Restoring Romance
Page 11
“She refused to tell me anything. She couldn’t break her promise.”
Ash let her eyes close, breathing her relief.
“However,” he continued, “she did answer yes and no to quite a few questions.”
Ash hadn’t cursed since she was a teenager, but a few choice words came to mind.
“And all this...” She waved at the black wall and the pink-lettered door. “All this is a result of your little chat with Maggie?”
He crossed his arms, a familiar frown returning to his face.
“All this is my way of saying you don’t need to go back to New York City.”
“Adam, you probably don’t know as much as you think you know.”
“Really?” His arms fell to his sides and he rounded in front of her on the porch, moving like a stalking cat until he trapped her against the wall, which fortunately, hadn’t been painted black. “I’ll tell you what I know. I know you came here with a dream of opening a restaurant. I know you worked hard to get where you are, and you deserve to be happy. I know somewhere along the way you got the mistaken notion that your dream was in direct opposition to mine.”
He paused, lifting a single eyebrow. “Well, am I right, so far?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I also know you think we’re cousins, and we’re not.” His smile returned—smug, this time.
“I know we’re not really cousins.” She put her hands on her hips, returning a satisfied smile. “You’re adopted.”
Ha! That surprised him!
His eyes narrowed. “Wait... How long have you known?”
“Since Erin told me this morning.” Ash stuck her chin forward. “But you were still wrong.”
“I also know you were happy to find your family, and your family was happy to find you. Everyone in the family loves you and wants you to stay. And—”
“Wait!” Ash couldn’t handle any more. It hurt too much. Knowing Adam only wanted her to stay because she was part of their family was almost more excruciating than if he’d told her he hated her with every fiber of his being. She wanted more, and she had to accept that he could never give it. “The point is you don’t have to do this, Adam. I don’t have to open a restaurant here. I’ll be fine working in New York, and eventually I’ll have my own place. I know the family loves me, and I love them back. I’ll be happy if I leave Romance.” Someday... Hopefully.
Adam stepped back like she’d slapped him in the face. He blinked rapidly, swallowing hard as both hands rose up to grasp at his hair. “Do you really mean that? Would you be happier in New York?” His mouth twisted. “Because, I thought maybe...”
“What?” She panted shallow breaths, barely daring to hope. “What did you think?”
His hooded eyes found hers and connected, pulling at her like a magnet. In a flash his hands were on the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. He bent down until their eyes were level. He was so close she could feel the heat radiating from his chest. “Ash... I like you a lot. And I thought maybe you liked me a little bit... even though you said you didn’t.”
She breathed in his scent—clean and male—and her heart sped up, hammering against her ribs.
“I do like you a little.”
His brows arched, and his dimples flashed. “Just a little?”
A grin fought its way onto her lips. “Okay, maybe a lot.”
“What if I told you I don’t want you to leave Romance?” The air from his lips tickled her skin.
Her hands rose of their own accord to rest against the hard planes of his chest. She felt his heartbeat, as rapid as her own. “But what about your dream, Adam?”
“Ash...” His lips brushed against hers, a gentle tease that left her hungry for more. “You are my dream.”
She wanted to believe him... she truly did. Especially since she wanted him to kiss her—to really kiss her. But she knew Adam was the kind of man who would sacrifice his own happiness for others. Wasn’t that why he started painting the house black and pink just to make her happy? “I thought you wanted to have a home for kids.”
“Oh, I do want a home for kids.” His mouth caressed hers, just for a tantalizing instant. “Our home—you and me.” Another peck. “Our ranch, in the country.” The briefest of kisses. “Our kids.”
She made a futile attempt to push him away. “I can’t think when you’re kissing me.”
“Compared to kissing, thinking is highly overrated.”
For an instant, he flashed a teasing smile, and then his lips were touching hers again. Harder. Seeking more. His fingers traced a fiery path along her jawline and buried in her hair, crushing her face against his. Her limbs trembled as he deepened the kiss.
When his mouth pulled away, he held her close, his forehead against hers.
“I will never hurt you, Ash,” he panted. “I promise you. Never.”
“I know.”
How can he be so demanding and yet so tender? So forceful and yet so sweet?
