A wave of emotion rolled through me from out of the blue. I was hit with the realization of what this could mean for him, especially since I knew he felt so alone in the world. I brought my fist to my mouth and cleared my throat before looking at them. “They found Adam’s paternal uncle. We can find his father now. And he’s a twin.”
Aidan and Jesse just stared at each other before Aidan spoke. “Have you told him?”
“No, but I want to. The only thing stopping me is the possibility they might not want to know about him.”
Jesse looked at me. “I bet they have no idea he even exists. Now that you’ve got a name, get me what you can, and I’ll get Dreamboat to do some surveillance.”
I nodded, still wavering about how to best protect Adam. “Should I tell him?”
Aidan furrowed his brow. “Since he’s in the studio, let’s not interrupt them. Find what you can, and tell him when you pick him up. He deserves to know something.”
I turned and went back to my computer. I logged in and got started.
With every new piece of information, my heart pounded erratically in my chest. I couldn’t wait to tell him what I’d found, but a small part of me thought I might need to talk to Cole or Patrick first to see what they thought. I’d never second guessed myself before, but I’d also never held someone’s heart in my hands.
I took my ideas back to Aidan and Jesse, and got their opinion.
“Why do you think you need to screen this information from him?” Aidan asked.
I rubbed my hand over my beard. “Because I’m not sure how he’d handle another disappointment or rejection by a parent. What if this guy says he wants nothing to do with him? It would kill him.”
And then I’d end up in a jail for murder or something.
Aidan sat in his chair, unseeing as he ran his fingers over his own beard. His forehead was lined from frowning as he contemplated everything. “What do you think, Jesse?”
GQ shook his head. “I think Phantom knows him better than anyone other than Cole. But Cole is also protective. So I don’t know.”
I stared at them, weighing the options in my head. But I knew what I needed to do. A sense of peace washed over me, and I let my gut take over. “I’m going to LA to meet him. I’ll ask the questions. If it goes badly, then Adam won’t have to know about any of it.”
Jesse and Aidan looked back and forth at one another. “Okay,” GQ replied. “Get on a flight, and I’ll get Dreamboat over to the studio for Adam.”
I nodded. “Okay, but I have to go tell him I’m leaving for a couple of days. I can’t just disappear on him.”
GQ looked at me. “Are you in over your head here, Phantom? Being involved with your client is a line I didn’t think you’d cross.”
Anger burned threw my veins. “You have no room to talk to me about being involved with someone you work with. I don’t mean to hurt you by bringing this up, but we trusted you and kept your secret. I expect you to do the same. And if you can’t, then I’ll tender my resignation right here.”
GQ looked shocked, as if I’d leveled him with a blow. I knew he didn’t expect that, but he was not taking Adam away from me.
He studied me a moment, and nodded. “Go to LA,” he said quietly. “Find out what you can.”
My best friend walked past me and out of the room. I looked over at Aidan. Even though I knew I was doing the right thing, part of me needed to hear it from one of them. I didn’t like hurting GQ, but I refused to hurt Adam even more. He was everything to me.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad Adam has you, Michael. Do what you need to do to protect him. Jesse understands that.”
I nodded, then made my way to the front door. I needed to see Adam.
The five minute drive to Patrick’s house felt like an hour. My mind raced with all the possibilities of what finding his father could mean. I had to believe this was going to work out for him.
When I pulled up to Cole’s house, Patrick was outside raking leaves. I parked my car and walked over to my new friend.
“Don’t you pay someone to do that?”
He looked up and smiled. “Yeah, but it’s a nice day, and there’s nothing like raking leaves to work you out.”
I chuckled. “I did my fair share of that back in Virginia when I was a teenager. My dad was deployed a lot when we lived on the East Coast. So all the raking was left to me.”
Patrick smiled. “Didn’t realize you were a military brat. Where’s your family now?”
