In this episode, we dive into the contemporary romance book, Honeymoon Phase by Amy Daws. It’s the third book in the Mountain Men Matchmaker series and focuses on a friends-to-lovers relationship between Luke and Addison. This romcom book also has some of our favorite tropes, including marriage of convenience, he falls first, small town romance, slow burn, and found family.
During this episode, we discuss why Luke is our favorite Fletcher brother, how Amy Daws emotionally destroyed us in this book, why Everly remains the queen mastermind, the phrase that needs to be on a t-shirt, why we’re trying to find a nearby lumberjack competition, how Johanna is the ideal mother-in-law, and and why we give this book a three-and-a-half-pepper spice rating for the incredibly well-written spice.
Steph: Hey, everyone, I'm Steph.
Megan: And I'm Megan.
Steph: And welcome to another episode of Late Night Reads.
Megan: This week, we are talking contemporary romance and covering Honeymoon Phase by Amy Daws.
Steph: So let's start with why we selected Honeymoon Phase.
Steph: How could we not want to read about the fourth Fletcher brother?
Steph: We have adored all of their stories and we had to know about Luke.
Steph: And I've been a Max girlie from the very beginning, but now Luke might be my favorite.
Steph: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, for sure.
Steph: And Addison is a very complicated female main character.
Steph: She has great tenacity, she's stubborn, and she does let her true self come out with Luke, which I think is the hallmark of a great relationship.
Steph: Plus, Everly is like the mastermind, like the Taylor Swift song was written about her.
Steph: She has concocted all of these relationships for the Fletcher brothers, and I loved getting to see her POV, and it made me literally cannot wait to read her book next year.
Steph: Like, I want it now.
Steph: Give it to me.
Megan: Oh yes, we need to know how she gets her romance to go.
Steph: Right?
Steph: And he's gonna be a...
Steph: It's gonna be so good.
Steph: It's gonna be so good.
Steph: Plus, how could we not want to read about Luke's big cock?
Steph: I mean, Rufus, you know who we're talking about, right?
Megan: Rufus, oh yeah.
Steph: What else could we be talking about?
Megan: That cock.
Steph: Yeah, exactly.
Megan: Of course, the animal
Steph: The animal.
Megan: I think they're both animals, honestly.
Steph: Well, you're not wrong.
Steph: Okay, but here are a few things that you should know about the author, Amy Daws.
Megan: First of all, she's a number one Amazon and USA Today bestselling author.
Megan: She has written more than 20 books in 10 years.
Megan: She's an indie author until getting her first traditionally published deal in 2024 with HarperCollins, and she lives in South Dakota with her husband and daughter.
Steph: Before we discuss this bug, a couple of key reminders, as always, this episode will contain spoilers.
Steph: We assume if you're listening that you have read the book.
Steph: This book also does contain a number of sensitive topics that we will talk about on this episode, alcoholism, anxiety, car accident, child death, death, divorce, emotional abuse, medical trauma, miscarriage, pregnancy, and PTSD.
Megan: But now let's talk tropes.
Megan: First up, we have marriage of convenience.
Megan: Addison needs to marry someone to fulfill the requirements of the trust so she can take over her family's lumber yard, which is really crazy by the way.
Megan: This whole situation, I'm like, what?
Megan: This is insane.
Megan: And there's also one little problem.
Megan: She never wanted to get married.
Megan: So this is literally just a business transaction for her.
Megan: She's like, I don't want to get married, but I got to do the deal.
Megan: So, who can I marry?
Megan: She just literally propose to anybody she can see.
Megan: She's even at one point being like, I'll marry a girl.
Megan: I don't care.
Megan: Like, let's just get married.
Steph: Like, what are the requirements?
Steph: It just has to be a person?
Steph: Done.
Megan: A person, done.
Megan: Living?
Megan: Oh, okay.
Megan: Sure.
Megan: Fine.
Megan: Whatever.
Megan: We're not going to have like a weekend at Bernie's situation there.
Megan: And then we have He falls first.
Megan: Luke had immediate feelings for Addison the first moment he saw her, but allowed himself to go into the friend zone.
Megan: He's been regretting that decision, though, for a long, long time, because it's been really, really hard for him to now get out of that friend zone.
Megan: So he's definitely pining after her for a long, long time.
Megan: Then we have friends-to-lovers.
Megan: Addison and Luke are, of course, best friends who are both very, very nervous about crossing this line into something more, but they're very excited when they do.
Megan: Then we have Slow Burn.
Megan: This book is nothing like Calder's.
Megan: It's a much slower burn, like much slower as you would expect in a friends-to-lovers trope.
Megan: But once it gets going, oh my God, it is hot.
Megan: It is burning the town down hot.
Megan: Speaking of town, it is a small town where we have three of the four Fletcher men literally living on a mountain that they have named Fletcher Mountain.
Megan: And it's in a small town in Colorado where everyone knows your business, and they will let you know what they think of your business, too.
Megan: Then lastly, we have Found Family.
Megan: Addison did not have the best experience growing up.
Megan: Her mom is completely out of the picture, and her dad has not been the best role model.
Megan: So when she finally joins the Fletcher family, she immediately gets an entire family that just adores her and would do anything for her.
Megan: And she's honestly kind of not sure what to do about it.
Megan: She's like, oh, you're hugging me.
Megan: This is strange.
Megan: I should hug you back.
Megan: Okay.
Megan: But she does accept it.
Megan: And it's a really beautiful moment for her when she does.
Steph: It does.
Steph: They are a lot though, to be honest.
Megan: They're a lot.
Steph: Yeah.
Steph: They're a lot.
Steph: Okay, there is a ton of drama in this book and it starts off with the bust, the bust thing, because I have been dying to know about this mysterious Robin ever since she came into the picture.
Steph: I have secretly hoped that we'd get like a novella about what happened 10 years ago.
Steph: But basically, Robin ensnared three of the Fletcher men that live on the mountain at the same time.
Steph: And this book kind of opens up with the fight that they had after it all came out, that they've been sleeping with her at the same time.
Steph: Which like, how would you not know?
Megan: Yeah, I'm like, they all are very like close.
Megan: I'm like, how would you not even like brag to each other?
Megan: Like, hey, I'm like sleeping with this chick.
Megan: Like, isn't that typical, like locker room shit boys do or supposedly do?
Steph: She probably was like, we have to keep it a secret.
Steph: I also am very curious too, because they're very different personalities.
Steph: Like, how did that work?
Megan: Yeah, I don't know.
Megan: She must be a chameleon.
Megan: She's just, she's evil.
Megan: So, you know.
Steph: She's definitely evil.
Steph: Yeah.
Steph: So, it's shortly after they fought over Robin, and they were fighting at the Morgantown.
Steph: They are kicked out by Judy, who I just absolutely love in this entire series.
Steph: Because she's kind of like another mom to them.
Steph: It's like, grow your asses up.
Steph: Get the hell out of here.
Steph: And Luke suggests that they make a pact to never have girlfriends and definitely not wives.
Steph: And Calder and Wyatt at the time agree with them.
Steph: But like, we all know that turns out, right?
Steph: Because by this time, Wyatt and Calder are married.
Steph: So, flash forward present day, Luke is very unhappy that three of his brothers have women in their lives who are obnoxiously happy and in love.
Steph: There's nothing worse than like you being the sole, like, single person in a group where everyone's coupled up and super happy about it.
Megan: He's the Grinch on Fletcher Mountain.
Steph: He is the Grinch on Fletcher Mountain.
Steph: Enter Everly, who is the matchmaker.
Steph: And she's like, I will help you.
Steph: And I'm like, why wouldn't you go with her?
Steph: She's successfully done it for her dad and two uncles.
Steph: She's very experienced.
Steph: And what's hilarious to me is Luke is shocked by all of this.
Steph: He's like, what do you mean you were involved in setting these people up?
Steph: She's like, well, hello.
Steph: You think they got these women on their own?
Steph: Have you met them?
Megan: It's like, oh, oh, sweetheart.
Megan: Oh, you're so special.
Megan: You're so pretty.
Megan: No.
Steph: So, and then Luke confesses that the woman he wants isn't interested in him, which is, which like Everly, Everly's like, well, how long have you been in love with Addison?
Steph: Because it was pretty obvious in Mexico when you stared at her like a little lost puppy.
Steph: And now Everly's like, if I would have known this, I would have made sure that you two shared a room, just like I may call her and Dakota do it.
Steph: And Luke is just like, what?
Steph: Because you have to remember, she's like 19/20 at this point.
Steph: Like she's young.
Steph: And he's just like, what?
Steph: You orchestrated that?
Steph: How did you?
Steph: Yeah, she's queen.
Megan: She's like, no big deal.
