Adam cocked his eyebrow and held up his phone. “You couldn’t wait just a little longer for me to get here, so that I could hear you say this instead of having to read it?”
I was about to argue that I wasn’t sure when he’d get home, when I noticed he was trying to hide that he was chuckling.
My lips curled up into coy smile. With a confident voice, I gave him what he wanted. “I love you.”
My eyes widened as he slowly strode to me on calculated steps. He looked as if he was going to eat me alive. When he was less than an inch from me, he stopped.
“Again. Say it again.” His low, raspy voice rendered me completely in his control.
“I love you, Adam.” I breathed out.
“It’s about fucking time.”
He cupped my face between his hands and kissed me deeply and passionately. It had been too long since I’d been kissed, and this wasn’t just any kiss. This was a reclaiming.
He pulled back and searched my eyes. We were both breathing heavily. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. I have so much to explain.” I took his hand, and we sat on the couch.
“Allie told me about what happened,” he said.
“Huh? When did you talk to Allie?”
“Don’t be mad, but I was kind of at the restaurant. As in, I was in the parking lot waiting for you.” My eyes widened. “You wouldn’t talk to me, so I thought this was the only opportunity I had to get you to speak to me. When you came running out of there, after only a short while, I didn’t know what happened. You drove away before I could get to you, so I went inside and demanded they tell me.”
“Oh.”
“That’s all you have to say. You’re not going to take out a restraining order for me stalking you?”
I laughed. “No. How did you know where I’d be?”
“I overheard Sophie telling Conner which restaurant.”
“I’m sorry I avoided you to the point you needed to wait in a parking lot. If I’d only responded to your texts or calls, maybe this would’ve been sorted out months ago.”
“I wish you would have confronted me that same night, but I understand why you didn’t.” His face saddened. “Honestly, it hurts to know that you believed I slept with someone else, but Allie told me about what you saw and what she said to you.”
“I really wish that night had played out differently, but there’s no going back.”
“No, there isn’t, but can we both learn from our past mistakes? No more assumptions, okay?”
“No more assumptions,” I agreed.
He kissed me again, and just as every part of me began to heat in a really, really good way, my stomach let out a loud growl.
He laughed against my lips. “You didn’t eat dinner, did you?”
“I left the restaurant before even ordering.”
“Let’s go make you some food, Princess.”
He took me by the hand and led me to the kitchen. He opened a cupboard and started to name off options. They were pretty slim. “Mac and cheese or PBJ?” he asked with a frown on his face. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you, or I would have gone grocery shopping.”
“PBJ works for me.”
“We can go get something. You need more than just a PBJ.” I could tell he was actually stressing about this.
“I’ll have two. It’s no big deal,” I said reassuringly. “I just want to stay here with you.”
He gave me a smile and opened another cupboard, which was bare, except for one item—a box of Fruity Pebbles. As he pulled it out, I noticed it was unopened.
“You hate Fruity Pebbles,” I said, stating the obvious.
“Yeah, but I know this crazy girl who loves it, and I was kind of hoping she’d be here for breakfast at some point.”
I played along. “And just how crazy is this girl?”
“Total whack-job.”
I feigned offense. “You should stay clear of the crazy ones.”
He tapped my butt playfully. “I like a little crazy. Keeps life interesting.”
I eyed up the Fruity Pebbles box in his hand. “If I don’t eat soon, you’ll find out just how crazy I can get.”
Silent laughter shook his chest as he handed me the cereal box. He pulled out the milk and got me a bowl and spoon. “My goal was to get you back before the cereal expired. I really didn’t want to have to pay for two boxes of this garbage.”
Ignoring the dig on my favorite cereal, I checked the expiration date. “This doesn’t expire for over a year,” I pointed out.
“Like I said, I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to buy two boxes.” His words were light, but the meaning behind them spoke volumes. I lifted on my tiptoes and kissed him gently.
I got my cereal ready, and we sat down at the kitchen table. “Aren’t you going to eat anything?” I asked between bites. “You’re kind of weirding me out by just watching me eat.”
He shook his head in amusement. “Sorry if I’m ‘weirding you out.’” He used his fingers to make quotations. “I’ll make myself a PBJ. You want one too, right?”
“PBJ and Fruity Pebbles?” I scrunched up my nose. “Doesn’t sound like the best combo. I’ll eat another bowl if I’m still hungry.”
Adam brought a partial loaf of bread, strawberry jelly, peanut butter, and a knife to the table and began making a sandwich. Watching him do so on a real wooden table versus a ping pong table was surreal. In fact, this whole night was surreal.
“You’re looking at me funny, Princess. What are you thinking?”
“That you don’t have a ping pong kitchen table anymore.”
He smiled. “Do you like the house?”
“It’s beautiful. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it though. I didn’t expect to find you in a huge house in the middle of suburbia.”
