“I’ve never seen anything like that,” I said, voice hushed. “It was… beautiful. Scary. But beautiful.”
He slid his arm around my shoulders. “Kind of like falling in love, huh?”
I looked up at him, startled by his words, and the truth in them.
My mouth parted, but no answer came.
He kissed the top of my head, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Don’t worry, honey bee. You don’t have to sayanything yet. I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter 21
Blair
The night air was cool against my flushed cheeks as we stepped out of the hospital doors. Greyson’s hand was wrapped around mine, grounding me. After hours of anxiety, pain, and emotion, Madison had finally given birth. Little Olive was here, tiny, pink and perfect. I’d cried holding her, and Madison had looked at me like I was family.
Everything had shifted. More real. Closer.
We were quiet as we walked back toward Greyson’s place, passing beneath the soft glow of street lamps. The sidewalks of Wisteria Creek were damp from a brief rain, the scent of pine and pavement thick in the air. My body was tired, but my heart felt light.
Until I saw him.
He was standing on the corner by the old bank building, phone to his ear, dressed in a pressed blazer that didn’t belong in a town like this. Even from a distance, something about him made my skin crawl. Familiar. Cold.
When he turned, and our eyes met, I stopped breathing.
No. It couldn’t be.
Not here.
Not now.
My grip on Greyson’s hand tightened until he looked over. “You okay?”
But I couldn’t speak. The man was walking toward us now,ending his call, stuffing his phone in his pocket like this was just a casual run-in.
“Well, well,” he said, smiling like we were acquaintances. “Greyson. Long time.”
Greyson’s face paled. “Adrian?”
Adrian Wells.
The name echoed in my head, detonating something.
My knees went weak.
Greyson let go of my hand, stepping forward slightly. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Adrian raised a brow. “Just in town for a few days. I wanted to see the place my brother’s always talking about.”
Brother.
My heart stopped.
I felt like I’d been dropped underwater. “Brother?”
Greyson glanced back at me, hesitating. “Yeah… he’s my half-brother. From an affair my dad had years ago. He showed up after my parents died.”
Adrian’s eyes flicked to me, his smirk widened.
