by Smith, Wendy
“Adam—”
“Screw you, Dad. I know why she rejected Lily now. You always fall into line with her, even when she’s wrong. Grow some balls.”
I turn and walk toward the gate.
“Where are you going?” Corey asked.
“Where else? Home. You guys coming?”
Home is anywhere Lily and Max are waiting.
28
Lily
I check the oven again, breathing in the smell of roasting meat. Wild pork has such a strong taste, and it’s a rare treat. Even Max enjoys it, and he drives me nuts he’s so particular when it comes to food. I’ve never had all the Campbell brothers over for dinner at once, but then life has been filled with a lot of new things lately.
I’ve got Adam back, and he loves me just as much as he did all those years ago. He’s squashed my fears of being abandoned again, but him returning to the army still haunts my thoughts.
“When’s dinner?” Max mopes around the house, waiting for his father to come home. He only called me five minutes ago to tell me we were going to have a full house.
“I just have to put the potatoes in and sort out the vegetables.”
He frowns. “I don’t want vegetables.”
“Not even carrots?” They’re his favourite, closely followed by peas, despite his protest.
Max rolls his eyes. “Carrots are okay.”
“Good.”
“Where’s Dad?” He’s asked that question a million times since Adam left for his parents’ place.
“He’s gone to see his mum and dad.”
Max looks up at me from under his fringe. He needs a haircut, but that’ll be a drama in itself. Maybe Adam can get him to sit still long enough to get it done. “Is that Grandma and Grandad?”
The question breaks my heart. While Adam’s dad is pretty harmless, his mother is a cranky old bitch.
Now I know the years apart were unnecessary. Nothing can make up for the heartache and tears I dealt with on top of what happened with Mum and then Max. I don’t even know if I would accept an apology from Adam’s mother.
Now Max has Adam in his life, I guess he should know he has grandparents. “I guess so, honey.”
“That’ll be why Grandad dropped off the boxes in the mornings.”
I study him closer as he returns to his book. The boxes of clothes? “What do you mean?”
“I saw him a couple of times. He was here really early. I thought it was zombies at first.”
“You didn’t open the door.”
He grins. “I did once. He said ‘Max, I am your grandfather.’”
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Are you sure that wasn’t you watching Star Wars?”
Max shrugs. “It was still him.”
Could that be true? All the while Adam’s mother was cutting ties, pushing me away, her own husband had been working to help support their grandson. Sometimes I’d wished the packages had contained money—that would have really helped. But in the absence of that, I’ve not had to buy new clothes for Max since he was little. Something always appears.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m never wrong, Mum.”
I smirk at my son’s confidence. He’s rarely wrong, he doesn’t speak up until he’s sure. If what he said is true, we’ve received more support from the Campbell family than I ever realised.
Part of me wonders what Adam will think about that.
* * *
I hear them all before I see them—the rolling laughter, Corey’s booming voice. Max’s head shoots up, and he races from the table to the door.
“Dad,” he shrieks.
Adam crosses the room, Max hanging off his arm, and pecks me on the lips. The others might be having fun, but I can tell from his eyes that he’s troubled.
“Are you okay?”
He nods. “We’ll talk later. Right now, I want to spend time with my two favourite people in the world. And these other hobos I brought home for dinner. Need any help?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Everything’s under control. I don’t know if I have enough drinks …”
“We stopped and got some beer.” Corey opens the fridge and starts piling the bottles in.
“Just as well the living room is a decent size. Plenty of floor to sleep on,” I tease.
“I wouldn’t sleep on that floor. Never know what’s on it.” Corey winks.
Drew makes a beeline for me as soon as Adam sits down. Wrapping his arms around me, he squeezes my arse and buries his nose in my neck. “How’s it going, Lily-bell?”
Adam’s growl can probably be heard from the city, and I chuckle as Drew gives me another squeeze.
“You took way too long to come back. I tried to talk her into hooking up with me, but for some reason she wasn’t keen on marrying a doctor.” Drew beams.
I shove his shoulder as he lets go and heads toward the table, sitting next to Adam.
Adam looks between us, an expression that’s way too serious for this situation all over his face. “Really?”
“No, he’s talking crap.” I laugh.
“I always knew my love would never be requited.”
Rolling my eyes, I take a step and hook my arms around Adam’s neck. “Meet your brother, the big tease.”
Drew pokes Adam’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I always knew Lily-bell only had eyes for you.”
Adam meets my gaze, and I smile back, my heart filled with so much love for all of them. In my lonely years, they’d become my brothers. He slips his arms around my waist and leans his head on my chest. Closing my eyes, I stroke his hair. I don’t know what happened with his mother, but whatever it is, it isn’t good. His disappointment seeps from his every pore.
“I’ll turn the potatoes over,” Owen says, and instead of insisting I’ll do it, as I’m apt to do, I just hold Adam. When I open my eyes, Drew gives me a little smile.
“It’ll be okay,” he mouths. I nod, and bend to kiss the top of Adam’s head. It’s been a rough day for him.
