Black Oak was still green and lush, fighting off the coming fall as best as it could. People walked around in no real hurry along the narrow sidewalks, with many of them nodding or waving at Gage, while throwing curious looks her way.

Heels clicking on the pavement, Addison would have felt more out of place if not for Gage by her side, chatting away as he pointed out different businesses along the main street. Their conversation during the ride over had been light, with neither of them mentioning what had happened in his office.

What were they supposed to say?

Hey, what about last night, you know, where we fucked each other’s brains out?

That hardly sounded appropriate, as Addison grimaced at the thought flashing through her mind. And it had been more than just sex. It felt like she had given into something bigger than physical attraction, that what they shared really meant something.

Did Gage feel the same way, or was she just seeing what she wanted to see?

With all these questions running through her brain, she had decided to stick to small talk and wait to see if Gage broached the subject of their complicated relationship first. Perhaps he was content to leave it where it was? A one-time thing between consenting adults?

For whatever reason, that option saddened her, even though she was well aware she would be returning to Chicago as soon as the situation with Rourke died down. She had no belief in long-distance relationships, nor would she ask Gage to put his life on hold for her as they stole moments together on holidays and long weekends.

That wouldn’t be fair to anyone.

Okay, slow down, she told herself. He might not even be that into me, and here I am, planning some sort of future with the man.

Yet, asking her to come along into town was a sign that he wanted to spend more time with her, and not just in the bedroom. And why not live in the moment for once? Soon enough, reality would come crashing down on both of them, and then she would regret not making the best of the time they had together.

“It’s so… calm,” she said, as they cut through the park to get to a coffee shop Gage had praised.

He laughed, his shoulder bumping against hers as they took their time walking, breathing in the fresh air.

“It’s not Chicago, that’s for sure,” he replied. “But it has its own appeal.”

“Not arguing that,” Addison said. “I don’t even know my neighbors, but you seem to be friends with everyone that walks by. Not to mention this place looks like something out of a story book.”

The houses were colorful and beautifully maintained, the streets clean, the trees neatly trimmed and the people friendly. Addison had to keep herself from rushing from one place to the next like she was used to, reminding herself she had no reason to hurry or worry.

“I guess to a city girl like you it might seem that way,” Gage chuckled.

“You wouldn’t be making fun of me right now, would you?” she arched a brow at him.

“I wouldn’t dare, counselor,” he replied, casually grabbing her hand in his.

Addison nearly pulled away, caught off guard, not even really sure what was holding her back. Was it the fact Gage was her boss’ brother, her excessive need for independence, or her continuing confusion over what their relationship actually meant?

Whatever the case, she ended up squeezing his fingers instead as they strolled along, hand in hand. In that moment, everything felt right, and all her doubts slowly faded away.

They made it to a small coffee shop, with the sign above the door reading The Roast. It came as no surprise that Gage would know the man whipping up drinks behind the counter, as the two of them greeted each other warmly.

“James, this is Addison,” Gage introduced her.

“Nice to meet you, James,” Addison smiled.

The tall man with short, cropped hair and blue eyes gave both of them a knowing look, no doubt having noticed the way they had walked in, holding hands.

“You, too,” James replied. “You must be the woman Reid brought along.”

Addison arched a brow at the man, while Gage looked none too surprised at the comment.

“Word does spread quickly around here,” she remarked.

“People around here like to talk,” James shrugged. “And drink coffee. Which puts me in a unique position of knowing things even if I don’t want to know them. How is Reid, anyway?” he asked, turning to Gage.

“Addison would be better suited to answer that question than me,” Gage replied, his smile falling. “On a personal level, I’d say he hasn’t changed that much.”

James nodded, his expression making Addison think neither man thought very highly of Reid. She had resisted asking what exactly went down between the brothers that drove them apart, but her curiosity was getting the better of her as she and Gage took their seats at a table near the back.

Most people at The Roast were getting their coffee to go and rushing back out to enjoy the sunny day, so there weren’t many other customers around. Still, Addison chatted about nothing in particular until James came by with their drinks, waiting for the perfect time to bring up the topic of Reid.

“I’m glad I’ve gotten to meet you,” she said, watching Gage stretch out opposite her.

His knees bumped against hers beneath the small table, and she couldn’t help but focus on those sexy lips of his as they formed the words of his reply.

“I am, too,” he said. “If Reid had come alone, I would have told him to get off my land. But since you were there…”

“Really?” she arched a brow at him. “I’m the reason you let him stay?”

“You are,” he admitted.

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to add something but thought better of it at the last second. Addison would have tried to find out what he was holding back, but now that Gage had brought up the subject of Reid, she decided to pounce on that instead.

“If you don’t mind me asking… what happened between you two?”

Gage sighed, a far-away look in his eyes. Addison was about to apologize for even asking, when he suddenly spoke.

“I don’t want you to get the impression I’m trying to make him look bad,” he said. “I can only tell you my version of events, and he’s not here to clarify, or explain his side of things.”

“I get that,” she replied. “That’s all you can do. And that’s what I want – your side of the story.”

Addison was well aware the same situation could be described entirely differently by different people. Yet that didn’t necessarily make one version true and another false. She wanted to see Gage’s relationship with his brother from Gage’s viewpoint, and was perfectly capable of making her own assessment based on that.

From his hesitation alone, she didn’t peg Gage as someone who would embellish things, or try to make himself look better. It didn’t match with who she knew him to be. Which wasn’t all that logical, since what did she really know about the man?

Yet somewhere deep in her core, she had already come to trust Gage, and there was just nothing she could do about it. Some part of her had already made up its mind about him the moment they had met, and every interaction they had only served to reinforce her faith in him.

Gage gathered his thoughts for a moment before starting.

“Reid was a senior and I was a sophomore when we discovered something was wrong with mom. She had been feeling weak for a while, but we never really thought it could be anything that serious. But it was,” he said.

It was clear the memory of that time was still fresh, evident in the sadness in his eyes. Addison leaned forward, hanging off his every word.

“Breast cancer,” he stated, fully immersed in the past now. “It crushed my father. The worse she got, the more he wasted away. He only got out of bed to care for her, to sit with her and make sure she ate. I made sure to take care of the ranch the best I could, so they at least wouldn’t have to worry about that.

“Reid focused on himself. He had always vowed he would get out of Black Oak as soon as he could, and I understood that. He had his own goals and dreams. But I also thought family might mean something to him, too. Our parents had worked hard to save up money, so we could go to college. But the sicker they both got, the more distant Reid became.”

Reaching out across the table, Addison put her hand on Gage’s. She knew what it meant to have to act like an adult at a young age. Her family had had nothing, and everything she had achieved now, she had fought tooth and nail for. She grew up fast, working as many jobs as she could to save money and support her parents.

They were doing all right now, after she helped her dad set up his own business refurbishing furniture. But the years of thrift store shopping and eating ketchup sandwiches for dinner had stuck with Addison.

“In the end, I was taking care of both mom and dad, and the ranch while he packed up his stuff to leave for college,” Gage said.

Eyes widening, Addison tried to process exactly what Gage was telling him.

“So he just… left?” she asked, having trouble even forming the question.

Gage nodded, turning his gaze back on her.

“And he never came back,” he said. “Until now.”