31. Eliza
Eliza
"I'm gonna miss you."
Adam paused midair with folding his shirt to look at me with a crestfallen smile. "I'm going to miss you more," my cheeky asshole replied oh so cooly. "It's only a week, and you'll have Hailee and my parents here."
Sighing heavily, I crossed my arms and pouted while trudging up to him. Stopping inches from him, I jutted my chest out and huffed my chin up. "I still don't like it," I grumbled, making my displeasure about his last-minute business trip known.
It also felt strange to not have him around for that long.
Sure, we've been apart before ever since we made things official, but nothing beyond two days at most. So, a whole week without Adam made my chest tighten as if someone had punched a hole through my chest and squeezed my heart in a vice grip.
Additionally, I didn't have a good feeling about this trip of his.
Dread filled my endless cup whenever I thought about him being out at sea for seven days, but it wasn't the typical bad feeling as I'd never see him again or anything like that.
No, it wasn't paranoia or anxiety about some unseen doom.
I didn't know how to properly label my turbulent emotions, let alone figure out how to voice them to Adam without sounding like some accusing bitch.
On that note, why did it come out that way? Why did I feel like I'd be accusing him of something? What was there to accuse?
'Maybe it's because you might not know him as well as you thought…'
That stupid voice, James's voice, to be exact, has been haunting me ever since that night three days ago.
It was one of the few things he told me before Rowan whisked him off.
In hindsight, it was probably nothing, just his last-ditch effort to shake me up.
Yet, I couldn't shake it from my mind, no matter how hard I tried.
I hated how cautious it made me around Adam.
Never before have I second-guessed him or harbored any doubts.
Of course, that was discounting the constant nagging feeling that something was amiss.
Actually, that feeling that I thought was hidden away in some dark corner forever came back with some kind of vengeance it felt like.
Mafia.
Ugh, that stupid word. It was nothing but a thing of the past and something in movies and books, so why the hell did it bug me so much? Maybe in other parts of the world, mafia people still existed and reigned, but there was no way something like that would fly by in the States.
I never could see anything before, but ever since James planted the rotten seed in my mind, I'd see flashes of it here and there. What if Adam's late nights were him dealing with shady business? His business trips to the city? What if those were just another nefarious thing?
If it weren't for the way he looked at me with genuine ardor, then I might be inclined to think that he had some mistress in the city that he saw every now and then. But no, I always dismissed that thought because he only had eyes for me. Adam really was wholly devoted to me.
Unfortunately, that was the only thing I could confidently cross off my list.
Whenever I had a moment to myself, memories of the nights I'd catch him coming home a little disheveled always managed to find their way into my mind to plague it.
It even got bad to the point where I'd hallucinate him at times with an evil glint in his eyes or him with blood splatter on that handsome face of his.
I wanted to bring this issue up to him, but how? Besides, he'd just dismiss it and shove me off as being silly because he wasn't mafia.
Averting my gaze from him, I looked over at his suitcase to distract myself.
I didn't find anything calming about his choice of clothing the more I studied the pieces I saw.
It seemed to be all casual clothing, like the outfits he'd wear at home.
Sure, there were some cargo shorts that skated the line of business casual if paired with a nice polo, but I didn't see any business-like tops in his folded pile.
" Mia rosa , please don't be sad." I could hear the drag in his voice. "I don't want this either, but it's one of those time-sensitive things."
Was it strange that he was having such a serious business meeting out at sea? Maybe? But I mean, rich people kind of lived in their own world and abided by different rules. At least, that's what it felt like to me.
Plastering a fake smile on my face, I looked up at him briefly before deciding to distract him with a kiss.
I couldn't let him look at my eyes. Otherwise, he'd see that something was wrong.
On the other hand, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to call me out on it.
I could try and guilt trip him into staying.
It didn't make me feel good, being a manipulative asshole like that, but then what?
Ugh! This was all so frustrating! I shouldn't be dwelling on anything that came out of James's mouth, yet this stupid bug had burrowed its way in so deep that nothing could rid it but some sensible answers.
Slowly, I lifted a trembling finger to his chest, jabbing it playfully. "Just come back to me, alright? You promised me a lifetime with you, so I expect you to keep it."
Warmth blanketed my cheek as he cupped my face with his large hand. "You know, I don't have to leave quite yet…" Oh, I knew that suggestive tone of his so well at this point. His breath fanned across my face with his soft chuckle. "What do you say to me leaving you something to remember me by."
Rolling my eyes, I lightly slapped at his chest. "Oh, as if I'm not still dripping you down my thighs from the fucking you gave me right before you started packing," I remarked, shifting my legs a little at the sudden gush from between my legs.
Besides, you already have…
Arching up to my tippy toes, I pecked his lips in a fleeting kiss before helping him pack. "Hey, bub, if we have a honeymoon—"
"When we have a honeymoon," he corrected me smugly, shooting me his infamous cheeky grin. "Only a matter of time with us, darling, no if, and, nor, or buts."
