A flagstone path led up to the cabin, the stones partially covered with decaying twigs and leaves, while overgrown weeds and moss fought for supremacy between them. The weeds were winning.
Addie stood on the front porch, coffee mug in hand and looking like Merida from Brave with her long, wild red corkscrews dancing over her shoulders in complete chaos. She wore midthigh cut-off jeans with flip-flops, and a plain, long-sleeved white shirt.
Addie grinned when her gaze landed on me. “Are there rules for—” Her voice abruptly cut off, her thin, dramatic brows shot up, and her mouth dropped open.
The coffee mug slipped from her grasp and crashed to the porch, shattering.
A screech emerged from her throat, sounding like a damaged foghorn. She flew off the front porch and ran across the flagstone path, losing one flip-flop in the process.
It didn’t slow her down as she launched herself at Vic.
A gruff grunt emerged from his chest when her body slammed into him.
She slung her arms around his neck, or tried to. Even being tall, and standing on her tiptoes, she wasn’t able to completely curl her arms around his neck, especially since he didn’t bend to reciprocate the hug. Actually, he didn’t touch her at all.
“You’re back,” she said, her voice muffled because her face was smashed into his chest.
Addie’s exuberant hug was intimate, at least on her part. Vic was a stone statue, although he didn’t shove her away either.
She dropped her arms from his neck and stepped back. “I know. I know. Five-second rule. But I should get twenty-five to make up for the years you’ve been gone.”
Vic’s head dipped. “Aderyn.”
She scrunched her nose. “Addie,” she corrected. “You and Saint are the only assholes who still call me that. And why didn’t you reply to any of my emails? And don’t you dare give me the bullshit that you didn’t get them or haven’t had time.”
It didn’t surprise me he didn’t respond to them. I barely knew him, and already had the impression he wasn’t the pen-pal type of guy. Or the texting kind. Or the talking kind.
Addie cocked her hip and placed her hand on it. “Does Jaeg or Saint know you’re back?”
“No.”
Her vivid green eyes narrowed. “Were you going to tell anyone?”
“No.”
She slapped his chest. “You’re an asshole, you know that? I can’t believe you were going to show up and disappear without telling us. When did you get back?”
“Ten minutes ago,” he replied.
Her attention shifted to me standing off to the side. “So, you met Macayla. Ethan’s little sister. We went to horse camp together.”
Met was an understatement. It was more of a hostile encounter.
Vic didn’t say anything.
I forced a smile. “Umm, yeah—he introduced himself.”
I decided mentioning the slamming into a tree and putting a gun to my head wouldn’t improve my chances of staying in his cabin.
Addie huffed, or I think she huffed. It was some kind of noise from her throat. I couldn’t tell because I made the mistake of looking at Vic. He was staring at me with his dark, magnetic eyes that threatened to suck me into their depths and never let go.
My heart slammed into my ribcage while my belly did some kind of daredevil dive. The question was what was it diving into? Black sludge? Or cotton candy?
I licked my upper lip, and the remnants of bitter bark hit the tip of my tongue. Vic’s eyes followed it, tapering and growing darker, if that was possible.
I snapped my tongue back inside my mouth and jerked my gaze from his, deciding it was much safer to stare at the black ant crawling over the toe of my running shoe.
“Vic doesn’t introduce himself to anyone,” Addie said, her gaze ping-ponging between us.