Megan: All in a day's work.
Steph: I can help you.
Steph: Do you want me to help you?
Megan: And that's when Luke drops the bomb that Addison is getting married to someone.
Megan: Not sure who yet.
Megan: She doesn't even know, but she just has to be married to take over the lumber yard.
Megan: So Everly is like, this is perfect because Luke, you can volunteer to be her husband for like a year, then make her fall in love with you during that entire time.
Megan: One small problem, though, Luke has already offered his hand in marriage, and Addison said, no, nope, not interested.
Megan: Because Addison wants this to be a very contractual marriage with a stranger.
Megan: Which obviously makes Luke worried because he's like, you're my friend, you're going to marry a complete stranger.
Megan: That's insane.
Megan: So Everly convinces Luke to try again, perhaps with Everly, aka the pro of love, to help him out.
Megan: And she's like, let's make a pro and con list and present it to her as an argument for why she should marry you.
Megan: But meanwhile, Addison is definitely getting desperate about finding a husband.
Megan: She's even asking all the older men who work at the lumberyard if they'll marry her.
Megan: Like she just shows up and goes, hey, will you marry me?
Megan: And they're like, again, this is like the fourth time you've asked me today.
Steph: Like no means no, Addison, no means no.
Megan: Yes.
Megan: And all of these men obviously are also very scared of her dad.
Megan: They're like, no, no, not going to marry you.
Megan: Your dad scares me.
Megan: So the answer, of course, is always no.
Megan: And if she can't find a husband, then her dad has plans to sell the family business.
Megan: And Addison can stay on as a sales manager, but she will never actually inherit it.
Megan: Because, you know, selling your family-owned business to someone else always goes smoothly.
Megan: And it's definitely always a great idea, right?
Megan: Addison rightfully is infuriated by this entire trust requirement.
Megan: And she's just like, this is so ridiculous that I have to be married to take over a business.
Megan: Like the two have nothing in common.
Megan: But her dad literally refuses to back down because it was his dad that made the whole thing.
Megan: So he's like, I didn't make it.
Megan: I'm just enforcing it.
Megan: Like, this is so stupid.
Megan: And honestly, the behavior borders on emotional abuse, definitely narcissism throughout the entire book.
Megan: He was not the best father figure growing up.
Megan: And honestly, not much has changed for Addison now that she's an adult, which...
Steph: Nope.
Megan: Man, you just feel for her.
Megan: It sucks.
Steph: I really do.
Steph: It really sucks.
Steph: So her only friend outside the lumber yard is Luke.
Steph: And they're kind of in a fight because he offered to marry her, and that, in fact, pissed her off.
Steph: She, I mean, perhaps if she wouldn't have laughed at him, that was not like the best.
Steph: Like, hey, I would marry you to help you take over your lumber yard and laugh at me.
Megan: She's like, okay, I'll marry you, my best friend.
Megan: It's like, why not?
Steph: So obviously they had not hung out much since then until he decides to stop by to get some decking quotes for a house they're building.
Steph: And Addison, we learned, does find Luke attractive, but she'd never crossed the friendship line because she likes him too much and doesn't want a relationship ever.
Steph: She's not had good role models of relationships in her life.
Steph: And that's also why she's against fulfilling the trust by marrying him because she doesn't want to hurt their friendship.
Steph: But she does invite him over to their apartment for dinner because she misses her, like her friend, and she does love to cook.
Steph: And that's when we learned that Luke has been enamored with Addison since the first day he ever saw her at the long yard, which is why he asked her out for drinks.
Steph: Initially, he thought that encounter would end up with the two of them in bed, which does sound more like a Fletcher man.
Steph: But he ended up loving talking to her and realized if he slept with her, the talking would stop, and I'm like, does it have to though?
Megan: I mean, you can be a grown-up and date.
Steph: That's how relationships work.
Megan: Yeah, right.
Steph: But he's not a relationship guy either.
Steph: He friend-zoned himself and now he regrets it.
Steph: I'm like, consequences over your own actions.
Megan: Yeah, exactly.
Megan: When Luke is now at Addison's house for dinner, she gives him an update on her husband hunt.
Megan: She's like, hashtag husband hunt.
Megan: She's like, I'm going to plan to find a husband at the Man of the Mountain event.
Megan: Okay, I need to go to this Man of the Mountain event.
Megan: That's what I thought.
Steph: I was like, where are the lumberjacks?
Megan: : I want to find this.
Megan: Because apparently, lumberjacks are the ideal type for a marriage of convenience for her.
Megan: Like, they're gone for most of the month.
Megan: They work long hours.
Megan: They would love to have some free rent, probably eat whatever food she makes.
Megan: She's like, sounds perfect.
Megan: It's great.
Megan: She's like, plus like she's already hooked up with a couple of lumberjacks in the past, so she might get some side benefits from this marriage too.
Megan: Which I'm like, okay, go girl, you'll be over that jack.
Megan: But needless to say, Luke hates everything about this plan.
Megan: He's like, are you fucking kidding me?
Megan: Especially the thought of Addison hooking up with a lumberjack, like in the past or in the future.
Megan: He's like, I hate this.
Megan: I hate this.
Megan: I hate everything about this.
Megan: He's like pissed.
Megan: So, of course, naturally, he's like, I'm gonna suggest we get married again.
Megan: And now he gives her the pro and con list that Everly helped him work on.
Megan: And it is hilarious.
Megan: Especially this part about Luke having a big cock.
Megan: Yes, he's like, I have a big cock.
Megan: And she's like, excuse me.
Megan: He goes, Rufus, my animal cock, Rufus.
Megan: But of course, unfortunately, Addison laughs at this entire list all over again.
Megan: She's cracking up.
Megan: But at least now Luke isn't in the room to see her lose it this time.
Megan: She does privately laugh about it.
Megan: But she does talk to Luke about the list.
Megan: And he explains again, how he would just do anything for her, and like worries about her marrying a stranger.
Megan: He's like, what if they chop you up into tiny, tiny pieces and like kill you like lumberjacks can do shit?
Megan: And she's like, it's fine.
Megan: I'm getting to tiny pieces.
Megan: Don't worry.
Megan: And again, she reiterates like she can't lose him as a friend.
Megan: And like if they got married and like they got sick of each other, then they'd stop being friends.
Megan: And that would be like the worst thing in the world for her.
Megan: But she does give him a little bit of small hope when she does agree to take him up on his offer if she can't find anyone at the Man of the Mountain event who feels like a safe like option.
Megan: So he's like, challenge accepted.
Steph: Like if there's no one else, then I will marry you.
Megan: If you are the last man on earth, aka last man on the mountain, I guess I'll marry you.
Megan: I guess I'll marry you.
Steph: So enter Everly.
Steph: She's determined to help Luke turn into a lumberjack and time to compete in this Man of the Mountain event, so he can marry Addison.
Steph: Luke is in good shape, but he is not a lumberjack.
Steph: There is a difference.
Megan: There is some skill sets there, honestly.
Steph: Years of training and there is not enough time for him to become a lumberjack.
Steph: So there are multiple people involved in this plan, to do this.
Steph: And I'm like, you all are crazy.
Steph: This is going to end poorly.
Steph: So Everly has head her back to Ireland soon.
Steph: So she gets his brothers to help him.
Steph: And the secret plan to get Luke and Addison married, the only caveat is they can't tell their wives, which I was actually really surprised that they kept throughout this entire book.
Steph: And Luke is keeping the secret that he's going to compete in the Man of the Mountain event from Addison as well.
Steph: And he really refuses to hang out with her because he's so busy leading up to the event.
Steph: Meanwhile, did not see this coming.
Steph: We learned that Addison's little brother, Aaron, died in a car crash when he was eight, and I about lost it.
Steph: This book emotionally destroyed me, and I was not expecting it.
Steph: Because when you read the other books in the series, there are definitely some hard moments, right?
Steph: But this was different.
Steph: I was like, a kid died.
Steph: She goes on runs to visit his grave and talks to him.
Steph: And she clearly, it's been 15 years, is still deep in grief over losing her little brother and was not expecting it.
Megan: Yeah, I definitely had to put it down a couple of times and go cry.
Megan: I was like, oh, oh, take a breather before getting back in there.
Steph: Yeah.
Megan: But speaking of getting back in there, it is time now for the Man of the Mountain Competition.
Megan: Oh, yeah, baby, sign me up.
Megan: I would just throw on some plaid myself and be like, hey, I'm looking for my own lumberjack.
Megan: What's up?
Megan: So, for starters, I love what Addison is wearing to this event.
Megan: She has a shirt that says, Split me like a good girl.
Steph: I want to make that shirt.
Steph: Can we make them?
Megan: We need those.
