by Jolie, Mika
By the time Lily pulled Adam’s sleek Porsche GTS Cabriolet into his driveway, darkness had fallen. After lunch, Minka convinced her to head back to Martha’s Way and help her with seating arrangements while Keely and Claire worked on the finishing touches of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Between work and lots of laughter, they had lost track of time.
She spotted the black Maserati and glanced at the house. Once again, the light from the family room was on. Ready to make amends, she walked inside the house and headed down the hall.
Adam sat on the sofa, casually dressed in a T-shirt and worn jeans, nothing fancy. Yet his mere presence affected her, and her heart did that little dance only reserved for him. He was jotting down notes as he glanced back and forth to the large television screen of his last race. Even from the door, she could detect he was focused.
“I went back to Martha’s Way with Minka and we lost track of time,” she said, announcing her presence.
“No problem,” he muttered, picked up the remote and froze the screen to the part where he was knocked out of the lead. “My parents are on the island,” he said over his shoulder.
She froze in place. “What?”
With his back still facing her, he nodded. “You will meet them tomorrow at the farm.”
The morning’s tension still hung thick in the air. Feeling a sense of heady anticipation, Lily let out a nervous chuckle. “You knew they were coming?”
She waited. He didn’t answer.
“Adam.”
He placed the remote on the sofa, stood up and closed the space between them. Flat black eyes with a lifeless look to them greeted her. Her immediate reaction was to hold his hands, kiss away whatever he was struggling with. But she held back.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It didn’t seem important then.”
Translation—they weren’t important, at least not until the baby. Lily swallowed back the pain. Too late for her ego to be bruised, she already agreed to date him and explore the possibilities of them becoming more. “Let’s go to bed,” she suggested in a choked voice.
His lips brushed hers. “Go ahead. I’ll come in a few.”
She hesitated, but Adam was already on the sofa, his attention back to the television screen. The walls were back up, shutting her out once again.
Well into the night, Lily stared blankly into the darkness of the bedroom. A terrible weight fell onto her shoulders as she lay still on the bed. She waited, hoped, Adam would join her. But eventually, her eyes felt heavy. Eventually, she fell asleep. Alone.
Chapter Seventeen
“Is this love or a deception of feelings?”
Warlock
Simple things tended to become complicated when one expected too much. Twiddling her thumbs, Lily glanced over at Adam, his mop of unruly dark curls blowing against the autumn breeze. With his vision hidden behind a pair of black onyx sunglasses, she couldn’t quite make out his expression. But everything about his composure screamed he was in complete control and was once again back to his sexy cool, laid-back self. Unlike her.
In silence, he maneuvered his little baby of a car on their way to Herring Creek, his thumbs thumping to the tune of Transliterator by Devotchka. They had not spoken much today. By the time she woke up, Adam had already left for his restaurant and spent the whole day there preparing to shut down for the winter season.
There had been no mention of why he had not come to bed. But Lily already knew the answer. Fear of showing any vulnerability. The possibility of having another dream and exposing whatever monster oppressed him during sleep would indicate a sign of letting his guard down a bit, and expose his internal wounds. She caught a glimpse of them during his nightmare. He was now guarded.
In either case, that conversation had to wait. Right now, more pressing things occupied her mind. Like the fact she was about to come face to face with the two people who molded him into what he was today. Her stomach had been tied up in bunches since Adam dropped the news his parents were on the island.
Yep. She blamed her tossing and turning all night on them and that gorgeous man sitting inches away from her.
“You’re nervous again,” he noted without a glance in her direction.
She squirmed in her seat. “I’m not,” she said, then bit the corner of her mouth.
He smiled. “You’re fidgeting.”
Okay. Maybe she was. But it was his fault. She clasped her hands together. A little warning would have been nice. And she didn’t mean the “Oh, by the way, my parents are here,” type of announcement. Nope. Lily needed…she searched her mind for a decent prep time. Two weeks would have been fair. Just like he had for her family.
The car turned smoothly onto a dirt road leading through acres of land. Brightly painted farm buildings stood near rows of glowing green, ripe red and pure purple crops. Bold red letters marked a sign nailed to an oak tree, Herring Creek Organic Farm. The early evening sun, full and bright, combined with the earthy scent of compost made the farm smell like a secluded forest. She took in the beauty of the land. It was an agricultural paradise.
“How long are your parents here for?” she asked, ignoring his comment.
“They’re here for the wedding.”
Yeah, he had told her that. Actually he texted her that bit of information earlier today. The Maserati drove past a rusty metal plough standing opposite a bundle of hay.
“The wedding is over a week away.”
He shrugged. “My mother is from Boston. She spent a lot of time on the island before moving to Italy. And they still come back. You know that.”
Yes. She did. But she had never been around. And they usually stayed with him. More importantly, she usually stayed away.
“They volunteered to stay here,” he informed her.
“Why?”
“They know you are staying with me. I don’t know.” He shrugged again. “Dad said something about not wanting to intrude.”
“Do they know?” Her hands automatically folded over her flat stomach.
Adam glanced at her, caught hold of one of her hand and brought it to his lips. “Yes.”
