He lifted his eyebrows. “So you were honest? Real?”
I rolled my eyes. “And then there was the time when I posted about loving Crete while secretly battling a disgusting bout of food poisoning. I hate Crete. Will definitely never go back there despite the hidden nude beaches. And the cats. I liked the cats.”
He smiled. “Did you post about the cats? I might need to look those posts up.”
“Of course. I posted more about the stray cats than I did aboutthe travel insurance company I was there to promote, although they didn’t know that. I kind of used the cats as the content to explain that without the insurance, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the cats as much. Not true. I still would have enjoyed them plenty.”
His laughter was warm and easy. “Bet that insurance company didn’t cover a nice banana bag at a local med spa. Would have fixed you right up. Hydration. Electrolyte replacement.”
“How’d you know Foster was the one?” I blurted.
Tommy blinked at the change in topic, but his answer was immediate. “Because as soon as I met him, I knew I wanted to orbit around him like the neediest little planet lucky enough to bask in the warmth of his sun. Somehow, I knew the minute I stepped out of that light… I’d live in a kind of darkness for the rest of my life.”
Yes.That. That was exactly how I felt with Maddox.
“It doesn’t make sense,” I murmured.
Tommy’s smile was kind and understanding. “Nope. Is it supposed to? I’m not sure. Does it matter? Does it change anything about who you want to be with?”
“No. But I just met this guy. And he lives…” I gestured out at the frozen tundra beyond the window. Before I could make a snarky statement, I noticed movement in the distance. I stood up and walked closer to the window. “Is that amoose?”
Tommy joined me at the window. “Nah. Those are elk. See the other ones just off to the right? They’re probably coming down from the mountain, looking for easier pickings. They do that in winter. We’ve seen a bunch at SERA recently.”
I watched as the small herd moved across the empty landscape between my cabin and the forested base of the mountain. “Holy fuck,” I breathed.
He chuckled as he moved back to the sofa and reached for hiscoffee again. “Legacy never fails to impress, no matter what time of year it is.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes off the elk. “You must be used to the weather.”
“Only because I lived in New York for a while. But I grew up in California. The Bay Area. I’ll take Legacy’s sunshine and snow over San Francisco’s fog or New York’s gray winters any day.”
“I bet the summers are beautiful,” I said wistfully.
Tommy hesitated. “Adrian, I’ve seen the way you look at Maddox, and I’ve seen how this town has embraced you. Maya talks about you like you’re already family. That’s not something you find everywhere.”
I finally peeled my eyes away from the view. “I know that. I do. But I have to work. I can’t just?—”
“Work doesn’t have to end just because you change zip codes,” Tommy interrupted gently. “You’ve got a platform, skills, connections. Those don’t disappear if you’re not physically in LA.”
I blinked at him. “You… you don’t think it would be stupid to be based so far away from a big city or a hub airport? My job requires traveling, like all the time.”
“I think you could make anything work if you wanted it badly enough.” Tommy stood, moving to the kitchen to place his mug in the sink. “But more importantly, you deserve to be happy. Really, genuinely happy. Not just successful or impressive or whatever other people think you should be.”
He paused in the process of reaching for his coat. “You know what my mom said when she asked me to invite you to Christmas?”
I shook my head.
“She said, ‘Adrian belongs here now. Make sure he knows it.’” Tommy’s smile was certain and warm. “So I’m telling you—you belong here, Adrian. Not because of your job or because ofMaddox, but because you’ve chosen to see this place and these people as home. And we want you here.”
After he left, I sat in the silence of the cabin, his words echoing in my head. If I deserved to be happy, what did that look like? When was I happiest?
The answer was easy. Every morning I woke up in Maddox’s arms. Every time I shared a joke with Maya. Every moment I felt like I was part of something bigger than my carefully curated—but definitely isolated—online presence.
Coming to Montana had felt like a detour from my “normal” life.
But what if it wasn’t a detour? What if it was the destination I was meant to find all along?
I picked up my phone and, for the first time in days, didn’t feel the familiar dread. Instead, I felt something that might have been hope.
