Page 44 of (Un)Spoken

Words lodged in my throat at his quiet admission, unwilling to voice how much they meant to me. But with the swell of excitement came its friend unease. Worry started to simmer in my stomach, wondering if this was too much too fast. As right as it felt with Adam, I’d been burned before. It was hard to fully trust words when I knew they could change so easily.

As if he knew where my mind had wandered, Adam’s fingers found my chin, directing my gaze back to him. “I mean it, Tori. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. But if that’s too much for you to handle right now, I can wait.”

“Wait?” my voice squeaked, and I hated how weak it sounded.

“Yeah,” Adam chuckled. “I’m not a patient man, but I know a good thing when I see it. You’re the best thing that has come into my life in a long time. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait as long as you need.”

I swallowed, forcing my fears into the back crevice ofmy mind. He was baring it all to me; the least I could do was tell him I was in this with him. “I don’t want to wait,” I whispered. “I want to date you too, Adam.”

His resulting smile was the kind poets wrote sonnets about. I didn’t think I’d ever had anything so breathtaking aimed at me, and I wanted to bask in its glow for the rest of my days. It was so different than his staged smile, the one I was learning to recognize. It was fine, perfect for presenting a front to the world, but after seeing Adam’s true smile, the other was nothing more than a poor facsimile.

As much as I wanted to keep this moment going forever, there was something else we needed to discuss. “What are we going to do about Cole?”

Adam instantly set up straighter. “What about him?”

“I want to wait to tell him,” I admitted, shifting so I could look Adam in the eyes. “Not because he should have any impact on our relationship. I’m a grown woman, and my brother does not get to dictate who I can or cannot date. But I want to see what this is before we bring other people into it.” I paused, looking up at the half-closed bedroom door. “And I also want to wait to tell Emilia as well.”

Adam nodded, but I could see my words struck a nerve. I placed my hand on his cheek and asked, “What’s going through your mind?”

“I get it,” Adam sighed. “And I agree, especially with Emilia. Once we tell people, there’s no going back. And I also want this time, just us, to figure out how we work together.” He exhaled slowly. “But it’s going to be hard not telling Cole. The guy’s my best friend. He deserves to know what’s going on before it comes out. I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage of you.”

“If anything, I’m taking advantage of you,” I chuckled, trying to erase the frown from his face. When it didn’t work,I leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “We’ll tell him first. After we decide this works between us.”

“Deal,” Adam said. “But does that mean I have to keep my distance from you when you’re with Emilia? Because I’d like to get to know her better, especially if I’m hoping to be part of her life.”

“You want to spend more time with her?”

“Yeah, of course,” Adam chuckled. “How else am I going to score more invites to these exclusive tea parties? I have competition now, baby.”

“I’d like that,” I said. “Maybe we can go apple picking next weekend? Em’s been talking about it non-stop since you brought it up at the house.”

“It’s a date.”

TWENTY-SIX

The following week moved too slowly as I counted down the days until my first date with Tori and Emilia. Our paths crossed countless times, between grabbing meals at the main lodge and hanging out with everyone else, but we hadn’t spent any time together since their first night in town.

But every night before my head hit the pillow, Victoria face-timed me, recounting all the details of their day. Everyone in town was dying to get to know Cole’s little sister and were even more excited to meet his niece. Emilia was already garnering a fan club led by Marta and Curt. At their insistence, Victoria brought Emilia to the Lost Tavern every afternoon. She’d spend hours being their unofficial hostess, helping out around the dining room while Victoria got to explore the town with Calla and Alex. While she was still getting to know the other women, I could tell she was enjoying her time with them, always recounting some sort of trouble they got into.

My heart warmed every time Tori told me another story, cementing her place in our little town. Without eventrying, she was becoming an unofficial member of our community, integrating a little more every single day. And while I loved that she and Emilia were finding their places, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous—not only because I’d barely gotten any time alone with them, but also because they had no problem going out into town. As much as I’d chosen this place because it was safe and secluded, I was still hiding. Even when I ventured away from Fox Creek, I was always in my usual disguise, with a baseball cap slung low and dark sunglasses.

Maybe it was time to try something new.

I’d discussed it at length with Dr. Kedir, who was willing to support me in any way possible. We ran through different scenarios and discussed any potential fallout from my actions, and I had to be honest—it helped. As much as I wanted to stick my head in the sand and pretend there wasn’t a possibility of my monster returning to haunt me, the truth was, I had no idea what would happen in the future. But by rehearsing every possible path, I felt more at ease and was willing to try, especially if it meant more time with Tori and Emilia.

On the day of our date, I left my hat and sunglasses at home and headed into town to prepare. Gray told me about a little farm about an hour north that had some fantastic orchards and smaller crowds. But first, there was something I wanted to do to make the day a little more special.

I parallel-parked my truck on the main strip of town, taking in the view for a moment before I stepped outside.

With Fall Fest coming up quickly, the whole town was in prep mode. During the next two weeks, Main Street would be transformed into an autumn-themed paradise, complete with a carnival and petting zoo. Locals were on ladders, tying lines of artificial leaves and fairylights between all the street lamps. On the opposite sidewalks, a couple of the local storefronts were getting their windows painted, creating a landscape of fall colors.

As I walked past the town hall, a line of vendors waited outside, ready to lobby for the best spots for their booths. Everyone wanted to be as close as possible to the town square. Alex and Javi were at the front of the pack and waved as I passed them. The two made an unusual pairing. While Javi was the manager of the Isadora, the high-end resort on one side of town, Alex had a serious grudge against the owner. She’d pulled some shady—possibly illegal—actions to try to keep Alex from getting the Fox Creek property. And even though it had worked out in the end, Alex was planning on holding a grudge for the rest of her days. Despite the rivalry between their workplaces, Alex and Javi still managed to stay close friends, and they supported one another at every turn.

Next up was Paddy’s Wake, an old Irish bar that had been converted into a beach bar after changing owners. Waving to the owner, Aaron, I laughed as he placed hay bales all over the parking lot. From what Cole told me, everyone was excited about the artisanal beer garden he was setting up, featuring some of the local breweries’ upcoming flavors. The energy was almost infectious.

But me?

I just wanted to spend more time with my girls.

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