She sighed heavily.
The Maserati made a sharp left behind a red barn and came to a halt among many parked trailers and trucks.
“Look at me, Liliana.”
Reluctantly, she turned to face him as he pulled his sunglasses off. Once again, she found herself drowning in the intensity of his eyes.
“My parents came yesterday. I would have told you but we didn’t talk much during the day.” A smile touched his lips. “They’ve known about you for a while now. Naturally, they are excited to meet you. And that was even before I told them about the baby.”
Wait. What? Had the pregnancy affected her hearing as well? What did he mean they’ve known about her? That implied she’d always existed in his world. Too bad she couldn’t say the same.
“They’ve known about me?”
He nodded. “We discussed you a few times. Does it bother you?”
Oh, to have had been a fly on the wall during those discussions. “Um…no. I just didn’t think they knew I existed.”
Adam brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “Like your parents don’t know I exist.”
Guilty. Her chin dropped and her gaze darted downward, with one finger he lifted her face back to his.
“I don’t know why I told them about you,” he said in a gentle tone. His gaze bore into hers. “But I understand why you never told your parents about me. It doesn’t bother me. So stop thinking and let’s go have fun. Everyone is here tonight.”
“Everyone?”
He smiled. “Jason’s father and Claire’s mother are here as well. What started as us getting together turned into a party.”
“I see,” she answered, fighting back the sour taste in her mouth.
“The island is small,”“ he continued. “We all grew up together and our parents are good friends. Everyone knew they were coming for the wedding.”
She nodde
d tightly. Once again, she was the last to know. “One big, happy family.”
His eyes searched hers. “You’re part of our family now. Might as well get to know everyone.”
Lily drew in a deep breath. It didn’t matter that he owned her heart, or that in a sea of people her eyes would always search for him. She wasn’t part of the family. They were still in the discovering phase. Baby or in love, she had to keep afloat. Of all people, she knew love was fleeting, merely a madness. It erupted like a volcano and then subsided.
But the little voice that knew she was on the brink of losing all sense of rationality reminded her she lost that power a long time ago.
“Stop thinking.” Adam leaned into her; his focus was intense and unnerving.
His mouth swooped down to capture hers. And like every other time everything in her surrendered to him. Passion and desire exploded throughout her body, between them, like the twists of a rope, mutually mixing one with the other, and twined inextricably around her heart.
“Come on, my parents are watching us,” he whispered against her lips.
What! Her head whipped around to follow his gaze and landed on a couple hugging and smiling in their direction. Lily groaned miserably and Adam chuckled as he stepped out of the car. He came by her side, slipped his hand in hers and led her to his parents.
Lily surveyed them with each closing step. They were a beautiful couple and something about them generated warmth and tranquility. She guessed they were in their mid-fifties. His mother, a former Miss America, looked beautiful in a silk poppy dress and knee-length cowboy boots. She was tall, with a fair complexion, lustrous blonde hair, and smiling blue eyes. Physically, the two men didn’t look that different from each other, and could easily pass for father and son. They were similar in height, same bronze complexion and dark hair. Only difference, his father’s hair was sprinkled with a hint of grey. But as she got closer, she realized, although the man was handsome, the two bore no resemblance.
His mother pulled Adam in her arms and planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. The two men shared a warm hug. She smiled at the obvious love Adam shared with his parents. After he pulled back from their embrace, he reached for her hands and introduced her. “This is Liliana.” He nodded at the couple.
Curiosity sparked in their eyes as they appraised her appearance. Smiling, she extended a hand to them, but she was pulled into four arms. Hugs and kisses soon followed. The warm embrace left her rather speechless and a little nervous. But she liked their warmth; it reminded her of her parents.
“What a pleasure to finally meet you, Liliana,” his mother said, still assessing her and smiling. “Congratulations on the upcoming wedding.”
A little disoriented by what she heard, Lily chuckled. Surely, there was some confusion. “Oh, we’re not getting married. Jason and Minka are.”
His parents frowned, their eyes darted between her and Adam.
So that’s what a deer felt like when caught in headlights.
After an awkward silence, his father spoke in a slight Italian accent. “Yes, of course. Their wedding is next weekend, but yours is soon after, no?”
* * * *
Lily’s blood boiled in rage. Anger couldn’t cover all that she felt. Hurt. Betrayed. Lost. She waited for Adam to set the record straight. When he didn’t, she glanced at him, and his jaws clenched. “We are not getting married. Not anytime soon.” she said in a flat tone, and then smiled weakly at his parents. “Please excuse me.”
Grievously troubled in mind and vexed in soul, she unlaced her fingers from Adam’s and slipped away from his touch. He made no attempt to hold her back, and her heart dissolved to her toes.
He just let her go.
With autumn leaves crunching under her feet, she nearly ran toward the converted barn house where Forrest’s parents held most of their social functions. Numerous windows and a trim of translucent siding kept the indoor illuminated with natural light. Wood clad walls with local arts in bright bold colors proudly displayed gave the place a warm environment. She scanned the room and the familiar faces. Cheerful chatter surrounded her as Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite played from the built in surround sound system. The singer’s sensual, Neo-Soul voice filled the room as he cataloged the stages of adult romance through his songs.