Megan: We need those ASAP.
Megan: Amy Daws, please permit us to put that on the T-shirt.
Steph: Make these shirts.
Megan: It is hilarious.
Megan: And it's all Luke could think about too.
Megan: He's like, oh my gosh, she's wearing a shirt that says, Split me like a good girl.
Megan: I need to split her like a good girl.
Megan: Oh God.
Steph: Right?
Steph: Like, who doesn't need to split like a good girl?
Steph: Let's be honest.
Megan: Damn, so good.
Megan: So Addison is shocked to see that Luke is there competing.
Megan: And she's like, what?
Megan: And notices like a recent glow up from him.
Megan: She's like, oh honey, look at you go.
Megan: Like weeks of training that he's been doing.
Megan: Like, oh my, love it.
Megan: And then Luke mentions again, he's competing for her.
Megan: He's like, you're looking for a husband.
Megan: I'm going to compete for that.
Megan: And she just laughed at him again.
Megan: She's like, oh my God, you can't be serious.
Megan: And he's like, I'm dead serious.
Megan: I'm dead serious.
Steph: I felt so bad for him.
Steph: This is the third time she's laughed at him when he's like, I will marry you.
Megan: Oh my gosh, poor guy.
Megan: And then he sees her interact with another lumberjack, this guy Ivan, who clearly has seen Addison naked before, which irritates the shit out of Luke.
Megan: He's like, oh no, he does not get to split her like a good girl.
Megan: He's so pissed about it.
Megan: Not anymore.
Megan: And so the first competition takes place.
Megan: Luke's in very last.
Megan: He did not do well.
Megan: He, honey, he's so pretty.
Megan: He did not do a good job.
Megan: But he, you know, he thought that he was cutting his wood very, very fast, but not as fast as Ivan.
Megan: So, yeah.
Steph: Or literally anyone else.
Steph: That was my favorite part.
Steph: Is it's kind of like, you don't have boys, but like my boys are like this, where they're like in their mind.
Steph: I will run fast.
Steph: Like when my oldest was younger, he's like, oh, I will go fast.
Steph: I will win these races.
Steph: I will do this.
Steph: And I'm like, what?
Megan: Are you sure?
Steph: And they're like, great.
Steph: Okay.
Steph: I might go faster shoes on.
Steph: Okay.
Steph: Okay.
Steph: And that's all I thought of was like, Luke's like, no, I got this.
Steph: I'm going really, really fast.
Steph: And everyone's like, they've been done for a while, Luke.
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: They've been done for five minutes and you're still like on your second log.
Steph: Yeah.
Megan: So not great.
Megan: Not going great for him.
Megan: And then Calder suggests that Luke perhaps change tactics and causes Luke to basically bribe some of the other contestants with free projects if they throw the competition for him.
Megan: He's like, hey, you work in Denver, right?
Megan: You need some help?
Megan: I'll help you out.
Steph: I'll help you out.
Megan: Just miss this next thing.
Megan: And they're like, what?
Megan: And he's like, come on, do it.
Megan: Do it.
Megan: And they're like, all right, sure.
Steph: Whatever.
Megan: And it works.
Megan: And it lands Luke in the final axe-throwing competition with Ivan.
Megan: And it's a very close call.
Megan: Luke does his best.
Megan: He actually was pretty good, but he ends up losing.
Megan: Whomp, whomp.
Megan: So this whole time, though, Addison is very much intrigued and getting a little hot and bothered now watching Luke compete.
Megan: And she's like, oh, damn.
Megan: And he's like being very dominant when he like speaks to her and she is into it.
Megan: She's like, oh, wow.
Megan: I like it.
Steph: Where did that come from?
Megan: She's like, oh, hello.
Megan: And then when Addison starts talking to Ivan about taking over her father's lumberyard, he's like a dick.
Megan: He's very insulting.
Megan: He's like, why would a woman do this?
Megan: Like very much.
Megan: And Luke steps into that conversation and acts like him and Addison are dating.
Megan: And she's like, wait, wait, what?
Megan: Like, what are you doing?
Megan: Stop it.
Megan: And Luke is just like, stop, I'm doing this.
Megan: I'm doing this.
Megan: And he has no chance of winning this competition at this point, of course, but he refuses to forfeit.
Megan: And there is a speed climb that literally everyone is trying to convince him to stop.
Megan: Like his brothers Addison are like, please drop out of this.
Megan: You will die.
Megan: Like you will actually like fall to the ground and be paralyzed and die.
Megan: Unsurprisingly, it does not go well.
Megan: He does fall to the ground, does not die.
Megan: He's okay.
Megan: But he requires a lot of medical attention and some stitches.
Steph: But you know what?
Megan: The plan works because Addison's like, fine, fine, fine.
Megan: I'll marry you.
Megan: And he's like, yes, worth it.
Steph: Worth it, I guess.
Steph: Worth the pain.
Megan: He's like, I'll split my head open for you, you know?
Steph: A little blood, stitches.
Megan: Split me like a bad boy.
Steph: Well, I'll be later.
Megan: Yes, please.
Steph: So next time it's time for a courthouse wedding, and Luke comes like a super dressed up because what Addison doesn't know, this is real for him in his mind, even though she thinks it's for her to get the lumberjack or get the lumberyard.
Steph: He's the lumberjack now, I guess.
Steph: So then she's like, well, I can't look like this.
Steph: I need to go change.
Steph: But she looks very beautiful when she changes.
Steph: The whole process goes very, very quickly.
Steph: And they're planning on keeping the reason they got married a secret from everyone else, except for her dad, who obviously is going to know.
Steph: And then when the clerk pronounces them married, she insists that they kiss.
Steph: And there are definitely sparks.
Steph: And then Addison's like, oh fuck, I'm kissing my best friend.
Steph: And then she pulls away.
Steph: I'm like, no, stop it.
Steph: Stop it.
Megan: Get out of your head and get into his mouth.
Steph: Exactly, you liked it.
Megan: Get in there.
Megan: It's good.
Steph: So then they go to see Addison's dad to tell him the good news, or what they think is good news.
Steph: Who happens to be cleaning his guns when they show up?
Steph: Every time, all I thought it was like...
Megan: My dad totally did this, by the way.
Steph: But he didn't even know they were coming.
Steph: Do you know what I mean?
Megan: That's the best part.
Megan: That's the best part.
Steph: I love that.
Steph: Like didn't know they were coming.
Steph: And I'm just like, this is not the best time to drop by.
Steph: He's not a big fan of Luke.
Steph: He's cleaning his guns.
Steph: I just...
Steph: And then, unfortunately for Luke, her dad's like, let's talk outside, and basically threatens him if he hurts Addison.
Steph: And then he refers to Addison being a lot to handle.
Steph: And I, that pissed me off.
Steph: Cause I'm like, we do not call women a lot to handle.
Steph: Just because you can't handle us, first of all, I don't need to be handled.
Steph: Number two, just because you can't deal with all the awesomeness that comes out of me is a you problem, not a me problem.
Steph: That's what I thought of.
Steph: And then he chastises Luke for not asking his permission to marry Addison.
Steph: Once again, women are not property, John.
Steph: I did not need to ask you.
Megan: Yeah.
Steph: But then the best part is John is shocked to learn that Addison is moving up to Fletcher Mountain and starts laughing out loud at the idea.
Steph: And I was like, does this run in the family?
Steph: You tell these people things, and they just laugh at you.
Megan: Yikes.
Steph: And then to make the situation worse, because I feel like he's like, let's call Addison's bluff.
Steph: I want to throw you a proper wedding before Christmas.
Steph: And I'm like, it's like a battle of wits.
Steph: I'm like, John, I see you.
Steph: I kind of love this.
Steph: But also like, you know why she got married.
Megan: Yeah, dude, like she's calling your bluff.
Steph: It's your fault.
Steph: Exactly.
Megan: At this point, I'm like, dude, be glad I wasn't one of like the old sweaty guys who's like been one of your beer buddies for like 50 years.
Megan: You know?
Steph: Exactly.
Steph: Or Ivan.
Megan: Yes.
Megan: He might have liked Ivan, honestly.
Megan: They might have jammed.
Steph: Oh, maybe.
Megan: Unfortunately.
Steph: That would have been bad for us.
Steph: I don't want to read that.
Megan: No, no, no, no, no, no.
Megan: So, while of course Addison's dad knows about the wedding, Luke has failed to inform anyone in his family about it until they figure out exactly what's going on.
Megan: When Addison moves into Luke's house, they're like, wait, what?
Megan: What?
Megan: What?
Megan: And his mom is hella pissed.
Megan: Because she's like, she learns this news from Addison's dad.
Megan: He like, because he's going around calling everybody, being like, oh yeah, they got married.
