Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Liam
Iknew the second camping trip was inevitable before we even left Cedar Hollow back in May.
One week of being completely, unapologetically ourselves wasn’t enough. Not for us. Not for this group.
The moment we got back, I could already hear the countdowns, the “next time” comments, the “I can’t believe we have to go back to real life” sighs.
So, I made it happen.
Sitting behind the bar at The Stag & Lantern, I pulled up the group chat and typed out the message, simple and direct.
Me: Second Cedar Hollow trip. Beginning of August. Before Elliott and Sam go back to school. Pack your shit. We’re doing this again!
I barely had time to set my phone down before it started buzzing.
Harper: YES.
Jules: Oh, y’all are doing this again?
Elliott: Yes, please and thank you!
Avery: Never really left Cedar Hollow in my heart.
Renzo: My body is READY.
Noah: I’m in. But Evan and I are driving separately this time.
Evan: That’s news to me.
Max: You bitches better pack your own liquor. I’m not sharing this time.
Tess: I call dibs on not cooking this trip.
Ezra: As long as there are good snacks, I’m in.
Callie: Hard pass. But bring Jules and me back the best stories, you heathens.
I laughed.
Perfect.
My phone buzzed again, this time with a direct message from Sam.
Sam: Do I even have a choice?
I smiled, typing back.
Me: Nope. Don’t act like you didn’t have the time of your life.
There was a long pause before his response finally came in.
Sam: Fine. But I’m bringing extra whiskey this time.
I snorted and shook my head as I locked my phone.
The trip was locked in. The second Cedar Hollow camping trip. I had the reservations, the carpool assignments, the grocery lists. We were doing this.
And then, one by one, people started backing out.
At first, it was just Tess, saying he had some last-minute work thing he couldn’t get out of.
Annoying, but manageable. Then Max bailed because family was coming into town.
Ezra suddenly realized the trip overlapped with his cousin’s wedding, something he definitely should’ve known when he first said yes.
Avery had some “unexpected expenses” that meant he couldn’t swing it.
And suddenly, what had been a full roster of familiar faces was looking a little… sparse.
We still had a solid group. Noah, Evan, Elliott, Harper, Renzo, Sam, and me. But splitting the cost between fewer people meant it was getting pricier.
So I figured, why not add one more?
Jordan was an uncomplicated choice: fun, low-maintenance, and a feast for the eyes.
He and I were still hooking up casually, and it wasn’t like he didn’t know the crew.
He’d been around. Plus, the more, the merrier, right?
And most importantly, more people meant less cost for everyone, and no one was gonna complain about that.
I sent the updated message to the group chat.
Me: Alright, slight change in plans. We had some people back out, so I asked Jordan if he wanted to come. He’s in.
The typing bubbles popped up immediately.
Jules: Oh.
Elliott: Cool, cool.
Harper: More eye candy. Works for me.
Renzo: LMAO. Love this for you, Carter.
Noah: Doesn’t matter to me.
Evan: Hilarious.
Me: What? It’s not a big deal. It helps keep costs down.
More typing bubbles.
Callie: I don’t even need to be going on this trip to know it’s gonna be messy.
Me: Callie, why are you even on this group text?
Harper: Nah, it’s fine. Jordan’s chill.
Elliott: Yeah, no complaints here.
Harper: As long as he pulls his weight with the camp chores, I’m good.
Renzo: You mean we can’t let Liam and Jordan handle all the cooking while we sit around looking pretty?
Me: I mean, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but yeah, y’all are useless.
Everyone laughed it off, and one by one, they dropped out of the chat and moved on with their evenings.
Except Sam.
He never responded.
Not a word.
I glanced at my phone again, debating if I should text him separately, check in, ask if he was cool with it.
But the majority was fine with it.
No one else had an issue.
So I let it go.
Packing for a camping trip was always chaos, no matter how organized I tried to be. It always ended up being a crazy game of how much shit can we cram into my SUV before physics refuses to cooperate?
I tossed another bag into the back, shoving it against the rapidly dwindling space, and wiped my brow. The August heat was no joke.
Jordan showed up first, hauling his own duffel and a collapsible chair over his shoulder. “Tell me this is the last thing we need to fit in there,” he said, eyeing the already overstuffed trunk.
I snorted. “I wish.”
Sam was right behind him, lugging his own gear. His expression was unreadable, but there was a stiffness in the way he moved, his mouth set in a thin line.
“You two packing for a week or a damn month?” Sam jeered, dropping his bag beside Jordan’s.
“Hey,” I shot back. “I like to be prepared. Besides, I assumed we’d have more people’s shit to pack.”
Jordan lifted a brow, glancing around. “Speaking of… where is everyone?”
I grabbed a cooler and wedged it between two bags before answering. “Not coming.”
That snapped both their attention to me.
“What do you mean, not coming?” Sam asked, straightening.
I winced, suddenly realizing how bad this sounded.
“Meant to text the group. Got slammed at work and forgot.” I waved a hand.
“Elliott and Jules have Caleb this weekend. Anna switched up the schedule last minute. Noah and Evan backed out for reasons, Harper’s work fucked them over, Renzo suddenly has family obligations, and Callie was never coming, so.
” I shrugged, trying to make it sound casual. “Just the three of us.”
Silence.
Jordan frowned. “Wait. So we’re the only ones going?”
“Yup.”
Sam didn’t say anything, but his fingers tightened around the strap of his bag.
I shifted my weight. “Look, I already paid for the site. Not gonna make you two cover the extra cost, so we’re still good to go.”
Another beat of silence.
Then Jordan, bless him, just shrugged. “Whatever. More space, I guess.”
Sam’s mouth opened, then closed.
He was not happy about this.
But he also wasn’t backing out.
Instead, he just sighed, rolling his shoulders like he was physically forcing himself to relax. “Alright. Let’s just get this shit packed so we can hit the road.”
I let out a breath.
Crisis averted.
For now.
The car was packed to the brim. Three people, three sets of camping gear, coolers, food, and enough alcohol to ensure we wouldn’t have a single sober night. It was a miracle we got it all inside.
Jordan wedged himself into the backseat, his legs practically up to his chest.“Jesus, I feel like I’m in a clown car.”
“Better than being the driver,” I grumbled, shifting in my seat. I barely had enough room to move.
Sam, in the passenger seat, shot me a side-eye. “Yeah, because you had to bring five extra things no one needed.”
“I need all of it,” I argued, starting the engine.
Jordan snorted. “Uh-huh. Like that extra camping stove?”
“You never know when one might break.”
Sam sighed dramatically, pressing his fingers to his temple. “This is gonna be the longest long weekend of my life.”
I smiled, threw the car into drive, and tried to stay optimistic. “Buckle up, sweetheart. We’re making memories.”