MICAH
It’s stupid.
I know it’s stupid.
But I’d gotten an array of fruit for a fresh fruit salad, and I’m hoping that Adam likes the surprise instead of complaining that I shouldn’t have spent the money on it.
Maybe it’s time to talk to him about getting my own job. At least then, I’d be useful. I’d be able to contribute to the household, and he wouldn’t have to get angry when I mess up something that was so important.
I’d probably mess up a regular job too, though.
Since meeting Ilya, I’ve been keenly aware of the feeling of the noose tightening around my neck, and it only seems to have gotten worse since I “cheated” on Adam with another man.
It’s something I need to let go of.
I love Adam.
I want to be with him, not some Russian mobster I was supposed to inform on. Kind as he’d been, well… Adam tries to be kind, too, and he has sweet moments that remind me of the real him, the one who cares for me and loves me.
I chop up the fruit with care, not wanting to slip and cut a finger, tossing it all into a bowl.
My mind meanders, though, back to the new app I’d installed on my phone. I’d gotten scared in the end and almost deleted it, only to figure out a way to rename it and change the icon so it looks like a game.
I don’t know why I bothered. It’s not like I have a chance in hell at getting close to him without cheating on Adam in the process, and I don’t want to cheat on Adam with a member of the Russian mob.
Even if it does feel like Ilya has a magnetic quality to him, something that draws me in despite the way he should be pushing me away.
I can’t lose that connection, new as it is, fragile as it is, even if I know I’ll never use it.
I’m almost done cutting up the last of the apples when the door opens, and I instinctively tense.
I still don’t know what Adam’s going to do about this surprise, and it has me wishing I hadn’t done it at all.
“Hey, babe,” Adam says as he steps into the kitchen, smiling wide. He’s holding a bouquet of flowers. “I saw these while I was on my way back, and bought them on a whim.” He hands the large bouquet to me.
My heart flutters as I look at the array of red, pink, and white roses with smaller flowers in between them. I breathe in the familiar scent — the one I get when he’s celebrating an anniversary, or my birthday, or…
Or something he’s done to hurt me.
It’s never just “on a whim.” Nothing Adam does ever is.
I try to push those thoughts away.
Damn it.
I’m such an ungrateful little brat for thinking about that when he’d gone and done something nice for me. He hadn’t had to have a reason to give me a gift like this.
The price tag is still on the bottom of the bouquet wrapper, letting me know it cost $60. The amount makes me swallow hard, and I hesitate for a moment before murmuring, “You didn’t have to do this, Adam.” Before he can get the wrong idea, though, I add, “But they’re gorgeous. Thank you. I love them.”
I fill a vase with water and transfer the bouquet into it, setting them on the kitchen table.
“They made me think of you.” Adam kisses my cheek. “My beautiful Micah.”
I press against his body, and I turn my head so he can kiss my lips properly instead.
Adam wraps his arms around me and lets the kiss linger, almost like he enjoys the act of kissing. I sigh happily and open my mouth?—
But Adam pulls away and looks at the counter. “You’re making fruit salad? Why?”