Megan: And she's like, excuse me.
Megan: But she's not really mad about them getting married.
Megan: She's just really, really hurt that Luke didn't even tell her about it.
Megan: Like, come on, like, tell your mom.
Steph: Like she's like a mother's boy, right?
Steph: Like he calls her every day.
Steph: Like he's very close to her.
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: So she's like, she feels like her best friend betrayed her, which is very sad.
Megan: But everyone else is very thrilled about Luke and Addison getting married.
Megan: And then Addison reaches out with little olive branch to try and get Johanna on her side when she asked for help to plan the wedding.
Megan: : Because again, she's like, I don't know what to do.
Megan: And she's like, you seem very excited about this.
Megan: Will you help me plan the wedding?
Megan: She's like, yes, yes, I got it.
Megan: Leave it to me, which would be us.
Megan: We'd be like, okay, we got it.
Megan: Here's our scrapbook.
Megan: Here's everything done.
Megan: Here's your wedding plan.
Megan: Next.
Megan: And this is also, of course, we get to see Addison has very, very deep-rooted mommy issues and struggles with affection from anyone, but especially from other women.
Megan: She's like uncomfortable getting a hug from a woman.
Megan: And she's like, what do I do?
Megan: So she's working on that.
Megan: But this is where that kind of starts to come to light.
Megan: And one of the many benefits of being married to Luke, of course, is his gorgeous kitchen.
Megan: And Addison is just enthralled with this because she loves to cook and she loves to bake sourdough bread.
Megan: It's like literally her dream kitchen that she's like going around.
Megan: Like if she could make love to a kitchen, not just in a kitchen, she would.
Megan: She'd be like, oh my god, this counter.
Megan: Oh my god, this oven.
Megan: It's a double oven.
Megan: I love it so much.
Megan: So she's very excited.
Megan: And she feels like this whole thing was built just for her.
Megan: And honestly, what's really cool, like Luke used like recycled materials from other jobs to put everything together.
Megan: Like they're very environmentally friendly, which is pretty cool.
Steph: Yeah.
Megan: And so on top of this, the view from Luke's cabin is insane.
Megan: Like being on a mountain, of course, is gorgeous, but like looking out and like seeing like just like this like crest of like trees and like gorgeousness, it's amazing.
Megan: Not sure at this point also if a Rufus, the cock, is a benefit or a nuisance, maybe a combination of the two.
Megan: He's the cock that Luke brings in every single night to feed.
Megan: And then he wakes up with a crappie don.
Megan: So there's kind of a euphemism there, right?
Megan: Like you have to feed the cock every night and then it's going to wake you up in the morning, like.
Megan: I mean.
Steph: All I thought it was, we get a man that has a cat strap to his chest.
Steph: And now we get a man with a pet cock.
Steph: Like I just.
Megan: Someone who's pussy whipped and then a cock strap.
Megan: I don't know.
Megan: It's just insane.
Megan: : Oh my gosh.
Megan: What are you doing?
Steph: I'm petting my cock.
Megan: I'm petting my cock.
Steph: I just lost it.
Megan: I'm feeding my cock.
Megan: My cock.
Steph: It has to come in every night.
Megan: It has to come every night.
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: Oh boy.
Megan: And it's going to wake you up right in early.
Steph: Yes, it is.
Megan: Yeah, it is.
Megan: And so that's like a whole fun.
Megan: Oh my God.
Megan: There's so many things to go with that one.
Megan: So as they're talking, Addison starts to open up a bit more to Luke about things that honestly, like he didn't even know yet, that like she used to have a dog and it died in the car accident with her little brother, which I kind of cried about that.
Steph: I did too.
Megan: I can't do dead dogs.
Steph: I can't.
Steph: Dead animals.
Megan: I can't.
Megan: No.
Megan: So she puts up about that.
Megan: And then it does actually lead to her talking a little bit more about her little brother, Aaron, which is a topic that she typically avoids with everyone.
Megan: So it's showing that she's starting to open up again, more to Luke beyond the friendship level and that maybe he can dive deeper into this relationship.
Steph: Yeah, and get to know her.
Steph: So the next morning after sleeping in separate rooms, uke is extremely turned on by what he sees Addison wear to bed.
Steph: And we start to learn that Addison has insomnia.
Steph: When she can't sleep, she bakes bread, which is, I mean, that actually is to everyone's benefit.
Steph: You get delicious bread.
Steph: I love it.
Steph: Maybe that's what I need to do if I can't sleep.
Steph: It's like, there you go.
Steph: Yeah.
Steph: Instead of like scroll the internet.
Steph: Yeah.
Megan: Well, you can still scroll the internet while you're waiting for your dough to rise and stuff.
Megan: You're just like, okay, it's doing its thing over there, proofing.
Megan: Let me just go and scroll in.
Steph: Do some more research.
Steph: So on the way to the work, Luke's brothers are giving him shit and Everly calls him because she's pissed also because he didn't tell her he got married.
Steph: She is the mastermind, Luke.
Steph: You have to provide updates to the boss.
Steph: That is Everly.
Megan: Yes.
Megan: Have to let her know.
Megan: Step one, tell Everly everything.
Steph: Step two, she yells at him for not telling his mom.
Steph: Like, why would you do that?
Steph: And then he's like, well, we are going to have a wedding.
Steph: She's like, well, you will have it when I'm home from break.
Steph: And you should help plan the wedding.
Steph: That'll show Addison how well you know her.
Steph: And I'm like, that is very true.
Steph: And then Everly, who is in Ireland at this point, strongly believes that Addison has to fall in love with Luke before the wedding.
Steph: Otherwise, when she walks down the aisle, he'll know, like she'll know that he's in love with her by the way he looks at her.
Steph: And I was like, oh.
Megan: Is she majoring in matchmaking because, like, let's be real.
Steph: She already has a degree in it.
Steph: She's has from a young child.
Steph: This woman has been incredible at it.
Megan: Yes.
Steph: So when asking us to work, the lumberyard has thrown her a special surprise celebration for the wedding.
Steph: It's incredibly touching.
Steph: They give her this like special expensive bread pan she's been wanting forever.
Steph: And then Johanna shows up with a binder.
Steph: This is like you and I, a binder of wedding planning items.
Steph: And she's like, here, this is where we will start.
Steph: And needless to say, Addison is slightly overwhelmed.
Steph: She's like, and I have a quiz to help with planning the wedding.
Steph: And what it made me think of was, have you ever gotten something you're like, oh, this will take me like 20 minutes to do.
Steph: And then you're like four hours later, I am still here.
Steph: That was kind of like what happened.
Steph: She's like, oh, she starts to do it.
Steph: She's like an hour into the quiz.
Steph: There is zero end in sight.
Steph: And she is in a full-on panic attack.
Steph: Because, you know, like, is she a fall?
Steph: Is she a winter?
Steph: What if Luke is different than her?
Steph: How will this work?
Steph: All these things she really cares nothing about that all of a sudden have seemed very important.
Steph: So she calls Luke for help.
Steph: And his response was, you need to go touch grass, which I love that saying, like, you need to go touch grass.
Steph: For her, that means driving a forklift and moving shit around.
Megan: Yep.
Megan: Love that.
Steph: Which I did.
Steph: I did love that for her.
Steph: Yeah.
Steph: And then Luke shows up at our work, offers like all about the quiz and the wedding planning.
Steph: And then he gives her an engagement ring in the shape of a curved nail with diamonds in it.
Steph: And I was like, oh damn boy, you like, well done.
Steph: Well done.
Steph: And there's a moment where they're about to kiss again, and no one's telling him to kiss her.
Steph: But then he pulls back and asks and reminds herself that they're only best friends.
Steph: And I'm like, God damn it, Luke.
Steph: Like I get why he did it.
Steph: It wasn't time.
Steph: She's not ready.
Steph: But also, Luke.
Megan: Come on.
Steph: You know, like we're dying.
Steph: We're dying here.
Megan: He's dying too, you know.
Steph: He's dying.
Megan: So then it's a week later and Luke is cooking dinner for Addison and walks her through like the high level of concepts for the whole wedding.
Megan:And she loves all of it.
Megan:She's like, yeah, this is, this is great.
Megan:And that's also when she has the idea for them to get married right there on Fletcher Mountain.
Megan:Which honestly takes Luke by surprise.
Megan:He's like, oh, oh, really?
Megan:Okay.
Megan:And it makes him believe like this wedding might mean a little bit more to her than she's letting on.
Megan:Until she starts to mention feeling bad about her dad paying for a venue and the wedding is just for show.
Megan:And it's like, oh, poor Luke.
Megan: Every time you get your hopes up, you just get smacked down again.
Megan:It's like, fuck, damn.
