Adam, Enough Said (This Can't be Happening) (18 page)

I was in heaven.

“Your skin is so soft,” I mumbled against her neck, kissing her and nipping her there.

“
Adam, please. Just rip the Band-Aid off already,” she whined. I smiled, lifted, grabbed the condom and readied myself.

Her eyes watched me with interest the entire time.

“No way am I rushing this, Baby.” She opened her mouth to respond, but I reached between our bodies, touched the juncture between her thighs and her mouth snapped shut. I worked her over with my hand until she was fisting the sheets and calling out my name.

A second later,
she belonged to me.

Completely.

Chapter Thirteen

Six Months Later

Mia
Dayes

“
What the fuck do you mean you’re not going back?” Adam roared at me and I cowered. Well, that hadn’t gone like I’d hoped.

“Adam, watch your mouth! I taught you better than to talk like that in front of ladies,” Ms. Bryant shouted in my defense and I flinched again. She wasn’t helping the matter. “I asked her not to do it, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Shit!

“Adam--” I started and his death glare turned on me
.

“What do you mean you dropped out? I helped pay for half this semester already and I don’t just have money to throw around. Explain right the fuck now, Mia,” he growled, looking more than ready to
explode. He was breathing hard; the muscles in his arms were bulging, as were the veins in his neck.

“Ummm…
if you’ll calm down, I’ll explain, but you’re scaring me,” I said softly.

“Cut the shit, Mia,” he snapped.

“Adam, shut your dang mouth and let her talk,” Ms. Bryant cut in and Adam said nothing, but I could almost hear his teeth grinding.

“Renee can’t take your mom to dialysis
or her doctor appointments anymore. She told me yesterday.” With that, Adam’s death glare turned on his mom, who glared equally deathly right back, before his eyes came back to me.

“
It’s only for this semester, until we figure something else out. I’ll keep working part time, but the travel agency’s flexible. Instead of school, I’ll take over and help your mom.” I wanted to do this. I had to. She was the closest to a mom I’d ever had and I needed her. I needed her and Adam both, and he was so mad at me I wanted to cry.

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” he urged and I took a shuddering breath.

“Yes.”

“So
, you make the decision to drop out of school without even talking to me first. We’re both out a couple thousand dollars because of your stupid decision. And we’re just going to figure something else out?” he asked deceptively quiet.

I said nothing
in return, but I didn't appreciate being talked to like a child.

“
No. It’s not happening, Mia. Go back to the counselor and fix whatever you messed up,” he ordered. “I’ll figure out something else.”

“But I want to do this--”

“Well she’s not your mom, so stay the fuck out of it!” he shouted and all the blood drained from my face as my heart broke into a million pieces. His words cut me so deeply, I worried my blood would spill out on the floor. Tears flooded my eyes and spilled over my lashes.

“Son--” Ms. Bryant started, but he continued.

“She’s my mom and my responsibility…not yours, so go back to school.”

I stood in the middle of the living room feeling lost and devastated, like I was drowning.
I couldn’t understand why he was so furious. I’ve never seen him so angry. I glanced at Ms. Bryant through my tears and she looked completely dumbfounded, and maybe a little embarrassed, but I didn't know if it was embarrassment for me or her.

“She’s my mom too,” I choked out so quietly I
knew nobody heard, and it was confirmed when Adam snapped, “What?”

I took a deep breath to help strengthen my voice
, but I changed my mind and I turned to walk away.

“Mia --”

“Mia,
Sweetie,” Ms. Bryant called out simultaneously with Adam, just as I opened the front door. I turned, glanced at her quickly and gave her a sad excuse for a smile, before facing Adam.

I didn’t
even bother hiding my tears.

“
She’s like my mom too, Adam,” I said, barely above a whisper and Adam jerked his head to the side like he’d been slapped. I didn’t care. He hurt me, and I was pretty sure what had just happened between us was an ending.

It was
too cruel to be considered anything else.

“She’s treated me like a daughter since she met me
and I wanted to do this for her. Not just for her, but for me. I needed it…” I cried and took another deep breath to keep going. “…You, your mom and Eric are the only family I have. You’ve always had your mom, so you’ll never know how it feels to have no one.”

“Baby--” he started, but I shook my head.

“You were right. I should have talked to you first, before making what you call a stupid decision, but I thought I was doing it for family.” I watched Adam close his eyes as if in pain.

“
I’m sorry. I guess I was just so desperate for a family that I was fighting for whatever scraps got tossed my way.” I looked at Ms. Bryant who was staring at me with tears raining down her face. I'd never told either one of them, but I decided it was now or never.

“I love you both,” I whispered.

And then I ran.

I heard Adam shouting my name and I knew
I wouldn't get far, but I had to try. I had to do something, go somewhere. But just as I’d expected, an arm wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the ground as soon as my feet touched the bottom of the stairs. When Adam was fully on the sidewalk, he put me on my feet.

“I’m sorry
…I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Mia...Please.” I felt him bury his face in my hair and I heard him take a deep breath, something he always did when he got upset. I always thought it was sweet, but I was numb to it now. I didn’t move. There was no point.

“I didn’t mean what I said.
Please come back inside so we can talk,” he pleaded.

“Fuck you, Adam,
” I hissed.

“I’m sorry
, Baby. I swear I didn’t mean it.”

