My chuckle morphed into a sigh. “I just don’t want anyone thinking I’m a bad mother for leaving him.”
“Liam won’t. Nor will Grayson, or Max, or Nora, or even Mrs. Fredrich.”
“What about Adam?”
“Adam?” Josie scoffed. “Who the fuck cares what he thinks?”
I dropped my eyes as shame poured over me.
“Cassidy…” Josie’s tone grew serious. “Adam’s a complex person. If somethingisgoing on between you two, you need to tread carefully. He’s not the type to—”
“Like I said.” I lifted my head as I cleared my throat. “We’re just friends. That’s all.”
She stared at my face, reading every quiver and twitch. “Well, yourfriendis going to fall to his knees when he sees you in that dress…as will every other single guy at the wedding.”
“I’m not going to the wedding to hook up. I’m going to see my sister.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Amy told me to tell you to wear the necklace she gave you before your interview.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course she did.
“I’m assuming it matches your dress.”
I sighed. “Perfectly.”
The next morning, after Josie, Grayson, and Harrison left, I fell back into my usual routine. Knowing Liam’s pain and anxiety was increasing, I performed Reiki on him each morning and night and distracted him with photographs during the day. The adjoining stories filled the room with laughter and pushed away the discomfort of his failing body.
It was only when Liam slept that my mind began to wander. To Finn. To Dominic.To Adam.
His parting kiss had me all stirred up. As much as I didn’t want him, I did. The pull of his soul, buried deep within his hardened persona, was too much to combat with crystals and mantras, so I was giving in. If Adam liked to chase, then I was going to stop running. Maybe then, he’d see that his infatuation with me was merely a deflection of his grief and nothing more. Liam’s end-of-life care had to be my focus, and as much as Adam’s eventual rejection was going to hurt, I’d been through much worse.
While sitting up in bed, chatting to Tash on my laptop, my cell phone buzzed on my nightstand.
She narrowed her gaze into the camera. “Who’s texting you at this hour?”
“It’s probably just one of Amy’s late-night rambles,” I said, reaching for the phone.
My heart stopped when I glanced down at the screen.
Unknown: Page 234
“Holy shit.” I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Who is it?”
I placed the phone on my bed face down. “No one.”
“Your face is bright red…it’s definitely notno one. And don’t lie to me. I know you.”
I groaned. “Remember that guy...you know, the one I slept with after my interview?”
Tash’s eyes bulged. “You mean the guy who fucked your brains out? I thought you didn’t leave a number.”
“Well, I guess he figured out who I am.”
“And you’ve been texting each other?” She clapped her hands. “Are you going to see him again?”
“No…there’s no point. He just wants to go another round.”