by Alexa Davis
“What’s that?” I gasped. My hand reached up to clutch my chest as I tried to figure out what I was staring at. “Who’s that for?”
“It’s for you,” he chuckled. “I brought it for you.” He shrugged. “It isn’t much but I just wanted to say thank you for all your help.”
“Do you not think the payment is enough for that?” I asked in total shock. This had absolutely knocked me sideways. “I don’t need anything else from you.”
“No.” He handed the box to me, forcing me to take it. My trembling fingers grasped it, but I couldn’t quite feel it. “Please take it. I just want you to have it.”
I didn’t break his eye contact as I brushed my fingers over the box. This looked like the sort of box that contained jewelry, which suggested that he’d been out to buy this specially for me. It was too much, I was absolutely touched. This just proved to me that it was something real and that Denise was wrong. Men didn’t buy jewelry without reasons, did they?
“Open it,” he encouraged me.
I slipped open the box and gasped at the beautiful bracelet inside. It was lovely, far too nice for someone like me, which brought tears to my eyes. I brushed one away before Adam could see it, but I thought he spotted it anyway.
“I can’t accept this,” I told him thickly, my voice laden with emotion. “It’s too much.”
“Oh, don’t be silly.” He pulled it out and wrapped it around my wrist. As he did, I felt my body pulse with excitement. “It looks great on you, I’m glad I got it.”
“Thank you,” I muttered while staring at it. “It’s gorgeous.”
I wanted to take it off because I felt bad for taking it, but I couldn’t. It was proof that he liked me, that I wasn’t crazy and in this alone. I couldn’t take my eyes off it the whole drive, which meant I barely focused on where we were going at all. I didn’t lift my eyes up until we finally reached our destination – a destination that stunned me.
“Where are we?” I asked Adam quietly. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, some more family, a restaurant, some friends, anything but this.
“It’s an orphanage,” he replied while opening the car door to let me out. I couldn’t move at first, this made me cold all over. It was a shock for a man like Adam to be in a place like this. What the hell did it mean? Did it mean that he knew more about me than I’d let on? “It’s where I volunteer and it’s time for me to cook Christmas dinner. Shall we go inside?”
“You volunteer?” I pushed myself out the car and followed him inside. He didn’t answer me, but it was instantly obvious from the way that all the children without parents surrounded him like he was an angel that he did. I couldn’t believe it. There was everyone else, including me I was ashamed to admit, thought that Adam was a lazy lay about, when he did all of this.
Did his family not know about this? Was that why they treated him like shit?
“Are you Adam’s girlfriend?” a small child asked while tugging on my dress, shaking me from my shocked coma. “He never brings a girl here!”
As soon as I saw the young girl, my chest swelled with love. With her blonde curly hair and bright blue eyes that looked a little bit lost, she reminded me of myself. I bent down onto my knees to level with her and stare into her eyes.
“I’m Adam’s friend,” I told her with a smile. “My name is Lindsey. How about you?”
“Rose,” she replied, a little shyer now. She was utterly adorable. “My name is Rose.”
“Right!” Adam’s booming voice called over the crowd, stopping everyone in our tracks. “I’m about to cook dinner, so who is going to help me?” A dozen hands popped up into the sky. “Good because I need some hands to help with the vegetable peeling. Rose, I have a special job for you. I want you to look after Lindsey. Can you please show her around the house? Let her see the place?” He gave me a smile and I nodded, happy. “Good, let’s go.”
Rose smiled up at me and took my hand. As she walked me from the room, I watched Adam for the last few seconds that I could see him, and he was in his element. It was clear that his qualifications and family expectations didn’t make him happy – this did. He’d learned to cook to help these kids eat, he lit up around him, and they all adored him.
There was so much more to Adam Britt than met the eye, and I really wanted to see all of that about it. He was full of layers, there was so much more to him than others could see, and I loved that he was slowly revealing himself to me. I was greedy for more. I just couldn’t wait to discover what else lay beneath that extremely handsome exterior.
***
I rubbed my full belly as I waved goodbye to the kids while Adam pulled the car away from the orphanage. I didn’t actually want to leave. I wanted to stay and spend even more time with the children who didn’t have anything but seemed to be the happiest alive. They lifted my spirits up tenfold and reminded me that nothing was as bad as it seemed. Certainly not in my life. I had lots going for me, even if it didn’t always feel that way.
“That was amazing,” I gushed to Adam. “Thank you so much for bringing me. I had the best time. The food was incredible, the kids are so cool. I loved it.”
“I knew you would,” he said with a bright smile. “And, I knew that the kids would love you too. Especially Rose. I think you have a fan for life there.”
I grinned happily at the thought of that sweet little angel. She was so kind to me. I recognized a lot of myself in her, which meant that we got on well. “Well, I’m glad. She’s awesome. So are the rest of the kids. And, they love you.”
Adam smiled happily as he drove along the streets. “Yeah well, they are why I do what I do. I don’t work because I dedicate so much of my time to that place. I’m just lucky enough that I can afford to do that. The kids need someone regular to be there all the time, they need that stability, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.”