Steph: It's like whack-a-mole.
Megan: Yeah.
Steph: She's like, can I marry you?
Steph: Whack, no.
Steph: Can I marry you again?
Steph: Whack, no.
Megan: Want to pet my cock?
Megan:Whack, no.
Megan:Oh, wait, pet.
Megan: Yeah.
Megan:Okay.
Steph: That one.
Megan:Sure.
Megan:Yeah.
Megan:So then Addison also finally shares that she has not seen her mom since her mom got out of prison.
Megan:So get this.
Megan:Her mom was the one driving the car when Aaron died and her mom was drunk.
Megan:So part of the reason why Addison herself is very, very careful with alcohol and why she honestly struggles to form any close relationships with anyone and why she honestly never wants to get married.
Megan:It's also the reason why she is very worried about people leaving her because she has very significant abandonment problems.
Megan:From her mom, from her dad, honestly.
Megan:Her dad's choices haven't helped, but when her mom got out of prison, she just came back for her stuff and left.
Megan:Like, saw Addison, didn't say anything towards her, didn't even like hug her goodbye, just like looked at her and kept going.
Megan:And it's like...
Steph: I'm so furious.
Megan:What?
Megan:Like you just lost a kid and now you're like not even acknowledging your other one that's still right there in front of you.
Megan:Like...
Steph: And it's all your fault.
Steph: I was so angry.
Megan: It's so bad.
Megan:You feel so bad for Addison.
Megan:You're like, this makes sense why you have issues.
Megan:This tracks.
Steph: This tracks.
Steph: And it also, I was like, this is also why like Johanna, like from all the books in the series, she is like the perfect like mother-in-law, you know, like she's so supportive.
Steph: She's so sweet and kind.
Steph: And I'm just like, oh, you're finally gonna get one.
Steph: Like you're finally gonna get a good mom figure in your life, which I feel like everyone needs at least one.
Steph: All right.
Steph: But it's time to say yes to the dress.
Steph: And Cozy, Dakota, Trista, and Johanna all go with Addison, who's in the bridal store.
Steph: And Addison is not comfortable being there, right?
Steph: Like she is not a frilly dress girl.
Megan: She's like, mm.
Steph: And it doesn't help.
Steph: Like I think when they got started, one of the first salesperson that was gonna help them, when they found out like the timeline, she was like, oh, I don't know if I have anything in like this in your side.
Steph: And Cozy was like, come with me, bitch.
Steph: I will take care of this shit.
Steph: But she does end up finding a dress that she loves.
Steph: Then they decide to go out to dinner and an evening of bar hopping, because why not?
Megan:Not.
Steph: Why not?
Steph: So by the time Max and Luke come to pick up the girls, all of them are drunk, minus Addison, who's only tipsy, because as Megan just said, she works on controlling her alcohol consumption.
Steph: Back at the cabin, Addison confesses to Luke that the girls got her lingerie as a gift.
Megan:Yeah.
Steph: And she thinks it's funny, because the girls don't know that her and Luke have only kissed.
Steph: Which then leads Luke to declare that the kiss at the courthouse didn't count, because it wasn't intentional.
Steph: And Addison's like, huh?
Steph: He's like, you will know it when I kiss you.
Steph: And I was like, oh God.
Steph: Like another thing that you will know.
Steph: I mean, show me.
Megan:You will know when I kiss you.
Steph: Right?
Steph: And she's like, well, do it then.
Steph: And then he kisses the hell out of her.
Steph: And I'm like, oh my God.
Megan: Uh-huh.
Steph: It's getting there.
Steph: No, and then he stops.
Steph: Cause he knows they need to take things slow.
Steph: And I'm like, no, they want more.
Steph: We want more.
Megan: And then Rufus wants more.
Steph: Rufus wants more.
Steph: Especially Addison, who breaks her vibrator later, trying to satisfy her pent up sexual frustration.
Steph: Because no amount of orgasms can fulfill her needs.
Steph: And all I thought was...
Megan: Girl.
Steph: Girl.
Steph: We need more than one, first of all.
Megan: Yeah, right.
Steph: But also...
Megan: Have a backup plan.
Steph: How do you break a vibrator?
Steph: Yeah.
Steph: Like I know it could die and like just not reach her, but...
Megan: Yeah.
Steph: Oh, that is some pent up frustration.
Steph: So since this infamous hot kiss, Addison has decided the mature thing to do would be to avoid Luke.
Megan: Of course, very mature.
Steph: Of course, very mature.
Steph: She's still cooking dinner for both of them, but she chooses to like eat in her room.
Steph: Like I don't want to be basically alone with you.
Steph: I don't trust myself.
Steph: And it's driving Luke insane because he needs her to fall in love with him.
Steph: How does that happen if she won't talk to him or be in the same room for more than a few minutes?
Megan: Yeah.
Steph: So he finally calls her out on the weirdness and asked to hang out with her.
Steph: And that leads to them both admitting that they missed the other one.
Steph: I'm like, oh great.
Steph: We're going to play grown-ups now.
Steph: Right.
Megan: About time.
Megan: So spending the evening together now leads to Addison sharing more about like her insomnia and Luke finally telling her about what happened when his dad died.
Megan: So this is the part where I legit lost my shit.
Megan: Like I was like bawling.
Megan: Because I was not emotionally prepared at all to read Luke doing CPR on his dad.
Megan: So his dad had a heart attack.
Megan: Literally, Luke is the one like doing the chest compressions on the mountain.
Megan: And it's like, it's just terrible.
Megan: Like he's like, I have to get him to the hospital.
Megan: Like no ambulance didn't get here in time.
Megan: He feels responsible for like, maybe I should have stayed and like done more compressions.
Megan: Like maybe he would have lived.
Megan: It's bad.
Megan: It's traumatizing.
Steph: Yeah.
Megan: And if like losing his dad like wasn't hard enough, Addison disappeared when it happened and he felt completely alone.
Megan: And not like a to be fair moment, but like she didn't know how to be his friend in that moment.
Megan: She was just like, she had, you know, lost a brother and like had her mommy issues and she was, you know, really close to Luke.
Megan: And she was like, I don't know what to do.
Megan: And so she just like retreated, which was not the right move clearly.
Megan: But she tries to kind of make amends about this and shares with him that she has a voicemail saved to her phone from Luke's dad.
Megan: And again, now this is where I'm convinced Amy Daws is trying to emotionally destroy us with this.
Megan: And yeah, the voicemail is a good voicemail.
Megan: And honestly, I literally cried so hard because I still have voicemails from my dad who passed recently.
Megan: And so listening to his voice is sad.
Megan: So when-
Steph: That's immediately what I thought of when I read it, as I thought of you.
Megan: Yeah, yeah.
Megan: Oh boy.
Megan: Amy Daws, why are you doing this to us?
Steph: Right?
Steph: I wasn't-
Steph: I think that's the part that was so surprising is I-
Steph: her books, especially the series, right?
Steph: With their dad being dad has had emotional heartstrings, but this one, she gets you really, really good.
Steph: Like a couple of different times with different things.
Steph: And I'm just like, I did not expect both.
Steph: I did not expect both of them to have so much emotional trauma.
Megan: Yeah, seriously.
Megan: Sorry.
Megan: So basically that voicemail was hard for both of them to listen to.
Megan: And then to top it off, of course, like Addison apologizes then for like not being there for Luke after his father died, and explains again how like it was very triggering for her, brought up feelings for her when she lost her brother.
Megan: And she admits now like she's like, I've been thinking about you all the time.
Megan: And he admits to doing the same, but he doesn't kiss her.
Megan: I'm like, mm.
Megan: I'm like also like, okay, maybe that wasn't the moment, but like it could have been like, you guys are definitely sharing something special here.
Megan: But he's like, I don't want to kiss her again until he knows it's gonna be forever.
Megan: It's like, damn it.
Steph: Damn it, Luke.
Steph: Like you're such a good guy.
Megan: You're such a good guy, like damn it.
Megan: And it turns out this evening now ends with the two of them falling asleep on the couch, getting little cuddles in.
Megan: And Addison actually gets really good sleep for once, because remember she normally has insomnia.
Megan: But things take an interesting turn here.
Megan: When Luke dry humps her in his sleep, and I'm like, what?
Megan: What?
Megan: And then he proceeds to, you know, he's sleeping and he's like dreaming.
Megan: He just like reaches around and just like, you know, touching and then like not realizing that he starts to finger fuck her through her shorts while he's asleep.
Megan: Like he is actually asleep.
Megan: He's not pretending to be asleep and like trying to get away with it.
Steph: I guess what I thought at first, I was like, is he pretending to be asleep and seeing like how this is gonna go?
