FAVOURITE QUOTES & PASSAGES FROM RACHEL REID'S BOOKS

Feeling bold, he wrote: I miss you.

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Deal with it, Stacks, he thought. You’re missed.

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“You’re killing me, Stacks,” Casey said.

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Finally, after several agonizing minutes, a message came: It hurts even more than I thought it would.

“Except I’m in love with you. Bananas, remember? There’s not gonna be anyone else, no matter how far apart we are.”

“A while,” Riley said, too loudly. “It’s been twelve fucking years.”

Riley had reached his limit. He had to tell him.

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“I love you, you know.”

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Adam’s eyes went wide and alert, and his mouth fell open. Riley’s heart possibly stopped beating as he waited.

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Then Adam laughed. “Come on,” he said. “We’re not like that.”

The truth was, before it all went to hell, Riley had kind of been Adam’s whole world.

And that fifth summer…god, if Adam could choose one part of his life to stay in forever, it would be that fifth summer in Avery River.

Fuck Adam Sheppard. Fuck his helpfulness, fuck his beautiful eyes, and fuck how cute he’d been while talking to Lucky. Fuck the way he’d licked cinnamon off his lips, and especially fuck how achingly familiar it was to hear his voice again.

“Adam, please don’t do this.”

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Adam’s eyes changed then. There was something more than fear there, more than sympathy. It was like Adam was looking at everything he’d ever wanted, but also knew he was about to walk away from it.

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“I’m sorry,” Adam said, barely more than a whisper. “I’m so fucking sorry, Riles.”

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Riley reached a hand out, absolutely pathetic. “Don’t go.”

It took twenty-seven years for Riley to achieve his dream of winning the Stanley Cup, and he’d spent the fourteen years since trying to forget that night.

“What do you want, Shep? What the fuck is it that you want from me?” Riley was yelling now. “Do you want me to tell you it wasn’t your fault? Fine. It’s not. It’s not your fault that I’m mentally ill, and it’s not your fault you weren’t in love with me. It’s all on me.”

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Adam looked like Riley had hit him. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide and confused. And that was the last thing Riley saw before the headlights on Adam’s car turned off, plunging them into darkness.

“Riley—” Adam whispered, but Riley cut him off by kissing him.

He’d helped Riley through emotional overloads like this before, but he’d never witnessed one he’d been the cause of. God, how many had he been the cause of?

It was probably a symptom of Riley’s age, or maybe the fact that he was, at his core, a deeply boring man, but he realized in that moment that he was looking at his ultimate fantasy.

“Well,” Riley said, “green peppers are usually just underripe red peppers.”

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Adam’s eyes went wide like Riley had just proved god was real. “Are you serious? Is that why green peppers taste like garbage?”

“I can stay, right?” Adam asked. “I can sleep with you?”

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Riley brushed his fingers through Adam’s hair. “You always could have.”

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“I wish I had.”

“I didn’t bring flowers, but I thought you might like this.” He pulled the moon snail shell he’d found on the beach out of his coat pocket, then placed it at the edge of all the flowers.

He laid the flowers next to the marker and noticed the moon snail shell that someone had placed there. Riley picked it up, turned it over, recognized the chip that was missing from the bottom.

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Adam had been here.

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Riley closed his fingers on the shell, holding it tight. He wasn’t sure about many things, but he was pretty sure someone who was bad for him wouldn’t have taken the time to visit Dad’s grave. To leave him something beautiful.

“Shep, it’s a garden. It’s a hobby. You just told me you want me to be the happy ending to your life story, so yeah. I’m choosing you over beans.” He paused, eyes going wide. “That is what you were saying, right?”

“I love you, Adam.”

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“I love you,” Adam said back, finally, finally getting that right.

Riley had been breathtaking in that moment, flushed and messy and vulnerable, holding his heart in both hands for Adam to take.

“Honestly, I mostly wanted to do this because there might be shooting stars tonight.”

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“Oh, this star will certainly be—wait, really? Shooting stars?”

“Hey, there’s one,” Adam said excitedly. “Make a wish.”

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But Riley couldn’t think of a single thing he needed.