Page 10 of Her Greatest Adventure

Her eyes find mine again. I laugh at her minuscule glare. “Please tell me you’ll come.”

“Tell me about the trip first,” I say, as if I haven’t already made up my mind.

Some of that frustration ebbs away from her features, making room for a sliver of excitement. “We’ll be starting in Spain, then working our way to Ireland, Paris, London—”

The details of the trip continue to spill from her lips at an alarming rate, and by the time she’s finished, I know my bank account is about to take a serious hit. My years of saving money like a man terrified of falling into early retirement are about to pay off in a big way.

Her voice lifts an octave when she goes into details about the spots we’ll stay and the trains and planes that will take us there, and a soft wave of pride hits me at how prepared she seems to be. Everything is planned to the letter, and I won’t pretend that doesn’t appease at least some of my uncertainty.

Adalyn has always been an act first, think about the consequences later type of girl. I’ve dealt with the repercussions of her reckless behaviour more times than I can count over my life.

With her being the youngest Hutton, by the time she was old enough to be making silly mistakes and reckless teenage moves, Maddox was in the NHL, and Noah was always off doing God knows what. That left me, Maddox’s best friend, as the closest thing to a real friend she had at the time. I was her first call when she needed a ride to the hospital after taking a fall at the skate park or to leave a party that got out of control.

I never minded because I’m a fixer. The guy you call when you need someone to bail you out of jail or pay the tab when you forgot your wallet at home. Being that person—whether it was for my family or my best friend’s little sister—has never felt like a burden. But two months of chasing after this woman day and night across the world, making sure she doesn’t get lost or wind up in a foreign prison . . .fuck. It terrifies me.

My chest tightens so badly I actually reach up and rub it in slow circles. “You seem like you have everything ready, Adalyn. But I won’t lie and say I’m not skeptical. We both know how you can get—”

She narrows her eyes, looking offended and ready to defend herself when I shake my head, not done speaking.

“And while there’snothingwrong with your bravery or your love of the thrill, I’m going to need your word that you won’t get me on your family’s shit list by getting yourself hurt. Or worse, married to some guy you barely know after a night out on the town. Everyone is trusting me to watch out for you, but I can’t do that properly unless you help me out. I don’t want to go on the trip and be a chaperone. If I’m going, it’s as a friend who just also wants to keep you safe.”

There are a few beats of silence as she takes in my words, her glare gone as quickly as it came, leaving her features smooth and kind. Her plump lips are not shiny like they were when she arrived, the classic Adalyn gloss having been wiped off as she ate her few bites of cheesecake. The dimple in her left cheek that always seems to pop, even with the simplest smile, is trying to do that now, making the one in my right cheek do the same.

“You want to be my friend, Cooper?” she asks slyly.

I tilt my head. “I thought I already was.”

“How about best friends, then? No chaperone or bodyguard. Just best friends.”

“Maddox might get jealous,” I warn teasingly.

If anything, I think that idea excites her. “You make it sound like the idea of that would send me running.”

I lean forward, elbows resting on my table as I fall into the banter. “On the contrary. I think a bit of competition will do him good.”

“What do you think he’ll do when I end up stealing you from him?” she croons.

My throat threatens to close at the drop in her tone. At the sheer confidence. I drop my cheek to my palm, chest rumbling with a hum. “Have you ever feared your odds at accomplishing something once in your life?”

“No. There has never been something I wanted that I couldn’t find a way to get.” It almost sounds like a dare.

A dare I don’t know if I should be encouraging right now. Suddenly, I stand and clear my throat, my fork and half-eaten cheesecake scowling at me from the table.

“Text me all of the flight information. It’s late, and you shouldn’t be driving at night without your glasses.”

“Your worry is adorable, but they’re in the car. Do you have a laptop? We can go over the details right now. Plus, I want to help with the cost of your tickets since I’m the one dragging you there with me. We can try and find a way for your seat to be beside mine that way.” She says it so casually, either missing my hint for her to leave or just not caring. Probably the latter.

I fold my arms across my chest and lean my hip on the kitchen wall. “You’re not doing that. I can buy my own tickets.”

She blinks at me. “Why would you spend your money on something you could have for free? I thought you would be happy to hear you didn’t have to dish out thousands on plane tickets, you penny-pincher.”

“I’m not a penny-pincher.”

Her laugh is bright, unrestrained. “When did you get such a fantastic sense of humour?”

“I’m frugal. Not cheap,” I defend myself.

“There’s a difference?”

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