Relenting to him, I rolled my eyes and continued my train of thought from before.
" When we have our honeymoon, do you think we can go somewhere a little tropical?
Take your parents, Hailee and Adelaide, along as well.
It can just be a big family trip, and when we need some alone time or something, then we have your parents and sister there to watch Asher. "
Of course, everything flew over Adam's head by a long mile.
"So, when's the wedding? I mean, you're talking about a honeymoon, so that means there has to be a wedding.
" Of course, that's what he'd think about, damn cheeky asshole.
"I still haven't proposed to you yet, so is this a sign for me to hurry it up? "
Coiling up the shirt in my hand, I lashed it out at him playfully, catching the surface of his arms. "Oh hush, I'm just talking about the future for future's sake. Maybe give it about a year before you propose to me. I really want to figure out my life before walking down the aisle with you."
Snickering, Adam threw his arms around me, trapping me against his body and attacking my neck with playful kisses. "But you already walked down the aisle with me," he remarked, dragging his teeth along the length of my neck.
Laughing softly, I grabbed the back of his hair, tugging at it until he removed his face from my throat. "The grocery store aisle doesn't count," I shot back with a smirk of my own.
Prying my hand off, Adam pressed the back of it against his lips in a brief kiss. "It's the only aisle that matters to me because that's where our story began." The dreamy far-out look of pure bliss brought a huge smile to my face.
Even though it sounded silly, it was kind of a sweet thing between us. Also, it meant a lot to Adam, which I didn't really fault him for or anything. A chance encounter at a grocery store aisle was all it took for both our lives to collide and change in ways neither of us could've imagined.
Adam's face brightened playfully, and with how pitched his voice got, I kind of saw where things were going with his words. "What if we—"
Cutting him off with a pointed look, I poked the tip of his nose.
"We are not having our wedding be in the grocery store," I deadpanned, chuckling playfully at his slight pout at the end.
"We can have a grocery-themed wedding, but it ain't going to be in an actual grocery store, bub.
It's going to be either in our private backyard, beach or in a vineyard. "
I felt a little silly talking about this subject matter with Adam right now, given how it wouldn't even happen for years possibly. Also, I had other pressing matters to think about.
Now with James officially dealt with, I could have my whole life back. Unfortunately, that left a lot of open doors for me. I didn't know which paths to block off and which to keep open or possibly go down.
"Eliza darling?" Adam's voice pulled me from my head, making me zone in on his furrowed face. "What's the matter? You have that pensive look on your face."
"Still just dwelling on the whole thing with James finally being over and having my life back and all.
It just… I mean, I've thought about it a few times, about what I'd do if I got this chance one day…
But those were just silly aspirations." Pursing my lips a little in a pouty frown, I sulked to myself a little as my irritation festered.
I didn't bother resisting Adam when he sat down on the bed with me in his lap. "What did you want to do? Tell me about them," he somewhat demanded in a nice and gentle way. Well, and he was genuinely curious with how his eyes sparkled.
Of all the things I've told him and conversed about, my plans and dreams weren't a part of the pool. Well, my true plans and dreams because I honestly didn't place any importance on them, nor did I have hopes for them because James going away was something impossible at that time.
Leaning into him with a sigh, I pulled one of his hands into my lap to play with his fingers while I spoke, "I really thought about going back to school to get my pharmacy degree, but like I said, just a silly dream.
" Thinking about it now made me feel a little deflated because no way would something like that be possible.
"Then do it," Adam said matter-of-factly, making me look at him with a quirked brow. "What? I don't see why you shouldn't. If that's what you want to do, then do it. I mean, what's stopping you now?"
My mouth was quick to open, but no words came out. There was a whole list of reasons engrained in my mind, but thinking about it now, nearly all of it was irrelevant.
There should be no issue for me to apply to schools and financial aid because I could use my real identity again, and as shitty as it sounded, if I needed funds, then I had Adam to help.
I didn't want to rely on him for financial support like that, but it wasn't as if he'd let me not use his money.
Quitting my job now and going to school full-time was feasible, and it wasn't as if I'd be too torn over leaving my job.
A kiss on my head pulled the brakes on my train of thought. "We can talk more about it when I get back, alright?" Adam chuckled softly, rubbing my arms a bit. "We can look at schools together, figure things out and all. We'll get things sorted out for you to finish that dream of yours."
Smiling tenderly at him, I stroked his cheek with my hand and brought him into a deep kiss. "I love you, bub, so much," I whispered against his lips. "Please be careful out there."
"I will," he promised me with a confident smile. "You do the same. Take good care of yourself and our boy, alright?"
Our boy… Our family… Everything is ours, secrets included.
Whatever you're hiding, Adam, I will find out.