Chapter 25 #WildGeese #2
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re making it sound like I was partly to blame for the miscommunication and that I’m the one jumping to conclusions like an asshole.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Alex, I texted him asking what was up, begging for a chance to explain, and he put me off till tonight. We were literally in the middle of ordering lunch together when he raced out without a word.” I took another sip of the hot drink.
“I appreciate his need to cool off before talking, but I’ve been on edge all day worrying about it. ”
Alex shot me a look that somehow seemed all-knowing. “It’s going to be okay,” he said firmly.
I pushed to my feet. “What do you mean? Do you know something?”
He nodded. “I do. And I have a question for you. Have you told Maddox how you feel? Like, specifically?”
I dropped back down. “I’ve told him I want him. That I… that I have…” I tried to think of the exact words I’d said.
Was I want you to be my dork not specific enough?
Alex must have read the truth on my face because his expression turned distinctly amused. “Have you said the words ‘I love you, I want to stay here, I choose you over everything else’?”
The question hit me like a slap. “Not exactly.”
How could I admit the L-word to Maddox when I’d only gotten used to the idea myself? Wasn’t it too soon?
“Uh-huh.” Alex leaned against the bar. “You know what’s not complicated? Telling someone you love them. Everything else is just noise.”
“But…”
“And if you love him, Adrian,” Alex said softly, “then trust him.”
Before I could respond, Tommy Marian appeared beside us like he’d materialized out of thin air.
“Adrian! Perfect. I need you to—”
I shook my head. “No. I’m sorry. No more wild goose chases. If someone needs cookies or a ride or to be saved from a rogue fire inspection, you’re gonna need to find someone else. I have to find Maddox. I have to get to—”
“Slingshot Mountain?” Tommy finished. His smile was suspiciously bright. “Good, ‘cause I’m here to drive you. To make sure you get there safely.”
I frowned. “I can drive myself,” I said stupidly.
Alex shook his head. “You’re upset, and you’ve been drinking. You should go with Tommy. Foster kitted out his truck with every winter safety feature known to man.”
“It’s true.” Tommy’s cheeks turned pink. “Don’t mess with a Wyoming sheriff when it comes to road safety. Apparently.”
“I’ll be okay,” I insisted.
The two of them exchanged a look before Alex said. “What if you need a friend there to drive you home?”
My stomach twisted. “What, like after a breakup? Are you trying to make me cry? Jesus, Alex. Fuck.”
He held up his hands, wincing. “That’s not what I mean.”
Tommy shoved Alex away. “What my insensitive cousin meant was, if you happen to meet up with someone else and want to ride home with them, it’d be more convenient if you didn’t have your own car. Besides, parking’s tight on Starlight Spectacular night.”
This made sense, I supposed, but something was definitely off.
Mrs. Hoffman’s emergency baking situation, Hazel and Avery’s sudden departure, Alex’s fire-inspection-that-wasn’t, and now SERA’s medical team lead acting as my chauffeur?
I had no clue what was happening, but I also didn’t have it in me to protest any further.
“Fine,” I sighed. “But I’m probably not staying for the whole thing. I’m not in a festive mood.” Especially if my meeting with Maddox didn’t go well.
Tommy eyed me carefully. “That’s too bad. I thought tonight was supposed to be your twelfth date of Christmas?”
“I thought so, too,” I muttered. But I couldn’t imagine wanting to film this.
The drive to Slingshot Mountain took twenty minutes on winding roads that were slick with fresh snow.
Tommy kept up a steady stream of conversation the whole drive about the Starlight Spectacular—how volunteers spent the whole day tricking out the slope with thousands of colored lights, how magical it looked when it all came together—but I found myself tuning him out as we climbed higher.
I was way too anxious to embrace the magic.
When we reached the base of the mountain, though, I was surprised by just how much activity there was, even though the main event didn’t start for another hour.
Tommy had mentioned a team of volunteers, but there were dozens and dozens of people scattered across the mountain, working with what looked like an elaborate lighting setup.
Way more elaborate than I’d expected, even knowing what a big deal this event was for the town.
“Wow,” I said, stepping out of Tommy’s truck. “This is really something.”
“Yeah, there’s a reason why people come from all over to see this.
But somehow, I think tonight’s Starlight Spectacular will be extra spectacular.
” Tommy grinned as he shoved a motley collection of hat, scarf, and gloves at me.
