Page 153 of Liam

The one thing that really hurt her when she decided to stay here and defer a semester was how much she would miss Daynaand Griffin. For a few days, she was torn about her decision. Wrote up a pros and cons list and everything. In the end, the support she got through therapy won out, and in a way, selfishly, so did I.

Addie pulls back, wiping at her cheeks. Then her eyes widen. “The boys!” She runs toward the truck, then stops when she gets to the back seats. Her shoulders drop as she turns back around. “They’re gone?” she asks so quietly I barely hear her.

Dayna’s the one who answers. “They’re back with their mama, Addie. It’s a good thing.”

Addie nods, her chest heaving. She looks back in the truck. “You brought camping gear,” she says, making her way back to us. “You guys are staying?”

“Just a couple of days,” Griffin replies.

Dayna adds, “We don’t want to get in the way. We were just missing you, so…”

Addie hugs her again. “Obviously, I missed you, too.” She laughs quietly as she pulls away, stepping toward me, her arms out for a hug.

I stop her with a hand on her forehead. “I’m all wet and dirty.”

She shoves my arm away. “Like I care.” Then she slips under my arm, right where she belongs. “Did you know about this?” she asks, and I nod. Then she turns to Griffin. “I take it you’ve met my boyfriend?”

Right now, a train could come at me full speed, kill me dead, and I’d die a happy man.

“He has,” Linc answers before anyone else can. “And they’ve also met the better-looking twin.”

“Excuse him,” I say, shaking my head.

“Hey, Griffin,” Linc says, and I already know he’s about to embarrass the absolute shit out of me. “Which Julie Andrews?Mary Poppins,The Princess Diaries, or now?”

Griffin doesn’t skip a beat. “The Princess Diaries. It’s the crown.”

“Ha!” Linc points a finger in my face. “I told you.”

I slap his hand away, focus on Dayna and Griffin. “Where are you staying?”

“There’s a campground not far from here,” Griffin answers.

“You should stay at the house. We’ve got plenty of empty bedrooms,” I offer.

“It’s okay. We like camping,” Griffin says, but the look on Dayna’s face says otherwise.

I bite back a chuckle.

“Well, camp on our land then. We’ve got plenty of that, too,” Linc says.

“No.” I shake my head. “I should’ve asked where you were staying before you got here.” I turn to Linc. “Isn’t that bougie hotel up the highway always asking to comp us? Can’t we just say we want to go and not?”

Linc nods, reaching for his phone. “On it,” he says, tapping away.

“Bougie hotel, you say?” Dayna asks, holding Griffin’s arm to her chest. “That’ll be a first.”

“Complimentary?” Griffin asks, eyebrows raised.

Addie hugs me tighter. “They’re kind of a big deal.”

“Where did you stay last time?” Griffin asks.

“Mia’s dad’s house,” Addie answers.

“Who’s Mia?” Griffin asks.

“Our sister-in-law,” Linc and I say in unison.

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