Page 26 of Our Little Moments

“Hey. I was just coming to check on you,” Adrian says, stepping inside my hotel room.

I turn my head away from my bag and stare at him. I hate that my eyes turn a little teary. “Thank you, Adrian. But yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

I smile at him. He smiles back, yet he remains tense.

“What’s wrong? Is something worrying you?” I ask him, my bag long forgotten as my focus zeroes on him.

“I could ask you the same.”

Oh.He’s worried about me.

Of course he is.

I smile tightly. “Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’m not worried in the slightest.”

His eyes turn curious, a little teasing. “Would you tell me if you were nervous?”

I’m taken aback by his blunt question. “Uh, yeah. Of course I would,” I mutter.

Ugh, who am I kidding. I am very, very nervous!

I sigh heavily. “Yeah, I am nervous. I was kinda losing my mind when you knocked on my door.”

He smiles before turning serious again. “What makes you so nervous?”

I hesitate. “It’s stupid really. Don’t worry about it.”

“Nothing about being nervous is stupid. You can tell me if you want to,” he says softly.

I sit on my bed, trying to find the words. Adrian joins me and sits by my side.

“It’s just that . . . You’re all so welcoming. Youseeeach other in a way that’s truly beautiful and inspiring. I’m not used to that.” My voice cracks. “Sorry.” I chuckle in embarrassment. Adrian stays quiet and looks at me, wanting me to keep going. “It’s just that I don’t want to lose that feeling—of being seen. But I also don’t want to . . . scare them away, because they see me.”

Nervous, I keep babbling. “It’s really stupid to still worry about people liking me, especially after being in the public eye for so long, but. . . I never had to be scared that they wouldn’t like me because they didn’t see the real me. But here, it’s different. If I lose them, it’s because ofme.BecauseIscared them away by being myself. And that is terrifying.”

Admitting everything lifts a weight off my chest. I think I would have exploded if I kept it all to myself.

I sigh, embarrassed as memories from my teenage years flood my mind. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had a girls’ night? Seventeen years! And the last one I had doesn’t even count. We were supposed to study for the night, but we stayed too long and justhadto sleep over. It wasn’t even planned! I am so outside my comfort zone it’s ridiculous. I don’t know what to expect or how to act or even what to say!”

He smiles softly at me. “You’ll be fine. Hazel is very introverted, and she’ll understand where your nervousness is coming from. Layla will be too busy in her own head, trying to craft characters that look like you or using your personality to create a character from it. And Isabella will likely do all of the talking for the night, if you let her.”

Seeing how much he knows his sisters warms my heart. The little details he sees and understands, the affection in his voice when he speaks about them.

It comforts me. A little.I can do this.

Adrian admits quietly, “I came to see you because I knew you would be nervous.”

Why is it that this man keeps saying what I need to hear?

It’s like he feels my emotions because he smiles softly and wipes away the tears sliding down my cheek. I’d be embarrassed if it wasn’t for the absolute care that was put into that touch. If his eyes weren’t screaming,I’ll take care of you.

It reminds me of our time at the beach earlier today. Adrian Westwood really can’t help himself when it comes to taking care of people.

“Beneath the struggles and challenges you face, you . . . you’re a wonderful person. You’re honest, sincere and kind. There’s so much about you that’s refreshing to see, and if my sisters can’t see how amazing you are, then I’ve clearly messed up somewhere.”

His reassurance feels like he wrapped his hands around my heart, protecting it from any outside negativity. Gratitude fills me to my very bones.

“Thank you for saying that to me, Adrian. I think I needed to hear that,” I admit quietly.

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