With her bags tucked away in one of the spare bedrooms and fluffy slippers on her feet instead of the heels, Riley sat on a cushy couch in Addison’s living room, surrounded by an eclectic collection of furniture.

Yet nothing seemed mismatched. There was a carefree coziness to the place that had immediately made her comfortable. And it was damn good to see her friend again without any distractions to their conversation.

“You look great,” Riley said, smiling at Addison.

A healthy flush on her cheeks, her cute freckles on full display, Addison looked content and happy. Meanwhile, Riley was still rubbing her neck, trying to work out the kinks from her long flight. Still, the thought of not having to see Shannon for at least a week was already raising her spirits.

“So do you,” Addison replied.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” Riley laughed. “I was tired even before the flight, and I’m pretty sure I could use a shower.”

“Well, you’re going to have all the time in the world to rest and relax,” Addison assured her. “I have to go by the office tomorrow but you just make yourself at home and we can hang out after that. Horror movies, popcorn, wine?”

“That sounds divine,” Riley sighed. “And you’re sure Gage is okay with me hanging around? You already have one guest.”

“Max is hardly a guest,” Addison chuckled. “He works on the ranch, and he and Gage have been friends since they were kids. Besides, we have plenty of space here.”

“Must be tough, being a single dad,” Riley commented.

“The clan helps out,” Addison shrugged. “Everyone there is basically fighting over who gets to babysit Olivia next. That’s when I don’t snatch her up first,” she grinned.

“I never knew you were so good with kids,” Riley said.

“Neither did I,” Addison replied. “To be fair, I’ve only looked after her for a few hours at a time at most. Max does all the heavy lifting. He doesn’t like to be away from his daughter for too long.”

“Sounds like a great dad,” Riley said, her thoughts drifting to Max.

Once they had arrived at the ranch, he had scooped up his adorable baby girl, said something about naptime, and quickly disappeared while Riley got wrapped into a hug by Addison. And she couldn’t get him out of her mind.

“He is pretty great,” Addison nodded. “And he’s single.”

“That’s not what I was getting at,” Riley rolled her eyes.

“I’m just saying…” Addison trailed off.

“I’m not here to date,” Riley said. “Besides, I’m only here for a week, tops.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought when I got here,” Addison said with a wistful smile.

“That’s different,” Riley replied. “You and Gage are literal soul mates, which by the way, I still haven’t really wrapped my head around. He just knew you were the one?”

“Yup,” Addison grinned. “It’s s shifter thing. But I knew, too, even if I didn’t want to admit it. It’s kind of hard to explain, but when I met him, there was this instant connection, and a feeling of finally arriving home.”

“Now you’re the last person I ever expected to hear say something like that,” Riley laughed.

“I know, right?” Addison chuckled. “But once you feel it, there’s no room for skepticism anymore.”

Riley could feel that nervousness she had initially felt around Max come back and coil in her stomach, making her fidget. There was something special about Max, and listening to Addison talk about her relationship stirred a longing inside her she had thought she had buried.

There was enough hurt in her past that being attracted to someone immediately made her cautious. And she knew even if the attraction was mutual, it didn’t really matter. She was just here for a long overdue vacation, and there was no reason to complicate things.

“I’m happy for you, Addy,” she said. “And your law office is still doing well, too?”

“Better than I had expected, actually,” Addison replied. “I made it a point not to overextend myself, but lately I’ve still been pretty busy. People know my name from… Well, you know. And that’s made me pretty popular.”

Ah, yes, the scandal that had brought Addison to Black Oak in the first place. Getting off an arrogant rich playboy accused of murdering his saintly wife had come with a cost, and that cost had been a pretty violent public outcry.

No one had seemed to care Addison had just been doing her job, and that her boss had been the one to actually take the case and develop the trial strategy. With death threats pouring in and press hounding her and Gage’s brother everywhere they went, Addison and Reid, her boss, had sought refuge in secluded little Black Oak.

In the end, only one of them had returned to Chicago.

“The fact that you’re a damn good lawyer probably doesn’t hurt, either,” Riley commented.

“Takes one to know one,” was all that Addison said in response.

“Don’t you miss it, though?” Riley asked. “The hustle and bustle, the big city, being part of the crowd?”

“It has its allure, sure,” Addison admitted. “But I’ve found a peace and sense of community here that I could never give up. This is my home now.”

They chatted for a good while longer, catching up and swapping stories, until Riley could finally no longer ignore the jet lag and general sense of exhaustion. Addison could probably see it in her face, and made quick work of ushering her upstairs so she could get some rest.

“You can meet Gage later, he’s not going anywhere,” she said, when Riley had protested.

There wasn’t enough fight left in Riley to argue further, so she sank into the bed Addison had made up for her, the quiet all around her unfamiliar at first, but soon becoming comforting.

As she curled up under the covers, slowly starting to drift off, she couldn’t help but think of the fact she’d probably be seeing more of Max in the coming days. Was it foolish that she was looking forward to it?

Probably, she thought, before sleep claimed her.