Whatever happened.
* * *
After dinner Owen and Corey pick up all the plates from the table and start the dishes before I have a chance to protest. Instead, I sit at the table, Adam and Max disappearing into the living room with Drew and James.
“Earth to Lily.” Owen waves his hand in front of my face.
“What?”
“You’re miles away. Corey and I were just speculating on what Mum told Adam that has him so rattled.”
I shrug. “I’m sure he’ll tell us all when he’s ready.”
When I sigh, Corey walks around the table, squatting in front of me. “You okay?”
“Do you think Adam’s going to stay? He’s in the army, Corey. What if he leaves again?” Saying it out loud helps me let go of so much tension.
“He loves you. Have you asked him about it?”
I shake my head. “I’m almost afraid to. I don’t want to know if he’s just going to leave again.”
Corey places his hand over mine. “Do it, Lily. After what’s happened, I’d be surprised if he leaves again. Hell, I’m surprised he’s left you in another room.”
I reach over and put my hand to his beard.
“Careful, he’ll growl at me next.”
Laughing, I wrap my arms around his neck. “You guys are all like brothers to me. I don’t know how I could have got through the last twelve years without you.”
“We all love you. It’s been easy. Max is pretty epic, too. That’s one good kid you’ve got there.”
I lean over, hugging him tight.
“You better let him go before Adam throws us all out,” Owen says.
I chuckle, releasing Corey.
“Go talk to Adam,” he says.
Nodding, I stand and walk to the doorway. Max sits on the couch, Drew and James on either side. The three of them are engrossed in cartoons and I smile, shaking my head at the sight. “Do you guys know where Adam went?”
Drew shakes his head. “He headed that way.
” He points out the door and into the hallway.
“Thanks.”
As I walk out and into the entranceway of the house, I turn my head and find him on the deck, sitting on the steps and looking out at the yard. The sun’s low in the sky, almost ready to give way to the night. “You okay?”
He turns his head and smiles at me, raising his hand to take mine. “Just thinking.”
“About your mum?” I sit on the step beside him and rest my head on his shoulder.
“She told me why she doesn’t like you.”
It should come as no surprise, but the words still make my stomach clench. I always knew it, but could never work out what I’d done to cause it.
“It’s not you, Lil. It’s not your fault.” He swallows. “She’s been keeping more than one secret.”
I lift my head. He has worry etched across his face, and my stomach sinks.
“Do you ever remember my dad visiting your mother?”
I nod. “She did some repairs for him. He said he couldn’t work out the machine, and your mother’s sewing wasn’t that great.”
He snorts. “Yeah, she had a few failures, but that’s not why he saw her.”
“What?”
“Mum says after they got here, my dad had an affair with your mum. She held it against you. It was never about anything you did—it all came down to her own hurt feelings.”
My mind reels. There were a couple of times I’d been sick and stayed home from school when Adam’s father turned up. It hadn’t seemed out of the ordinary, Mum had people drop off little repair jobs all the time. “How could we not know?”
“I think we had other distractions, and I don’t know how long it lasted.”
Adam was right. We were so preoccupied with each other, the world could have ended and we would have barely noticed. We loved so much in those four short years we had, and if anyone ever asked me about anything else that had happened during that time, I’d barely have had a clue. “There’s something else.”
What else could there possibly be?
“Those parcels you were getting, the ones with clothing? It was my dad.”
“I know.”
His eyebrows shoot up at my casual response.
“Max told me today. He saw him delivering one once, but I don’t think he said anything because he knew he’d be in trouble for opening the door without checking who it was first.”
Adam’s lips curl into a lopsided smile. “Max knew? That kid of ours.”
“So now what?” I ask.
Adam takes my hand in his, threading his fingers through mine, and raises it to his lips. “We make our own future. You, me, and Max. We’re enough. He’ll have his uncles. That’s all the family we need.”
I sigh. “I guess it’s more than we had before.”
“Plus, one day we’ll grow our family. At least I hope we will.”
I raise my head. “Do you want to know what I want?”
“Of course.”
“This is probably gonna sound a little silly, since you basically just moved in, but I want to date. I want us to really get to know each other again. It still feels like we’re scratching the surface at times.”
Adam presses his nose against mine. “Anything you want.”
“What I want is for you to stay.”
He pulls away, his eyebrows knitted as he frowns. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Your job. What happens if they send you away again? I lost you once—I don’t want to lose you again.”
A smile creeps across his face, and in an instant his lips are on mine, his tongue pressing into my mouth with urgency. This is comforting and scary. Is he trying to distract me or reassure me?
“You’ll never lose me. I’m not going back. Ever.”
Tears roll down my cheeks. My biggest fear finally evaporates as he holds me tight, lodging his fingers in my hair and pulling me close.
“I love you. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for the years we were apart. If you’ll have me.”
I sniff. “Did you just propose?”
He laughs into my hair. “I promise I’ll do it properly after we’ve spent more time. Once we’ve broken through that surface.”
