40. Chapter Forty
Chapter forty
Adair
We moved to the large couch in the living room.
Quinn insisted I sit in the middle, with Peter on one side of me.
She and Lukas literally arm-wrestled to decide who would sit on the other side.
Lukas won, which put Quinn in the chair next to the couch, but I had a feeling from the heated look the couple exchanged after, he was going to make it up to her later.
Quinn brought out several photo albums and a tablet. “Where do you want to start? Most recent and work backward? A certain holiday?” There was a ding from the kitchen. “Oh! That’s my phone. Be right back.”
Lukas smiled at his wife as she rushed away before he leaned in and whispered, “Do you want me to make sure we skip certain photos?” The serious look in his eyes told me more than his words did.
I shook my head. “I want to see all of them. I just won’t stare at some as long as others.”
He gave me a quick nod and put a smile back on his face as Quinn came back into the room. “Ready?”
I nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Lukas grabbed the photo album from the bottom of the pile. “I want to start with the one Lianne made for me after I told her I was moving out here.”
Quinn rolled her eyes but laughed. “I suppose, since you and Adair already have a super-secret bond.”
He handed the book to me, and I had to take a calming breath before opening it. I was about to get filled in on several years of my life I was forced to miss. The first page showcased a picture of Lianne and Lukas as teenagers, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “What is this?”
Lianne was standing behind the swing I knew they had in the backyard, grinning proudly, and Lukas looked like he was picking himself up off the ground. There were a few blades of grass stuck to his face and everything.
Lukas let out a heavy sigh. “Li wanted me to remember that she was always able and more than willing to humble me if I got too cocky.”
“Do I want to know why she knocked you off the swing?”
“I told her she wasn’t strong enough to do it.”
I snickered. “Bet you didn’t make that mistake again.”
Now Quinn laughed. “Well, not immediately.”
The album was filled with what were clearly Lianne’s favorite memories with her brother, complete with little hand-written notes. I touched the one next to a group photo from the last Christmas I spent with the Agostis.
The last time I was truly happy to be in a group photo with him.
“What did she mean by that?” I glanced up at Lukas, who was nearly glaring at the printed image.
Before Lukas could answer, Quinn grabbed the album and spun it around. “Wait a second. That looks a lot like you.” She pulled it closer to her face. “No. That is you.” Quinn looked up at my face, eyes wide. “How are you in this picture?”
I looked at her for a moment. Fuck it. I’m not going to lie to her. “I used to be close to the family.”
“I see.” Looking down again, her eyes narrowed, and she pointed to the image. “Hold on a second. I know that ring. I’ve seen pictures of Grandma Agosti wearing it.” Quinn gasped as she looked up at me. “Were you and Liam engaged?”
Everyone in the room froze for a moment. I slowly nodded. “We had been at the time, yes.”
Quinn suddenly stood up, clutching the photo album to her chest, and paced back and forth. “Holy shit. Holy shit!” She shook her head before looking at Lukas. “Is this…? Is she…?” Her focus snapped to me. “Are you Susan’s dead sister?”
I nodded, stunned by the wild turn in this conversation and that Quinn had put everything together so quickly. “Yeah. Legally I am Victoria Anne Vaux.”
Her mouth fell open as she dropped back down onto the couch. “Holy shit.”
Lukas let out a tense chuckle. “Well, this did not go how I thought it was going to.”
Quinn gave him a shove. “And you! You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
I reached out and covered her hand with mine. “For what it’s worth, Lynette did forbid him from saying anything.”
“Well, I suppose I can’t be mad about that… as much as I want to be.” She put the album back in my lap and stood. “I think I need a glass of something. Peter, you want one?”
“One glass, Quinn.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I know. It’s just—”
“Let me help you, Gorgeous.” Lukas pushed off the couch, wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist, and led her toward the kitchen.
A tense breath rushed out as I sagged into the couch and looked at the picture again. It was of me, Lianne, Lukas, and Liam. Lianne and I were hugging, and the guys were smiling as they looked at us. I forgot this picture existed.
