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“And this is a bunch of stuff from the Warriors and the Woodmen to sell to raise money for Adam’s new program,” Tyler adds.
My brows tug together. “What new program?”
Ava quickly jumps in. “The one for athletes who can’t afford private training. He’s been working on it for a few weeks now. You didn’t know?”
“No.”
This has to do with Willow, I know it does. Fuck, Adam and his massive heart are going to be the death of me. If I wasn’t already in love with him, I would be now.
Tyler shouts in pain, and I look at them to find Gracie pinching his underarm. “Way to go, loose lips,” she scolds him.
He scowls. “I didn’t know it was a secret.”
“It’s fine, guys,” I say. They look reluctant, but I shrug. “Really, it’s okay. I’m sure he was planning on telling me when it was official.”
Mom scoffs. “Of course he was going to. Adam doesn’t seem like the type to keep secrets.”
Ava is quick to defend her friend. “He really isn’t.”
My appreciation for her grows.
“I know.” I set Leo’s signed puck back on the table. “Where is Adam, anyway?”
“Last I saw, he was waiting for Beth with Cooper. He’s probably close by,” Tyler says.
Ava rounds the table and grabs my hand. “I can help you find him if you want.”
I don’t pull my hand away as I turn to Mom. She’s not paying any attention to me, too busy chatting with an enthusiastic Gracie about what colour she should paint her toes tonight.
“Gracie’s got her. She won’t let her out of her sight,” Ava adds a beat later.
I find myself nodding before we’re moving through the crowd. Looking back again, I glance at Mom and smile at the carefree look in her eyes. She looks truly happy.
Facing forward again, I ask Ava, “You offered to take me because you wanted to grill me, right? The best-friend special?”
We pass two dunk tanks, and I choke on a laugh when I see both Braden and Leo each sitting above a tank of water, waiting to take a swim. Sierra is handing out balls to the kids in line, a sneaky smirk on her face as she looks at her husband and winks. A second later, she rushes toward him and slams her hand on the target, sending him falling to the water, sinking deep.
Ava laughs. “Guilty. I didn’t get the chance during Gracie’s party.”
“Go ahead. There isn’t much to tell, but I’ll try.”
“I doubt that—oh, there! Let’s sit on that bench. My feet are killing me.”
We swerve toward a wooden bench in the shade of an overgrown tree and sit. It’s a bit away from the chaos of the festival, which I’m grateful for.
Ava crosses one leg over the other and turns her body to face me. “You know, when I first met Adam, he couldn’t go ten minutes without saying a sexual innuendo or making fart noises in the library. He’s single-handedly responsible for the dirty jokes Oakley says, thinking he’s an absolute comedian.”
I snort a laugh. “That must feel like a lifetime ago.”
“It does and doesn’t. Adam is one of those guys that you can’t shake. Once you let him in, you don’t want to let him back out again. He’s just always there, like family.”
“Yeah, I’ve begun to realize that.”
She twists her mouth, as if she’s thinking about what to say. Like she wants to make sure everything she says is perfect.
“He worries about Cooper,” she begins. “He would do anything to see that boy smile, like I’m sure you know. I worried that he would let that control his life. That he would never want to risk that smile for anything, even his own happiness. I can’t even tell you how happy I am that he didn’t let that stop him from chasing you. I’ve honestly never seen him like this before.”
“Like what?” I ask quietly.