“Mum?” Max is right behind us.
“Hey, baby,” I say.
Adam lets go of me, and I reach up to grab Max’s hand. He steps down and sits between Adam and I. “Are you crying?”
I nod, wiping my eyes with my fingers. “Because I’m so happy. I have you and Dad. We’re a family, Max.”
He rolls his eyes. “You cry when you’re happy, too? I’ll never understand girls.”
Despite myself, I laugh, and Adam does too. Max squawks as we both hug him tight.
My whole world on this doorstep.
29
Adam
From the outside, the old garage has seen better days. A big, old concrete building, the windows are boarded up with odd-sized blocks of wood, and it looks as if it’s been untouched in years. In truth, it’s been less than a year, but in this town, it fades into the background. To me, it represents the future.
I learned so much in the army, and my mechanical skills will come in handy in this rural community. There have been so many times I’ve had to improvise to repair vehicles, which fit so well with the ol’ Kiwi number eight wire mentality. I might not be MacGyver, but I have a knack for pulling things together when I need to.
Here, I’ll have a proper garage and be able to buy real parts for vehicles. When this workshop closed, the nearest place to get any mechanical repairs done was more than fifty kilometres away. I want to reverse that.
I haven’t told Lily about my plans yet, I want it to be a surprise. She’s been through enough pain for a lifetime, and all I want is to give her the future she doesn’t dare to dream of. The best part of the whole deal is the house.
Behind the garage is a three-bedroom home, complete with a separate sleep-out. The backyard opens up into bushland, and I’ll have to fence it to stop Max from wandering in after any animals. There are plenty of those about. He’ll love it.
“What on earth are we doing here?” Lily asks as we pull up outside.
“This is our new home. If you want it to be,” I say as I take her hand. Her brow wrinkles in confusion, but she smiles as I squeeze her fingers, giving me a little bit of sorely needed sunshine. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make her happy.
“Yay!” Max yells from the back seat, I grin at his enthusiasm. My son. The house they’re in has been their home for so long, but it doesn’t belong to them. This will.
Lily shoots me a sideways glance, and no wonder. All she sees is the garage, the house behind still hidden from our sight. A million thoughts must be running through her head. This has to be one of the greatest gifts I could ever give her.
I tousle Max’s hair as he unlatches his seat belt and sticks his head between the two front seats. “You like it, buddy?”
Max is happy, nodding with so much enthusiasm I think his head might just fall off. Lily’s more reserved.
“Come and have a look. I promise you’ll love it.”
She lets out a sigh. I grasp her hand tight.
“Come on, Mum,” Max moans. His constant thirst to keep moving isn’t quenched by sitting in the car.
Lily laughs. “Fine.”
She’s still scared. I see it in her eyes, and I understand it. This is so new yet familiar, and I sense her fear whenever I leave.
“Trust me?” I murmur.
Lily licks her lips and slowly nods.
I let go of her hand and open the car door, Max leaping over into the front seat and following behind me. He’s so excited. It’s like bringing a puppy to a new home, and I already love how happy it’ll make him to see what I have in store.
Lily’s opened the car door, and I hold it for her while she steps out.
“This is the garage. James will help me sort it out, take the boards off the windows. We’ll tidy it up,” I say as I
close the car door.
She nods.
“But this is what I need to show you.” I take her by the hand, and lead her and Max through a side gate and down a driveway leading behind the building.
Her gasp is audible as we turn the corner and she lays eyes on a house that’s been maintained despite the state of the garage.
“Mum, look.” Max squeals as he sees it, and I wrap my other arm around his shoulders and pull him toward me. “Get off, Dad.”
It’s beautiful, the verandah running around the outside, the wooden steps leading up to the decking edged by intricately carved hand railings. I let Max go and turn my focus to Lily. Her face is full of awe and longing.
“Like I said. This is our new home,” I whisper. “If it’s okay with you. It comes with the garage, so we don’t have to live here.”
Her smile spreads into a grin. “Are you kidding me? If the inside is as beautiful as the outside …”
“It is.”
Max tugs at my shirt. “Can I look around?”
I grin at my overexcited son. “Of course you can. I even have the keys so you can pick which room you want.”
His eyes widen. “Really?”
“There are three bedrooms. Mum and I get one, and you can choose out of the other two.”
He jumps up and down, grabbing Lily’s other hand. “Come on, Mum. Let’s check it out.”
Lily laughs, and turns her head to peck me on the lips before she lets go of my hand and runs toward the house hand in hand with Max.
“Come on, Dad.”
My heart swells when he calls me that. All the years I never knew he existed evaporate at the sound of those words. We’re close despite the previous distance. When Max loves, he loves big.
“On my way.” I breathe deep. This is perfect.
I follow them up the verandah and unlock the door, pushing it open. Max runs past, but I scoop Lily into my arms and carry her over the threshold. Peals of laughter echo through the empty house, and she has so much love in her eyes as she presses her nose to mine before I set her down on the floor. “What do you think?”
