Chapter Twelve
Katie
I halfheartedly piece together the chatter floating around me.
“How can the baby be Adam’s?”
“That’s not the son I raised.”
“He told me he was bringing a girlfriend. Then she just disappears…”
“How long do you think Brian knew about it?”
“I didn’t think my daughter was capable of doing something like this.”
“But Kelly loves Brian. I’m sure of it.”
I take a sip of iced tea as my aunt and uncle try to make sense of the situation with the O’Malleys. They’ve been hashing it out for nearly an hour and they’re as confused as ever. That’s funny. It seems crystal clear to me. Kelly cheated on Brian by sleeping with Adam and then wound up pregnant—end of story.
My eyes scan the tourists ambling by the front window of the cafe. They’re smiling and happy, unaffected by the drama that’s going on inside. I wish I could be carefree again. In the span of twenty-four hours, my whole life has turned upside down. I found out Adam exists…and he had sex with my cousin. Now tell me, what are the odds of that?
My head is throbbing mercilessly. I squint when the pain gets to be too much to handle and I almost miss the hooded figure darting through the crowd. Pushing my stool away from the counter, I make a feeble excuse that I need some air and receive some puzzled looks as I rush out the door, the bell clanging behind me. None of them know about Adam and me, and I intend to keep it that way. Only his mother appears to read more into my sudden departure than the rest, but I try to ignore her worried glance. The person I’m after has already rounded the corner. There’s no time to waste.
“Jada, wait up!”
Her spine goes rigid when she realizes who’s calling her. She stops but doesn’t face me. She’s not going to go easy on me. She’s as stubborn as they come.
Panting, I reach her side, but she continues to focus on something in the distance, acting like I’m not even there. I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of her, but she definitely intimidates me. She has such an imposing presence for someone so small. I feel inconsequential standing next to her, even though we’re roughly the same height. She’s eerily calm while I’m at my wit’s end.
“What did you do to incite Brian, Jada?” She flinches, not expecting my line of questioning. “Because he was fine until he spent the night with you.”
“You little bitch,” is all she says, and I immediately know I’m in trouble. “How dare you throw shit in my face when you don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“But he was going to go through with it until you convinced him otherwise. What did you say to him, huh? Did you fuck him to get back at Adam for kissing me?” I don’t normally use language like that, but if she’s going to view me as an equal, I have to meet her on her turf.
She wheels around, glaring at me. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not like your cousin. I don’t double dip when it comes to the O’Malley boys.”
“But you want to disrupt whatever’s going on between Adam and me, and a surefire way of doing that was working Brian over.” I stop when she yanks the sleeve of my dress, pulling me into an adjacent alley.
“Why are you so concerned about Brian anyway?” Jada narrows her eyes at me.
“I’m not, but maybe everybody would be better off if you hadn’t conned Brian into blurting out the truth.” I glance around nervously, wondering if we’re going to get into a brawl or something.
“You mean you’d be better off.” She smirks, lowering her hood.
“And so would that baby. Did you ever think of that?” My blood is raging through my veins. If she’s ready to throw down, then so am I. “How can you be so selfish?”
“That’s rich coming from you.” She watches me tug at my bandage as it starts to slip down my forehead. “Jesus, come here and let me fix it. You’re driving me crazy.”
Spinning me around, she unfastens the back of the gauze then refastens it snugly against my head. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” I mutter.
“I know. It’s second nature. Just part of the job.” She taps me on the shoulder to indicate she’s done. “There, good as new. Adam usually sucks when it comes to securing a bandage properly.”
Her frank assessment of his skills makes me chuckle. “He sucks at a lot of things, doesn’t he?”
“He sure does.” And for some reason, it feels like we’re talking about a whole lot more than bandages.
“How long have you known about the baby?” I ask, anxiously awaiting her response.
“A couple of weeks.” She regards me warily, trying to figure out where I’m going with this.
“He must trust you a lot.” There’s no question she’s an important part of his life.
“Too bad. I don’t trust him.” Her frank appraisal startles me. “And you shouldn’t either.”
“Adam’s not a bad guy.” He’s not, right? He’s the one who always saves me in my dreams. He’s there to rescue me from my illness, from my father, from my life.
“And how would you know? You’ve known him for what…a day? Give me a break.” She shoots me a withering glance. “I don’t care if you think you have some kind of spiritual connection with him or whatever. I’ve seen him drunk. I’ve seen him stoned. Honey, I’m under no delusions as to what kind of guy he is.”
“But that’s where you’re wrong. He’s so much more.” Her assertions give me cause to worry. But he can’t really be like that, can he? I refuse to believe what she’s accusing him of.
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself what you want to hear. But if you know what’s good for you, you’ll open your eyes and see what’s right in front of your face. He hurts the people who love him the most. He’s bound to hurt you, too.” She levels a warning at me, but it just bounces off. I can’t bear to hear anyone talk negatively about him. She’s probably poisoning my mind so she can have him for herself.
“Then explain the nightmares. Isn’t he acting out because he thought I was dead? Who’s to say his behavior won’t change now that we’ve found each other?” I may have a greater influence over Adam than she thinks.
