“With Adelaide, right?”
There’s something about the way he says her name that raises all my alarms and every hair on my body. Aw, shit. He’s her ex, isn’t he?
“Yeah, we were both working on our current projects. Having a little writing date.”
I realize, though it was, in fact, a writing date, it’s the wrong term to use in front of him. He covers it well, but I see the momentary twitch of his lips.
“We went to school together,” he says and takes a step toward me. Lucy barks from the porch, making him jump. “Not sure you remember. I’m Daniel.”
I could be polite and say I remember him. I know that’s what he’s expecting. I also know if I claim I have no recollection of him because parts of my brain are in self-protection mode and make me forget, especially when it comes to my childhood, he’ll take this personally. So I nod and smile.
“Yeah, long time ago now. It was nice seeing you again.”
Daniel doesn’t take the hint as I turn away. Instead, he reaches out and grabs hold of my upper arm. I don’t intentionally flex the bicep, but he shrinks back when I do.
“You better treat her right, man. I always thought you were weird growing up and everything I thought about you wasconfirmed when you left town. We don’t want you here. Does she know what you did?” he says then shakes his head. Hurt and anger swirl in my stomach. “Of course she does. She’s just glass half-fulling it again. You’re lucky you met someone so naïve. I won’t let you pull a fast one on her.”
I grit my teeth and walk toward the house. Lucy stands before I’m even on the porch. Her tail’s at a standstill, head lowered as she stares down the man on the sidewalk. She lets out a low growl, then huffs and paws at the welcome mat. I bend down for her leash, then straighten and fish in the pocket of my jeans for Gran’s house key. I see no one in the reflection of her front door. That douchebag’s walked away.
“Gran?” I call as I step into the house.
“No, this is Patrick,” Addie says, poking her head out from the doorway of Gran’s sitting room.
I hear the clatter of ceramic against ceramic before Addie steps around a pillar and into the front hall. She is literal sunshine. Her shorts are decorated with appliqué sunflowers and her hair is held back with a bright yellow bow. For the briefest moment, my thoughts completely stop. I have one shoe on and my head is empty as this beautiful woman rushes toward me. There may as well be a spotlight shining behind her she is so goddamn perfect.
Addie throws herself into my arms. I drop Lucy’s leash and wrap myself around Addie as her arms loosely loop around my neck. I could die happy with the crush of her body against mine. She tilts her head up, smirks, and waits. I try to behave. I count to five before allowing myself to lean in and kiss her. And just like the last time, her mouth is heaven. She fully takes my breath away with a few brushes of her lips.
“Surprise,” she whispers when she pulls back. “For both of us. I didn’t realize Peggy had invited you.”
“I should have known. Gran likes you too much to stay out of it.”
She squeezes my shoulder as she pulls away from me. “I think it’s probably the other way around. Did you know she’s, like, obsessed with you? The embarrassingly lovely things I have heard about you in the last half hour…She’s very happy you’ve found someone. Shame it’s a silly goose like me.”
I catch her hand, wheel her back in. Our bodies draw together like magnets. I run my thumb underneath her chin, feel her breath against my mouth. There’s fire in her eyes.
“I’m quite fond of silly geese.”
“Are you?”
“Zander!” Gran yells from the back of the house. She appears as if out of nowhere, though I assume it was the kitchen, with a cup and saucer in hand. “I’m so glad you could join us!”
“You know I’m always happy to be here,” I say.
Addie frees herself from my grasp and returns to the sitting room. Gran gives me a one-armed hug, then shifts the cup of tea to my hands. She pats the back of my hand, blinks up at me with anI am completely innocentkind of look.
“I won’t keep you long, honey,” she whispers.
“You’re sneaky,” I reply in the same tone.
She taps her nose. I follow her into the sitting room. It’s the first room in her bungalow, overlooking her front garden from a bay window. She’s arranged all her furniture around a large, oval coffee table. The white loveseat with tiny pink roses faces the window and two blush recliners sit on each end of an oval round. Gran ushers me onto the loveseat next to Addie with a satisfied smirk. Lucy bounds over and settles between mine and Adelaide’s feet with a contented huff. I let out a sigh of my own, coming down from the adrenaline of just seeing Addie, and levelling in some serious feelings of self-doubt.
It’s the last place I want to be, a spiral I’m entirely too familiar with. But Daniel’s words echo in my brain.We don’t want you here.
Addie squeezes my knee. I let my eyes fall shut in an attempt to ground myself in the moment. Addie’s opinion is the only one that matters. Gran’s opinion is the only one that matters.Myopinion is the only one that matters.
And yet, I find myself unwilling, or perhaps, unable, to participate in the conversation.
Goddammit.Come on.
