He didn’t take the time to explain. Before either of them could form a question, he about-faced and headed straight for the parking lot. Before he ran through the exit, he tossed over his shoulder, “Vanessa is an angel. Make sure you give her a thank-you kiss for me.”
Adam sprinted across the parking lot and got in his car. His life was finally lining up. Everything, absolutely everything, he wanted was within his grasp. But none of it meant anything if he couldn’t share it all with the most important person in his life, Janae Sanders.
Janae sat down in her empty kitchen, slowly sipping on a glass of Moscato. Her nerves and emotions were all over the place.
She’d been mad as hell at Adam for taking his dad’s side. But listening to Cree and Vanessa now had her questioning her reaction. She had to admit she couldn’t be exactly certain that’s what happened because she shot from the hip, stifling any conversation that could’ve happened in that moment.
Every time she thought about it, she became more and more embarrassed. What grown woman did immature crap like this?
One who’s been hurt multiple times by the people who were supposed to love her.
That was the truth and she wouldn’t run from it. She had to face it. How else would she heal the little girl who’d been lashing out to keep from getting hurt all these years?
A knock on her back door broke her concentration. When she looked up, she saw the same paisley shirt she witnessed in the auditorium.
As she walked to the door and Adam’s handsome face came into view, her stomach did a little flip at the sight of him.
Without hesitation, she opened the door and welcomed him into her home.
“Hey, Adam.”
“I’m sorry for taking so long. I was held up at the auditorium for a bit. Since you’ve let me in, I’m assuming the text invite you sent to talk still stands.”
“You assumed correctly. Adam, I just wanted to say—”
“It’s you, Janae.”
He cut her off before she could finish. “Bearing in mind what happened last time, I have to finish what I need to say so you can understand clearly that it all begins and ends with you.”
She stood in the middle of the kitchen with her mouth open, uncertain how to respond, a first for her, she was sure. She managed to shut her jaw and nod, bidding him to continue.
“I wasn’t defending my father. I was attempting to ask if you were okay. I realize now that my body language relayed my anger, but you mistakenly perceived it was directed at you. It wasn’t. My first thought was to protect you, check in with you.”
He took a breath, letting his words settle in the air before he spoke again. “I’m sorry it appeared that I was reprimanding you inthat moment. I wasn’t. And if you don’t believe me, you can ask the nursing staff how I told my father off immediately after you left. They had to come in to check to make certain everything was okay. Oh, and my mother told me to tell you the next time you see my father, he will have a sincere apology waiting for you.”
She stared up at him and saw nothing but sincerity swimming in his golden eyes. Adam adored his mother. There’s no way he would’ve lied to her about something like that.
“It appears I owe you an apology, Adam. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. If I’m honest, I guess I just couldn’t believe someone would defend me, fight for me.”
He stepped closer to her and she was able to take in the slight spice of his cologne. She breathed him in, her senses reveling in getting to once again indulge in his scent.
“Janae, just because I came around doesn’t instantly erase your past. You’ve had to fight some huge battles with little to no help. Of course you fell into familiar patterns when you felt threatened. Next time, I just need you to talk to me. Don’t run out on me. Don’t shut down communication so I can’t reach you. It nearly killed me that you thought I’d intentionally hurt you and then I couldn’t talk to you, I couldn’t make things better for you. Don’t you know that’s all I’ve wanted to do since we reconnected, make things better for you?”
Tears welled up in her eyes. Yes, on a superficial level, she’d known he wanted to take care of her. It wasn’t until this moment, however, when his voice was so raw with emotion that she truly understood that his “making things better” was him loving her. Adam only wanted to love her and, more than anything, she was finally ready to let him.
Adam pulled her into his arms when her tears spilled down her cheeks.
She circled her arms around his waist, sighing deeply into his chest as the comfort his presence brought seeped into her.
He tightened his hold on her and placed soft kisses at her temple.
“Why are you crying, baby?”
“Because I understand how much I almost threw away when all I ever wanted to do was stay in your arms forever.”
He found her lips, kissing her softly, letting her feel his presence in every fiber of her being.
“Baby.” He kissed her again, pouring so much love and tenderness into her that she couldn’t help feeling full of his love. “I ain’t even mad at that.”