“What made you and Lianne so happy?”
Countless memories and emotions washed over me, and I reached down and grabbed Peter’s hand, squeezing it tight as I reeled them in once more.
“Lianne had made a custom puzzle for me… She was so excited for me to be her sister.” A tear rolled down my face, and I released my hold on the album to flick it away angrily, inhaling through my nose and blowing out the breath through pursed lips.
He rubbed the side of my hand with his thumb. “I’m at a loss here, Adair. I want to help, but I genuinely have no idea how, or if I even can.”
“This helps. I just need a minute.” I took another slow breath. I knew there was going to be an onslaught of memories, but I hadn’t expected them to hit this hard.
“Take all the time you need.”
I leaned my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes. Moments later, Lukas and Quinn returned.
“Here.”
I opened my eyes and sat up again. Lukas stood in front of me holding out two short glasses with a small amount of an amber liquid swirling at the bottom. Taking it, I brought it to my face and sniffed. “Whiskey. Nice.”
He let out a tense chuckle as he sat down again. “Yeah. I figured all of us could use the reinforcements tonight.”
“Adair?”
I glanced to my right, where Quinn was tucked into Lukas’s side. “Yeah?”
“Do you like Liam at all?”
I took a sip of the whiskey, welcoming the burn. “Considering he’s part of the reason for my predicament? No.”
She reached out and clinked her glass against mine. “Good. I think he’s a fucking asshole.”
The laugh that came out surprised me, and I had to put down my glass before I spilled its contents. I couldn’t stop. Quinn’s blunt, honest comment was so validating and sincere that something inside me snapped. More tears rolled down my face as the laughter turned into something far more broken.
“Shit. Are you okay?” Quinn’s voice was frantic as she wrapped her arms around me.
I turned to face her. “Do you know how nice it is to hear someone say that without knowing my entire story? You are quickly becoming one of my favorite Agostis.”
“Only one of? Not the top spot?” She smirked at me.
“No. Lynette will forever be my favorite.”
Quinn nodded. “If I have to play second to anyone, I gladly will for her.” She cleared her throat. “Do you want to see any more pictures, or are you tapped out for the night?”
I chuckled. “I was promised pictures from your wedding. I’d still like to see those, since it’s apparently the most recent wedding.”
“Would you like to see Lianne’s wedding pictures, too?”
A sad smile spread across my face as I once again realized how much I’d been forced to miss. “Yes, please.”
Quinn handed me her wedding album, and I soaked in every detail.
It was amazing seeing everyone in the family again.
My heart broke a little when I saw the family photo that included Lynette holding a framed portrait of George.
I grinned at the picture of Lianne and Lukas, and then the one with Ryan and Jess.
When I saw the next shot, it looked like everyone’s dates joined the photo, but I stared at the man wrapped around Jess. “Um, Lukas, who is Jess hugging?”
“That’s Connor.”
“Where’s Ross?”
He froze, opening and closing his mouth a couple times. “He…”
It didn’t take a trained psychologist to decode Lukas’s reaction. “He died, didn’t he?” Lukas nodded, and I grabbed his hand, not sure who was getting more comfort from it. “Was it while he was working?” He nodded again. “Do you know who was responsible?”
Lukas let out a tense breath as his grip on my hand tightened. “Yes, but please don’t make me tell you who. It's bad enough we all lost two important people that night. Knowing who took them won’t change things.”
Now it was my turn to nod, but my heart broke for Jess. I knew all too well the pain and loss she had to go through. “Okay.”
“The guilty party was supposed to be helping me cover Ryan and Ross on a job, but he was late because he was chasing bad intel about… something.” Lukas paused and shook his head. “Ross saved my ass that night by sacrificing his own… and then Ryan almost died the same way, not all that long ago.”
I recognized the struggle in his eyes. “You question if your life was worth the sacrifice.”
His focus snapped to me. “How do you know?”
