Page 16

My head is a mess. It has been since we ran into the three assholes that haunt my life.

No one seems to notice my fake joy except for Tatum, the man sees right through me.

A tiny fact that drives me up the freaking wall.

Maybe it wouldn’t if it were anyone else, but I’m already having an internal battle.

My mind hates him, my body clearly hasn’t gotten the memo.

Like Sleeping Beauty, one touch of his lips and it magically woke up. Freaking A, Batman.

I’ve put the pink cowboy hat on the hook by the door, the banner is finally hung over the fireplace, thanks to my little reverse psychology play. If there’s one thing Tatum is, it’s prideful. Do I use that to my advantage? Absolutely. Do I feel bad about it? Not even a little bit.

There are tiny cowboy boots on every flat surface in the house.

Their bedroom has their favorite picture in it, along with the custom-made boots wrapped up nicely and sitting on the bed.

Everything on my “pre-arrival” checklist has been ticked off, and I feel like I can breathe in that aspect, but I’m struggling to breathe when I think of everything that has transpired in the past few weeks.

The chaos that is four hockey players and two soccer players echoes through the house; their locker room banter and louder than life laughter is overstimulating.

I need a minute of silence, so I slip out onto the balcony attached to the master suite.

The crisp air hits me like a sucker punch, sharp, and with a bite.

I welcome the sting. It hurts less than realizing that despite me becoming the controlling, overbearing person I am today.

.. It was all in vain. The second I recognized them, I froze like a deer in headlights.

Something I never thought would cross my mind, does at this very moment.

Thank GOD for Tatum Wilder. The trees move in the distance, their newly sprouted flowers dotting the branches.

New growth, a change of the season. Life.

Could I learn to just go with the flow? I know that, regardless of the tight grip I’ve tried to keep on literally everything, I’m not happy.

Am I capable of making that change? Of letting go instead of moving through the motions, and doing what I thought was necessary to keep me safe?

Have I been wrong this entire time? I watch as a butterfly lands on the railing a few feet from me, its wings opening and closing before taking off as the wind blows.

With it comes a fresh, earthy scent. Rich with the smell of the blooming flowers, yet it mingles with something fainter.

Pine and fir. The large trees stand tall and strong against the backdrop of the towering mountains, and from the sound of it, there's a stream nearby.

My admiration is cut short when I hear the door slide shut behind me.

“Hey.” Tate’s voice slices through the air, curling around me like a blanket. A shiver runs through me as I feel the heat of him at my back. Screw you, body. Now is not the time to betray me like this.

“Cold?” he asks.

“No, I just needed a minute of silence before the real chaos starts.”

He hums as he comes to stand next to me. “Wanna talk about it yet?” Crap-a-doodle .

“I do not.” I wrap my arms around myself, a defense mechanism I’ve tried hard to let go of.

His backside hits the railing of the balcony next to me, his hands landing on the wood on either side of his hips.

There’s an intensity in his stare that feels like a silent battle of wills, but unlike our usual clashing, it isn’t filled with disdain.

A dangerous mix of curiosity and hesitation swirls in the air as he watches me.

I look back at the trees in the distance, trying to focus on anything but the man to my right, the weight of his presence making me squirm.

We crossed a line, one we had no business crossing.

And while I’m thankful that he did what he did to get me out of that situation, I’m not a fan of whatever this is.

“I’m a good listener, Tink.” The coaxing lilt to his tone is firm. A scoff leaves my throat before I can stop it. “Come on...” His voice is almost pleading, one glance at him steals whatever oxygen I had left.

He’s looking at me like he sees every crack in my carefully pieced-together armor.

Every fragile piece I’ve tried to hold together, protected by my “unbothered” attitude.

My eyes drift to his lips. I hate that I know what they feel like.

Warm. Gentle. Devastating. But most of all, I hate that I want to feel them again.

The door flies open, and Zeke sticks his head out, faltering for a brief second before he says, “Hey, love birds, they’re ten minutes away.

We need to pull the cars into the garage.

” He’s got a sickly sweet smile on his face, and my cheeks heat with the insinuation.

