the ballroom. Beyond the doors was a tasteful setup of tables with maroon tablecloths, simple centerpieces, and easels with photos from the long-ago school year positioned around the room. Music played from the speakers, low enough that conversations easily dominated it.

Maddy sat at a welcoming table by the doors. When she spotted Carter and Donovan, she smiled. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"We wouldn't miss it," Carter said.

Laid out on the table were rows of name tags. Maddy grabbed two and handed them over. Carter looked at the tag that said 'Hi, my name is...' and had her name written out in neat handwriting below it. As she stuck it onto the edge of her dress, Donovan had a quiet exchange with Maddy.

When he put his name tag on, instead of his name he had written, 'Carter's Husband'. She laughed, strangely pleased with the declaration.

"I wanted it to be clear," he said.

She pressed her hand over it. "Thank you."

The doors opened as Mason and Link strolled in, Link running his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it. They both received their name tags, Mason adding the word 'available' beneath his name. Instead of venturing further into the ballroom, Link found a chair and placed it by Maddy, deciding to keep her company, leaving Carter, Donovan, and Mason to go on without him.

The room was already crowded with chatting groups. It didn't take long for Mason to be swept away from them as people recognized and called out to him. With a mocking salute, he departed.

As Carter gazed around at the matured faces of her classmates, she felt an odd disconnected sensation. This place and these people were strangers to her. For all of high school she had watched them and known aspects of their lives that they hated for others to know. But now after ten years, she knew nothing. She had no ties to them and in turn, they had no ties to her.

"You want something to drink?" Donovan asked.

"Sure."

With a quick kiss, he headed over to the bar. As Carter surveyed the scene, she found old habits returning. She noticed the new nose, the strained smile of a divorcee, the sleek suit of success, the tired look of a new parent. It all came back as if she had never left.

She felt the edge of her mouth curl upwards when she spotted Edmund across the way. The once bullied boy looked self-assured and successful in an expensive suit and a stunning woman on his arm.

"Carter?"

She turned and froze. Lucas was standing before her. To her disappointment he hadn't let himself go, he still retained a handsome face and fit body. What was missing was the smirk he had always worn when taunting her.

"Lucas," she said.

He smiled and it was simply that, a smile. "I wasn't sure you would remember me."

"Four years of insults about my father is harder to forget than you would think."

He ducked his head. "Yeah. I can imagine." He cleared his throat. "You look good."

Carter didn't reply. She wasn't sure what he wanted.

"Look..." He glanced around. "Would you be willing to dance with me. I have something to say but I'm not sure I can look at you and say it at the same time. You're extremely intimidating."

Caught between amusement and curiosity, Carter nodded. They walked to the dance floor and Lucas put one arm around her but kept her at a distance.

"Look..." he paused. "In high school, I was awful to you and...I want you to know I'm sorry."

Carter stopped swaying and stepped back, staring at him. "Are you...apologizing?"

Lucas dragged a hand through his hair. "I'm trying to, yeah."

"Why?" The question was out before Carter could take it back, but realized she didn't want to.

Lucas let out a breath. "Well, because you deserve an apology."

The words rang true which struck Carter as bizarre. She crossed her arms. "Why the change of heart?"

To her astonishment, he grinned and looked back over his shoulder. On the edge of the dance floor talking to a couple, stood a woman with thick black hair, caramel skin, and amber eyes.

"I'll show you," he said.

Carter found herself following Lucas over to the woman. As they approached, she excused herself from her conversation and smiling, extended her hand to Lucas. He took it, beaming down at her with such affection Carter hadn't know his stone heart had been capable of it.

"Carter, I would like you to meet my fiancé, Devya," he said. "Devya, this is Carter."

The two women shook hands.

"It's a pleasure," Devya said.

"Likewise," Carter said. "It appears you are the reason for Lucas's change of heart."

Lucas wrapped an arm around Devya. "She is. I was telling her about high school and you came up. She asked more about you and I told her everything." He shook his head. "She has eyes that I can never lie to."

"He told me about how horrible he was to you," Devya said. "And I told him it was the perfect time to make it right."

Carter studied the couple, struck by how this strong woman seemed to be the balance that Lucas had always needed.

"In that case, I should apologize for punching you," she said.

Devya's mouth dropped open and Lucas laughed. Before the story could be told, Donovan appeared, drinks in hand.

"Hey," he said, offering one to Carter.

"Donovan, you remember Lucas," she said.

Lucas grinned and touched his jaw. "I should have known you two would end up together."

The comment led Devya to ask how they had gotten together. From there the conversation flowed to what everyone was doing now. As they talked, Carter was amazed at the change in Lucas, his manner subdued and his smile genuine. Eventually, their talk ended when Lucas and Devya were pulled away by former friends.

Instead of finding a place to sit, Donovan guided Carter out to the dance floor and drew her in close.

"Are you glad you came tonight?" Donovan asked.

"I am. I must admit, I did not expect that."

"Sometimes all it takes is the right woman to make a man rethink his life."

Smiling, Carter peered up at him. "Did I make you rethink your life?"

Donovan brought her closer, his eyes intense. "Carter, all I remember about high school is how you turned my life upside down."

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*Sighs* I've run out of threats so...moo

Well, well, well Lucas has a change of heart, who ever thought that was possible! What did you think? 🗯💭💬

I know I've send this before and I might take it back later but I think I'm coming to the end of these one shots. I've sort run out of ideas and so...yeah these might be over.

Know that if they do end I'm sorry but also I'm not sure you can complain cause I've literally written more one shot chapters than there are chapters in A Secret Service cause I love you and wanted to make you happy.

Because you love me in return, vote, comment, follow!

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👉 _joymoment_ 👈