Chapter 66
W aking up next to Adam, I can’t believe we said it. The big three-word statement. He’s the first guy that deserves to have heard me say it. I love him . I really fucking love him.
“Hey.” Adam turns to face me, and his voice carries a seriousness that catches my attention. “The renovations are done. Why don’t you move in?”
“Um, no,” I respond cautiously, trying to organize my thoughts. Moving in together is a big step, and I’m not sure if I’m ready.
“You’re practically living with me already.”
I know he’s right, but something inside me resists. “It’s too soon, Adam. I haven’t even been your girlfriend for a month. I need to live on my own for a while,” I say, hoping he understands my need for independence.
Adam nods, and I see the disappointment in his eyes. “If you’re not ready to move in, maybe we can at least get you out of your parents’ place?”
“I almost have enough saved to get an apartment and feel solid.”
“Dani, you know who I am, right?”
“Adam Harris, yes.” I know what he’s getting at, but I’m being coy.
He reaches out, taking my hand. “Let me get you an apartment.”
The offer leaves me speechless. It’s incredibly generous, too generous.
“Adam, I really appreciate that; I do. But I need to do this on my own terms,” I say, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.
There’s a moment of silence before he softly kisses me.
“I need to be in Chicago for a couple of meetings. Join me for a few days?”
“There’s this thing called Zoom,” I sass, not understanding why he always has to go into the city for meetings.
“The meetings I’m having …” He hesitates. “There needs to be no record of them. We’re very cautious about our paper trail.”
“Sounds nefarious.”
“It’s business.”
“The kind of business you don’t want a record of?”
“The probability of my email getting a subpoena or FOIA request is so high. I don’t put anything in writing that doesn’t absolutely need to be.”
“FOIA?” I ask, never hearing this acronym before.
“Freedom of Information Act. Basically, if I ever get sued which, trust me, people love to sue rich people, they could request to have all my texts, phone call history, emails, and everything like that.” He pauses.
“Imagine if all your text messages were read aloud in court. You’d probably have some things you didn’t think were regrettable but then realize are. ”
“So, I should not send nudes.”
He laughs. “That would be wise.”