Jason had one arm draped over Minka’s shoulder as they engaged in a conversation with his father. Whatever was said between the three of them caused Minka to touch her cheek and beam. The couple looked relaxed, in love, and their apparent happiness pulled at Lily’s heartstrings. Claire’s mother was laughing with Forrest’s mom, Keely and Blake. Distance away, she spotted Forrest talking to his father. Claire was nowhere in sight. With the exception of Adam’s parents, she met them all around the same time last year at Jason’s art show, honoring his mother’s photography.
Yes. One big, happy family. Adam’s family. Not that anyone had ever made her feel less than welcome. If anything, she was greeted with a warm reception from day one. But it wasn’t about everyone in the room. Her problem was with the man she loved.
Baby or not, no love, no marriage, she reminded herself. And the first step to achieving love was to establish trust. Call her selfish, but wanted it all from Adam. His intensity and vulnerability.. While she was drawn to his unguarded way of living, the reality was Adam had surrounded himself by walls.
“Every time I see you, you look miserable.”
Claire’s voice startled her. Lily turned and smiled weakly at the other woman.
“What did Adam do now?” Claire chuckled. “Still no sex?”
In spite of the bitter taste of sadness inside of her, Claire’s question brought a smile to Lily’s lips. “You look beautiful, Claire,” she remarked as Claire spun in full circle to give her a complete view of the modern, yet ethereal indigo backless dress. “Wow! I love it!”
On any other, it might have come across as trying too hard, but the pretty singer looked effortlessly beautiful and elegant.
“Thank you.” Claire smiled. “So what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lily answered with a slight shake of her head. “Everything, I guess. Adam’s parents think we are getting married.”
“It could be a misunderstanding,” Claire answered, her eyebrows furrowed. “But what would be so bad about that?”
“Would you marry someone just because you find yourself pregnant?”
A smile touched Claire’s lips. “You’re in love with him.”
Lily remained quiet.
“And you want him to love you, except Adam, like most men, is slow in the love department.”
The slow part wasn’t the problem. Their relationship was in a transitional phase, and she had been willing to go for the ride. That is, until the nightmare occurred. Lily peeked at Forrest, still engaged in a conversation with his father; his mother and Jason’s father had joined them.
Claire chuckled. “There’s nothing going on between me and Forrest. We are friends.”
“Right.” It was clear Claire had no intention to divulge whatever was going on. At that exact moment, the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Lily turned toward the door and her gaze collided with Adam’s. He gave her a long calculating look, but didn’t come to her. Instead he headed to where Jason and Blake were now engaged in a conversation. “He has these dreams that he won’t talk to me about,” Lily said in a whisper. “I’m mad at him.”
“You need to give him time, my friend,” Claire whispered. “Has he opened up to you yet?”
Lily’s gaze dropped to the floor as she shook her head. “Quite the opposite. He has completely shut me out.”
Claire squeezed her shoulder. “You know I love all of them, right? But,” Claire continued, “Adam is being really stubborn right now.” She paused for a breath. “However, let me say, the baby is a complete curve ball. For both of you. The only difference is you’ve already fallen for him.”
“It’s not enough. His walls are so high, I can’t reach around them.”
> “I’m going to tell you a little story, and then we have to go mingle,” Claire said, her gaze on the couple now talking to Keely and Minka. “I once did an interview for this premier magazine in Europe, the reporter thought he was clever and shifted the topic to Adam. It was then I learned there is no record of his life from the age of eight to ten.”
Lily’s mouth opened but words couldn’t find their way out.
“Naturally,” Claire continued, “I immediately became guarded and asked that we kept the conversation on my upcoming record.” She shrugged. “I love each one of them as they are. They’ve done the same with Jason after his mother’s death. Anyhow, the point to me telling you this is I warned Adam and the next day the reporter was assigned to cover fashion or something. Last I checked, he was still calling Adam for an interview.”
Lily peered at Adam. He smiled at something Blake said and patted Jason’s back. On the outside one could never tell he carried wounds. She was still clueless of their depth.
“His parents are very influential in Europe,” Claire informed. “They love him very much and would protect him at all cost,” she said with admiration.
“That was pretty low of that reporter to try to get information through you.” But even she had to admit Claire’s words had piqued her curiosity.
Claire shrugged and seemed undaunted. “People are always snooping. I’m going to mingle. Are you going to stay here sulking over Adam’s dumb-ass move or enjoy the night and get to know his parents? They are a nice couple. I love them.”
Lily chuckled. “You love everyone. Even Charles,” she said, referring to Jason’s father.
Claire smiled. “Hey, he raised me. And he’s a good guy. Just made a stupid mistake. We all do. And look.” She tilted her chin in Jason’s direction, who was once again talking to his father. “It seems all is well between the evil father and the angry son.”
The two women chuckled. For someone she only met recently, Lily liked Claire’s easy confidence and attitude. “You’re back in L.A. tomorrow?”
