“You’re genuinely okay with it?” His hopeful expression warms my heart.
“Absolutely, and I look forward to getting to know him better.” Tom attended a couple of my mother’s stuffy dinner parties the last couple years, and he always went out of his way to talk with me. Guess now I understand the interest. “He’s pretty hot,” I add, grinning. “Way to go, Dad.”
“Okay,now,I’m uncomfortable.” He says it, but he’s grinning too, so I don’t think he’sthatuncomfortable.
“Where’s Adam?” I ask, unable to hold the question in any longer. “I hoped he’d be with you.”
“He had planned to come, but there’s been some developments with Ray Diaz, and he’s helping the cops with their investigation.”
My jaw drops to the floor. “Come again?”
He scrubs a hand along his smooth jaw. “Ray tried to blackmail Adam into throwing the game last weekend, and he almost succeeded.” His jaw tenses. “He threatened you and Phoebe and Adam’s mom.”
A shocked gasp leaves my mouth, and my stomach churns unpleasantly.
“But Sam rode to the rescue. He trapped Ray into admitting his plan, and he recorded it on his cell. Turns out, he’d already hacked into Ray’s computers and was building a case file. Sam wanted to wait until he had enough to destroy him.” Dad laces his fingers in mine. “But Adam couldn’t wait any longer. Not after Ray threatened the lives of his loved ones, so he took the evidence Sam had collected and went to the cops, making a full confession.”
“Oh my God.” I pull my hand to my mouth, and terror has a vise grip on my heart. “But they’ll arrest him for selling drugs!”
Dad shakes his head. “Honey, relax. It’s not like that. Although they’ve asked him not to leave town while they investigate, they aren’t going to arrest him. He’ll get off with a warning in exchange for testifying against Ray.”
Tears spill down my cheeks. “I can’t believe he turned himself in like that. What about football? And school? He’ll lose everything.”
Dad cocks his head to the side. “Not necessarily. He’s suspended from the team, which may or may not be permanent. I’ve put in a good word for him, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But even if he loses his place on the team and his scholarship, he still has the things that are most important.” He cups my face again. “His health. And you and his mom and sister.” He presses his forehead to mine. “It took me a long time to realize that the people in your life are the only things that matter in this world.” He smooths a hand down the back of my hair. “Adam is smarter, because he’s already figured that out.”
A sob bubbles up my throat.
“Everything will work out, Emily. I have one of the best attorneys working with Adam, and I’ll do everything in my power to help him. For now, you concentrate onyou, because he’s going to need you to support him, and I know you want to be there for him.”
“I do, Dad.” I sit back. “I love him, and I’m not going to let him down.”
* * *
It’stwo days before Christmas, and I’m going home. The doctors are delighted with my progress, and they’ve agreed to release me provided I continue the program on an outpatient basis at a treatment center closer to home. I’m standing in the lobby, waiting for Dad to arrive, when the most beautiful sight appears in my line of vision. Tears immediately sting the backs of my retinas, and I drop my bag, blinking repeatedly, wondering if my eyes are deceiving me.
His happy smile sends a rush of butterflies racing around my chest, and my legs are on the move before I’ve even registered the motion. Adam runs toward me, and we collide in a tangle of arms and lips and tongues, and I could happily die in his arms and not regret a single thing.
We kiss and kiss, over and over, and I’m sure we’re drawing attention, but I have zero fucks to give. Since Dad’s last visit, two weeks ago, when he came for the family therapy session, I’ve been on edge, worrying obsessively about my boyfriend. Dad told me his attorney was negotiating a deal, but I’ve had no word since, and I didn’t know if it was successful.
“I love you,” I rasp when we finally pull our mouths apart. “And I’ve been so worried.” I clutch onto his beefy arms, loving the feel of his muscles under my fingertips. “What happened?”
He reels me into a mammoth hug. “I love you too, and I’ll tell you in the car. Just let me hug you. I’ve missed holding you.”
We hug it out for ages, and I relish every single, delicious second of being back in his loving embrace.
When we break apart this time, he takes my hand, walking over to where I left my bag and my case, lifting them one-handed as if they weigh nothing. “You need to sign anything or say goodbye to anyone?” he asks.
I snuggle into his side. “Nope. I’m all done.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here then.”
“So, tell me what’s going on?” I ask, a few minutes later when we’re situated in Adam’s truck en route home.
“Tell me about you first,” he says, reaching across the console to brush my cheek. He hasn’t stopped touching me, and I love it. “Are you doing okay? You sure you’re ready to come home now? I don’t want you rushing the decision because of me.”
I lean up on my knees, tracing my fingers over the velvety-soft hair at the nape of his neck. “I’m doing really good.” I smile at him. “I’ve still a long way to go, and I’m going to need regular therapy, probably for the rest of my life, but for the first time in years, I feel hopeful for the future. Hopeful that I’ve turned a corner and put the past in the past.”
I rest my head on his shoulder. “You’re a big part of that, but I’ve got to do this for myself, so the answer to your question is yes, I’m ready, and no, I’m not rushing it on your behalf.” I lift my head, pressing my lips to the underside of his neck, closing my eyes and inhaling his masculine scent. “I can’t believe you turned yourself in,” I admit. “Why did you do it?”
