Page 65 of Crushes and Confections

“Do I want to know whose car he has him pressed against?” I asked, pulling their attention to me.

“It turns out their rings aren’t the only shiny thing making an appearance today,” Riley said, leveling a haughty look at Vance before giving Adrien one more peck and coming towards me.

Quickly it set in that the cobalt blue SUV parked in their garage was now theirs, a vehicle that was big enough that we could all ride together comfortably.

“Tell me you didn’t buy an entire car as a courting present,” I whispered.

“Technically, Peach. The car is for me,” Vance said, running his hands down my arms soothingly. “I didn’t have a vehicle, and it was past time I got one.”

“You bought this for us, though,” I pointed out.

Adrien let out a small laugh, the joy on his face still clear to see. “There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for you both, nothing at all. That might drive you both crazy sometimes, but the simple fact of the matter is that you're ours.”

“We take care of what’s ours,” Vance agreed. “Now if it’s alright with you, I’d like to go out to dinner with my pack for once.”

For Hollow’s sake, I loved when they called us a pack. I knew that’s exactly where we were headed, and each passing day that dream I once had was becoming the most glorious reality.

I half expected Adrien to get nervous the closer we got to the center of town. But he was the opposite now. He truly had let go of his parents’ expectations and the resentment he held.

The town was fairly quiet when we walked into Al Forno and claimed our table. I wasn’t even that hungry, but with the prospect of garlic bread and lasagna, I couldn’t resist.

“There they are,” Aria greeted. She was barely five feet, an older woman who’d taken over the restaurant from her own parents, and full of feisty energy. Aria was also one of my regulars at the coffee shop so she greeted me with a hug before clapping the guys on their shoulders.

“Thank you for the table,” I said.

She winked at me. “Of course, for my favorite girl. Not to mention a little bird told me about the town drama today. I’ll be over often to check on you.” She rushed off to let the wait staff take over.

“Which means she’ll be over to check in on the drama,” I clarified.

We didn’t have to wait long for the next round of Holiday Hollow versus entitled French parents to begin. The front doors of the inn opened. They were both cautious as they stepped on the sidewalk and looked around for the impending crowd. The front desk worker must have alerted some sort of phone chain because people started coming out of the woodwork.

The couple rushed across the street to the restaurant, letting out a smug grin at the sight of their son before freezing in place.

Sirens filled the air, and laughter burst out of me at the sight of Hunter stepping out and approaching them.

When I saw him point at the crosswalk down the street, I knew he was citing them for jaywalking. That gave the rest of the town just enough time to settle into place on the sidewalk, blocking our view but keeping them away.

At least without the music we could hear their tirade this time.

“He’s our son, you have no right to do this!” his father thundered. The crowd was oddly silent as they fought with Hunter.

“Sir, if you cause a scene, I’ll arrest you for disturbing the peace,” Hunter warned him. There was an inhuman screech that I realized was his mom when she joined in. She stepped into Hunter’s face, shoving him back as she started ranting. It was a bold move and one I didn’t expect our sheriff to take kindly.

“This town is absolutely deplorable!” Her English cut off into a slew of French words. Adrien’s mouth thinned at her rant.

“She’s showing her true colors, huh?” Riley asked gently. Adrien nodded, but the show was interrupted by our food arriving.

Not one of us touched it until Hunter had successfully loaded them into the back of his cop car. At least we could finish our meal in peace.

“Maybe a night in jail will give them reason enough to leave,” Vance mused. “Eat. I have plans after this that you’ll need to keep your energy up for.”

“Yes, sir,” I teased, laughing softly as his eyes darkened at the moniker. Adrien could definitely use a night of stress relief after all the drama, and I, for one, was happy to provide him with that.

The rest of our meal was peaceful, and the food was amazing, as always. Riley excused himself near the end, and I had to keep my face neutral, knowing exactly what he was doing.

“That fight was way too easy earlier, wasn’t it,” Vance remarked, turning to see if the beta could be spotted.

“Too bad for him, he won’t succeed. I handed over my card to the hostess,” Adrien hummed as he sipped his drink proudly.

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