I sat back in my seat and thought about Adam and the side that I’d seen of him today. He was different around those kids, brighter, more charismatic, happier. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Seeing that only intensified my feelings.
My hand ran across the chain on my wrist, and I really started to see things differently. Was it possible that something which had started out as a business arrangement could become something else? Something more? Bigger than I ever dared to dream? I felt certain that Denise’s warning didn’t mean anything anymore, so I wasn’t worried about that.
“Do you know what? I think it might be my turn to take you out for dinner tomorrow night,” I said with full confidence. “To repay you for everything that you’ve done for me.”
“What? Really?” Adam seemed genuinely stunned that I would want to spend extra time with him. For no money, of course. I didn’t want any more from him and there wasn’t anything that I could offer him financially. “You want to?”
“I do. I’ll even pick you up.”
“Wow, well how can I refuse an offer like that?” Adam looked even happier now. After all the shit that he had going on in his life, I wanted to be the one to make him happy. “That sounds great, thank you.”
“Make sure you wear something pretty,” I said in a teasing tone, reminding him of the way he spoke to me at first. “I need to be proud to be seen out with you.”
“Yeah alright, whatever.” He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter Nineteen
Adam
Sunday
I felt oddly nervous as I waited for Lindsey to come and pick me up for our first proper date without even a mention of payment to solidify it. After taking her to the orphanage and exposing a side of myself that even Max didn’t know about, I wasn’t sure how she’d react. The fact that she offered to take me out to thank me was a shock, but a nice one.
The only problem was she now had all of the control, and I liked that much less than I thought I would.
Come on, Adam, I thought with a sharp shake of my head. It was laughable how silly I was
being. Get it together. This is going to be fine.
I liked Lindsey a lot, and that made me anxious, but in a good way. I was jittery all over, nervous about what was going to happen next. Anything could happen.
Knock, knock.
My head snapped towards the door as I heard her soft knocking. I had a bell that she could have rung, but that would probably be too obnoxious for Lindsey. She was kind and delicate, sweet down to the very core.
“Coming!” I yelled as I walked towards the door. “One moment, I’m coming.”
As I swung open the door and I saw her standing there, my heart leapt up into my throat. Damn, she looked beautiful. It didn’t matter what she was wearing she looked absolutely stunning. I had the feeling that she would always give me butterflies.
“I’ve brought you flowers,” Lindsey said with a teasing smile as she handed me a small, mostly yellow bunch. They were sunny and sweet, just like her. “It might not be jewelry, but since I’m taking you out for a date, I didn’t want to turn up empty handed.”
I laughed loudly, loving the joke, and I took them from her. “I suppose I better go and get a vase for these. Do you want to come inside for a moment?”
I walked into the kitchen with her close behind me and I found a jar to put the flowers in for the time being. I loved that she’d done something so silly; it reminded me that she was fun to be around. I’d spent most of my life surrounded by miserable, manipulative people who always had an end game in mind. I didn’t know many people who were just fun and easy to be around. Apart from the kids at the orphanage of course. They were always happy to see me.
“Right.” I turned to give her a grin. “Shall we go? I don’t know what you have planned for tonight, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“I hope that you’re hungry,” she replied mysteriously. “Because I’m starving. I booked us a table at a café down the street. I know it isn’t fancy.” She held her hands up in a surrendering gesture. “But they do the best desserts that I’ve ever tasted in my life.”
I hadn’t eaten much out of nerves, so the mention of something delicious to eat literally made it growl loudly. “Well, I think that’s your answer.” I laughed and she joined in. “Shall we move? Do we need the car?”
“No, it’s just around the corner. I thought having somewhere in walking distance would be better. I hope that’s okay with you.”
Judging by the way she bit down on her bottom lip and her eyes twinkled with mischief I knew what she meant by that…and it was all good to me. She wanted to walk because maybe we’d have a couple of drinks, then maybe we’d end up at my place again. Sounded freaking perfect. I couldn’t stop smiling as I thought about it.
“Let’s do it.” I threw my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to me. “I’m looking forward to whatever you have planned for me.”
On the walk to the café that I hadn’t ever been to before, despite the fact that it really wasn’t far from my house, I didn’t stop laughing. Lindsey was hilarious. I hadn’t ever noticed that before. I’d been too busy getting myself all tied up in knots about my family. Now, we were freer to spend more time together in a much freer environment. And the more I got to know her, the more I liked about her. I was starting to suspect that she might actually be perfect.
“This is nice,” I told her as we stepped inside. “Quaint.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so it isn’t gourmet, but I do think you’ll like it.”
I didn’t care whether I liked it or not, I was just happy to be there with her. “I’m sure I will. If there’s one thing I love it’s ice cream and cake, and this place is full of it.”
We took our seats in one of the corner tables which had a surprising private feeling to it, and took out our menus. After ordering our food quickly, I stared up at Lindsey again, and I felt that amazing rush of happiness as our eyes locked together. She was special, and I felt like she made me that little bit more special, too. Especially yesterday. She was probably the only person in the whole damn world that thought I was good for what I did with the kids. My family would only look down on me, my friends wouldn’t understand…there was only her.