“Dream on, sweetheart. He’s on probation from his job. He just hijacked his brother’s wedding. He has a baby on the way with a woman who just happens to be your cousin. How are the two of you supposed to live happily ever after, huh?” Every claim Jada’s making feels like she’s lashing me with a whip. There’s so much working against Adam and me, yet for some crazy reason, I still believe in us.
“Because…because I love him.” I can’t believe I admitted that to her. I haven’t even said those words to Adam.
“Yeah, well so do I, and look what happened to me.” She takes a big gulp of air in attempt to hold back her tears. Now I feel like a jerk for making her want to cry.
“Jada, come here.” I open my arms wide and envelop her in a hug. She resists at first then lightly pats my back. “I know you care about Adam, and it’s to your credit. But he’s not good for you, Jada. Maybe he’s not good for me either, but if he wants to give it a try, how can I refuse? I hope you can understand. I can’t give up on him. Not yet.”
“And what if he sleeps with Kelly again? What then?” She steps away from me to analyze my reaction. The image of Kelly sneaking out of Adam’s room this morning runs through my head. Now that I have all the facts, was her visit really as innocent as she suggested? Or was there more to it?
“I’ll just have to trust him. That’s all I can do.” And in no uncertain terms make it clear that not for one moment will I tolerate him being unfaithful to me.
“Yeah, good luck with that. His bedroom’s practically a revolving door.” Jada shakes her head. “You don’t even want to know what almost happened between us on the way here.”
And suddenly I wish I hadn’t hugged her. My inner spark of confidence starts to flicker. What if she’s right and he can’t be redeemed?
“But if it makes you fe
el any better, he said he was thinking about you the whole time.” It’s killing her to have to admit that, and I give her credit. Not many women would. “The two of you are so messed up that maybe you deserve each other.”
She extends her hand, and I take it.
“I just want you to know, I won’t get in the way. I’m getting a new partner at work, so Adam and I won’t be thrown together anymore. You don’t have to worry about me. I can admit defeat. I’ve been fighting your ghost for so long that I’m too tired to battle you in the flesh.” She gives me a weak smile as I release her hand. I wish we had met under different circumstances. I think we might have been friends. Too bad we’ll always view each other as rivals when it comes to Adam.
“So how are you getting home?” I’m not heartless enough to leave the poor girl stranded.
“The bus. It leaves in an hour. I just have to go back to the motel and grab my stuff.” She checks her watch. “I gotta run. But you know what? This has got to be the strangest conversation I’ve ever had, and I’ve had plenty.”
“You’re telling me.” I trace a line in the sidewalk with my toe and start backing away. “Have a safe trip.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” She chuckles, and I wonder why. Setting off at a brisk pace, she exits the alley and immediately blends into the crowd. For some reason, I start to panic as a sense of loneliness engulfs me. Desperate to get one last look at her, I push through the throng and climb onto the top railing of the marina. I glance over the faces before me, but I don’t see her. It’s not until I’m about to hop down that I see a familiar car pull up to the curb. Suddenly, Jada reappears out of nowhere, hustles across the street, and gets in. My heart nearly stops when I my eyes alight on the driver.
It’s Brian.
Chapter Thirteen
Jada
“So did you find anything?” I get right down to business. The hell with formalities.
“You could say that,” Brian mutters noncommittally as he merges back onto the road, driving away from the marina.
“Like…?” I don’t even buckle my seatbelt. Instead, I swing my left leg onto the seat and study his profile. He’s not giving me much to work with. His jaw is tight and he seems beat. I can just imagine what must’ve gone on back at the timeshare.
“For the longest time, she wouldn’t tell me her social security number.” He drums his nails against the steering wheel, waiting for a pair of bicyclists to utilize the crosswalk.
“So what does that have to do with anything?” If he’s going to begin a conversation in left field, he better start making sense. I don’t have the patience to solve some complex riddle if he keeps talking in circles.
“But I got it today.” He continues like he didn’t hear a word I said. “When the minister slipped me a copy of our marriage license.” He chuckles under his breath. “She was so careful. Her name was even on the envelope he handed me, but after all of the commotion, I don’t think he wanted to face her.”
“All right, so you have it? Now what?” I practically scream in his ear, and he finally turns his head to look at me.
“You have to calm down, Jada. If these mundane details are getting you this upset, I don’t know how you’re going to handle hearing the rest of it.” He resumes his position, eyes straight ahead. “Chill out, okay? Or I’m not going to tell you anything else.”
“You’re such an asshole, just like your brother.” I sulk, throwing myself back against the headrest. “Hey, you’re driving right by the motel. Hello, I have to check out and—”
“Like I said, calm down. It’s already been taken care of. Your luggage is in the trunk along with mine.” He sounds so smug I want to smack him, and I’m mortified that he must’ve had his hands on my lingerie. Damn it. Why didn’t I pack earlier?
“In the future, whenever I book a room, it’s gonna be in my name on my credit card. So dominating pervs like you won’t be granted such easy access.” Admittedly, he was helping me out of jam at the time. I was too busy freaking out about Adam kissing Katie that I didn’t even realize the front desk clerk must’ve given him his own key.
