Nate made a thoughtful noise. “You seem to be adapting pretty well to Legacy.”
I forced myself to focus on the equipment, not on their conversation or the implications behind Nate’s words.
Adrian wasn’tadaptingto Legacy; he was using it as a backdrop for his content, just like every other influencer who’d blown through here. Once he got what he needed, he’d be gone.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Nate approaching until he spoke directly beside me.
“Take that man to bed, Sullivan,” he said casually. “And if the sex turns out to be as hot as it ought to be, then consider taking him into your heart, too. Since that’s a thing some people seem to want.”
My head snapped up. “What the fuck?”
Nate met my gaze steadily, his earlier teasing glint nowhere to be found. “You’re not a dumbass, so stop acting like one.” He glanced over to where Adrian was giving June a final pat. “I saw the way you look at him through the lens. Stop fighting what’s obvious to everyone but you, Sullivan. Life’s too short.”
Before I could respond, he walked away, heading back to Adrian. I watched as he said something that made Adrian laugh, then suddenly freeze. After a moment, they shook hands, andAdrian walked toward the passenger side of his rental, where I was already waiting.
“You mind driving?” he asked. “I’m not confident on snowy roads.”
I grunted my agreement and began the drive back to town in awkward silence. Adrian stared out the passenger window at the darkening sky, occasionally checking his phone. I kept my eyes fixed on the road, hands clamped on the wheel.
“Thanks for driving,” he said at length. “I had a near miss on a slick spot yesterday when I was heading to town. Glad not to be the one at the wheel, honestly.”
The steering wheel creaked as my hands tightened further, imagining him in danger. Cold sweat prickled on my skin as memories of my parents’ accident flashed through my mind like an old VCR tape worn thin in spots from being played too many times. “Anytime.” I glanced at him. “I mean it. Anytime.”
He nodded and swallowed. Silence descended again for several awkward minutes.
“So,” Adrian said, breaking the silence. “Nate seems nice.”
“Yeah,” I agreed neutrally.Don’t fucking dance with him.“Known him since high school. Good guy.”
“He, uh, said something interesting to me before we left.”
I tensed, keeping my expression carefully blank. “Ignore him. He’s full of shit.”
Adrian turned slightly in his seat to face me. “He told me Maya begged him to cancel on us.”
That wasn’t at all where I thought this conversation was going. “The fuck?” I reached for my phone, but Adrian caught my hand and held it.
“Stop. What are you going to say to her? She’s a kid, Maddox.”
I clenched my jaw. “A kid who shouldn’t be playing with things she doesn’t understand.”
His thumb brushed across the top of my hand painfully lightly before he let go and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. “She doesn’t want you to be alone. She cares about you.”
My face heated with embarrassment. “I’m fine. Why does everyone think being alone is a bad thing?”
Adrian looked out the window on his side as we passed snowy fields and the ever-darkening sky. After a while, he murmured, “It gets old, don’t you think?”
I glanced at him in surprise. “And you would know? I’ve seen your social media. You’re never alone.”
His lips tipped up in a hollow smile, but he kept his gaze trained out the window. “Social media tells a story, Maddox. Paints a pretty picture. A fantasy. Isn’t that what you keep trying to tell me?”
I stared at him so hard he must’ve felt the heat of it because he turned toward me, his smile so obviously fake it made my stomach twist. “Nate must be a hell of a fuck, huh?” His smile faded. “He didn’t just tell me about Maya’s call when he pulled me aside. He mentioned you two had history.”
Instead of continuing the drive to my place in town, I turned down the long, winding road leading to Adrian’s rental cabin.
“What are you doing?” he asked, looking around at the vast expanse of snow. “How are you going to get home? I’m notthatafraid of driving?—”
“I’m coming home with you,” I said. I kept my hands around the steering wheel to keep from reaching for his hand.
