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Adam, looking a little taken aback by her chilly reception, hesitated before saying, “I knew you’d be here, Zo. You always spend Christmas at this cabin. You even invited me last year, remember? I kept the address.”
His casual tone and the familiar way he addressed her made me grind my teeth. The audacity of this guy, just showing up out of the blue.
Before Zoey could respond, Adam suddenly dropped to one knee. “Zoey,” his voice quivered with emotion, “I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you go. I’ve thought about it every day since, and I’ll go to the ends of the earth to win you back.”
My chest tightened, anger boiling inside me. Who was this guy to think he could just waltz back into her life after all the pain he’d caused? And she didn’t belong to him anymore. She didn’t belong to anybody—she’d chosen us.
Zoey seemed taken aback, flustered, and clearly uncomfortable. “Adam, I... I don’t... This isn’t—”
Seeing her struggling for words, Mason and I stepped forward, placing ourselves between Zoey and her ex.
“I think you’ve got the wrong idea.” Mason’s voice was laced with ice.
Adam blinked, looking us up and down. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”
“I’m Bodhi,” I replied with a cold edge. “And this is Mason. We’re Zoey’s boyfriends.”
The shock on Adam’s face would have been funny if I wasn’t so furious. For a split second, he looked like he was about to laugh, but the seriousness of our expressions stopped him.
Before he could gather himself, Liam joined us, standing on either side of the doorway from Eric, effectively forming a wall between Adam and the cabin’s interior. Now Adam was staring up at four men, each of us at least three inches taller and notably more built than him.
I couldn’t help but feel a smug satisfaction at his dumbfounded expression.
Eric spoke first, his tone measured but stern. “Adam, I remember you. What’s done is done, and you need to respect Zoey’s boundaries. It sucks that you came all the way to Montana, but we’re here with our family, and you’re not welcome.”
Liam added, “If Zoey wanted to reconnect, she would have reached out. Showing up unannounced like this? It’s not okay.”
I watched Adam’s bravado slowly crumble, replaced by uncertainty and then defensiveness. “Look, I just... I needed her to know. To see how much I’ve changed.”
Mason stepped forward, his gaze unwavering. “After that last call you had with Zoey, I did a little digging on you,” he said, his voice low and controlled. “You’d be surprised how much people talk, especially when they know what you did.”
Adam’s face blanched, his eyes darting around, searching for an escape from the scrutiny of the men surrounding him. “Whatever you think you know—”
“I know enough,” Mason interrupted, his tone icy. “Enough to understand that Zoey’s better off without you. Whatever ‘change’ you claim to have undergone, you should’ve thought about that before you did what you did.”
The air grew thick with tension as everyone awaited Adam’s response.
Mason’s jaw tightened, his eyes never leaving Adam’s. “For starters, I found out about the multiple times you’ve cheated, not just on Zoey, but on past relationships as well. Seems like loyalty isn’t your strong suit.”
Adam’s face reddened, but Mason wasn’t finished. “Then there’s the gambling problem, something Zoey was kept in the dark about. You’ve left a trail of debts in your wake.”
There was a shocked silence.
Adam stammered, struggling to find words.
Mason’s gaze shifted to Zoey. “I should’ve shared what I found out about him with you, Zo. I just... I didn’t want to cause you more pain.”
I realized even Liam and I were out of the loop on this one.
Zoey’s voice was soft but firm. “Mason, there was no need. Knowing or not, I was never giving Adam a second chance. My heart belongs to the three of you, and I’m not going anywhere.” She then turned her attention to her ex. “Adam, we had our time, and it’s over. I’ve moved on. I appreciate your feelings, but you need to respect mine and leave.”
Adam seemed lost for words. There he stood, probably thinking he’d make this grand gesture and win Zoey back, only to be faced with the reality that she’d moved on, surrounded by people who cared deeply for her.
With one last lingering look at Zoey, Adam finally nodded. “I’m sorry, Zoey.” His voice held genuine remorse, but it did little to lessen the tension.
We watched him get into his car and drive away, the taillights slowly disappearing into darkness.
With Adam gone, the weight of jealousy lifted from my shoulders, and the tightness in my chest eased.