I don’t wait for either of them to say anything before I hurry back inside.

This isn’t the time or place. This is about Hannah and Greyson.

Okay, and maybe some pranks, but that’s beside the point.

It’s game time. The cars are hidden, all the lights are off, and we ’re hiding behind the huge L-shaped couch.

I feel him before I see him, his energy pulling at me like a magnet.

“Saved by the bell,” he whispers, his breath a gentle caress against my ear.

“But I’ll get it out of you at some point.

” Right, good luck with that little buddy.

He opens his mouth to say something else when the door creaks open.

“Go on, I’ll be right behind you. I just need to grab the bags.

” Greyson’s voice fills the otherwise silent cabin.

My heart rate increases, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I count their footsteps.

One. Two. Three... This has been a long time coming for them; I just hope we can make this week as magical as they deserve.

He flips the light switch, which is our cue.

“SURPRISE!” We all yell in unison. Hannah shrieks as she folds herself into Greyson’s arms. One eye pops into view, looking around the room from under his arm.

When she realizes it’s us, her eyes fill with tears, but there’s a huge smile on her face.

I kick myself for thinking she would be mad about us being here.

This woman has wanted to be part of a family for as long as I’ve known her.

“You guys!” She yells, laughing so hard she has to put her hands on her knees.

Her head falls toward the floor for a few seconds before she gives it a small shake as she looks back up at us; her eyes land on me, and the tears I’ve been fighting all day threaten to spill.

“Abby, this is amazing.” Her arms wrap around my neck, and I blink super fast, looking up at the ceiling to keep them at bay.

“Grey, look!” She points to the hook by the door, “There’s a pink cowboy hat.

” His hands slide into his back pockets, rocking back on his heels, then forward on his toes.

His eyes follow her as she walks over to inspect it further, he pulls his lip between his teeth as he watches her run her fingers over the brim.

I’m convinced there isn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for her.

They went back to her childhood home last Christmas, and Ms. Lowery pulled out the pink cowboy hat she used to wear all the time as a child.

Greyson fell hard and fast for my best friend, but one of the reasons they’re so good together is that he never stops trying to learn new things about her.

After he proposed, he took her to a home decor store under the guise of shopping for his mom.

He took note of everything she stopped to look at for longer than half a second, ordered it, and had it delivered to the house he bought for the two of them.

Not that she knows that exists yet, either.

I’ve had the pleasure of sneaking over with his mom, Amy, and decorating it. It’s his wedding gift to her. Swoon.

“Happy Birthday!” Monroe says as he wraps her up in a hug. Leave it to this guy to shatter a touching moment. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, thank you! But what’s the plan?

I was under the impression this was ‘romance week,’ and that ain’t happening with you clowns here.

” She points her finger at the group of guys huddled in the corner.

She’s not wrong. Monroe’s smile grows as he looks over at me and nods slightly. Yup, this is going to be fun.

“We have activities planned every day. Tonight, I figured we’d just hot tub it up because it’s cold and too late to do anything. We stopped at the grocery store on the way in.” Monroe looks over at me, adding, “Yes, I got everything on the list.” Hannah giggles, and Reed speaks up.

“We didn’t do much of the decorating, though; most of it was done by the Best Man and Maid of Honor.” He gives me his usual grin, his hazel eyes sparkling with mischief as he wiggles his eyebrows. There’s a telltale grunt that is Tate’s default response from somewhere to the side of me.

“It’s beautiful, very on-brand. Thanks, Abs and Tot!

” She wraps her arms around both our necks before turning back to Monroe, “That sounds like fun. Do you think we’ll see a bear while we’re here?

!” Her excitement is palpable as she looks at Greyson, hands clapping together in front of her as she bounces on her toes.

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Greyson runs his hands up and down her arms as she leans into his chest. I love that she’s found her person, but it makes me sad to know that soon, she’ll move out, and I’ll be alone for the first time since our freshman year in college.

My heart rate increases at the thought, jumping on the overthinking express train, but that quickly gets extinguished when a bag of Twix gets thrown in my direction.