Page 110 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
“Why?” he whispers.
I think about all the reasons: because I can’t bear to see him hurting, because I understand now what he was up against, because maybe we both need closure on what happened in Mount Pella. But in the end, I settle on the simplest truth.
“Because you need someone in your corner,” I tell him. “And I want to be that person.”
Something breaks in his expression then, the careful walls he’s maintained crumbling. He doesn’t cry; Adam rarely does, but his eyes grow bright with unshed tears. He turns his hand under mine until our palms meet, fingers interlacing.
“Thank you,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “But I can’t ask you to do that. To go back there, to face my mother, to see Millie—”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.” I hold his gaze steady. “And I know exactly what I’m offering, Adam. I know what it means to go back there.”
He searches my face, looking for doubt or reluctance. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” I give his hand another squeeze. “If you decide to stay or go, I’ll support you. But if you want to go, you don’t have to do it alone.”
The tension in his shoulders eases slightly, as if I’ve lifted some invisible weight. “I need to go,” he says finally. “I need to see him, to try to make things right before…” He can’t finish the sentence.
“Then we’ll go,” I say simply.
We stand together, hands clasped, and for that moment nothing else exists except the two of us. I don’t know what we’llface in Mount Pella. I don’t know if his father will survive, or if Adam will find the peace he’s seeking. I don’t know if going back to the place where our relationship fractured will heal us or break us all over again.
But I do know that we’re facing it together this time. And somehow, that makes all the difference.
40
Chapter 40
Caitlin
I grip Adam’s hand tighter as we walk through the halls of the hospital. His fingers are cold against mine, and I can feel the tension radiating from him in waves. We’ve been traveling for hours after a rushed packing job and a frantic drive to Portland for the first available flight. We got a rental car at the airport in Des Moines, and now we are here. I scan the waiting room and spot them immediately: Lauren and Jake huddled together on a vinyl couch, Hailey scrolling through her phone in the corner, and Paula pacing near the nurses’ station, her heels clicking an impatient rhythm against the linoleum floor.
“They’re over there,” I whisper to Adam, giving his hand another squeeze.
He nods, his jaw set in a hard line. He looks exhausted, his eyes red-rimmed and face gray. The beard he’s been growingmakes him look older, wilder somehow. I wonder if his family will even recognize him.
Lauren spots us first. She’s on her feet in an instant, her face lighting up with relief as she hurries toward us. She looks about as exhausted as Adam does; her clothes are rumpled, like she’s slept in them.
“Adam,” she breathes, throwing her arms around her brother. “Thank God you made it.”
He releases my hand to return her hug, holding her tight against his chest. “How is he?” His voice is rough from lack of sleep and worry.
“In surgery now,” she says, pulling back to look at him. “It’s been touch and go.”
Jake approaches more slowly, giving them their moment before stepping forward to shake Adam’s hand, then pulling him into a brief, firm hug. “Good to see you, man,” he says quietly.
“You too,” Adam replies.
Jake turns to me next, surprising me with a warm hug. “Thanks for coming, Caitlin,” he says. “It means a lot to have you here.”
“Of course,” I say, touched by his sincerity. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Lauren hugs me next, and I can feel her trembling slightly. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispers in my ear. “He needs you.”
Over Lauren’s shoulder, I can see Paula has stopped pacing. She stands frozen, staring at us like she’s seen a ghost. Or two ghosts, rather. Hailey has finally looked up from her phone, her expression a mixture of surprise and something that might be contempt.
Adam deliberately ignores them both, keeping his focus on Lauren. “When did they take him in? What are they doing exactly?”
Before Lauren can answer, Hailey’s voice cuts across the waiting room, sharp and clear. “Wow, Adam. And here I thought we’d finally got rid of her.” She looks me up and down with exaggerated distaste. “What’s that saying about bad pennies?”
