Her head tilts to the side. “How?”
“By this time, I’d been kicked out of every foster home in the area. The little boy thrown into the system turned into a very pissed off teenager. I still didn’t talk much, so people who were in it just for the money were quick to toss me to the curb. I was sick of people coming into my life, only to leave a short time later.”
“So, I take it, she stayed,” she teases, and I love that she can help make light of this heavy topic.
My body relaxes as I say, “Yeah, she stayed. It took her a while to get through my thick skull, but she never gave up on me.”
“She really cares for you and Cailin.”
“Yeah, we became her family just as much as she became ours. She was never able to have kids. She was looking to adopt through the foster system when she found out about CASA. She thought she would be needed more there, and damn, was she right.”
“Did you move in with her?”
“Nah, it’s not like that with a CASA. They’re just there to be support. She was able to break down my walls. It took months of her picking me up and taking me places before I even said one word to her.” I shake my head in embarrassment as I remember how mean I was to her at first. “I’m lucky she stuck with me.”
“How’d she pick you up?”
“Part of the CASA program is, you have to spend time with the kids. Get to know them and show them you’re there to fight for them. They attend scheduled court dates and work as the liaison between the courts and the foster system. No matter how much of an ass I was, she’d still show up at every scheduled meeting to take me places. I guess you could say she was the first person to semi-restore my faith in humanity.”
She grips my hand. “Adam, wow. And look at what you’ve become after all you went through. God has been great to you in so many ways.”
I try not to flinch at her statement that makes no sense to me whatsoever. Thankfully, the grin that covers her face makes the same one appear on mine even though my mind is saying there’s no way in hell what’s she’s saying is true.
She continues, and I try not to let her thoughts change our mood. “I can see that in Linda. She’s so great with Cailin.”
I nod. “She is. I don’t know what I’d do without her—then and now. She’s the one who introduced me to music.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yep. That’s why I took her last name for my stage name. She’d take me to the park and set up a CD player on a picnic table, and we’d listen to an entire CD in silence. I still can’t believe she’d sit there for an hour in total peace as we did nothing but take in the music. She’d say the music would heal me eventually, and it did.”
“That’s so cool.”
I inhale a deep breath. “It is. I owe her everything. I didn’t want anyone to know about my past. I wanted a fresh start. Even before I started the band, I went by Adam Jacobson, so it’s been easy to hide Tyler.”
A rush of emotions floods through me again at the memories of how Linda made me who I am today.
“Before then, I knew nothing about music or how lyrics could change so much in someone’s life. She was smart in choosing what artist we’d listen to. There was a lot of classical rock ’n’ roll. Once I started to show interest, she’d talk to me about the songs and their meaning. Learning about history of the Vietnam War or the death of Buddy Holly through music opened my eyes.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Music’s always been my escape too.”
A shit-eating grin covers my face.How did this seemingly perfect girl come into my life so easily and so fully?“I knew I liked you for a reason,” I tease, hoping I’ll get to see the flush rise up her face—and I do.
I reach out, motioning for her to lie back against me. She does, and I wrap my arm around her. I play with her fingers, enjoying the simplicity of the moment. It’s rare that I get times like this, just kicking back and relaxing where no one wants anything from me or is expecting anything from me.
“I like this. Just being with you,” I whisper, almost to myself more than her.
She leans down toward my lap, turning just enough to look me in the eye.
I can’t help myself when I take in a deep breath and lean in to kiss her. Not because I just poured my heart out to her, but because the way her blue eyes feel like they see past all the bullshit and really see me.
Me.
The true Adam. Not who everyone sees or who every woman tries to get with.
Right now, I’m not thinking about anything but how at peace I am, sitting out here, and it’s all because of her.
Our lips touch softly as we breathe each other in. I open my mouth to caress hers again, and when I slip my tongue out for a taste, jolts of electricity fly through my spine.
