Page 11 of Her Greatest Adventure

“Don’t make me throw you out of my house, Addie.”

“Ooh, I do love to be tossed around from time to time.” She winks brazenly at me, barking out a laugh when I fumble over her words.

“I actually think I’m busy this summer,” I mutter, quickly slipping out of the room.

Her laugh bounces off the walls as I move to the living room and flop down on the couch. My head falls back, hitting the back as I close my eyes. Seconds later, the cushion sinks beside me, a flowery, sweet perfume floating up my nose.

“No take backs. You’re stuck with me,” she says, letting her hand fall to my knee, gently squeezing before pulling back. “I appreciate this, you know? A lot. Thank you.”

I roll my head along the back of the couch and meet her waiting stare, smiling softly. “You’re welcome.”

“So, where do you keep your laptop?”

5

ADALYN

The next timeI see Cooper, he’s pulling up inside an Uber outside of my parents’ house the morning we’re set to leave. With a warm smile and an easy wave, he steps out of the car and moves to greet us.

His chestnut-coloured hair is shorter than it was when I saw him two days ago, the sides cut close to his scalp and the top just the slightest bit longer. Deep brown eyes wash over me as he strides up the driveway, and the calmness in his stare has me smiling back at him, a few of the knots in my stomach falling loose.

I didn’t sleep worth a shit last night. For the first time in my life, all I could think about was how genuinely scared I was to leave. All of the excitement and giddy buzz that I’d been feeling during the years-long lead-up to this trip was gone, hidden behind a genuine terror that rocked me to my core.

The cold night air was a shock to my system when I stormed out of bed at 2:00 a.m., collected my suitcase and carry-on, and drove out of town to my parents’ acreage. It was as easy to sneak into my childhood bedroom as it used to be to sneak out, and the confusion on my mom’s face when I appeared at her dinner table this morning would have been enough to make me laugh had I not been on the verge of throwing up.

But as Cooper comes to stand between my father and me, the sun rising above the hills behind him and his shoulder softly bumping mine as they shake hands, my nerves begin to settle. The tension fades from my muscles, and I inhale my first full breath in what feels like days.

“Good morning,” he says, bending at the waist to give Mom a hug.

“Good morning, Cooper. Do you have time for a quick coffee? If not, I can send you off with a to-go cup,” Mom offers as they break apart and Cooper moves to stand by me again.

He doesn’t tower over me like my brothers do, but the height difference is still glaringly obvious, with him being over six feet tall. That, combined with his wide-set shoulders and thick arms, makes me look small in comparison.

“A to-go cup would be amazing, Ava. I’m not much of a flyer, so I think we should get to the airport a bit early.”

Mom’s smile brightens. “Be right back!” she says before rushing inside.

“Well, shit. Addie isn’t a flyer at all. You sure you two will be okay by yourselves?” Dad asks. He’s almost glaring at Cooper now, that protective, fatherly look in his eye.

I force a laugh, wrapping my fingers around my travel companion’s wrist, the warmth and thickness of it startling me as I try to tug him toward me. When he barely budges, I roll my eyes.

“We’ll be fine. Stop worrying before you give yourself an ulcer.”

Dad scowls at me. “I’m allowed to be worried. No offense, Cooper, but the only people I fully trust to take care of my daughter are myself and her mother. You’re the only option I have right now.”

I glance up, half expecting to see Cooper looking offended, but when his expression remains calm as he nods in agreement, I realize I should have known better.

“I understand. I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. You have my word.”

“Thank you,” Mom says, joining us again. She moves from behind Dad and extends a Styrofoam cup toward Cooper before snuggling into Dad’s side. “We appreciate that. Right, honey?”

Dad’s green eyes wrinkle at the corners as he pulls her beneath his arm. “Of course.”

As Cooper grabs the cup from Mom, I tug on the wrist I’m still holding. There’s understanding in his eyes as he looks down at me, watching me fidget by his side, anxiety flowing off me in thick waves.

“We should be going, yeah?” he asks.

“Yeah. You know how busy the airport can get, Dad.”

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