“
You meant what you said, or else you wouldn’t have said it at all,” I snapped and his arms tightened painfully. "Adam, let me go. I don't want to be around you right now."

"You love my mom, my mom loves you an
d I love that. You want my mom...she's yours. I'm not in the picture, she's still yours. I swear to God, I didn't mean what I said. I just had a lot of other shit on my mind. I wanna be able to give you more, Mia. Things you never had. I want us to move out of this shit apartment, but it's hard right now. I can only pick up so many extra jobs and still manage to spend time with you...which is all I wanna do. I've only been content with how we live because you've been going to school, and now you're not even gonna be doing that."

"
You're hurting me," I breathed when his arms started cutting off my air supply. He let me go. I turned, faced him, and hated that he looked so damn good in his police uniform, but his expression was that of pure misery and regret.

"
I have never asked you for anything, Adam. Not your money, not to live with you, not the fucking new truck that you make me drive because, according to you, it's safer than your old one...not one thing. I work too. I'm not dependent on you and never will be. All I wanted was you, but now I'm not so sure I want to be with someone who can talk to me the way you just did."

His entire body stiffened and h
is eyes widened. "What?" he asked in a painful whisper.

I didn't respond
, because the anxiety in his voice hurt. I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed hard. He swiped a hand over his head and down his face.

"But you love me. You said it...I heard you say it," he said, and it sounded an awful lot like an accusation.

"Yes, I love
this
Adam, not the Adam from two minutes ago. This Adam would never be so cruel. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to leave so I can think."

"No!" he stated in a panic, shaking his head. "What I said was fucked up, but I didn't mean it, Mia. If you leave me, I'll follow you and bring you back."

I gasped. "I'm not leaving
you
; I'm leaving so I can think. I haven’t decided anything."

"But you're going to think about leaving me," he
replied softly and I didn't respond. I have never been spoken to or shouted at the way he'd shouted at me, and I honestly didn't know what to do. Suddenly, his hand was wrapped around my neck pulling me close. He dropped his forehead to mine and closed his eyes.

Tears were
burning behind my eyes.

"
I love you back," he said roughly. "This..." He reached for my hand, brought it to his chest and placed it right over his heart. When he opened his eyes and I saw they were glassy, I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my lips. "...is yours. It belongs to you just like you belong to me. I'm yours, my mom's yours, and in a few more years, we'll build our own family full of redheaded babies with freckles."

My body was trembling and
I shook my head, not because I didn't want to hear it, but because it was something I’d always dreamed of, but I never thought would happen. And I was desperate for a family of my own.

"Y
ou're not fuckin' leaving me," he finished in a growl and I threw my arms around his neck. I crushed my lips to his and our mouths were greedy and frantic, and I kept kissing him until I couldn't breathe. When I broke away we were both panting.

"Don't ever talk to
me that way again," I breathed.

He inhaled sharply. "I promise.
I’m sorry."

"I love you," I told him.

"I know," he breathed back.

"
Such an arrogant jerk," I muttered, glaring. His light green eyes sparkled as his lips tipped up into a grin. "Love you back, Freckles. My heart," he said low and deep, and I melted.

"Does this mean
you two aren't breaking up?" I heard Ms. Bryant ask and I looked back up the stairs as she started down them.

"No,
Ma. We're not breaking up," Adam answered confidently, and she smiled. Then she made it to the bottom step and slapped Adam across the back of his head.

He ducked a little too late
.

"Ma! What the hell?"

"I find out you talk to her like that one more time and I'll disown you, understand?" she scolded. "You sounded like my sperm donor upstairs and I've never been more embarrassed."

Oh no...

I heard Adam's gasp and my gaze swung his way. He was pale and looked sick. "Ma --"

"You've always had a mouth on you
and I never could stop it, but don't you ever...
ever
, speak to a woman like that again. I don't ever want to feel ashamed by my son, because that's exactly how I felt upstairs."

"I'm sorry," Adam whispered without hesitation.

"I know you are. Just don't let it happen again," she replied with confidence, and I now knew exactly where Adam got his from.

Ms. Bryant's gaze hit my face
and it softened. "You okay, Sweetie?" she asked and I nodded, too scared to speak. She walked to me, pulled me into her arms and hugged me. I hugged her back and glanced at Adam to see he was watching us with affection.

"I love you like you're my own. You need me, I'm
always here for you. Adam has no place in our relationship...unless you hurt him of course, then I won't be happy and I might have to smack some sense into you too...but I don't really see that happening."

I laughed at that and hugged her tighter.

We stayed like that until a horn honked and Ms. Bryant let me go. "Ah, Gloria's here. She's taking me to Target and then she's taking me home." She paused and looked at Adam.

"I love you," she stated loud and clear.

"You're my heart, Ma," he replied and that brought stupid tears to my eyes again. But having heard it a million times from her son, Ms. Bryant started away.

"Okay,
you two play nice while I'm gone," she ordered. Then she got in Gloria's car and left us.

Chapter
Fourteen

Five Months Later

Mia
Dayes

It was one o'clock in the morning and I was scared to death. Trembling. I scrambled to the headboard and reached for the phone.

"Baby, what's wrong
?" Adam answered on the second ring, concern lacing his tone. I hated when he had to work nights.