Page 149 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

When we rounded the last bend before the town center, I knew something was wrong.

There were cars.

So many more than usual. Lined up along the shoulder, crowding the sides of the snow-packed road. Camera crews, satellite vans, people with giant fuzzy mics and press badges.

“What the hell?” Garrett leaned forward, brow furrowing.

Then we saw the signs. Literally. Printed signs withRILEY BROOKSin block letters, some with my profile photo. Reporters standing outside the town diner, the pharmacy, even the damn tree lot… everywhere Lucy might be.

Beckett let out a low whistle. “They descended fast.”

“Like vultures,” Asher growled, knuckles white around the steering wheel.

“I didn’t think it would be like this.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “This town… It’s tiny. It wasn’t supposed to get swallowed.”

But it had.

Medford, my safe haven, was now a backdrop for scandal. My secret mountain refuge, the place that had started to feel likehome, was being trampled by paparazzi in puffer coats, shouting over one another about baby daddies and love triangles.

I wanted to scream.

Asher slowed the truck, pulling into the edge of the grocery store parking lot, far enough to avoid being seen but close enough to get a clear look at the chaos.

“There,” Beckett said, pointing. “That’s Ava. Right in the middle of it.”

Sure enough, there she was. Perfectly styled, standing beside a reporter like she belonged on a red carpet. She was talking with her hands, animated and smug, her fake concern dripping through every motion.

“Looks like she’s either behind it,” Garrett muttered. “Or making herself the center of attention.”

“No sign of Lucy,” I said, scanning the sidewalk.

“Maybe she’s hiding,” Asher said. “Or maybe Nate kept her inside once the media hit. You know how protective he can be.”

I sank back in my seat, heart pounding. “We need to find her beforetheydo.”

“We’re not bringing you in there,” Garrett said immediately. “If they see you?—”

“They’ll tear me apart,” I finished. “I know.”

I sank lower in my seat, heart pounding, head buzzing loud as a hornet’s nest.

This was a nightmare. I’d come to Medford to disappear, and somehow I’d turned it into a circus. Everyone was going tohateme.

“I shouldn’t have come here,” I whispered. “I should’ve stayed away. I never should’ve?—”

“Stop,” Asher said, cutting me off gently but firmly. He turned in his seat, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Don’t do that.”

“He’s right,” Beckett said, beside me. “This isn’t your fault. Someone took that photo. Someone sold it.”

“But itismy fault,” I said, louder now. “Don’t you get it? I brought this with me. The moment I stepped foot in this town, it was only a matter of time before it caught fire.”

Garrett made a frustrated noise low in his throat, like he wanted to argue but didn’t know where to start.

The panic in my chest reached a breaking point. My voice shook as I spoke again.

“They’re going to find Lucy. Someone’s going to shove a mic in her face and ask her how it feels that her best friend is screwing her brothers. They’re going to twist this into something filthy and sellable, and she’s going to be stuck in the middle of it because I didn’t tell her in time.”

Silence.

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