Page 124 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

I knew how it worked. The algorithm didn’t carewhypeople clicked. Hate could build a platform just as easily as love.

All I had to do was film a tearful, curated apology. Or clap back. Or twist the narrative into something slick and sellable.

I could almost feel the pull in my fingers. The urge to edit. To post. To take back control.

But every time I got close, Medford pulled me back.

If it wasn’t Lila baking me cookies somewhere in her busy schedule, it was Aurora, offering me a paperback that was guaranteed to make me feel better. And I was growing closer to Sadie than ever.

I didn’t mean to build roots in Medford. This was supposed to be a short-term thing, but I wasn’t sure if I wouldeverbe able to pull myself away now.

Especially withthemaround all the time.

“Uh-oh.” Lucy sighed. “Guess who’s back.”

I didn’t need to guess. Her brothers weren’t exactly being subtle.

I turned to find her leaning against the doorway, coffee mug dangling from her fingers.

“What do you reckon they’re here for this time? They bringing more firewood? Or is this a checking-in-to-make-sure-you-haven’t-emotionally-imploded kind of visit?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “Could be anything, right?”

“Should we offer snacks or hide?”

By then, the truck doors had opened, and the guys were climbing out. Beckett gave a short wave, Garrett offered a quiet smile, and Asher’s sunglasses remained exactly where they were, like armor.

“Morning,” Beckett said as he approached, a box in his hands. “Just dropping off a few things.”

Lucy squinted. “Is that my dog-eared copy ofThe Secret History?”

Garrett held up another book. “And your annotatedWuthering Heights. You left a Post-it in here that says ‘Heathcliff is a disaster, not a dreamboat.’”

“Accurate,” Lucy said, plucking the book from his hand and flipping through it as if it might betray her further. “So this is a book drop-off. Sure. And that’s why the whole cavalry showed up?”

Beckett didn’t miss a beat. “We were in the area.”

“Youlivein the area,” Lucy shot back. “Like ten minutes away.”

Asher grinned. “Exactly. Super convenient.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Super convenient. And here I thought you guys had lives.” She turned to me with mock seriousness. “I’m starting to feel like I’m being supervised. What about you?”

I damn near choked on my coffee.

Garrett scratched the back of his neck. “I wanted to make sure everything was working okay. Heater. Pipes. Stuff like that.”

“Right,” Lucy said slowly, clearly enjoying herself. “Because you’re all so passionate about plumbing.”

Asher leaned against the porch railing and gave her a lazy smile. “I’m passionate about a lot of things. Pipes included.”

“Gross,” Lucy muttered, but she was laughing as she headed inside with the books. “I swear, if you’re still here in an hour, I’m putting you to work chopping vegetables.”

As soon as she disappeared inside, the air shifted. The secondhand tension had been dialed up a notch.

Garrett stood near the steps, not quite meeting my eyes. “You doing okay?” he asked softly.

I nodded. “Yeah. Getting there.”

---