Page 70 of Her Greatest Adventure

“Don’t hold your breath. I only have one sister.”

“Will there ever be a time when you two don’t bicker?” Ava asks, shaking her head. But I don’t miss the small smile she tries to hide.

“Probably not.” Maddox snorts.

“It seems you didn’t need me here after all, Ava,” Dad says.

Addie’s mom shrugs. “I’ll never pass up a chance to see you.”

“Group dinners are going to be a lot different now,” Oakley notes gruffly.

Now, there’s something we can agree on.

* * *

Everyone lingersfor a bit longer before leaving, my dad with an offer for Addie and me to come for dinner this week, and Oakley with an invitation to meet alone with him tomorrow afternoon under the pretext of grabbing lunch.

I know he really wants to talk with nobody butting in and standing up for me. And after everything that’s happened, I owe him as much. That doesn’t make it any less nerve-racking, though.

“I’m sorry about my family,” Addie says, pushing the dining chairs beneath the table.

“Don’t apologize. They just care about you.”

“That’s not a good enough excuse for being rude. Or for hitting you.”

“I’m just grateful it was Maddox and not Oakley that hit me. I have a feeling your dad would have broken my nose.”

She laughs softly. “You’re probably right.”

Once the chairs are pushed in, she sighs, pressing her back to one of them. Crossing her arms, she tilts her head, watching me.

“You don’t have to meet my dad tomorrow if you don’t want to. I can’t begin to imagine how awkward that’s going to be. I’m sure you have other plans, anyway.”

“Why do you think I have plans? We’ve only been back for a couple of days.”

“But we’ve been gone for weeks. I actually don’t know much about your real everyday life when we’re not off travelling the world.”

She looks upset by that, and I make a promise to myself to tell her absolutely everything as long as that look goes away.

“I don’t have plans that don’t include you.”

“Oh,” she whispers.

“Do you have plans already, Adalyn?”

She shakes her head. “I haven’t really talked to anyone yet.”

“So, you’re all mine, then? For a few days, at least.” I like the sound of that.A lot.

“I’d say so. You surprised me back there, you know,” she says.

“I know.”

“You meant it, then? Everything you said?”

I quirk my mouth and take slow steps toward her. Thick lashes flutter as I close the space between us. Those plump, pink lips part when I press our fronts together and slip my hand around the back of her hand, fingers curling in her hair.

“Every damn word,” I breathe, and then finally, I kiss her.

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