“This was my grandparent’s house.” The information he had told me about his past and his grandparents came rushing back from my memory bank. “I figured it would be a nice house and neighborhood to raise a kid in, so I stopped renting it out. And as far as suburbia goes, it took a little adjusting. The next door neighbors are in their sixties and are really nice. The wife is constantly bringing me over casseroles, and the husband likes to talk cars. I told them about you and our baby, and they insist on babysitting whenever we need them. So, I guess it’s not so bad.” A smile touched his lips. “Actually, I kind of like it here.”
I wanted to gauge if he really was happy, or if he was just living here because with the baby coming he thought he had to. “Do you miss living downtown?”
He shrugged. “Sure, I do. Some days more than others, but it’s not as if I sit here by myself all day. I’ve got school, and I go to Zach’s or Drake’s a lot. Plus, I stop by Conner and Sophie’s apartment sometimes. When I go out to the bars, I just crash on someone’s couch. Most of the time I’m working on the house though. There were a lot of things to get done, and I had to buy all new furniture and appliances. There were so many choices that it took a while to decide.”
“How are you affording all this?” I asked, worried the question may be overstepping my bounds.
“Dipping into my inheritance.”
My shoulders slumped. “Oh, Adam,” I sighed in concern. “You said you didn’t want to ever use that money. I’m so sorry if you felt obligated to do something you didn’t want to.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t feel obligated. I could have moved into a smaller place. I wanted to live here. I came to the conclusion that it’s my money, and it’s time to finally use it.” He picked up his sandwich. “Now, no more talk about money tonight.”
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry,” I said. “Please don’t think I’m asking because I want to know about your money. I have plenty of money. I don’t care about what you have or don’t have.” I covered my face with my hands to stop my rambling. “I was just curious,” I added quietly. I am such a jackass.
He rumbled with laughter a
nd pulled my hands away from my face. “I know that, silly girl. I just meant let’s talk about something else now.”
I sighed with relief. “Deal. What do you want to talk about?”
He seemed to be contemplating something. “Actually, finish eating, and then I want to show you something.”
“What kind of something?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Um, I don’t know if I can handle any more surprises tonight,” I told him honestly. “Is it a good surprise?”
“I think so.”
We finished our food within minutes, and I followed Adam up the staircase and down the hall. Adam opened a door, and I almost died when I walked in. It was a nursery. A fully stocked, ready-to-go nursery, decorated in teal, black, and white polka dots and stripes. A crib sat in one corner, and an antique, white rocking chair was in the other. Along the walls were a changing table and a dresser. The baby’s ultrasound picture and a baby monitor sat on top of the dresser.
“Do you like it?” he asked, standing behind me in the doorway.
I almost broke down in happy tears, but I choked them back. I spun around and threw my arms around him. “I love it!”
***
Adam showed me to his room next. It had a large, four-poster bed with a white down comforter. His dresser from his old house was there, but unlike before, it now had pictures on top of it. I went over for a closer look. One was of me, making a silly face. One was a framed ultrasound picture. And the final one was of a man, a woman, and a baby. There was no question that this was Adam with his parents. His dad had jet black hair and a breathtaking smile, and his mom was hands-down the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. Her dark brown hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders, and she was wearing a floral dress. Her physical beauty was nothing compared to the look of absolute love and adoration on her face as she peered down at the chubby little baby in her arms.
Adam came up behind me and placed his arms around me, cradling my belly. I let my head rest back against his chest.
“They look so happy,” I said.
He kissed the back of my hair. “I think they were.”
“I think we should name our baby after your mom,” I said. Up until that very moment, I hadn’t chosen a name for her.
I felt him freeze, and I worried that I’d just made a mistake. “Are you sure about that,” he asked.
“If it’s okay with you.”
“You’re amazing.”
“Did you hear that, Charlotte? You’re daddy thinks I’m amazing.”
Adam peppered kisses up my neck, and within seconds, the heat that only he could cause in me began to burn. We made our way to his bed, never taking our hands off each other. Adam made love to me, and it was soft and slow. It was as if we both knew that there was no rush because we now had all the time in the world. Afterwards, I drifted off to sleep in his arms, happier than I’d been in ages.
I woke up and looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand. Four o’clock in the morning. Charlotte was wide awake and kicking up a storm, so falling back asleep right away wasn’t going to be an option. I unwrapped myself from Adam’s arms and maneuvered out of his bed about as gracefully as a bull in a china shop. I grabbed my sweater dress from the floor and pulled it over my head. I did my best to tiptoe as quietly as possible out of his room and down the stairs.
Due to the almost full moon shining light in through every window, I was able to find my way to the kitchen without having to turn on any lights. One thing that Adam hadn’t gotten yet were curtains, and I made a mental note to buy him some as a house warming gift.
I was about to open the fridge when I felt hands on my hips. I screamed on reflex.
“Shhh. It’s only me,” Adam assured me quietly.
“Dammit, Adam! You scared the hell out of me.”
“I was worried you were leaving,” he whispered solemnly into my hair.
My heart ached at his confession. “I was just getting something to drink. I wasn’t going anywhere.”
