Page 108 of Her Greatest Adventure

It didn’t take him keeping things from me to realize that. I’ve known that from the moment he went along with one of my ridiculous schemes in Madrid without a hint of hesitation. He’s never judged me, never second-guessed me.

Not being married after spending weeks believing the opposite fucking sucks, but in all honesty, I didn’t fall in love with him because I thought he was my husband. I fell in love with him because of who he is. A gentle, funny, loving man who would do just about anything for me if I let him.

It takes more than the title to make a man a husband and a woman a wife. It takes love and trust and compromise.Trust.That took a hit today. My stomach swirls at the reminder.

“You don’t have to put on a brave face, Addie. It’s just us,” Braxton says, her hand rubbing circles on my back.

We’re sitting at the edge of their spare bed, my sparkly dress tossed behind us. The baggy shirt and sweatpants I’m wearing now belong to my brother. The one standing in the doorway, his arms crossed as he watches us. His face is a mask of indifference that I want to tear right off. There’s no way he isn’t going to give me a hard time about what happened, regardless of how relaxed he’s trying to make me believe he is.

“I’m waiting for Maddox to tell me that I should never have gotten with his best friend because if I hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened,” I mutter.

“That’s not at all what I was going to say,” he mutters, that mask slowly slipping away to reveal something even worse than indifference. Sympathy.

“Don’t look at me like that. You can’t honestly tell me that you’re not the least bit happy about this? You didn’t want Cooper and me married to begin with. In fact, it pissed you off enough that you punched your best friend in the face. Have you and Dad planned acongratulations you’re not married partyyet?”

A line forms between his brows. “That was because I felt betrayed, Adalyn. You’re my baby sister. Was I just supposed to let him get away with marrying you when he was supposed to be keeping an eye on you instead? The both of you should have known better, and I’ve apologized to him for what happened. We’ve moved on.”

“Okay, and what about me? Have you even once thought about talking to me, or have you been content letting me sit in a heaping puddle of guilt because of what I thought I did and how it hurt you?”

The words just tumble out of me. Feelings that I didn’t know I had shoved down rumble back to life. Silence falls over us. Shit.

I clear my throat. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking my emotions out on you.”

“No, it’s okay. I should have spoken to you about this. I didn’t even think . . .” he starts before cutting himself off with a frustrated sigh. “I guess I didn’t think about how you would be feeling after everything that happened that day. I’m sorry.”

“I hated knowing that I hurt you. That I hurt everyone,” I admit.

Braxton gives me a soft squeeze. “Everyone knows that. And despite their initial reactions, I know for a fact that they’re hurting with the both of you right now.”

“I appreciate that, but if Cooper were as upset as I am about this, he would have told me instead of keeping it to himself.” Maddox chuckles under his breath, and I glare at him. “Why are you laughing?”

He unfolds his arms and then sits beside me. “Is that really what you think?”

I nod. “The Cooper I know doesn’t hide things from people. He wouldn’t keep secrets he knew would end up hurting someone he loved if they were exposed.”

“Before a couple of weeks ago, I would have said that I know Cooper better than anyone else. Now, it’s obvious that’s changed. You know him better than anyone, yet you’re the only one thinking that he kept the truth from you because he doesn’t care about you. If you put aside your hurt feelings for a minute, you would be able to understand why he did what he did.”

“If I could do that, I would have already,” I say, frowning.

Braxton rubs my side and presses the side of her head to mine. “I think Cooper didn’t tell you the truth earlier because he loves you and he worried he might lose you if he did. For once, the most selfless man I’ve ever met chose to be selfish, even if it wasn’t the right thing to do. The last thing he would have ever wanted to do was hurt you.”

“Love does crazy things to a person, Addie. It can turn you inside out and upside down. Take it from us,” Dox adds.

I know they’re right, but that doesn’t make all of the hurt go away. I’m not as upset with Cooper as I am with the knowledge that he’s not really my husband. My emotions are all mixed up inside of me, making everything foggy and hard to understand.

“I really liked being married to him,” I whisper, rolling my lips and sniffling angrily when tears well in my eyes.

It feels like a breakup without the actual breaking up. Like someone ripped a part of me away for the hell of it. Disappointment settles in my belly, making friends with the hurt already there.

“Oh, honey,” Braxton whispers, but it’s Maddox that wraps his arms around me and hugs me so tight it feels like he’s trying to take my pain away and keep it for his own.

The thought makes my tears fall.

“Don’t cry. Fuck, I’ve always hated seeing you cry,” he murmurs, stroking my hair.

I bury my face in his shoulder and choke out, “Sorry.”

He doesn’t reply, but I hear him swallow. Another hand rubs my back, and I know it’s Braxton’s. I’m incredibly grateful to have so many people in my life who love me so deeply. A wave of sadness slips over me when I think about how Cooper’s doing right now. Does he have someone with him to comfort him the way I do? If he’s hurting the way I am . . .

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