Page 61 of (Un)Spoken

“Then why are you so pissed?”

Cole shook his head. “I’m not pissed; I’m fuckingworried, Adam.” He let out a tense breath and then stared up at the open sky. “I know I don’t get a say in who Tori dates. And, trust me, I have no intention of trying, because that girl is fucking terrifying when she wants to be,” He rolled his eyes as if he couldn’t believe he was saying his next words. “But if I did, I’d want it to be you.”

I couldn’t hold back the teasing smile on my face. “Wow, Cole. I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Can it,” he chuckled before his face fell again. “But this is going to be a hard road, and I don’t want to see my sister get hurt. Or Emilia. Maybe this is really fucking selfish of me, but I’ve loved having them here. I love that little girl, and I don't want to lose what we have. If something goes wrong between you and Tori…”

“You’re afraid it’ll screw up your relationship with them too,” I finished for him.

“Yeah,” Cole reluctantly admitted. “We’re just finding our footing again, and I don’t want anything to jeopardize that.”

“Neither do I,” I said as I took a seat next to him. “I promise, no matter what happens between Tori and me, it’s not going to come between you guys. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I believe you,” Cole answered. “Just do me a favor?” I nodded. “Be careful with them. Because I’m pretty sure she’s falling for you too. And Emilia,” Cole chuckled. “That girl is head over heels for you. She talked about you all last night. Probably should have been my first clue that something more wasgoing on.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” I said. “We were just trying to figure things out for ourselves before we told other people. If it makes you feel any better, we were planning on telling you today.”

“It oddly does,” Cole chuckled. “And as much as I’d like to erase the image of my sister in your clothing, that’s not even the worst part.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope,” Cole groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. “Because this means Alex was right, and I amnevergoing to hear the end of it.”

THIRTY-SIX

The next few days, the town seemed to transform into a completely different place. With Fall Fest coming up this weekend, everyone was preparing for the influx of tourists and visitors. Besides the summer season, this was the biggest draw for the town of Saint Stephen’s Lake, a final hurrah for many of the seasonal business owners. When the winter months came, many people shut down their shops, not opening their doors again until the snow finally melted away.

While there was a hectic, frantic energy everywhere I went, I loved being a part of it. In fact, most of my days were spent with Cole and Alex, helping them figure out last-minute details of their booth.

After Cole’s talk with Adam, he’d said he was happy for the two of us but wanted absolutely no details of what happened behind closed doors—not that I would tell him anyway. Still, Adam couldn’t help but tease him, kissing me every chance Emilia wasn’t in the room.

Even though we hadn’t told her we were dating yet, I knew she was starting to suspect something. While Adammade a big show of leaving at bedtime every night, the moment Emilia was asleep, he’d sneak back in, leaving as soon as the sun came up in the morning. It was the fun type of sneaking around, compared to the stress I felt when we were hiding from Cole.

There was no doubt in my mind that Emilia would be thrilled about my relationship with Adam. He spent almost as much time with her as I did, and she’d started to naturally assume he’d be eating all meals and hanging out with us. In fact, on the one night he had dinner plans with the guys, she’d cried into her pasta, unable to hide her disappointment he wouldn’t be there to tuck her in.

He’d remedied it immediately, coming over last night with a bunch of extra cat cookies from the local bakery and reading her three different stories before bed.

The day before Fall Fest, I turned over in bed, reaching out to see if Adam was still at my side. Instead, all I found was a note, something he did whenever he woke up before me. I read the scratchy handwriting, smiling as I looked at his words.

You were sleeping so soundly. I didn’t want to wake you. See you soon, trouble.

I stretched my arms over my head as I crawled out of bed, grabbing my robe before I went to Emilia’s room. Peeking inside, I could see she was still out. I smiled to myself as I softly shut the door. I’d never tell her this, but some of my best mornings were when she slept in a little. While waking up to her smiling face was one of my favorite sights, it was nice to take a breath before diving into the day.

As I pressed the coffee maker's button, a soft knock came on the door. I rolled my eyes, already knowing what would be waiting on the other side. Opening it up, I saw the same long, white box with a deep purple bow. For the pastweek, Adam sent me flowers every morning. He claimed it was because he couldn’t be there when I woke up, but I think he just liked knowing they brought a smile to my face. He’d been sending different bouquets each day, all in shades of purple because it made Emilia happy. After almost a week, it was starting to look like I’d opened a flower shop of my own. Maybe I’d bring some downstairs for the other guests to enjoy.

But as I lifted the top of the box, I let out a sharp gasp, the smell of decay and rot filling my nostrils. I quickly pulled it back down, almost vomiting at the noxious odor.Shit, had something happened at the florists?After a week of near-perfect blooms, it seemed like something must have gone wrong for this arrangement to be so vile.

Without looking again, I ran downstairs and dumped the flowers in the back dumpster. Hopefully, they could give Adam some kind of refund. But as I walked back inside, I was stopped by the sight in front of me.

“Cam?”

My ex turned around at the sound of my voice, greeting me with a bright smile. “Hey, Vic,” he said as he stepped forward, wrapping me in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too,” I said as he put me back down. “But what are you doing here?”

“I have a meeting in Boston on Monday, so I thought I’d come up a little early and surprise my girls. Plus…” He nodded off to the side. “I brought you a little something.”

I glanced around his shoulder, squealing when I saw a swatch of bright blonde hair checking out the breakfast bar. “Hadley?”

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