Megan: But she is, because she is very much awake and is very much enjoying every single second of it.
Megan: But she's like, I need to pretend I'm asleep, because he does finally wake up and like kind of realize what happened.
Megan: And he's just like horrified.
Megan: He's like, oh my God, what did I just do in my sleep?
Megan: But she's like, pretend I'm asleep now and just, you know, acting nothing's weird.
Megan: And he tries very hard to get out of that situation now without waking her up.
Megan: And he feels horrible about it, but not horrible enough so that when he is walking down the hallway and sees her underwear on the ground and seeing it's wet, he's like, oh my god.
Megan: Oh my god.
Megan: She liked it.
Megan: She liked it.
Megan: He steals her underwear and he ends up masturbating with it, like rubbing it on his cock.
Megan: And you're like, oh damn, Luke.
Megan: Honey, boy, you got dirty.
Megan: And I liked it.
Steph: I did like it.
Steph: And he liked it.
Megan: He liked it.
Megan: But then he's like, oh my god, what have I done?
Megan: And he's like, I need to dispose this evidence.
Megan: And he throws it in the fireplace on the fire.
Megan: He's like, I hope that wasn't expensive underwear.
Steph: Oh, I just, all I thought it was, do you have gas logs?
Steph: Cause if what happens to that, they probably don't.
Steph: They probably have like, in my house we have gas logs.
Steph: And I was like, that's just gonna melt.
Steph: Like, so a few nights later, Luke wakes up to Addison baking bread late at night once again and suggests that she's sleep with him.
Steph: Just like physically.
Megan: Oh, oh, boo.
Steph: Which, but kind of one bed.
Megan: Kind of, I think it's a one bed trope.
Megan: I think that counts.
Steph: I think so.
Steph: We'll count it.
Steph: And that's where she starts to spend them every single night.
Steph: And we also learn that Addison's dad hates Luke because he caught Luke checking her out the first time he stopped by the lumber yard.
Steph: I'm like, I mean, she's a beautiful woman.
Megan: I'm just kind of like at this point, like, okay, daddy, pick one.
Megan: Like either you want your daughter to like have a relationship, or you don't, and she gets to run the lumber yard.
Steph: Like, yeah, right?
Megan: Come on.
Steph: But her dad stops by later to poke the bear because he's mean with potential buyers to the lumber yard and refuses to let Addison come.
Steph: And I'm just like, ooh.
Megan: Ooh, that was so rude.
Steph: That was so rude.
Steph: And then Addison gets emotional about how her dad's treating her, causing him to call her too soft to run the lumber yard.
Steph: And I was like, why do men think women having emotions makes them too soft to lead?
Steph: Just to be clear, I've seen many men have tantrums, sometimes on the internet, and they're okay to be leaders.
Steph: They're not, but we continue to elect them.
Steph: Not you and I, but others.
Megan: It's like, okay, so we're allowed to be humans.
Megan: We're allowed to have emotions, but there are good ones and bad ones to have.
Steph: Also, and she's been great at her job.
Megan: Yeah, she's been kicking ass.
Megan: You're the one going around saying she has to marry someone.
Megan: I'm like, oh my God, please.
Steph: I know.
Megan: So dumb.
Steph: So meanwhile, the guys have concocted a plan to do a group date to help Luke with Addison, because then they'll have to pretend to be in love in front of everyone else.
Steph: And it starts to work, because Addison ends up on his lap, kissing him at one point, and then out of nowhere, fucking Robin walks in, and I lost it.
Steph: That dirty scoundrel.
Steph: Right?
Steph: I did not expect her to show up in the book, minus in the very beginning.
Steph: And she is more bitchy than I could have ever imagined.
Steph: So she is well done for a villain perspective.
Steph: Cozy, Trista, and Dakota lose their shit when they see Robin, because they know the Robin story.
Steph: Addison doesn't.
Steph: Addison's like, who is this woman?
Steph: She starts to lose her shit when she learns about what happens with Robin, and it starts to change her opinion of Luke, because she's like, what kind of man fucks the same woman that his brothers are?
Steph: And I'm like, well, in his defense, he didn't know.
Steph: And then she sees Robin talking to Luke and assumes that Robin wants Luke back and vice versa.
Steph: To make matters worse, Luke finds out that Robin and her husband, Matt, who's also a horrible person, had lunch with Addison's dad, and he's not put together at this point.
Steph: And I was like, oh, my God, they're going to buy the lumberyard.
Steph: And I was just like, oh, and Robin and Matt have an open marriage.
Steph: So Robin's like, I mean, we could go have a sex look if you want.
Steph: Her husband, my husband just likes to watch.
Steph: And I'm like, okay, let me get this straight.
Steph: To each his own, right?
Megan: Let's be real, like, Calder and Dakota, sex clubs.
Steph: Yeah, I'm like totally full, cool with whatever you want to do.
Megan: Okay.
Steph: Okay.
Steph: However.
Megan: But Robin.
Steph: But Robin.
Steph: It's that it's Robin, and she's like a horrible person and clearly has not changed.
Megan: Yeah.
Steph: Like, ugh.
Megan: Like, you ruined these guys' lives, almost ruined, like, literally their brotherhood.
Steph: Exactly, and you didn't care.
Megan: Yeah, so I was like, no, don't ask me to participate in some sexy escapade.
Megan: No, like...
Steph: No.
Steph: Also, why you're...
Megan: If she had approached it later, like, if that's why it had started, of like, hey, my husband and I are in an open marriage, we want you to join in and, like, experiment stuff with us, like, before, and, like, and not include anyone else, like, not the other brothers, like...
Steph: That would have been different.
Megan: Sure, fine.
Megan: Like, you're a grown adult, you can do that, whatever.
Megan: But not after all this trauma has happened, like, that's just...
Steph: No, and not when you're trying to buy the lumber yard that they all use.
Steph: Like...
Megan: Yeah, like, no.
Steph: Vindictive much?
Megan: Right?
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: Not gonna happen, bitch.
Megan: Next.
Megan: Bye-bye.
Megan: So that is when our girl Addison marches right over to Luke and Robin, making it very clear that Robin needs to back the fuck off of her man.
Megan: And I'm like, yes, go Addison.
Megan: But Robin tries to provoke Addison about her having Luke first.
Megan: And it is a full on girl fight, which I'm like, I'll put money on Addison any day.
Steph: I would too.
Megan: Hell yeah.
Megan: And Addison's even like, oh, hold my earrings, let's go.
Megan: And Luke is literally lunging at Matt at this point when he tries to touch Addison.
Megan: : And then Judy walks in and makes them both leave to cool down because Judy's like, not in my place of business, hell no.
Megan: And I'm like, that's right, Judy.
Megan: You pull everybody by the ear and you kick them out into the snow.
Megan: And Addison is pissed and declares that she is walking the two miles back to the cabin.
Steph: I would never be that angry.
Megan: No, I would not.
Megan: No.
Megan: And during this freezing cold walk, Luke follows her and it's like, oh, that's really sweet.
Megan: And Addison is of course angry about Luke not telling her that he slept with Robin and then Robin was hitting on him while he is married because, you know, technically he is married.
Megan: And then Luke finally shares how he's terrified of losing her all the time because he's like, you know what, you freaked out after our kiss, you're still keeping your apartment in Boulder, and it's like, I'm just worried I'm going to lose you.
Megan: And she's like, this is all fake anyway, like none of it matters.
Megan: And that just sets Luke off.
Megan: He is hurt so bad that he's just like, fuck it, I have nothing left to lose now.
Megan: And he finally shares with her that he hates feeling like he means nothing to her, that he's only her friend, like he wants more.
Megan: And Addison's like, do you want this marriage to be real?
Megan: And he's just like, the fact that you even have to ask that proves how big a fucking wall you still have up between us.
Megan: And then he makes Addison just get in Wyatt's truck, and he walks the rest of the way home, which, oh boy, yeah.
Steph: That took a turn.
Megan: Yeah, that took a turn, that took a turn.
Megan: So the next day Addison learns from Dakota that Luke and Calder are out fighting a fire because they're volunteer firemen, which is really hot, really sexy.
Megan: Love that.
Megan: I'll take that, please.
Megan: And that causes her to freak out because he didn't even tell her about it.
Megan: So she's like, what the fuck is happening?
Megan: What's going on between us?
Megan: And the way that she also clears her head is she goes for runs.
Megan: So she's out going for a run in the woods, but doesn't have anything properly on her.
Megan: And she comes back to the house, she's soaking wet, she's freezing.
Megan: And she finds Luke there finally, and he's losing his shit because he couldn't find her.
Megan: He's like, where the fuck have you been?
Megan: She's like, I went for a run.
Megan: You were fighting fires.
