Breaking the Rules (18 page)

“Jules, you know I love you, right?” He said, he words slightly slurred. It was past time to cut himself off.

Julia narrowed her eyes on him. “Yeah, why? You're not going to get all sappy drunk on me, are you? Right after that is usually sloppy Adam and I can't carry you out of here.”

Adam took in a deep breath. He was still lucid enough to know he wouldn't be sharing this with her if he w
ere sober, but too far-gone to stop himself. “You need to stop being stupid and come home. Micah isn't Josh. He's not asking you to give up on your dreams. In fact, you were doing what made you happy back home. You were a boss when it came to bringing in new clients and there are still people calling your office line looking for you every fucking day. There's a kid back there who needs you.”

Julia let out a frustrated growl. “I'm
not
his mother. That was one of our key issues. I'm not ready to be a mom, especially not to the pre-teen son conceived when my high school sweetheart screwed around on me. Why can't anyone in that backwards ass town understand that?” Patrons at the tables around them tried to make it look like they weren't eavesdropping, but Adam could see them practically leaning in to hear better. Or was that the alcohol? Either way, Julia was being loud and was on the verge of making a scene.

“No,” Adam stated firmly. “No one expects you to be his mom. He has one of those, even if she is a psycho from Hell. Your problem is that, for some stupid ass reason, you're the one Caleb decided he could talk to. I've tried, Micah's tried, everyone's tried and he's locked up tight. Like it or not, that boy needs you.”

Julia waved him off, dismissing the argument. “I need to get home,” Julia said after looking down at her phone. She stumbled slightly on her high heels.

“Careful now, I don't
wanna have to carry your ass home,” Adam laughed. After paying the tab, he joined Julia at the curb. “Come on, I'll make sure you get home safe.”

Julia eyed him cautiously. The way she worried her lip told Adam there was something she wanted to say to him. “You don't have to, Adam. Really.”

“Whatever. Let's go.” There was no chance that he was going to let his tipsy sister go home alone at night in New York. If they had been in Brooklyn, he still would have made sure she got home safely.

It took longer than expected to hail a cab. The few that had their lights on seemed to be in too much of a hurry to get
somewhere else to bother stopping. When they finally slid into the back of the first taxi that stopped for them, Julia called out her address for the driver.

“Uh, where did you say you're living?” Adam felt the blood draining out of his face. At the mention of Carly's address, his palms started to sweat
, and his shoulders tensed. Julia hadn't mentioned anything about living with Carly. Why?

Julia stared out the window. “
Carly needed a roommate, so it just made sense that I move in there. It’s kind of a shithole, but it’s cheap, and I know I can trust her.” Her blue eyes filled with worry as she looked over to Adam. “Is there a problem with that? I thought you two were friends. She said you used to hang out when you were in town.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close for a hug. “It's
not a problem, I’m just surprised. And you’re right, that place is a total dive.”

How in the hell was he supposed to spend any quality time with Julia if he and Carly couldn’t
be in the same room together? This was even worse than he expected it to be. On the upside, if he could get over the wrenching pain in his chest when he walked through the front door, maybe it would force the issue and they could figure out where everything went wrong.

When Julia moved in, Carly didn't think about the fact that it would mean seeing Adam at some point. As much as she
wanted
to see him, his silence had made it perfectly clear the feeling wasn't mutual. She had pushed him away. At least he finally agreed to meet with her, even if it wound up being just to give them both closure. Now, she had just shy of thirty-six hours before she would be talking to him. That had to be a step in the right direction, but it still scared the hell out of her.

Carly was nearly asleep on the couch when she heard voices in the hall. Two voices, both of which she recognized.
Shit, he's here.
Of course, Adam would have insisted on escorting Julia home after their dinner. She jumped off the couch, trying to get to her bedroom before the door opened. Adam didn't need to see her matted blonde hair, paint-stained sweatpants and tank top. She didn't want him to see that she had all but given up on her looks unless she was going to an interview.

“
Shhh, Carly's probably asleep,” Julia whispered loudly. Bless that woman's heart; she was stalling, giving Carly a chance to get her lazy ass off the couch. If Julia only knew how much Carly appreciated the warning, and understood why.

“Nice try, Jules,” Adam laughed. “But don't worry
; we can play that angle if you want. I'm sure Carly, the same girl that usually stays up until three in the morning or later, is sound asleep in there. Probably curled up with her stuffed bunny and her blankie, right?” Oh, good lord. Not only had she brought him back to the apartment, apparently he was drunk as well. She clearly needed to stay away from his lethal mix of cocky and flirtatious or she would be a goner.
Not a chance, Carly. You'll probably get full-fledged pissed off Adam if you come out of the bedroom. You were the one who screwed with his head.

