Page 91 of Her Greatest Adventure

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ADALYN

Ivy squealsthe moment she sees me on the beach. I grin back, jogging through the sand toward her. It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. This shoot couldn’t have come at a better time.

“My sweet love!” she calls.

“My Ivy girl!” I call back.

She’s already been dressed in one of the new suits we’re shooting campaigns for today. It’s a neon green one-piece with a high cut in the front and a slit across her belly button. Her makeup is minimal, fitting the beachy vibe we’re trying to capture today.

We’ve both been signed with Champagne Swimwear for over a year now. They’re luxury swimwear at its finest.

“Is that a real tan?” she asks when we get close enough to hug.

I squeeze her tight. “For the first time in my life, this glow is all natural, baby.”

“Oh, Cara is going to love that.”

“She better. She gave me so much shit the last time I came with spray tan hands.”

Our makeup artist is a total sweetheart, but she’s beyond picky.

We break apart, and she holds me by my arms before gripping my left hand and bringing it in front of her face. She pulls a sharp breath between her teeth and rubs her thumb over my ring finger.

“Even after you sent me pics, I was expecting it to be marker.”

“Your lack of trust in me is appalling.”

“Oh, I trust you. If I didn’t, I would be asking you what thehellyou were thinking getting married without telling a damn soul.”

I wince. “So, you’re mad?”

“Not mad, no. But surprised and a bit concerned? Yes.”

“You don’t need to be concerned. Cooper is a good man,” I state.

She narrows her eyes suspiciously. “Before you left, you were too nervous to even ask said man to join you.”

“That was before. Things changed quickly.”

“You’re telling me,” she mutters. Resignation trickles across her features. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to chastise you today, so I’m going to stop. But we will be talking about this after the shoot. Actually, now that we’re already on the topic of your husband, is he okay with you being here today?”

I pinch my brows. “Why wouldn’t he be? This is my job.”

The only thing he said to me this morning was to have a good day and that he’d see me after work. I didn’t hide what I was going to be spending the day doing. He knows I’m shooting for a swimsuit launch today while he visits Maddox, hopefully coming home in one piece.

Ivy shrugs. “Some guys can’t handle it.”

“I like to think Cooper knows I’m not about to be told what I can and can’t do by a man. Not that he would ever try. He’s not that type of guy.”

I’m almost positive that if I asked him to come with me today, he would have stood off to the side and watched me work with a grin of encouragement the entire time.

“Good, babe. I’m really glad to hear that.”

We link arms and start toward the crowd further down the beach, closer to the water. Two white tents—one for hair, makeup, and wardrobe and another for the models to relax in between their shots—stand just far enough from the shoreline to avoid being hit by waves. This type of set-up used to intimidate me, but it’s all second nature now.

“How’s your new place?” I ask over the pop music that’s growing in volume.

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