He leaned down to my ear. “I know that now.” His breath was warm on my skin. His hands still on my hips, he started to gently sway us back and forth. I laid my head back against him and let him slowly move us. Soon he was swaying to the point that we were basically dancing in his kitchen.
“I’ve never danced without music before.”
“I can fix that,” he murmured.
I felt him shift and reach for his phone, which was on the counter. He picked it up and used one hand to navigate the screen. When I heard the acoustic guitar beginning of “Everlong” by Foo Fighters, I melted. I was taken aback to the day in his car when I told him it was my favorite song. It seemed as if it was forever ago. So much had happened since then.
I turned around, and although my belly made it a little awkward, I brought my hands to his neck. “You found the song.” My voice was full of emotion.
“I promised I would.” He lowered his head and grazed my lips with his. I captured his mouth and kissed him deeply.
We stayed in the kitchen, slowly moving to the music until the song ended. He took my hand in his and laced his fingers through mine.
“Let’s go back to your bed,” I urged, tugging his hand.
“Our bed.”
“Huh?”
“Since I put your name next to mine on the deed, everything is yours too. That is, if you want it?” The impact of his confession took my breath away. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “What do you want, Princess?”
I looked up at him through my lashes. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t even have to think about it. I nodded rapidly, smiling.
“Good. One question down, one to go.”
“What’s your other question, Adam?”
“Will you marry me?”
Epilogue
Balloons and streamers covered our entire house, and the banner read: Happy 2nd Birthday Charlotte!
I sat on Adam’s lap, at our dining room table, while our little girl smeared light pink frosting and chocolate cake all over her face.
“There is no way those stains are coming out of that dress. I told you she needed a bib,” my mother scolded me.
“It’s not the end of the world, Mother.” The look on her face said she disagreed.
“Let it go,” Adam whispered, wrapping his hand around my waist and pulling me against his firm chest.
I glanced at Karen, who was snapping picture after picture of Charlotte. “Say cheese, sweetheart” she instructed happily.
“Sees,” Charlotte said through a cake-filled mouth while still managing to smile. She loved having her picture taken, and Karen loved taking her picture, so it was a win-win situation.
“You are totally giving her a bath tonight,” Adam said to me.
“Na-ah. It’s your turn.”
“I won’t be able to get that frosting out of her hair.”
“Wuss,” I teased. It was true, getting the frosting out of her hair would be a pain in the ass.
I couldn’t help but smile, looking at our perfect toddler with her jet black curls and crystal blue eyes. She had the most angelic face, which was on full display today as she pranced around in her fuchsia party dress (Mother bought it. Hence, why she was so upset it was getting stained). Charlotte wore a tiny tiara, which Sophie had given to her this morning. Charlotte almost refused to wear it, citing that “Mommy pwincess, Daddy says Charlotte wittle keen.” Then she blinked, squeezing both of her eyes tightly together before opening them. Yep, not only did Adam call her “Little Queen,” he was also trying to teach her how to wink. Even though she still had to blink both eyes, it was her new favorite thing to do. Sophie had to convince her that the tiara was a queen’s crown before Charlotte agreed wear it.
After everyone had finished their cake and ice cream, Courtney ran a warm washcloth over Charlotte’s bangs and face, and Allie tied her hair into a little ponytail, so it would be out of the way until I could
properly clean her before bed.
Everyone converged into the living room to socialize. While Charlotte played with her new toys, we all discussed the upcoming wedding.
“The bridesmaid dresses are going to be red,” Sophie exclaimed happily.
Courtney groaned. “I look horrible in red.”
Zach pulled her onto his lap, “You look hot in red.” She blushed. It had taken a while for Zach to get his head out of his ass, but they were now going one year strong.
“The wedding’s in four months, so we need to go order them tomorrow, or it’ll be too late,” I explained.
“If we aren’t going with pink, red is a good choice,” Allie said.
Adam chuckled. “If we’re going to talk about the wedding all night, I’m going to need a beer.”
“No shit,” Conner seconded. “It’s all they talk about. I just want to get to the honeymoon part.”
The entire wedding party was going on a group honeymoon vacation to Jamaica. I couldn’t wait. It was going to be a blast. My mother and Karen fought over who would take Charlotte that week—Mother won. My dad was over the moon excited to have her at their house for a whole week. Charlotte was not only a daddy’s girl, but she was a grandpa’s girl as well. She also had Conner’s dad, Tim, wrapped around her little finger.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Drake said as he walked into the room.
“They’re talking about the wedding again,” Adam groaned. “So you are a godsend right now,” he added, pointing to the case of beer in Drake’s hand. “
Drake looked at us girls. “It’s going to be pretty hard to top Adam and Sienna’s wedding. Theirs was pretty spectacular. You up to the challenge, Sophie?”
“Pshhh. I’ve got this in the bag,” she said confidently.
Drake waggled his brows at Sophie. “You just let me know if you want me to change from groomsman to groom.”
“Dude!” Conner exclaimed with a what-the-hell look on his face. “Will you please stop hitting on my fiancée for two fucking minutes?”
Believing Lies Page 35