Carly slid down her bedroom door, falling into a heap on the floor just inside of her bedroom. She couldn't do this. She wasn't ready to look into Adam's beautiful eyes and see the pain she had put there. After scrubbing the tears away from her cheeks with the back of her hand, Carly pulled herself off the ground. It was time to get back to living, starting with a long, hot shower.

***

Adam looked around the apartment, not sure whether he was hoping to see Carly
, or praying she was either sleeping or out for the night. Julia handed him a beer as he flopped onto the couch. Inhaling deeply, he regretted coming inside at all. He could smell the sweet pea body spray Carly wore. He loved that scent.

“Huh, maybe she really is sleeping,” Julia said, shrugging. “
So, how do you know she’s normally up so late?”

Adam picked at the label on his beer bottle. He really needed to kick Micah's ass for getting him started on that annoying habit. “
We didn’t always hang out at bars. We’re both night owls, so sometimes we’d come back here and watch stupid TV shows.” He’d made it through the best and worst times without Julia knowing about them, no sense telling her now when she was living with Carly. The only thing that would do is create more tension between them.

“
You know, you might be just what that girl needs. She’s always sitting around the house, moping, and it’s kind of a drag,” Julia laughed. Adam felt in his heart that he was still exactly what she needed. But what was he supposed to do? Carly was the one who pushed him away. Of course, he couldn’t say that to Julia. No matter how hard he tried to come up with a witty comeback, there wasn’t one. He was finally calm enough to listen to what Carly had to say, but that didn't change the fact that she ran as soon as the going got tough.

“Jules,
please don’t tell me you’re going to spend all that free time you have playing matchmaker,” Adam pleaded. “If you do, I'll have no choice but to help Micah figure out how to get your ass back to Wisconsin. You get me?” He raised an eyebrow, hoping she understood that this was something he needed to do on his own. Julia truly needed to steer clear of this situation.

Julia placed a hand on her brother's leg. “Look,
both of you are lonely, I can tell. You're two of the most important people in my life, and I want you both to be happy. What’s the big deal in trying to give that a little push? From what Micah’s told me, you don’t exactly have a lot of experience when it comes to women.”

Adam laughed.
For the first time in too long, he actually let out a full-blown belly laugh. “I'm pretty sure that you've been misinformed about that.” He winked at Julia, and she shuddered.

“Damn, Adam. I will pay you
good money to
never
talk to me about your sex life again. I seriously don't want to know how much experience you have.” She fake heaved like his statement was causing her to lose her dinner. “And that's not what I meant, pervert. You have no experience with relationships. Maybe finding someone you already know would take away some of that awkwardness. You’re not getting any younger, and I’d like to be an aunt someday.”

“
The horse is dead, Jules, so you can stop beating it now. Turner and I hang out. We’re buddies. That’s it.” Saying it out loud stung even more the second time.

“
Seriously, Adam. You don’t trust women. You’ve known her all your life so you should know you can trust her. And Carly, well I’m pretty sure she’ll never settle down with all of her issues.”

Adam cocked his head to look at his sister. “What do you mean all of her issues?”

Julia walked to the kitchen, still talking to Adam as she got a glass of water. “Seriously? I think it’s highly unlikely that she’ll ever believe anyone would love her. With the way both of her parents bailed, can’t truly say I blame her. We’re both screwed up, and our mom was there through most of our formative years. Carly, on the other hand, didn’t get that chance, and I think she feels like everyone in life other than Gran is temporary.”

“
Huh...” Hearing Julia talk about what Carly felt opened Adam’s eyes. He felt like the biggest dick for pushing her away the way he did. He had done exactly what she had feared he would do. The only thing she was trying to spare herself from was the one thing he had done. Now he really wanted to talk to her and wasn’t sure he wanted to wait until they met up.

Adam reached for the remote, turning on
Sportscenter with the volume loud enough to drown out his sister's meddling without waking Carly. She took the hint and sat down next to him on the couch. They sat there in silence for about fifteen minutes before Julia got up, grabbing her purse. “We're out of beer. I'll be back in a bit.”

Adam went to stand, but his sister pushed him back down on the couch. “Sit. I'll be back soon.” He didn't trust the twinkle in her eyes. She was up to something.

“I should really head back to my hotel. I do have to work in the morning,” Adam said, trying again to stand. This time, Julia shoved him with more force. He could see why Micah came across as whipped by her; Julia was strong as shit for a smaller girl.

“So do I. But it's the first time you've been out here since I moved and I miss you.” She gave him puppy dog eyes
, and he settled into the couch. There was no way he could fight when she pulled out the guilt trip. “If you want, you could probably knock on her door. She could keep you company while I’m gone.” She looked in the direction of Carly's room and then stared at Adam.

“You know, you really need to work on being subtle,” he laughed. “You suck at it
.”