“Ash?” His lips nipped at hers, sending tingles down her neck.
“Yes?”
“I might want a lot of kids.” He raised his brows, an unspoken question.
“I’ll agree to have four.” When his face fell, she poked his ribs and grinned. “We’ll adopt the rest. Or foster. However many you want.”
In an instant his arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her against him and lifting her into the air. She squealed as he spun around, sending the earth spinning.
“Annalee Scott Hendrix... I love you!”
“I love you, too, Adam... uhhh... Hang on—I don’t know your middle name.”
“It’s—”
“Wait, let me guess. Your middle name must be Grumpy, right?”
“Very funny. Have you been talking to Teresa, at the laundromat?”
“Who’s Teresa?”
“Never mind. My middle name is actually Virile.”
“Or maybe Conceited or Deluded?”
“Could be Crazy, because you drove me there. Or Lucky, because you’re mine.”
“No, Lucky is the cat’s name.” She pushed back, studying his face, and he let her slide to the ground. “Weren’t you in the house with Lucky earlier? Why aren’t you having an allergy attack?”
“Antihistamines.”
“Oh.”
“That, and Kujo ate her.”
“What? Is Kujo in the house with her?” Ash strained her ears for the howling sound of her terrorized cat.
“Relax. Turns out they were friends at the shelter. Believe it or not, all that barking and screeching is a game. Last time I looked, they were curled up together in a sunny spot, sound asleep.”
“I guess that proves opposites really do attract.”
“What’s your proof? Kujo and Lucky? Or you and me?”
“I would say ‘you and me’, but in some ways we’re more alike than different.”
“Hmmm...” Adam cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know. You’re proud, stubborn and argumentative—pretty much the opposite of me.” Her elbow nailed him, and he gave an exaggerated grunt. “Maybe we should add violent to that list.”
“I guess we can eliminate Funny as your middle name, so tell me what it is.”
“Adam Carlton Walker. Carlton was my uncle’s name—our uncle’s name.”
“Okay, it’s still kind of weird that we have the same uncle. Are you positive it’s legal for us to be together?”
“It is.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I checked to be sure.”
“Adam Carlton Walker, can I tell you a secret?”
“I can’t wait.” He grinned, flashing those sexy dimples that made her knees go weak.
“I hate black and pink.” She touched the paint on his face, “But it looks good on you.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Anything else I should know?”
At his question, her mouth went bone dry. “Adam, there’s so much I haven’t told you about me—so much you don’t know. I’m damaged.”
<
br /> She tried to turn away, but he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her, as unyielding as chains.
“There’s only one thing I need to know about you, Ash... You’re not damaged—you’re beautiful.” His hand came up and caressed her face, as soft as a feather. “You’re the flower that grows from a crack in a rock. You’re the candle that burns even brighter in the dark. You’re selfless and caring. You’re generous and kind. For the first time, in a long time, I know what I want, and what I want is you.”
“How can you be certain you’ll never change your mind?”
“Because you’ve helped me find something I lost... something that’s been missing... something that’s been gone so long, I can’t even remember having it before.”
“What’s that?”
His sultry dark chocolate eyes gazed deep into her soul.
“My smile.”
As if to prove his point, his lips curved into one that took her breath away. Then he kissed her so thoroughly her heart stopped beating. But she didn’t mind... Compared to love, living is highly overrated.
A Note from the Author:
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR reading Restoring Romance, Ash and Adam’s story. If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment to leave a review and recommend it to your friends who enjoy sweet and clean romance. Look for more books in this series soon, and read about all three of Adam’s brothers as they find love in Romance, Oregon. Don’t miss the entire Fall Into Romance collection! Follow me on my website, (TamieDearen.com) for news of the latest releases and monthly prize drawings and get your free copy of Her Best Match—A Romantic Comedy.
Books by Tamie Dearen
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The Best is Yet to Come
Her Best Match
Best Dating Rules
Best Foot Forward
Best Laid Plans
Best Intentions
Sweet Romance
A Rose in Bloom
Christian Romance
Noelle’s Golden Christmas
Haley’s Hangdog Holiday
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