“You have to see this gift,” I tell her, practically dragging her toward the garage. “It’s insane. Like, completely insane.”
We’re walking through the hallway when we hear Adelaide’s voice coming from one of the side rooms—the study, I think. She’s on the phone, her voice low but carrying in the quiet hallway.
Lily and I both freeze, exchanging glances.
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m safe. Would you stop worrying so much?” Adelaide’s tone is affectionate but exasperated. “I won’t be here long enough for anything to happen. I’ll do what I came to do, and then I’ll be gone.”
She pauses, listening to whoever is on the other end.
“I know. I keep my word. When have I not? Chris knows nothing about any of this, and I’m going to keep it that way. It’s better if he doesn’t know.”
Another pause.
“Okay, I heard you the first fifty times. Yes, I’m being careful. Yes, I understand the risks. Yes, I know?—”
Silence while the other person talks.
“I know what’s at stake here.” Her voice drops even lower, almost a whisper. “I’m not stupid. I know exactly what will happen if this goes wrong. But it won’t. I’ll be careful.”
More silence.
“I have to go.” Her voice softens. “I love you too.” The call ends.
Lily and I stare at each other with wide, shocked eyes and immediately scramble toward the garage before Adelaide can catch us eavesdropping like creeps. We burst through the garage door and close it behind us, both of us breathing hard.
“What the hell was that about?” Lily whispers, even though we’re alone now.
“Something’s going on,” I whisper back. “She sounded kinda scared.”
“Are you going to tell Chris?”
I bite my lip, thinking. “I don’t know yet. I need to figure out what’s going on first. If I tell him now with no context, it might just push Adelaide away, and then we’ll never find out what kind of trouble she’s in.”
“You think she’s in trouble?”
“Did you hear that conversation? She’s definitely in some kind of trouble.”
Lily nods slowly. “Okay. So what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to get to know her. Earn her trust. Figure out what she’s hiding and whether I need to tell Chris or if I can help her handle it quietly. She’s family now, which means she’s my responsibility too.”
“Good plan.”
I take a breath, pushing Adelaide’s mysterious phone call to the back of my mind for now. “Okay, enough about potentially dangerous secrets. Let me show you this absolutely ridiculous gift that’s making your men look bad by comparison.”
I hit the lights dramatically, and the Jeep gleams under the fluorescent bulbs.
Lily actually squeals. “Oh, hell, Hannah! Are you serious right now? This is gorgeous!”
We’re both climbing all over it like excited kids, and I’m showing her all the features when the garage door opens and my three men appear, clearly looking for us.
“Secret party in the garage?” Kane asks with a grin.
“Just showing off the best Christmas gift ever,” I say, unable to stop smiling. “Also making Lily’s Alphas look bad, which is an added bonus.”
Lily spins to face them, hands on her hips. “You guys are setting an impossibly high bar here. What are you going to get her for her birthday at this rate? A private island? A palace? A small country?”
They all laugh, and I fall into their waiting arms, letting them surround me again.
