“Sadie!” Ethan appeared from nowhere and pushed past Adrian and me, his voice tight with equal parts relief and exasperation. He moved fast, scooping her into a tight hug that made her giggle uncontrollably.
Adrian grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. Thank God, she was okay.
Ethan, still holding Sadie, finally exhaled. “Where were you two?”
His eyes flicked between us knowingly, and I felt it like a spark against my skin. I bit the inside of my lip, unable to speak around the sudden heat that clawed in my chest. Adrian’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t say anything.
“Will ran off,” I started, feeling like total shit. It was my fault. I should never have left them on their own. “I went after him, but—”
“You left a five-year-old all by herself in a place like this?”
He knew. Not only that, but he wasn’t happy about it.
All this was new to me. I didn’t know the rules, but judging by the look on Ethan’s face, I must’ve broken a few. I looked at Adrian for help; he just shrugged.
“They’re kinda cute,” Will said, popping out of nowhere and pointing at the rabbits. Sadie had dropped one and was hugging another, her face buried in the soft fur.
She looked up at us innocently. “I found the best one!”
Ethan’s face softened, but his jaw still cut a hard line as a sign he hadn’t totally moved past the other thing. Adrian and me being that thing, and what we’d gotten up to while the littlest Cross had gone missing.
Adrian rested his hand on the small of my back. It was his silent reassurance, probably after noticing the quiet distress I was in. I couldn’t tell whether it helped much, because my mouth was dry and every glance in Ethan’s direction made my heart sink.
“It’s okay,” Adrian whispered then, bending low so only I would hear. “Sadie’s fine, and he’ll be too.”
I exhaled slowly and nodded, keeping my fingers loosely curled at my sides. But the heat lingering there was undeniable. Adrian’s eyes met mine again, and it was like a secret spark passed between us. Impossible to ignore, untouchable in the moment, but undeniably alive.
The soft murmurs of the market around us, the distant laughter, the smell of hay and autumn air—it all felt intensified, like we were standing in some private bubble, even in public. And then, finally, after what felt like forever, we began moving, regrouping the kids and guiding them back to the craft station. But the energy between Ethan, Adrian, and me pulsed under the surface. Unspoken. Unresolved.
13
Adrian
I stretched across Ethan’s brown leather couch like I owned the place, which, in fairness, I practically did. At least when he was spiraling and I was entertaining myself with a running commentary on his phone call. Ethan, as was his custom when he fixated on something, paced his office. Jaw clenched, phone pressed to his ear, hands waving like he was conducting a symphony. Except in this case, the only music was his growing frustration with his brother.
“…I told you, Gabe, I need a date. Just a date, not a full itinerary. Yes, the kids are fine, they’re fine, you don’t have to— Gabe! Listen to me—”
I smirked, because let’s be honest, watching Ethan try to extract anything resembling a straight answer from his brother was peak entertainment. Especially while actively hiding from Miles and his growing task list.
“And yes, I know you’re busy, but you’re not the only one with a job,” he went on, voice getting sharper. “No, it’s not just about that. I need to know when you’ll be back! I deserve that at least.”
“You tell him, Ethan. He’s not the boss of you,” I said, soft enough to keep it between Ethan and me. He glared at me over his shoulder.
“Adrian.” That was the warning shot. I was skating on thin ice.
I ignored it. Because really, what was he going to do? Scowl? Pout? He was already doing both anyway.
“I’m hungry.” I pushed up from the couch and stretched. “Can you put him on hold while you make me a sandwich?”
Not funny to him, but the look on his face had me in silent stitches. The best kind, when it came with Ethan’s irritation as part of the package.
“…I just don’t understand why you can’t just tell me.” His voice hit a new high, like he was on the verge of detonating on the spot.
And that made Maren’s appearance that much more serendipitous.
Her steps were careful, obviously having heard his heated discussion from the next town over. She had that look… half of her saying she needed to talk, the other half saying she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to say yet. She paused mid-sentence as the tail end of Ethan’s yelling cut through the office.
I placed my finger over my mouth in a silent “shhh” and motioned for her to join me on the couch. She hesitated, then sat down on the other end of it, careful not to draw the full blast of Ethan’s conniption by getting too close.
