“Come on. Your sister with be there, and Grayson and Josie are going. It’ll be fun—if you come, that is.”
“And if I don’t?”
He crossed his arms. “Then I won’t either.”
“But Melanie is a family friend. You have to go!”
“I don’thaveto do anything.”
My teeth gnashed. A wedding was the perfect occasion to let loose and release some stress. Just what Adam needed. “Fine, I’ll go…but on one condition. No working. No phone. Just you.”
Adam tipped the last of the coffee into his mouth as he pondered my request. “Fine. But only if the same rules apply to you.”
“I have to be on call for your grandfather.”And Finn.
“Fair enough. He is the only exception.”
I stared at him, wondering if he could really go a day without work. “Then I guess I better get shopping.”
His blue eyes sparkled back at me. “My favorite color is green. Just saying.”
“I look terrible in green.”
“Hardly,” he scoffed. “You were wearing it the night we met.”
“You remember what I was wearing?”
He stepped closer. “I was especially fond of your pink panties.”
As heat flooded my face, I pivoted on my heel and marched back to the house.
“I’m joking, Cass,” he called out through his laughter. “They were blue!”
After helping Liam back to his room, I disappeared into mine to scold myself in the mirror. Accepting Adam’s invitation was asking for trouble. We couldn’t have a simple conversation without it turning sexual, so a night out together had the potential to escalate things.
Unfortunately, it was the only way I could draw Adam away from his all-consuming work. A celebration with his friends and family offered the perfect opportunity to extract some real emotion from him. With his guard let down—and perhaps a few whiskeys—there was a good chance Adam would open up to me. And if he didn’t, well, at least I’d have fun trying—under the necessary supervision of Grayson, Josie, and my little sister, that is.
Before Dominic died, I used to love weddings. The love, the laughter…the dancing. We were the first couple on the dance floor and the last to leave. Now, I watched from the sidelines with my feet firmly planted on the floor. Others had asked, but new partners were tiring. Their energies were unfamiliar and full of expectations, and I could never relax long enough to enjoy myself.
As I scoured the internet for dresses in stores nearby, I became acutely aware of Adam’s rising voice across the hall. It was one-sided, meaning the argument must’ve been taking place over the phone. His menacing tone cut straight through me, and when something crashed against his wall, I gathered up my swimsuit and robe and headed to the pool. I wasn’t willing to absorb Adam’s temper any longer.
After several laps of the indoor pool, I sank to the bottom, enjoying the peace, until a shadow hovered over the water. I pushed off the pool floor and through the surface. “I’m not drowning!” I yelled before we had another incident.
Adam smiled, but his eyes were dull. “I know.”
I waded to the ladder and climbed out. “What’s wrong?” I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my bust before approaching. “Things were getting pretty heated up there.”
He rubbed his stubbled jaw. “You heard that?”
“Australiaheard that.”
Adam hung his head. “Someone really fucked up at work, and I’ve got to go clean up his mess.”
I spied his suitcase by the door, and my heart dipped unexpectedly. “Oh. I’m sure everything will be okay.”
“Being sued for twenty-five million dollars is not fucking okay,” he growled as he tore his fingers through his hair. “This is what I get for slacking off.”
My brow furrowed. “Why do you put so much pressure on yourself?”