Chapter Colin Adams
COLIN ADAMS
Henry had stopped by the mansion to show me something work-related. Strange, right? The same man who usually claims he’s “just visiting” suddenly wanted to talk business. And when he’s in that mode, he somehow manages to act like a real professional—unbelievable, but true.
We’d just left my small meeting room, and I went to look for Isabelle to sort out a few things. But she was nowhere to be found. Oddly enough, I wasn’t even angry—that alone was progress.
“Is Isabelle here?” I asked Helen, who was in the kitchen cooking lunch.
“She took Joshua to school in one of the cars.”
“All right.”
I started to leave but froze mid-step, spinning back toward her.
“Wait! Did you just say she took Joshua in one of the cars? What the hell was she thinking?!”
Helen looked startled but gave me a quick nod, confirming what I already feared.
“Calm down, Colin!”
That came from Henry, of all people—staring me down with an unusual firmness.
“How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! Did you hear what she just said?!” I snapped, my voice rising.
“I did. But relax. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. You need to trust her.”
Trust. My greatest weakness—mostly because I don’t. The last time we tried getting Joshua into a car, he’d spiraled for days. He barely slept, barely spoke to anyone. Even the psychologist couldn’t reach him.
So why would Isabelle succeed where everyone else failed?
“No. This isn’t going to end well.” I stormed toward the garage, though I had no idea what I planned to do when I got there.
“Man! Seriously, what the hell? Can you calm down for a second?”
“I…”
I started to answer but froze again when I saw my driver’s car pulling up the driveway—with Isabelle and Joshua inside.
Even from a distance, I could see them. Joshua was in her arms, smiling. Laughing. The sight hit me like a punch to the chest.
When they got out, I kept my expression stern, trying not to let anything show—but Isabelle definitely noticed. I was sure of it.
What I didn’t expect was for Joshua to run toward me, practically jumping with excitement.
“I did it, Dad! Isabelle helped me—I rode in the car!”
There are moments when you just can’t react—when the world tilts on its axis and all your logic goes silent. That was one of them.
Was I mad? Yes. Was I completely against this idea? Absolutely. Was I planning to let her have it later? Definitely… or at least, I thought I was.
“I’m proud of you, son.” I knelt down to his level. “Are you okay?”
“Uh-huh! Isabelle helped me—she held my hand.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Isabelle and I went with our eyes closed on the way to school, and on the way back, we kept them open. Cool, right?”
“Very.”
“Where’s Hanna? I wanna tell her!”
“I’ll take him!” Henry jumped in, flashing me that smug look—the one that clearly said I told you so.
“Am I about to get yelled at?” Isabelle asked suddenly. “Because if the answer’s yes, I’d rather get it over with now.”
And then… what was I supposed to say?
What are you going to do, Colin Adams?
That was my own mind mocking me.
For once, I—the man who always had something to say—had no words at all.
Not for the woman who, somehow, was making me feel things I’d sworn I’d never feel again.
“I honestly don’t know.”
That was the best answer I could come up with.
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah. I’m still trying to decide whether I should be happy or upset about what you did. If it had gone wrong, things could’ve gotten complicated—and I mean seriously complicated. We tried something similar before, remember?”
“I’m sorry, Colin,” she said softly.
“No.”
“I figured.” She lowered her head.
“My ‘no’ doesn’t mean I don’t accept your apology. I meant you don’t need to apologize. Thank you for showing him there’s a way to face his fears. That means a lot to me.”
Persistent as she is, Isabelle’s also brave—I’ll give her that. She got Joshua to confront something his own father couldn’t help him with most of the time, weighed down by too many fears of his own.
“If this had been some time ago, I probably would’ve been fired, right?”
“Probably not. You’d already be out the door.”
“So what changed?”
Good question. What did change?
I could’ve told her that I’m changing—or maybe that my feelings for her, and for the people around me, are.
But the truth is, I still carry too much anger through most of my days.
I don’t know if I’m becoming a better man.
What I do know is that Isabelle gets under my skin, and I’m terrible at hiding how drawn I am to her.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, you do,” she teased, winking. “The real question is—are you gonna tell me or not?”
“No.” I stepped back.
“Don’t bother. Deep down, you like me. Maybe you’re even falling for me.”
Damn it.
If she said that by accident, fine. But if she meant it, then she’s either way too bold or way too confident.
“You talk too much. Especially when you shouldn’t. You can keep your theory, and I’ll stick with mine.”
“All right, Colin Adams.”
She walked off practically bouncing, clearly convinced she was right—that I was, in fact, falling for her.
The things I have to put up with…
The problem is, if she is right, that’s not going to end well for anyone.