The days following Addison all but announcing to Reid she was romantically interested in his brother had gone by relatively peacefully. She had spent even more time riding horses with Gage, as that was one of the few activities Reid couldn’t hover over.

Was Addison imagining it, or was her boss suddenly popping up all over the place every time she tried to be alone with Gage? By Gage’s increasingly surly attitude whenever his brother happened to be around, she guessed he didn’t think Reid’s constant presence was merely a coincidence either.

As far as she knew, the brothers had yet to talk about the rift that had been torn between them all those years ago, and Addison hadn’t brought it up again. But the story Gage had told her had not left her unaffected.

It must have taken immense willpower and determination to get where he was now, not to mention how much harder taking on the ranch had to have been right after his parents’ deaths. Gage’s current success was all the more impressive now that she had some idea of what it had taken to get him to where he was.

And their subsequent conversations had only made Addison respect him more and more. Not only was Gage a hard worker, a loyal friend and a blast to be around, they had forged a connection she couldn’t quite describe.

But she still had her wits about her, right? This was a situation that needed to be looked at with clear eyes, without letting emotion take over.

Ah, who am I kidding, Addison sighed to herself. He’s reduced me to a giddy, grinning idiot and I’m loving every minute of it.

In lieu of tossing around in her bed, Addison pushed her covers aside and pulled open the curtains, revealing a pink-orange glow appearing from behind the horizon. Now knowing what else to do, she opened up her laptop and pulled out her chair, her bare feet softly padding on the hardwood floor.

In a rare moment of actually managing to connect to the internet, Addison’s leg jiggled impatiently as the websites of different news outlets loaded on her screen. Stories about Rourke weren’t displayed boldly on the top of the page anymore, at least, she found with some relief.

In fact, most of the news about him had withered down to an update or two about his continuingly busy nightlife, and the comments on those were downright tame compared to the pure vitriol spewed immediately after the trial’s end.

She checked her company e-mail next, pleased to find only a couple of letters calling her a heartless bitch. Who would have thought she would see those as a preferred alternative to death threats?

Yet, while she was glad the outrage was beginning to die down as new scandals were splattered over the front pages, with it came the realization that she and Reid would most likely be returning to Chicago soon.

I’m not ready to leave.

The thought was immediate, a primal reaction to what she knew was bound to happen. She had only just found the man that fascinated her, impressed her, made her feel wanted, safe, beautiful… All she wanted was more of him, and he seemed to feel the same way.

And it wasn’t just Gage that had charmed her – it was the whole town of Black Oak. The peace and quiet she had thought would be stifling was soothing, and from the few trips she had taken into town, she was already picking out familiar faces.

And people were smiling and waving to her on the street, for God’s sakes! Could this place get any more friendly and wholesome? As she let herself think of the differences between Black Oak and Chicago, and her mind wandered to what waited for her back home, one insane thought after another began to pop into her head.

Like what it would be like to stay. Or what it would be like to have her own law office.

She tried swatting those fantasies away, but they became more persistent as time went by. Was she even built for taking such a risk? She wasn’t sure, and in frustration, she slammed her laptop shut, chiding herself for letting her imagination run wild.

The sound of Gage’s bedroom door opening and closing pulled her out of it, and she rushed over to open her own door before even thinking about it. Gage stopped in his tracks as she peeked out, a lazy grin on his face.

“Didn’t think you’d be up so early,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“You’re rubbing off on me,” she replied.

“Come on then,” he waved her over. “Let’s get you some coffee and scrambled eggs.”

Grabbing a cardigan to throw over her pajamas, Addison followed, fully aware a huge smile was taking over her face, as it always tended to do when she was around him.

They fell into a comfortable routine in the kitchen, with her brewing the coffee and him cooking the eggs. When everything was done, their steps and the sound of plates and silverware clinking the only sound in the quiet house, Addison had to take a deep breath and take it all in.

Standing at the counter with two cups of coffee in front of her, she took a moment to appreciate how much Gage’s house had started to feel like home. His arms wrapped around her a moment later, his chest pressing against her back.

“And what’s got you so preoccupied today?” he asked, as she leaned into his embrace.

Nothing slipped past him when it came to her, that was for sure. He had come to read her like a book, which would have annoyed her if it hadn’t flown both ways.

“Just thinking about work,” she said, which wasn’t entirely untrue.

But just as she was contemplating saying more, she could feel him stiffen around her. Craning her neck, she glanced at the door, and sure enough, she could see Reid approaching, rubbing his eyes yet still impeccably dressed in slacks and a button-up.

“Is that coffee I smell?” he asked.

Wordlessly, Gage let her go and got another cup for Reid. The moment where she could have had a real conversation about their future had passed, and tension settled in the air as all three of them sat down for breakfast.

As soon as they were done, Reid turned his gaze to Addison.

“Could I have a word with you?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied.

“Alone,” Reid added, making Gage grumble under his breath.

“I’ll be in the stables,” he said, before getting up and leaving.

Once Gage was gone, Reid fixed her with his gaze, folding his hands in his lap. He gave her a small smile that she found somewhat insincere, but she sat still, patiently waiting to see what it was he wanted to speak to her about.

Even though she already had a strong suspicion about what he wanted to discuss.

“I think it’s time we go home,” he said, which didn’t take Addison by surprise.

But the visceral reaction of everything inside her screaming no sure did. Outwardly, though, she only nodded, more confused than ever over what she should do next. She had thought she still had more time to think things through, to discuss the future with Gage…

But it looked like her timetable had just been accelerated.