Megan: Communicate, guys.
Megan: Communicate.
Steph: Send a text.
Megan: Send a text, leave a note.
Megan: I don't know.
Megan: Send the cock out to tell everybody what's going on.
Steph: Ripley's in charge.
Steph: Cock-a-lip.
Megan: I don't know.
Steph: Oh my God.
Megan: Oh boy.
Megan: It's like instead of messenger pigeons, it's messenger cocks.
Steph: It might work.
Megan: I know.
Steph: Maybe for now.
Megan: Okay.
Megan: Okay.
Megan: So finally this admits to the, finally it gets both of them to admit and get their heads out of their asses that they want to be more than friends, finally.
Megan: All it took was a ton of pushing and running and firefighting and shit.
Steph: And almost dying.
Megan: Almost dying.
Megan: To be like, yeah, okay, I do want to be more than friends.
Megan: Like about damn time.
Steph: So Luke is like, you need to get warm.
Steph: You're freezing.
Steph: He gets her in the shower.
Steph: We get our first real spicy scene in the book where they both wash each other.
Steph: And then Luke finger fucks her in the shower, followed by them finally having sex.
Steph: Then they get snowed in and we get more sex.
Steph: So we went from nothing to a lot very quickly.
Steph: Oh yeah.
Steph: Addison is going down on Luke in the shower.
Steph: There's sex on the kitchen counter, which we're hoping they wash afterwards.
Megan: Oh yeah.
Megan: I mean, when you're making bread, you use the counter.
Megan: So you got to make sure that's a clean surface, please.
Steph: So after playing the snow with the rest of the family, Luke wants to know if their wedding in the couple of weeks is fact or fiction, because there's this whole fact or fiction thing throughout the book.
Steph: Unfortunately, Addison is like, I need more time.
Steph: But she does mention asking Cozy, Dakota, and Trista to be bridesmaids in the wedding and having Stevie and Ethan as the flower girl and ring bearer.
Steph: And I'm like, you send the most mixed message in the entire world.
Megan: Seriously.
Megan: Like, I need more time to figure out if this is real, but I love your family and want them included in our wedding and blah, blah, blah.
Megan: And you're like, wait, what?
Steph: I know.
Steph: Confused.
Steph: He's like a saint, honestly, for kind of like being there for her while she tries to process like what this could mean.
Megan: So then Everly gets back in town, our favorite matchmaker, and she's like, all right, guys, what's going on?
Megan: Rolls up her sleeves, you know, meets up with the boys at the mercantile.
Megan: And she is very concerned about the status of Luke and Addison's relationship because they have not exchanged.
Megan: I love yous yet.
Megan: And she's just like, what the hell?
Megan: Like, this should be further along than it already is.
Megan: And Judy then shares with the guys that Robin and Matt, ew, boo, are planning to buy the lumberyard and might be doing it to purposefully piss off the Fletcher family.
Megan: And oh boy, oh boy, Luke then heads straight over to John's house to confront him about selling the lumberyard out from underneath Addison to Robin and Matt.
Megan: And Luke tries to explain why doing this is a terrible idea, obviously, and how it would just negatively impact Addison, being like, you don't understand, like, if you sell it to these people, she will be miserable.
Megan: And like, she will, like everything, if you love your daughter, don't do this.
Steph: Yep.
Megan: And he just like unloads on him about like not believing in Addison and not seeing the wonderful person that she really is.
Megan: And he finally confesses like their marriage for him is real.
Megan: And it's like, if Addison doesn't feel the same, like he's like, I don't care.
Megan: Like I'll be whatever she needs me to be because that's how much I love her.
Megan: Like I'm in this for her.
Megan: Like if she wants us to be fake and she wants to get a divorce in a year, like I don't give a shit.
Megan: Like I'm going to treat her like she's my real wife.
Megan: And then John shares that the whole fact or fiction thing that the two of them do with each other is actually something that Addison and her little brother Aaron used to do.
Megan: He's like, did you even know that that was like Aaron's one that started that?
Megan: And he's like, I had no idea.
Megan: And her dad then shares like Addison loves Luke, even if she's not saying it because like just playing that game and doing that.
Megan: And like she loves you.
Megan: She's not gonna say it, but she loves you.
Steph: So Luke leaves there and is determined to tell Addison about Robin and Matt buying the lumberyard, but he doesn't get around to it.
Steph: Instead, he goes down on her and then fucks her, which I mean.
Steph: Priorities.
Steph: Priorities.
Steph: Yeah, like priorities.
Megan: It's okay, it's okay.
Steph: So now it's wedding time and a lot happens.
Steph: So Addison realizes that she's in love with Luke, but she's not told him yet.
Steph: And she's even like starting to think about what their kids might look like.
Steph: We have escalated very quickly, which I'm like, girl.
Steph: And then Luke surprisingly starts freaking out because he's seeing how much effort his family has put into this wedding, especially since like Calder made like this custom pergola for them.
Steph: And so after the rehearsal, Luke goes to the barn and tells his brothers that he needs to confess everything to Addison before they walk down the aisle tomorrow.
Steph: And of course Addison overhears all of it and is furious about Luke keeping the news about Robin buying the lumberyard a secret, that some of his family knew about their marriage and why, and that he's had feelings for her for years.
Steph: And then Addison blurts out that she's going to divorce the man she's in love with.
Steph: And I'm like, that's how we tell Luke we're in love with him the first time?
Steph: Like, I feel like we just keep kicking the puppy.
Megan: But no wrong time.
Megan: I'm like, this is the right thing to say at the wrong time.
Megan: Can't get it planned out.
Steph: So Addison tries to leave the mountain, but Luke won't let her.
Steph: And then Tristan and Dakota find out what's going on and they're pissed at all the guys for keeping the secrets and being involved in this bullshit.
Steph: So then they make all the men sleep in the barn.
Megan: Which I love.
Megan: The barn is the dog house.
Steph: I'm like, go sleep in the barn.
Steph: It is literally the dog house.
Steph: And Addison can't sleep because she feels horrible because she was originally planning to tell Luke that she loved him that night and thought their wedding day would be the best day of her life.
Steph: And now I'm like heartbroken for her too.
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: Can we just get on the same timeline, guys?
Megan: Come on.
Megan: Let's just stop this crazy shenanigans.
Megan: So Addison ends up texting Luke because she can't just verbalize things.
Megan: And she's like, I need you to lie next to me in bed because I can't go to sleep.
Megan: So I need to sleep.
Megan: And she's like, but don't touch me.
Megan: So she's like, come sleep next to me, but don't touch me.
Megan: And she's like, I want us to go through the wedding since everyone put in so much time and effort.
Megan: She's like, and then we're just going to go back to being friends.
Megan: And he's like, okay.
Megan: But before the wedding now, Addison confronts her dad about selling the lumberyard.
Megan: Even though she's married, she's like, hello, I fulfilled your requirement.
Megan: I got married.
Megan: What the fuck?
Megan: And then he apologizes.
Megan: He's done some growth.
Megan: Okay.
Megan: Because he was scared that only the lumberyard would just be too much for her.
Megan: And it's like, okay, slightly a healing moment.
Megan: He still has more to go.
Megan: He's like, I just wanted you to have someone to fall back on because this is going to be really hard.
Megan: And so he's like, I'm thinking of you, like, cause I love you.
Megan: And it's like, you guys need to go to therapy, I think.
Steph: Yes, a lot of therapy.
Steph: Together and alone.
Megan: Yes.
Megan: So, you know, kind of a healing moment for them.
Megan: And then the wedding starts and it's gorgeous.
Megan: It's beautiful.
Megan: It's like a winter wonderland.
Megan: And Addison is walking down the aisle and Luke starts crying.
Megan: And you know, it's good when the groom starts crying, you're like, oh, oh boy.
Megan: And Addison surprises the officiant and Luke by asking to do their own vows.
Megan: And you're like, oh, oh, okay.
Megan: And she says again that she loves him and she wants to build a life with him.
Megan: And he says the same.
Megan: And then they really, really get married.
Megan: And just so cute.
Megan: And then Addison's dad does turn down the offer from Robin and Matt to buy the lumber yards were like, yay, good, good, good.
Megan: Everything's going well.
Megan: So the next day, Addison brings Luke to the cemetery to place flowers from the wedding and to officially introduce Luke to Aaron, which is so touching.
Megan: Like, yeah.
Megan: Oh, and her dad also shows up, which is a really big step for him because he has not gone with her ever in the past.
Megan: And like, yeah, he's even been there like since the burial.
Megan: He's just like, I haven't been here.
Megan: So it's a very healing moment for everybody at that point.
Megan: So then we get our epilogue and we learn that Luke and Addison are pregnant, but they did unfortunately suffer a miscarriage prior.
