Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
LYLA
I could still feel Adam’s gaze on me. Assessing, studying, speculating—all the things I would do if I was him.
But I was fine. Totally fine. I didn’t even remember the accident, so how could it affect me?
I pushed away my thoughts as we pulled up at the physical therapy office.
I knew I'd have to deal with it all eventually, but today wasn't that day.
The session went by quickly and I was happy with my progress.
The therapist confirmed I should have no issue going back to work in a week—which half excited me, but also made me a bit nervous.
Would the arsonist try coming after me again?
At this point he had to know I couldn’t ID him.
As far as I knew he hadn't been spotted, but I had no clue what that meant for me.
For Adam too. How long would I need to hide out here?
Would Adam head back to his apartment eventually?
So many unknowns and I was trying my best to not spiral down the rabbit hole.
“So, lunch?” Adam smiled as he drove the car out of the parking lot.
I nodded. “Mexican?”
He chuckled. “I should have guessed.”
I tried to stay in the moment, just enjoy being with him, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts from circling back to all the reservations I had.
Whether I would really be good to go back to work next week.
And what things between Adam and I would look like.
I was finally confident that I wanted to move forward, but obviously things would be different and need adjusting.
In our personal relationship and professional one as well.
Violet and I were enjoying our task of helping corral and keep an eye on the cute dogs and adorable kittens between shots, and everything was going well.
Well… almost everything.
I looked back over at Adam and narrowed my eyes as Savannah laughed again, reaching up to tame a stray piece of his hair. Why couldn’t she keep her hands to herself? Was she always this flirty with the guys and I’d just never noticed?
“Uh oh.” Violet’s voice broke through my thoughts. “What did Adam do?”
I tore my gaze away from Adam and Savannah, looking at Violet. “Huh?”
“You’re shooting him daggers.”
I shook my head, not sure if I wanted to admit who I was really glaring at. “Not him.”
She glanced back over at the pair. “Oh.” Chuckling, she added, “I guess Seth was right.”
“What do you mean?”
“At the Labor Day parade, he thought you guys were more than just friends.”
Was it really that obvious to everyone else, and I’d been so blind to it?
Adam looked over at me and smiled. My heart rate ticked up a notch as I took him in. His suspenders fit snug over a tight white T-shirt with his black ink a stark contrast and the adorable puppy in his arms was the perfect vision of sexy and sweet.
His brows slowly scrunched together as he stared back at me. Savannah chose that moment to squeeze his biceps before stepping back to snap the picture. I bit down hard with my back teeth, fighting the urge to go over and smack her.
“Careful. You’re going to break a tooth if you keep that up,” Violet teased.
If I’d just embraced being with him when he kissed me that night in his apartment, then I wouldn’t even be in this predicament.
He would be mine and I would be his and everyone would know that.
But I didn’t plan on letting another night go by without telling him I was ready. That I wanted all of it.
For the rest of the afternoon, I truly tried ignoring Savannah’s constant flirting, but I failed miserably.
By the time Adam and I were in the car and heading back to the lodge, I was beyond annoyed.
I crossed my arms and glared out the window.
Maybe I should have just walked up to Adam and kissed him and made it clear to everyone where we stood.
“Are you mad at me for something?” His tone was laced with concern.
I whipped my gaze toward him. “What?”
“You seemed really pissed off during the photo shoot, and you haven’t said a word since we got in the car.”
“I wasn’t mad at you.”
“Okay…” The one word held so much skepticism.
I sighed. “Did you not notice Savannah flirting and touching you the whole time?”
His eyes widened as he looked over at me, and a smile broke out on his face.
“Why are you smiling?” I glared at him. Did he like that Savannah fussed over him?
“Because if you’re jealous, it means you care,” he said with a smirk.
I scoffed. “I’m not—”
He chuckled, cutting off my words, and cocked a brow.
What the hell was I trying to say? Of course, I was jealous. So unbelievably jealous that I wanted to literally claw that woman’s eyes out. And he was right. It was because I cared. A lot. But as I thought about what he said, I needed him to understand caring about him was never the issue.
“You’re right. I was jealous. I hated watching her flirt with you.
” I rested my hand on top of his. “But the reason I’ve been reluctant about this isn’t because I don’t care.
It’s because I care so much. You are one of the most important people in my life.
Even the thought of losing you breaks my heart into a million pieces. ”
His smirk faded and he nodded. “I know. I feel the same way.”
“You do?” I swallowed.
“Of course.” He shifted his hand to join ours together, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand, sending jolts of electricity up my arm. “But honestly, the thought of never being with you makes me feel just as devastated.”
My heart rate picked up, and I couldn’t wait another minute to tell him I felt the same. “Well, it’s a good thing neither of us will have to find out how that feels.”
He glanced over with an eyebrow raised. “What are you saying, love?”
I felt heat creeping up my neck and into my face. He pulled to a stop at a red light, and I locked eyes with him. How did I say I wanted to be his in every way imaginable?
“I’m done second-guessing this.” I squeezed his hand. “Because now I can’t imagine not being with you.”