I gestured to myself. “Your mom has single-handedly saved my life three times and kept me alive for almost seven years. Trust me, I get it. I ask myself the same damn question all the time.” Moving my attention back to the photos, I looked at the group shot again, taking in the joy on everyone’s faces, hoping one day I’d be that happy…
and maybe even married. We transitioned to Ben and Lianne’s wedding photos, and I loved seeing Lynette and George all dressed up… and happy.
I forgot how to breathe for a moment when I ran across the picture of Liam and Susan holding an adorable baby. “Who is this?”
“Their daughter, Chloe.”
My attention left the photo and shifted to Lukas as several emotions punched me in the chest. “I have a niece?”
He nodded as a proud smile appeared. “You do. She’s absolutely adorable, and Li and I area already failing at trying not to spoil her.”
I had to blink back tears. Susan never wanted kids and had openly talked about getting a nanny as soon as possible if she ever had to have them.
Where I wanted nothing more than to be a mother.
I have a niece, though! After looking at her adorable face for a bit, I closed the book.
“I think I need to lie down… or maybe just go to bed. While I’ve loved this, it’s been a lot. ”
“That sounds like a fantastic idea.” Quinn stood up and held her hand out to Lukas. “Come on, handsome. We’ll stroll down more of memory lane later.”
After giving me another quick hug, Lukas let his wife led him to their bedroom. For the second or third time today, I slumped against the couch and let out a deep sigh.
“Do you want any more of your whiskey, or do you want to go straight downstairs?”
I sat up, grabbed my glass, and downed the contents. “Now to get downstairs before I can’t.”
Peter all but scooped me off the couch and never took his hand off my waist until we were in his room. “What else do you need?”
A deep sigh came out. “Any chance I can have a bit more of that whiskey?”
He nodded. “Give me a minute.”
I laid on the bed, my thoughts spiraling about the wedding I would have loved to have had…
the wedding I almost had… the wedding I was honestly glad didn’t happen.
Again, tears rolled down my face as I thought of Derek and Liam, and everything that had happened with both of them.
I didn’t even notice Peter had walked back in until the bed dipped next to me.
“I put the glass on the side table. There’s also a new box of tissues. Would you prefer to be alone or have me sit with you?”
A shaky sigh came out. “I think I need to be alone right now.” If I was being honest, as much as I didn’t want to be alone, I didn’t want anyone seeing the ugly meltdown that was about to happen.
Peter
It took everything in me to walk away from my room.
Adair was clearly upset, but I wasn't going to force my company on her.
A couple of times, I heard her crying, and it broke my heart.
Something terrible had clearly happened between her and Liam, and a fiery rage burned in my soul.
I was with Lukas on this one. If Liam was truly the reason Adair had been forced into hiding, I also wanted to take a swing or shot at him.
After watching a movie, I was half asleep on the couch when my phone buzzed, startling me. When I saw it was from a message in the secure app, I was immediately wide awake and sitting up.
Hummingbird:
I glanced at the wall separating me and Adair.
Shield:
Hummingbird:
Shield:
Shield:
For the dozenth time today, I debated if I should go in and physically check on her.
Hummingbird:
Hummingbird:
Hummingbird:
Hummingbird:
Her revelation surprised me.
Shield:
Where there wasn’t an immediately response, I wanted to kick myself for asking the question.
Shield:
Hummingbird:
My mind immediately went to my first conversation with Lynette about Project Hummingbird and how she stumbled over the number of people who knew. There was only one other name in the app I didn’t recognize and never saw online.
Shield:
Hummingbird:
Shifting my attention from my phone toward my room, I could practically feel the waves of sorrow rolling off Adair.
Shield:
Hummingbird:
Shield:
Hummingbird:
The comment made me chuckle.
Shield:
Hummingbird:
Shield:
We chatted for a few more minutes before she stopped responding. Assuming she’d fallen asleep, I settled back into my spot on the couch and willed myself to do the same.