Chapter 5
Two Weeks Later
Maddie Grace
“Maddie Grace! Wait for me, chick,” Addie, my new friend, calls as she steps out of her cabin.
“Ugh, can you just call me Maddie?” I groan.
“Not today,” she teases, exaggerating my name with a stereotypical Southern accent. “Maddie Grace Cunningham.”
She’s ditched her camp tee and is now in a tie-dyed hoodie and patchwork jean shorts that are cut, frayed, and covered in hand-painted abstract designs.
Her curly strawberry-blonde hair is twisted into the chicest messy bun, all held together by something she calls “kanzashi hair sticks,” which she picked up while traveling in Japan with her parents.
Adelaide is a born-and-bred New Yorker, raised by famous artist parents, and lives in a large, open SoHo loft.
I was speechless the first time we spoke.
She’s the coolest girl I’ve ever met, living my dream life.
And I don’t mean “cool” as in “popular.” I mean, she’s effortlessly herself without giving a damn about anyone else.
Addie has the most outrageous fashion sense, zero filter, and an unapologetic I-Don’t-Give-An-F attitude about anything.
She has the wildest stories, from globe-trotting with her parents and befriending strangers in different countries, to watching her parents get inspired for their next installations.
And somehow, she’s my friend now.
We clicked instantly.
I only wish she were here from day one. Instead, for the first two weeks of camp, she was spending time in Australia visiting her dad’s side of the family.
“I wonder why you’re walking so fast?” she teases.
“No reason,” I sing-song, picking up my pace when I break through the trees.
My heart leaps the second I reach the beach and spot him.
Nate sees me just as quickly, and in an instant, he’s up, prowling toward me. He reaches me first, scoops me up, and spins me around.
When he stops, I wrap my legs around his waist so he can’t put me down.
“Missed you today, Mads,” he murmurs against my throat.
“Enough, you two,” one of the counselors calls out.
Not that they actually care if we show PDA. Half of them are barely older than Mase and Nate, but camp rules mean they have to at least pretend to enforce boundaries.
Nate doesn’t even acknowledge them. He kisses me hello instead.
His skilled lips take mine. It’s slow, deep, and full of suction, while his grip is possessive, palming my butt.
It took just over two weeks for me to stop caring who saw us.
Now? I can’t get enough of his kisses or touches.
“Yeah. Quit it, you two.” Mase knocks Nate on his back as he passes us to grab me a blanket. Even though it’s summer and there’s a bonfire, my Georgia bones can’t take the chilly summer nights here in the woods. “And hands off her ass.”
I pull back and stick out my tongue as he passes, tightening my grip around Nate like a human koala.
I may have loosened up around the other campers after week two, but it took me until recently to stop caring about Mase.
It was the day I walked into Mase and Leo’s cabin unannounced like an idiot.
Leo mentioned Mase was alone. Spoiler alert…he wasn’t.
I caught Ashley, my roommate—if you can even call her that, since she’s slept in our cabin once since camp started—on her knees for my brother.
Luckily, I didn’t see much, but the groan Mason let out is now permanently seared into my brain.
Hypnotherapy is starting to sound like a solid investment because it makes me gag every time I think of it.
Four weeks in New York, and my poor little innocent brain has been totally rewired.
Since then, I decided I wasn’t holding back in front of Mase anymore.
“Come on, I saved you a seat.” Nate reluctantly lets me go.
“Is there room for Ads?” I reach back for Addie’s hand, giving it a squeeze.
Nate leads us closer to the water, where multiple bonfires and tiki torches are scattered along the shore. Counselors huddle near each one, pretending to keep a watchful eye on the campers.
The sun hasn’t fully set. I was nervous I’d miss it. But today’s my lucky day. I get to see the beautiful pink and orange streaks before they disappear behind the horizon.
“We’ll make room if not,” Nate promises.
“Thanks.” Even if Addie’s reluctant.
Apparently, I’m not well-versed in the who’s who of the New York IT club because when she heard my boyfriend was Nate Davenport, she almost fell off my top bunk.
Among the elite, I’ve learned that Nate is one of New York’s most eligible bachelors. Even at seventeen, the families of other wealthy socialites will soon be clawing their way to an introduction from his family.
This is one thing the South has in common with the North—wealthy families making business deals and securing status through their children’s marriages.
Only Nate will never let this happen to himself.
To the outside, he’s still a Davenport, but to those who matter, he’s a Morales, and they don’t put money before anything.
His words.