“Dominating perv…really?” He’s being overly dramatic like I’ve somehow offended him.
“Hey, if the shoe fits.” I shrug my shoulders like his supposed depravity is common knowledge.
“Man, you are one tough little cookie, aren’t you?” He whistles through his teeth in appreciation. “I’ll have to remember not to mess with you.”
“Yeah, you do that.” I snap my fingers like a true diva.
He bursts out laughing and I notice he has the cutest set of dimples…just like Adam’s. I expect my heart to react, but it doesn’t. Brian’s smile is too infectious. There’s no way I can feel remorse after cracking up such a gorgeous guy. He makes me want to join in his merriment, not run from it.
“So getting back to my story, having those well-guarded digits is already starting to open some doors.” Usually I’d be distracted by the beauty of the coastal scene as we cross over one of the bridges exiting the Outer Banks, but I’m dying to know what he means. “For starters, they let me access our cell phone records.”
“You are so whipped.” It’s a cheap shot, but again I can’t believe he’d be naïve enough to relinquish control over such vital information. He was on her cell phone plan? How lame is that?
“Maybe I was, but not anymore.” The determination he’s projecting bolsters my confidence somewhat. But it has to be hard to break out of such an ingrained pattern of behavior. It’s going to take a lot to get him completely out from under her thumb.
“I hope so or this alliance is doomed to fail.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, irritated by how many things can go wrong.
“It won’t.” I’m conscious that his eyes are on me but I don’t return his gaze. I’m still learning to trust him and I’m not there yet. “My hunch was on target.” But maybe it won’t take much more to convince me.
“Go on,” I implore, trying not to let my enthusiasm show.
“I only checked this month’s records, but she called him at least a dozen times over the last two days alone. And one was placed just before seven this morning.” He seems genuinely excited that we might be on the right track—and worried that we are. “If what I suspect is true, we’re in for the fight of our lives, Jada. You do realize that, right?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid I do. When you called me at the butt crack of dawn when Kelly snuck out of your room, I was skeptical. But now that you have concrete proof backing it up, I can’t deny that you might be on to something.” The enormity of what we’re up against is starting to sink in. We’re seriously outmatched and we’re going to have to be extremely careful if we’re going to have any shot at succeeding.
“The person who might be able to provide us with more clues is Katie. I heard Kelly talking to her outside Adam’s door.” He glances at me hopefully, but I shake my head.
“Too risky.” I run a hand nervously though my hair. The fewer people who know about this, the better.
“She knows about Adam and the baby. Do you really think Kelly is her favorite person in the world right now?” He’s pushing the issue, but I’m not going there. He can try to convince me all he wants. I’m not budging.
“No way, Brian. When it comes down to it, she’s going to side with a family member over us, even if she can’t stand her cousin at the moment.” I lower the visor in an attempt to keep the sun off my face. We’re back on the mainland with only nine more hours of driving ahead of us. I’m going to have stand firm and not let him talk me out of excluding Katie from our plans. The longer we’re in this confined space, the more tempting it’s going to sound, especially since I’m functioning on practically no sleep.
“But what if we say we need her help for Adam’s sake?” The softness in his eyes is already starting to melt my defenses. They’re a rich brown, not startlingly blue like Adam’s, but they’re hypnotic all the same. “She’ll do anything for him. She freaking loves him
.”
“Loves him? Please.” I couldn’t stomach listening to this when it was coming from her lips, never mind Brian’s. “Don’t get me started on that bullshit.”
“But if our theory is correct, it would explain a lot.” He wants to debate the topic with me, but I’m not in the mood.
“Yeah, but I’m not willing to put much stock in it yet, okay?” I’m visibly annoyed, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why I’m frustrated. I’m nowhere near being over Adam, and thankfully Brian backs off.
“All right, fine.” He seems disappointed in me for some reason, and it bugs the hell out of me. “We won’t approach her now. But if things proceed in the direction they’re heading, we’re going to have to let her in on things eventually.”
“Whatever, Brian. Wait and see what happens when they all return to their ordinary lives. Katie doesn’t exactly live near Adam. She’s about two hours away, right?” I know I’m fooling myself in thinking that distance will keep them apart, but I can’t resist clinging to anything that might be a hindrance to their relationship.
“Something like that. She’s definitely not close by. They’re gonna have to make an effort to see each other, especially when he goes back to work.” He turns the air conditioning back a notch when he notices the goose bumps forming on my arms. It’s nice that I didn’t have to ask. He was observant enough to notice I was cold.
“If he goes back to work…I don’t know. It doesn’t look good.” I mentally chastise myself again for pulling the trigger with Talbot. Driving under the influence is not a forgivable sin when it comes to operating an ambulance. Talbot’s playing things cool, hoping that no one finds out the truth about Adam’s sobriety during the accident. Talbot likes him and wants to keep him on, but Adam might be too much of a risk.
“You did what you thought was right. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Brian reaches across the console to give my hand a quick squeeze. His fingers feel nice against mine, but his touch doesn’t linger. It’s over before I can comprehend that it even happened.
I Am Yours (Heartbeat #3) Page 6
