Page 38 of (Un)Spoken

Victoria and Emilia needed time with Cole; that was what this trip was really about. Cole wanted to get to know his sister and niece, and they didn’t need me hanging around like an interloper. So I told myself to give them space, to not intrude on their time together. But with every ticking second, it was getting harder to convince myself to stay away.

“Fuck it,” I hissed to myself, grabbing my hat before killing the engine. “You’ve got better willpower than this, man. You can stay away for one night.”

Climbing out of the car, I started to walk toward mycabin. But as soon as I reached the back path, my feet stopped, refusing to go a step further without seeing Victoria.

“You are not going over there,” I whispered to myself. “It’s one fucking night.”

We’d gone weeks without seeing each other, relying on texts and calls to get to know each other. There was no rush, not when I had her here for the next month. There would be plenty of time to spend together.

But even as I told myself all these truths, my body started to rush toward the main cabin, not even glancing toward my own. Chuckling to myself, I moved up the staircase, my heart beating a steady, excited rhythm in my chest. I pulled out my phone, rereading our last conversation before I knocked on the door.

VICTORIA

Thank you for Emilia’s room

ADAM

Just helped pick the paint color. Everything else was Cole and Alex

VICTORIA

Really? I remember Emilia only telling one person she wanted a teapot with purple roses and a unicorn.

It took me almost a week to find it online, but it was worth it to imagine Emilia’s face when she saw it.

ADAM

Okay, I might have had something to do with that. Wanted you two to be happy you came here

VICTORIA

We didn’t need all of this to make us happy, but it’s appreciated. Thank you, Adam.

See you soon?

Rereading her last text again, I lifted my fist, lightly tapping my knuckles on the door. One knock, and she was there, even more beautiful than I remembered. How was it that every time I thought I’d figured this woman out, she surprised me by taking more of my breath away?

“We’ve got another one,” Victoria called out over her shoulder with a smirk.

With that, I peeked behind her, seeing the small living room filled with familiar faces. Emilia sat on Cole’s lap, adding different barrettes and ribbons to Alex’s hair. On the other loveseat were Calla and Theo, watching the exchange with amused grins. Normally, I loved nights like this. Throw Gray into the mix, and we’d sit around and talk for hours.

But with Victoria finally in town, all I wanted was to show her how much I’d been thinking about her during our time apart.

Victoria leaned in. “I didn’t invite them here; they all just showed up.”

“Everyone’s happy you decided to come stay.” I smiled, trying to hide my annoyance. All I wanted was to sit and talk to her, watch her easy smile in person, hear her laugh for myself. I also wanted to do a lot of other things that definitely wouldn’t be appropriate in front of this crowd.

She moved to the side, letting me join the chaos in the living room. Pizza boxes covered the coffee table, andhalf-empty soda cans lingered on the edges. I dove into the first box, grabbing a cheese slice before settling onto the ground near Victoria’s seat.

“Adam!” Emilia exclaimed, running over to jump into my lap. “Did you see my new room? It’s purple everywhere!”

“That’s awesome, kiddo.”

She stood up, holding out her hands. “And guess what? Auntie Alex and Uncle Cole got me a new tea set!”

“Nice, Em.” I lifted my hand to give her a high-five. “Does that mean I get to come to another party?”

“Only if you promise to follow the rules.” She turned to face Alex, pointing her thumb at me over her shoulder. “He didn’t wait for me to serve the tea last time.”

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