Megan: So they're like trying to like get through like the loss of that and like being excited for the new baby.
Megan: And Addison is determined to be the best mom ever once the baby arrives, which you're so happy for her because like she didn't have a mom.
Megan: She never thought she'd be a mom and like, she's working her way through it.
Megan: And now Max and Cozy are building a house on Fletcher Mountain with a mother-in-law suite for Johanna to have for herself.
Megan: So like everybody is coming together on Fletcher Mountain.
Megan: The family is growing.
Megan: And then we'll even get a little tiny snippet into the next book, which is going to have Everly.
Megan: And oh my God, we need more.
Steph: Give it to me now.
Megan: I need more.
Steph: Give it to me.
Megan: Especially the Ireland part.
Megan: I'm like, is this going to be in Ireland?
Megan: Are you going to bring them back to Fletcher Mountain?
Steph: I think so.
Megan: I want to know.
Megan: That's what I think.
Megan: We'll see.
Megan: I loved it.
Steph: I did too.
Steph: So good.
Steph: Okay, hot and steamy.
Steph: Three and a half?
Steph: Four?
Steph: What do we think?
Megan: I'd give it a three and a half.
Steph: That's what I was thinking too.
Steph: Because we get like what?
Megan: It's too slow of a burn.
Megan: Needed more.
Steph: I know that's the one thing about, I feel like, friends to lovers, is that it has to be a slow burn.
Steph: It does.
Steph: It really does.
Steph: Same with enemies to lovers.
Steph: It has to be a slow burn unless you're getting hate fucking, which we also like.
Steph: Okay.
Steph: But starting with chapter 22, this is when she breaks her vibrator.
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: That's so funny.
Steph: Because she is literally thinking about Luke.
Steph: She's like, Luke, don't stop.
Steph: Luke, I'm going to.
Steph: And then her vibrator cuts out and she rams it against my flesh in the hope it'll somehow be revived by my impending orgasm.
Steph: And I was like, were you thinking it's gonna send like jolts of electricity into your vibrator?
Steph: Oh, unfortunately, my climax isn't some sort of mythical power source.
Steph: So I pulled out from under me to confirm what I fear.
Steph: It's completely dead.
Steph: And I thought two things, one, that is extremely relatable.
Steph: The part about dying in the middle of something.
Steph: But then two.
Steph: No, no, no, no, no.
Megan: Shit.
Steph: And then the other part that I thought was hilarious was that like she thought, you know, her orgasm would be so powerful thinking about Luke, that it could jolt the vibrator back to life.
Steph: That's pretty hilarious.
Megan: Just will it?
Steph: I don't know.
Megan: No, damn.
Megan: No, nothing worse.
Megan: Nothing worse, honestly.
Megan: You're like, where's my backup?
Megan: And your backup's dead too, and you're like, fuck.
Megan: You need new batteries.
Steph: Yeah.
Megan: So let me get Chapter 25, where Luke dry humps and then finger fucks, little finger fuckery, Addison while he's asleep, and then Luke masturbates using her underwear.
Megan: Oh my.
Megan: So, the dampness of my panties soaks through my shorts, probably coating his fingers.
Megan: And the idea of that, the obscene image of my wetness on his big thick fingers as he finger fucks me through my shorts, causes an ache to roar through me.
Megan: And I let out a raspy cry.
Megan: I don't know how much more of this I can take.
Megan: I need him to fuck me.
Megan: I need to feel the pain of his size pushing inside me.
Megan: He has to be awake by now, right?
Megan: Nope.
Megan: And now he's in the shower, because now he is awake.
Megan: And he's just like, fuck.
Steph: Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Megan: I groan, dropping my chin to my chest, my abs clenching as I picture her wet pussy lips dripping with arousal for me.
Megan: She got herself soaking wet in these lacy blue panties for me.
Megan: Oh God, I grunt, feeling my climax crest quicker than I ever imagined.
Megan: And I hunch over and cover my tip with the fabric, blowing my hot load into it.
Megan: And then he throws them in the fire.
Steph: Fire?
Steph: That's like the best part.
Steph: He's just like, hot potato.
Megan: Yeah, he's like, oh my God, what did I do?
Steph: What did I do?
Megan: Destroy the evidence.
Steph: Okay, so chapter 31 is when we finally get a real spicy scene where he finger fucks her in the shower and then he fucks her in bed.
Steph: And we're at the end of the bed part.
Steph: And this is in his POV, because he says, fuck, this is not helping, starve off the release, building at the base of my spine.
Steph: And she goes, don't stop, I'm close.
Steph: She gasps with each word as I pound into her, our bodies slick with sweat, breath hot in each other's faces.
Steph: Her back arches as her core fists my dick so hard, barreling my release forward.
Steph: Yes, Luke, she cries.
Steph: And it's my name on her lips that does me.
Steph: And I'm like, oh, oh, that's all it takes?
Steph: Or some blue laced underwear?
Megan: Yes, exactly.
Megan: Or lack of underwear, of course.
Megan: So we have chapter 32 where Luke and Addison have sex again.
Megan: And he just starts off by saying, you know the best way to spend a snow day?
Megan: Yes.
Megan: His mouth open and panting, his brows furrowed as he watches me take him inside of me.
Megan: And I shake my head, moving my hand to my clit, rubbing slow circles over myself and moaning greedily.
Megan: I'm about to show you.
Megan: He grips my hips and thrusts hard up inside of me, causing me to fold over and brace myself on the mattress by his face.
Megan: My body is electrified by the sharp white intrusion inside of me, his bare cock like a salve to my aching center.
Megan: I'm going to fuck you so good that by the time I'm done with you, you're going to miss the feel of me inside of you.
Megan: You hear me?
Megan: And I press a lazy kiss to his lips and murmur, prove it, Fletcher.
Steph: Promises, promises.
Megan: Oh, I love that.
Megan: I did, too.
Megan: So fucking good.
Megan: And then we get the mentions of Addison going down on Luke in the shower and then sex on the kitchen counter.
Megan: We want more.
Steph: Want more, always.
Megan: Want more, always.
Steph: Chapter 38, Luke goes down on Addison and fucks her.
Steph: I really like you in my hat.
Steph: And then he looks her.
Steph: I hiss at the direct contact and buck against his whiskered face as he pays extra attention to my clit.
Steph: And I was just like, oh God, what is it with facial hair?
Steph: As he holds me in place and licks and tongues my sex, driving me wild as I comb my fingers into his shaggy hair.
Steph: He brings a finger out, pushes it inside of me, groaning over how soaked I am as he fucks me with it in and out, in and out.
Steph: And I'm just like, thank you, Amy Daws.
Steph: Thank you.
Megan: I mean, does that constitute as like lumberjack sex?
Megan: I mean, I think so.
Megan: I think if that was part of the competition, he would win that.
Steph: He would win.
Steph: Yes, if orgasms were part of the competition, he would top notch.
Megan: He split me open like a good girl.
Steph: I think he did.
Megan: I think he did.
Steph: I think he did.
Steph: Okay, in terms of what's next, if you enjoyed this book, you'll also love pretty much every book Amy Daws has written.
Steph: Highly recommend checking out the other books of the Fletcher boys if you haven't.
Steph: Last on the list, Nine Month Contract, Seven Year Itch.
Steph: Plus we cannot wait.
Steph: We've said this like, I think, three times now.
Steph: For Everly's book, Bad Boy Era to come out in May, cannot wait.
Megan: Oh, that title is so good.
Megan: Bad Boy Era.
Steph: I know.
Megan: Please.
Steph: Yes.
Steph: If you want some more fake dating, arranged marriage or marriage of convenience, Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren, Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn, Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde.
Steph: Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton are all good options.
Steph: If you want another small town romance, I highly recommend all four books in the Wild Bluffs series by Emma Kate, Happily Never After by Paisley Nash, and Story of My Life by Lucy Score.
Megan: Really good options.
Megan: Really, really good.
Megan: We need some more lumberjacks though.
Steph: We got to find some more lumberjack stuff.
Steph: And we've not done firefighters either.
Steph: I feel like we need like a firefighter book next year.
Megan: Something hot and steamy for sure.
Megan: But then join us next week when we dive into the world of romantasy and discuss the sixth book in the Thrall series Freed by K.A. Riley.
Megan: It is amazing.
Megan: Cannot wait for you guys to join us on that one.
Megan: And happy reading everybody.
Steph: Happy reading.
Steph: Thanks for listening to Late Night Reads.
Steph: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook at Late Night Reads Podcast.
Steph: And check out latenightreads.com for even more information about all the books we're reading.
Steph: If you love today's episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review our podcast.
Steph: And share the show with your fellow book lovers.
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