Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“It doesn’t make sense,” I murmured.
Tommy’s smile was kind and understanding. “Nope. Is it supposed to? I’m not sure. Does it matter? Does it change anything about who you want to be with?”
“No. But I just met this guy. And he lives…” I gestured out at the frozen tundra beyond the window. Before I could make a snarky statement, I noticed movement in the distance. I stood up and walked closer to the window. “Is that a moose?”
Tommy joined me at the window. “Nah. Those are elk. See the other ones just off to the right? They’re probably coming down from the mountain, looking for easier pickings. They do that in winter. We’ve seen a bunch at SERA recently.”
I watched as the small herd moved across the empty landscape between my cabin and the forested base of the mountain. “Holy fuck,” I breathed.
He chuckled as he moved back to the sofa and reached for his coffee again. “Legacy never fails to impress, no matter what time of year it is.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes off the elk. “You must be used to the weather.”
“Only because I lived in New York for a while. But I grew up in California. The Bay Area. I’ll take Legacy’s sunshine and snow over San Francisco’s fog or New York’s gray winters any day.”
“I bet the summers are beautiful,” I said wistfully.
Tommy hesitated. “Adrian, I’ve seen the way you look at Maddox, and I’ve seen how this town has embraced you. Maya talks about you like you’re already family. That’s not something you find everywhere.”
I finally peeled my eyes away from the view. “I know that. I do. But I have to work. I can’t just—”
“Work doesn’t have to end just because you change zip codes,” Tommy interrupted gently. “You’ve got a platform, skills, connections. Those don’t disappear if you’re not physically in LA.”
I blinked at him. “You… you don’t think it would be stupid to be based so far away from a big city or a hub airport? My job requires traveling, like all the time.”
“I think you could make anything work if you wanted it badly enough.” Tommy stood, moving to the kitchen to place his mug in the sink. “But more importantly, you deserve to be happy. Really, genuinely happy. Not just successful or impressive or whatever other people think you should be.”
He paused in the process of reaching for his coat. “You know what my mom said when she asked me to invite you to Christmas?”
I shook my head.
“She said, ‘Adrian belongs here now. Make sure he knows it.’” Tommy’s smile was certain and warm. “So I’m telling you—you belong here, Adrian. Not because of your job or because of Maddox, but because you’ve chosen to see this place and these people as home. And we want you here.”
After he left, I sat in the silence of the cabin, his words echoing in my head. If I deserved to be happy, what did that look like? When was I happiest?
The answer was easy. Every morning I woke up in Maddox’s arms. Every time I shared a joke with Maya. Every moment I felt like I was part of something bigger than my carefully curated—but definitely isolated—online presence.
Coming to Montana had felt like a detour from my “normal” life.
But what if it wasn’t a detour? What if it was the destination I was meant to find all along?
I picked up my phone and, for the first time in days, didn’t feel the familiar dread. Instead, I felt something that might have been hope.
Maybe Tommy was right. Maybe the biggest risk wasn’t taking a chance on love. It was playing it safe and missing out on everything that could make me truly happy.
I scrolled to Vic’s contact and took a deep breath. It was time to stop following someone else’s script and start writing my own story.
#FollowYourHeart #DoctorsOrders #WriteYourOwnScript #ElkMoose
24
#COMFORTFOODANDFEELINGS
MADDOX
I stared at the ingredients spread across my kitchen counter like I was preparing for surgery rather than cooking dinner. Mom’s handwritten lasagna recipe—faded ink on a card stained with years of use—sat propped against the flour canister, her careful script a reminder of all the family dinners I was trying to recreate.
The nerves jangling in my stomach were ridiculous. I’d made this lasagna dozens of times. It wasn’t complicated.
But tonight felt different. Tonight, I was trying to impress someone I truly cared about, and the stakes felt impossibly high.
My phone buzzed on the counter.
Adrian
What exactly does one wear to a Maddox Sullivan date?
I grinned despite my nerves, typing back quickly.
Just dress comfortably.
Adrian
Define “comfortably.”
If I recall correctly, you once told me my fashion sense was ‘I just wandered off the cover of Lumberjack Quarterly’ so I’m not sure I’m the person to ask.
The pause before his response felt endless.
Adrian
While that is true, and BTW I stand by my assessment, I still need to know what to wear tonight!