“I did too,” I admit. His shoulders loosen, and he exhales like he’s been holding that breath since the second our lips met.
Chapter 27
Cody
The sun’s just up, and it’s a quiet, still morning. I pull up to Addison’s cabin. I see she’s the only one here so far. I know Mason’s working today, Jesse’s probably still dropping Cora at Mom’s, and then he’ll be over too.
I step inside and find Addie standing in the middle of what’ll be her bedroom, tape measure stretched out and a pencil slid behind her ear.
She glances over her shoulder. “Morning.”
“Hey.”
She squints at me. “What’s wrong?”
I blink. “What?”
“You look like you didn’t sleep.”
I shrug. “I’m good.”
It’s a lie. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night, too busy replaying that kiss. The way her breath caught right before. And then how it ended, abrupt, like we’d both remembered too late that there was a line we weren’t supposed to cross. We didn’t talk about it. I just mumbled something dumb about needing to get home, as if the dogs would have suffered had I stayed another few minutes to actually…say something.
She arches a brow. “Were you up helping with Emma?”
I shake my head. “No.”
Addison crosses her arms and gives me a look.
“But you took her to dinner last night.”
“Yeah. And?”
“And what happened?”
“Nothing,” I lie again.
“You kissed her,” she says bluntly, and I stare at her, my heart stopping.
Her eyes go wide. “Knew it! Oh my gosh!”
I blow out a breath, looking away as a laugh slips out. “It wasn’t my plan.”
“It never is!” she fires back, grinning like she just caught me red-handed.
I don’t even know what to say to that—not that it matters. Addison could stand here and have an entire conversation with herself and never notice I’m not talking.
“So are you guys gonna date? Or like—”
“No. No nono.”
“Why?!”
I shake my head, heart hammering in my chest. “I’m not the right guy. I’m too busy with work, I can’t.”
Addison’s quiet.
I keep going, because apparently I can’t shut up now. “You have no idea what went on with Bree and me, and maybe one day I’ll tell you the truth, but right now, just trust me when I say that I think Karissa’s better off.”