“Come on, Foster’s coordinating from the base lodge. Maybe he knows where your date is.”
As we made our way through the crowd, I started recognizing faces. Mrs. Hoffman was there, along with Sadie and Hazel. Even Chief Kincaid was helping string lights, working alongside several firefighters I didn’t recognize.
Maya appeared at my elbow, slightly out of breath like she’d been running.
“Adrian! There you are. We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“We?”
She gestured vaguely at the crowd. “I mean, ah… me. And… well, anyway, come on! You need to check out the view from over there.”
I looked around as Maya towed me toward the base lodge, noting the way people kept glancing in my direction and then quickly looking away. The way conversations seemed to stop when I got too close.
“Maya,” I said carefully, “what’s going on?”
Her eyes went wide with manufactured innocence. “What do you mean? It’s just folks getting ready for the Starlight Spectacular. Happens every year.”
“Uh-huh. And where is your brother?”
“Maddox? Oh, around here somewhere. Probably helping with the technical stuff. You know how he is with equipment.”
The sun had almost completely set now, and the first strings of lights were beginning to flicker on across the slope. But instead of the random twinkling pattern I’d expected from videos of previous years’ events, the lights seemed to be forming shapes.
Letters.
My heart stopped.
“Maya,” I whispered, “what the hell is happening right now?”
She followed my gaze to the mountain, where more and more lights were coming online. The message was becoming clearer with each passing second, spelled out in massive letters across the entire ski slope:
#TeamMaddrian
#RealLifeRomance
And a final row of lights, almost blinding in their all-caps glory.
ADRIAN STAY
“Oh,” Maya said with obviously fake surprise. “Would you look at that.”
For a split second, I thought this was a poorly timed prank Maya and some of the townspeople had perpetrated. Some new level of matchmaking, maybe.
But then the shadowy figure of a man walked out on the slope.
I immediately knew it was Maddox, just from the way he carried himself.
But even if I hadn’t, I’d have recognized that he was wearing my charcoal wool peacoat, indigo-blue scarf, and the Nordique Chasseur hat with “ultra-luxe earflap” detailing that Maddox had proclaimed “ultra-ridiculous.”
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
Then Maddox made a slight motion with his hand, and a string of tiny white fairy lights lit up on the front of the coat, spelling out another message.
I love you.
I sucked in a breath. Holy shit.
He held out his arms to the side so the message was clear to see. And then he shouted.
“Adrian Hayes, I don’t need you to stay in Legacy. I need you to stay with me.” He brought a hand to his chest and banged a fist over the letter I. “I need you here. With me. In my heart. Always. No matter where you go or what you do. This heart is your home now. Do you understand?”
His voice broke before he could say more, but I’d already launched myself toward the slope, barely aware of Maya’s delighted, relieved laughter behind me.
Unfortunately, I spent most of my time at sea level, which meant I was heaving from lack of oxygen after running only halfway up the mountain. Thankfully, Maddox had run down to meet me, somehow not falling and turning into a human snowball on the way.
When he finally got to me, I lunged into his arms, knocking him over and shooting fresh powder everywhere.
“I love you, too,” I gasped before kissing him. His lips and tongue were warm and sweet. Familiar and exciting at the same time.
Maddox’s hands moved up and down my back. When he’d gotten his fill of kisses, he pulled back. “Do you get what I’m trying to tell you, baby? I don’t want you to give up your dream for me. I want to be part of it.”
“You’re the whole dream,” I confessed breathlessly. “The entire thing. I’m not giving it up. I finally found it, and I’m not letting it go.”
Maddox bit off one of his gloves and pushed damp hair back from my eyes, shoving it under the cap and then caressing the side of my face. The way he looked at me, with raw affection and the banked embers of need, made me even more breathless.
“We can figure it out. Travel together. You know, I happen to know how to work a video camera. I can help with your job. I want to.”
My heart was hammering in my chest as I grinned down at him. “Yeah? And where would you stay? Solenne would only provide one hotel room…”
His eyes danced in the shifting light from the fairy lights mashed between us. “I guess I’d have to bunk with you, wouldn’t I?”
“And what if I didn’t want to travel anymore?” I asked softly. “What if I wanted to stay here and work on building out Sullivan Hardware’s online presence so that you can have more time for your photography, and I could come home to your mom’s lasagna more often?”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” He tugged on a lock of my hair. “I don’t care what our happy ever after looks like, as long as it has you in it.”