Page 6 of Keeping Kyler
“I do, but I’m doing okay, all things considered. I like it here, and my cousins and my aunt and uncle have made me feel very much at home.”
Alex appears in the room, holding two coffees. “She’s like the daughter I never had,” she admits, handing Adam his coffee. “And she’s been such a good influence on our sons.”
James perches on the edge of the sofa, by my side. “This is her home. She won’t be leaving it,” he growls, and I’m sensing he’s been holding out on me.
Adam takes a sip of his coffee before responding. “There’s no need to get ahead of ourselves, and I would never ask Faye to do anything she didn’t want to do. All I’m asking is a chance to get to know the daughter I never knew I had.” His voice cracks at the end, and his eyes turn glassy.
I stand up, facing James. “I’d like to speak to Adam alone. Could you give us a few minutes?”
“That’s no problem, honey,” Alex rushes to reassure me, cautioning James with a sharp look.
James isn’t happy about this, I can tell, but he acquiesces with a nod. “Fine. I’ll be in my office if you need me.” He shoots one final glare at Adam before exiting behind Alex.
Kal gets up but I shake my head. “Can you stay?” My entire body is wrung tight, and I’m trembling all over. I need his presence to ground me. I only asked Alex and James to leave because it isn’t fair to Adam to have such a hostile audience, and with relations between the two of them right now, I can’t guarantee it won’t descend into a screaming match.
“What did my mum tell you in her letter,” I ask, sitting back down. I curl both hands around the coffee cup, welcoming the heat as it warms my numb fingers.
“She told me the truth about her and—”
I spit coffee all over myself and the floor. Kal jumps up, dabbing at a couple of wet patches on his jeans. He frowns in confusion. “What the hell?”
“Went down the wrong way,” I lie. “Would you mind getting me a towel from my room and grab me some pajama bottoms?”
“Sure thing.”
Adam waits until he leaves the room. “He doesn’t know about his father and your mother,” he correctly surmises.
“No, and I don’t want him to know either. He’s been through enough lately.”
“I understand. I was following coverage of his arrest and trial.” A layer of unhappiness washes over his features, but he quickly disguises it. “It must have been a stressful time for everyone.”
“It was.” I nibble on my lower lip. “So, what else did she say in the letter?” I deliberately refocus the conversation where I need it to go.
“She told me what happened with James”—a look of utter distaste is etched across his handsome face—“and how worried she was when she discovered she was pregnant and she’d didn’t know who the father was.” He sighs, smoothing a hand over his clean-shaven chin. “I understand why she didn’t come to me back then, although I wish she had. I’d like to think I would’ve understood and found a way to help her. I most definitely wouldn’t have let her deal with it by herself.”
Getting up, he asks, “May I?” pointing at the space on the couch that Kal just vacated.
Butterflies lurch from my chest into my throat as I bob my head. Adam sits down beside me, angling his body so we’re face to face. “I understand her reaction at the time, and I can forgive her. She was a little younger than you are now, and it was a lot to deal with on her own. But, I’m not going to lie to you, Faye, I’m struggling to accept the fact she was sleeping with her own brother the same time she was sleeping with me.” His face turns a sickly green color.
“I know,” I whisper, knotting my hands in my lap. “It was a shock to me, too, and it’s something I’m trying very hard not to think about. If I could erase that knowledge from my brain, I would.” I lift my chin, staring directly into his face. “But I can’t, so what’s the point in dwelling on it? It happened, and no matter what you or I or anyone else thinks, it’s in the past. There isn’t anything we can do about it except accept it and move on.”
“That’s a very mature way of looking at it.” His broad smile is genuine. I shrug. It’s not like I’m looking for brownie points or a gold medal or something. I just want to find a way of moving forward with my life.
“I think I need to take a leaf out of your book, but I’m not sure I can.” His smile fades a little. “I want to be honest with you, Faye.”
“I’d prefer that.”
He nods. “Having you under James’s roof makes me dreadfully uncomfortable.”
My eyes spread wide. “What?” I splutter. “You don’t think …” I can’t even articulate the thought.
He shrugs unapologetically. “His moral compass is clearly lacking. Surely you can’t fault me for worrying about that?”
My spine stiffens. “James would never hurt me, and if I’m not concerned about that, then you shouldn’t be either. Besides, it’s not like you can do anything about it.He’smy guardian, not you.” My tone is deliberately harsh. If he’s suggesting he plans to uproot me again, he has another thing coming. I dig my nails into my thighs as anger and frustration threaten to burst to the surface.
He opens his mouth and then promptly closes it again. A couple seconds later he speaks. “Okay. That’s gone some way toward reassuring me.”
A layer of tension flitters away, although I’m still on edge. I don’t really know what Adam wants, and until his agenda is clear, I suppose I should remain on guard. He’s still a complete stranger to me.