“So, yesterday went well, I think,” I said with a smile. “Like I said, the kids love you. Especially Rose.” The connection they shared seemed to run much deeper than I thought it would and I hoped I would get to find out why. “She loves you.”
“I like her, too.” She bit down on her bottom lip thoughtfully. I was so tempted to ask her what was going on in her brain but I waited patiently for her to come around. I was starting to think that Lindsey had many deep layers and needed her own time to peel them back to me. I didn’t mind waiting, she was more than worth it. “She reminds me of me.”
“She does?” I wasn’t sure how much to pry here so I sat back and forced my lips to remained sealed. My pulse raced, anxiety coiled, I felt all weird inside.
“Yes.” Lindsey looked down at her hands and twiddled with her fingers awkwardly . “I… I lost my parents, too.”
My heart stopped dead in my chest. I couldn’t believe it. All that I’d done was moan about my shitty relationship with my parents and poor Lindsey didn’t have any. I was a massive dick. Around the kids, I was very sensitive. This reminded me that I needed to be that way around adults, too.
“Oh God, I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I didn’t know.”
She plastered a fake smile on her face and changed the subject rapidly. I could tell that this was a defensive technique, and unfortunately, I didn’t know her well enough to drag her back to the subject just yet. I was just going to have to let it go until she felt ready to talk. “It is what it is,” she breezed. “Oh look, the waiter is coming over.”
The food was placed down in front of us, but I didn’t want to eat just yet. I could feel a slight thickness to the atmosphere. I needed to shatter it, so I said the first thing I could think of.
“Well, at least you know why I haven’t used my masters in economics yet. I’ve always intended to, but then I found the orphanage and nothing else mattered. That seemed like the most important thing at the time, and it still does.”
I knew I was bringing the spotlight back around to me, but I didn’t mind. Not for Lindsey, who leapt upon the subject change. “So, why don’t you ever tell anyone what you do? The way that your father and brother behave is as if you aren’t worth as much as them, when actually you’re worth more.”
Her words warmed up my chest. I didn’t care how Brandon and Dad saw me if that was Lindsey’s opinion. “I don’t do it for credit,” I said honestly. “I don’t want people to think that I just do it for attention. It isn’t about me, it’s all about the kids, you know?”
She nodded slowly. “That’s really nice. No wonder the kids love you.”
I took a sip of my wine and she did the same, both of us kept our eyes fixed on one another as we did. I could see something in her gaze, something loving that matched how I felt inside. She made everything intensify, everything seem better, I just adored her. Under the flickering of the candlelight, she was stunning. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her to hold her right to my chest.
“So tell me more about the kids,” Lindsey asked as she tucked in. “I want to know more about them if you ever invite me to come again.”
“Would you like to?” I asked curiously. I hadn’t expected that. Even though Lindsey liked it, I didn’t think she would want to go again. “Really?”
“Yeah, I would.” She nodded enthusiastically. “I know Rose quite a bit now, and I sat next to Cally and Brad at dinner, but the others. They all seem really nice.”
I rambled on for ages about the children, imparting all of my knowledge without hesitation. It felt great to be able to freely talk about what I did, it had been a very long time, and to someone who was actually interested in what I had to say. Lindsey genuinely liked learning about the children, which only heightened my feelings even more.
Damn it, she’s almost too good to be
true.
Once we finished our food, there was only one place in the world that I wanted to be, and only one person that I wanted to be with. I needed the privacy of my own home so I could finally grab onto this gorgeous woman and kiss her with all the passion that I felt inside.
“Let me just get the bill,” I said while digging my hand into my pocket, but Lindsey stood up to stop me.
“No, this is my date and I’m paying.” She grabbed some bills and stepped ahead of me. “You have paid every other time. This is my turn.”
I let her because she really wanted to, and thankfully because I knew that she finally could afford to. As she sashayed over to the counter, I smiled to myself as I watched her. She had no idea how sexy she was, how beautiful she was, she had no idea what she’d done to me. I liked her too much, I could damn well watch her all day long. I loved that wiggle, the way she strutted as she walked, the way she made me feel all hot and bothered inside.
“Right.” She smirked up at me. She linked her arm through mine. “Shall we get out of here? Much as it’s been nice, I think it’s time to go.”
Her eyes gave me a deep indication for what was about to come and that made me even more excited. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this woman, she was amazing. She was promising something that I really wanted to happen. It was as if she could read my damn mind and knew just what I needed. If that didn’t show the intense chemistry, then I wasn’t sure what did.
“Let’s do it. It isn’t far to my place now, is it?”
Chapter Twenty
Lindsey
Saturday
Adam and I giggled all the way back to his home again as if we were young kids. I hadn’t ever been that way with a guy before and it was really refreshing. We seemed to be friends as well as…well, potentially more, which was awesome. Admittedly, I didn’t have much experience with the opposite sex, but even I knew that it felt good.