6. Adam

6

ADAM

A sliver of sunlight pierced the semi-darkness of the room. For a moment, I lay still, listening to the world outside. The distant chirping of birds and the occasional duck quack.

I pressed a hand against my chest, feeling a dull throb, the memory of yesterday’s events playing over and over in my head—the pain, the pity in my family’s gazes as I announced the wedding cancellation to our guests.

Time to move on.

I swung my legs off the bed, my feet meeting the cool floor. I stood, stretched my arms above my head, and took a deep, resolving breath.

Today would not be about what-ifs or might-have-beens. Today was for moving forward, for reclaiming the narrative ofmy own life. I was going to Maui for a honeymoon, and dammit, I was going to have one—Victoria or no Victoria.

My phone vibrated against the nightstand, the screen lighting up with a message from River.

River

Skipping the vineyard breakfast. Meet in the lobby?

I exhaled a silent thank you, grateful for the excuse to avoid the sympathetic stares and hushed whispers.

Me

Sounds good.

By the time I arrived at the lobby, River was already there, leaning casually against the wall, his green eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. Maybe I was already giving out my ready-for-change aura because the corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile.

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“Noah and Lior are outside. Lex and Emery are on their way down.”

“Great. I’ll just go check out.”

“No need. Drop your room keys in that box by the reception desk. Your parents took care of the rest. I caught them on the way to breakfast. They said to have a great time and don’t let Noah murder anyone for the love of god. They also said marry, but I think Lior has that part covered.”

I laughed. “No murders. No marriages. Fun. Got it.”

My life wasn’t exactly going according to plan, but I had the best family in the world. When Victoria said in her note that I’d have everyone around me, she’d been right.

As we walked outside to each of our cars—my brothers in theirs and me with River—all I felt for Victoria was pity. She could have had all this, but instead, she chose to walk away.

Maybe one day I’d have answers, but right now, with my family around me, I was okay. More than okay. I was on my way to freakin’ Hawaii for an all-expenses-paid vacation.

Thank you, Past Adam!

Another Past Adam great decision was to get my brothers to come with me to Hawaii because flying on a private jet was a whole experience. Noah had already sung its praises to anyone who’d listen, but I hadn’t seen the appeal until we all stepped inside one.

“I’m not sure I’m dressed appropriately for this,” River said, his shoulder bumping against mine as we settled in our seats.

I stretched out my legs. “I think that’s the whole purpose. If you have enough money to fly like this, you can wear anything you want.”

“Let’s not forget to thank your brother for marrying someone with that kind of money.”

“Whoa, let’s not go that far. Poor Lior has to put up with Noah, so he’s the one we need to thank.”

“True.” River raised his closed fist, and I bumped it.

Excitement built in my belly as one of the flight attendants closed the plane door. The other came over to us with a tray of drinks.

“Good morning, gentlemen. Would you like a drink? We have champagne, orange juice, or I can get you something from the bar. A cocktail, perhaps?”

“Orange juice for me, please. No one needs to see me drunk before I’ve had breakfast,” I said.

“Understood, sir. Breakfast will be served as soon as we’re at cruising altitude.” He gave me a glass of orange juice before turning to River. “And you, sir? If you’d like, I can grab our drink menu,” he said, his tone carrying a note of flirtation even my straight ass didn’t miss.

“Uh, nothing for me, thanks,” River stammered, looking away.

“Oh, someone has a new fan,” Noah chimed in from across the aisle, his voice laced with mischief. “Guy’s clearly into you.”

Lex, usually not the instigator but clearly high on love, turned around from the seat in front of us and nudged River playfully. “It’s not every day you get hit on at thirty thousand feet.”

“We’re not there yet.” River shot them a bashful look, but something flickered in his eyes—a spark of courage or perhaps just the thrill of the moment. He turned back to the steward, flashing a hesitant but genuine smile. “Actually, a coffee would be nice. Thank you.”

“Coming right up,” the steward replied, grinning as he moved down the aisle.

I watched the exchange with interest. It was rare to see River being hit on. Especially in the light of day. In a club? Yeah, it had happened a few times, but I had only watched it from afar, unable to make out what was actually being said.

I fiddled with the corner of the in-flight magazine, my mind replaying the last time we had gone out together. We’d laughed, drank, and danced through the evening, sharing the kind of freedom neither of us often experienced.

Being in a relationship had put a stop to most of my partying. Not that I’d done much of it anyway. My brothers, River, and I had a tradition of going to Tanner’s on Friday nights, but over the last year, those had been few and far between.

Since my engagement, Lex finding Emery after he’d disappeared due to a car accident that caused him to lose his memory, and then Noah marrying Lior in secret, our schedules hadn’t matched, even with us working together.

Then there was River, who put his heart and soul into my parents’ restaurant, so trying to pull him away was a feat.

“Remember that night at Haven?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “I was like some kind of dude magnet.”

River’s chuckle was soft. “You always are. People are just drawn to you.”

“Guess my gravitational pull doesn’t work on flight attendants though.” I elbowed him, letting the joke hang between us.

I watched as River’s gaze drifted back to the aisle. The steward’s smile lingered on him longer, teasing out a flush on his cheeks that hadn’t been there before.

Something inside me clenched.

“Hey you think we have to wait long for breakfast? I feel weird.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” River’s voice was clad with genuine concern. I didn’t want to worry him, but how could I explain that I didn’t like the way the steward was all flirty with him. I was probably just feeling extra needy with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

“Yeah, just a weird feeling in my belly.”

A moment later, the steward came over holding a tray with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, cream, and sugar. River took the cup and thanked the steward.

“You take it black,” he said. “I’ll remember that.”

“It’s not for me,” River replied, placing the coffee on the tray in front of me.

I looked at River and then at the steward, whose cheeks suddenly flushed.

“My apologies, sir. Would you like me to bring you a coffee too?”

“I’ll wait for breakfast. Thank you.”

The steward nodded and then left down the aisle toward the galley.

“You didn’t have to give me your coffee,” I said.

“I’d like to not see you getting sick when we’re going to be stuck in a plane for several hours. Plus, I know what undercaffeinated Adam looks like. Not pretty.” He smirked. I would have kicked his leg, but dammit, his gesture and the smell of the coffee grabbed my full attention.