Page 58 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

Why did it feel so easy when Lucy was in the city?

We really hadn’t thought things through properly.

I scrubbed a hand over my face, chest tight, and forced myself to keep moving, making the space livable again.

By the time Beckett stepped inside, his cheeks red from the cold, I’d cleared most of the main room. He looked around, eyes narrowing like he was cataloging every bit of progress.

“Looks better,” he said gruffly.

“Getting there.” I leaned on the counter, rolling my shoulders. “You done with the porch?”

“For now. Garrett’s still patching the roof.”

We stood there for a second, just breathing, the fan buzzing between us like static.

Finally, Beckett spoke, low and rough. “We’re in deep, man.”

I huffed out a dry laugh. “Yeah. No shit.”

But I still didn’t want out.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Riley

This wasweird.

Waking up alone in the cabin to a note from Beckett telling me they’d gone to check on Lucy’s place was strange. It was like I didn’t know how to be alone in the silence anymore.

Maybe that had been an issue for longer than I remembered.

I sank onto the edge of the couch, elbows on knees, forehead in my hands, my thoughts speeding through me way too quickly.

What the hell am I doing?

This was supposed to be a break. A pit stop.

Not… whateverthiswas turning into.

Real life was waiting.

With contracts and brand deals and followers who would absolutely rip me to shreds if they saw even half of what I’d been up to.

Never mind my best friend and savior.

I groaned, flopping backward until I was staring up at the ceiling.

The thing was—and this was the part that scared the hell out of me when I thought about packing up and heading back to LA, back to my curated, perfectly controlled life?—

My chest actually hurt.

Because here, in this messy, snowed-in, whiskey-scented cabin, I felt moremethan I had in a long, long time.

No cameras.

No comments section.

No pretending.

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