“Whatever. Don't be a stubborn ass.” She bent down, g
ave him a peck on the cheek and ran out the door.

***

Carly's ears perked up when the door closed. She hurried to get dressed, wanting to get the scoop from Julia on how Adam was doing. With her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail, she pulled on a fresh tank top and flannel lounge pants.

She retreated and slammed her door shut after managing to get two steps out of her room. It wasn't Adam who had left
; it was Julia. Shit. She leaned against the door while she tried to figure out what she was going to do. There was no way Adam hadn't heard the door closing, so he knew she was awake. Then again, he was the reason they weren't talking. If he wanted to talk to her, he knew how to make his way from the living room to her bedroom.

“Carly?” Adam said softly, knocking on her door. “You
wanna come out and talk?”

Did she want to talk? She had begged him more times than she could count to talk to her
, and she had agreed to meet him for coffee later in the week so they could do just that, but could she talk to him right now?

“Yeah, be right out,” she sighed. Grabbing the brush off her dresser, she pulled her hair into a much neater
ponytail. He would have to deal with her Poindexter glasses. She meekly opened the door. “Hey.”

He looked tired. Adam was normally the type of guy who could get four hours of sleep and be fully functional, but it looked like he
’d had a few too many days without sleep. That was a feeling Carly could understand. She was sure the bags under her eyes were a matched set to his. She stood in front of him, looking into his stormy blue eyes, trying to figure out what to do. He was standing so close to the doorway that she couldn't step out without stepping into his arms, but that didn't feel right. It's what she wanted, but she knew it was too soon.

Adam took a step back, motioning for her to lead the way back to the couch. “Want a beer?” She asked before sitting down.

“Jules just ran out to get some,” he informed her. When Carly started laughing, Adam looked at her as though she had lost her mind. “Care to share?” He asked.

She held up her hand while she regained her composure. “Your sister, my best friend, is a scheming liar.” She opened the fridge, crooking a finger for Adam to come and see for himself. The entire bottom shelf
overflowed with microbrews a new client had given Julia.

Adam shook his head, reaching in to grab a honey ale. “I knew she was up to something. Well, shall we go out and sit?”

Carly's stomach was doing flips. She thought she would have more time to prepare. What was she going to say to him to earn herself a second chance? Adam settled into one end of the couch and Carly got as close to the opposite armrest as possible. She couldn't let the spicy cologne he was wearing or the long eyelashes framing the most beautiful eyes she had seen distract her. Even when he was upset, the color of his eyes was mesmerizing.

“So, how have you been?” Carly asked, immediate berating herself.

Adam sighed heavily, leaning so that his elbows rested on his knees. She glanced over at him from behind a short curtain of brown hair. It was the longest she had seen it, and she was trying to decide if she liked the shaggy look on him. “How do you think I've been?” He asked angrily. “Life's been a fucking party. Revolving door of women and booze in my life, you know?”

Carly recoiled at the venom in his words. Okay, so this was going to be even more of a battle than she thought. She was lying to herself when she said she would be
fine if all she got from their talk was closure. She didn't want that. She wanted to make him see that she still loved him.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered. “That was stupid of me. I just meant...”

His posture loosened. “I know what you meant. I'm sorry for being an ass,” he admitted. “But it was an
exceptionally
stupid question. I've been pretty shitty ever since this one girl I went and fell in love with told me she needed space. And the worst part? She did it less than a minute after making me the happiest I've been in a long time. She told me she loved me for the first time and then gave me the 'I need space' speech. Can you believe there are girls out there who would pull that shit?”

Holy hell. It seemed Adam
’s mission was to drive the knife as deep into her heart as he possibly could before hearing anything she had to say.

“Wow,” Carly said, blowing out the breath she had been holding since he started his little tirade. “She really sounds like a stupid bitch.” She folded her arms tightly around her knees, making herself as small as possible. No matter how much she managed to shrink her physical presence, she would still be
enormous compared to how small she felt emotionally.

Adam reached his hand out, placing it on her calf. Carly flinched at the warmth of his touch against her skin. “I think 'stupid bitch' might be a bit harsh,” he sighed. “But I sure wish I knew what she was thinking that night.”

Resting her head on her knees, Carly looked over at Adam. His eyes were still stormy and filled with pain, but they were softer than they had been when she opened her door. “She was probably freaked out. You know, not every girl gets excited about the idea of falling in love. If someone has problems in their past, you know, like if both of her parents left her when she was so young she doesn't even remember them, falling in love could be scary as hell.”

Talking about herself in the third person was odd, but somehow, it was easier. She wasn't outright admitting to her own faults, she was able to mask it in hypothetical ideas. Her heart clenched, realizing Adam had chosen this approach knowing how hard it was for her to open up. Hell, if sharing her feelings
were easy for Carly, they wouldn't be in this mess.