Nate has also told me many times that he will never step foot in his parents’ house again after he turns eighteen and heads off to college.
It was a one-off comment, and since I don’t want to push him to discuss them until he’s ready, I don’t know much more about the situation.
“I think I see someone I know.” Addie tugs at my hand, attempting to retreat.
Which only makes me grip tighter.
My brother has the strength of a raging bull. I’ve built muscles trying to fight him my whole life, and there’s no way she’s getting away from my grip.
“Liar. You don’t like anyone here but me. Stop being such a pain.”
She groans. “Fine. I guess I’ll stay because you’re my only option.”
We both laugh because that’s a complete lie.
I may be her only choice, but that’s because we’re both choosing each other and each other only.
“Liar face,” I tease.
Addie hates this camp.
She only comes because her cousin begs her to come every year. Only this year, the day she arrived, her cousin bailed.
Addie was pissed and was about to have her parents come back to pick her up until she met me.
Since then, we’ve been inseparable…when I’m not with Nate, that is.
“I’ll grab us some hot chocolates. I’ll be back, promise.”
I watch her disappear into the crowded cafeteria before sinking down and placing the blanket that Mason left for me on my legs.
Leaning into Nate, I exhale, warmth blooming in my chest.
Summer nights. Bonfires. A hottie boyfriend. And friends who feel like family.
I never expected to love camp this much.
But here I am…never wanting to leave.
Nate squeezes my knee. “How was your day? I didn’t get one glimpse of you today.”
“Sorry. There were a lot of activities going on.” I walk by the sailing school at least once daily to wave to Nate if he’s near the shoreline, but today, Leo dragged me from the beach before I could make it to Nate, begging me to be on his tug-of-war team.
Thankfully, we annihilated the other team. Then, I was busy finishing up something special.
“I made you something.”
His arm immediately wraps around my shoulder, his lips brushing my forehead. “You did?”
“Mm-hmm.” I reach into my bag, suddenly nervous as I pull out the small box. I hesitate for a second before handing it over. “You don’t have to wear it.”
He narrows his eyes, tilting his head. “Why wouldn’t I wear this? I love it and would wear anything from you.”
I roll my eyes, giggling. “Nate. You can’t just love everything I do. You have no idea what’s in the box yet.”
He sweeps my hair off my shoulder, absently running his fingers through the ends as he often does. I don’t even think he realizes how much he loves playing with my hair.
“Goddess, whatever it is, it’s perfect.”
“Goddess?”
Leo appears out of nowhere, dropping onto the log beside Nate, laughing as he repeats the nickname. “Are you seriously calling her ‘Goddess’?”
It might be the reflection from the fire, but Nate’s neck reddens slightly.
“Yes,” he deadpans.
I almost expect him to launch into one of his mythology tangents on how I’m some divine being and should be worshiped at any cost, but luckily, he doesn’t.
Leo would never let him live it down.
Not that I mind the nickname. Being treated like someone’s goddess is pretty dang awesome. And knowing Nate treats me like his whole world has also helped Mason come more to terms with our relationship.
Nate turns his attention back to the box, lifting the lid carefully to find a single midnight-blue glass bead nestled in protective tissue paper.
He inspects the delicate design, turning it on its side to find tiny, lighter-blue dots closely decorating one side, forming an anchor.
“Mads…” He turns it around, studying it from every angle. “You made this?”
“Yup.” I swallow nervously. “It took me three weeks to perfect, but it’s the first glass bead I’ve ever made successfully.”
He cautiously returns it to the box, unclasps his grandmother’s thin gold chain, which he never takes off, and threads it through the bead.
“You don’t have to wear it—” He cuts me off with a chaste kiss.
“I’m never taking it off. I love it, thank you.” His gaze drops as he admires it hanging from his necklace. “This is truly impressive, Mads. How did you even do this?”
“The pottery teacher overheard me talking about how I like to make jewelry. It turns out that she shares the same interests and asked if I’d like to learn how to work with a torch to make glass beads.”
His eyes widen. “Is that even safe?”
“They had to get special permission from my parents, but yeah, it’s safe enough.”
His incredulous laugh doesn’t surprise me. “Your mom actually let you do something you enjoy?”
We’ve spent enough time together these past few weeks that Nate’s patience with my parents is practically nonexistent.
“She likes my jewelry,” I say with a shrug. “I’ve made her a lot. I’m sure she said yes because it benefits her.”
He takes a deep breath, holding back the rant I know is sitting on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he pulls me close. And I’m grateful.
There’s no need to let them ruin our night.