14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Katherine
I try to breathe, but the oxygen has been sucked out of the atmosphere—along with all the air in my lungs.
Between his revelation, his nearness, and the intoxicating scent of his cologne, I've not only lost my words—I feel like I've left my own body entirely. My hands feel sweaty, my heart is thrumming uncontrollably, and I can't form a coherent thought. My fight or flight response is at war. I want to argue, but I can't form a single word. So I decide to run, but when I stand, the soft swaying of the swing makes me lose my balance. Instinctively, I raise my arms, searching for support. Adam's strong hand quickly lands on my elbow, steadying me.
"Are you okay?" he asks, wrapping his other hand protectively around my waist and pulling me close.
“Yeah, I’m fine," I say, the words awkward and unsteady. "I just got up too fast."
I wish I could say I want to pull away, but I’d be lying. His hazel eyes are on me—dark, intense, and filled with something I can no longer ignore. They reveal a truth that washes over me, filling me with what can only be described as happiness.
He's in love with me.
Before I can think twice, my hand slides around his neck, and, stepping onto my tiptoes, I kiss him. The boldness of my own actions surprises me as much as it does him. The next thing I know, his lips are moving against mine, kissing me back. He tastes like hot chocolate—sweet, warm, and addicting. His lips are as soft as they are strong, and when his arms tighten around me, pulling me closer, I let myself get lost in the moment.
I pull away, breathless, caught in the shock of what I just did.
But I can't help it—I smile, and the moment Adam sees it, he smiles back, right before capturing my lips in another kiss. This time, it’s long, slow, and all-consuming—the kind of kiss that makes my heart sing and my knees go weak. His fingers trail along my neck, sending a delicious thrill through me. I’m no expert at kissing, but there’s no doubt—Adam is. The man must have a master’s in kissing. No, wait—a PhD.
His lips leave mine and I let out an involuntary little grunt in protest. God, he smells so good, tastes so good, feels so good. There's nowhere on this planet I'd rather be right now than here, with him.
“Katie?” I hear him whisper my name, but I refuse to open my eyes, basking in the moment and not wanting anything to pull me out of it.
“Yes?” I murmur, keeping my eyes shut, savoring every second.
“Can I kiss you again?”
I open my eyes to gaze at him, and my heart picks up right where it left off—racing into overdrive and threatening to leap out of my chest.
As if reading my thoughts, he takes my hand and places it over his chest. His heart is racing, just like mine.
With that, I close my eyes and whisper, “Yes.”
***
When I walk into the office on Monday morning, I pass by Sheri’s desk to say good morning.
"Good morning," she responds, then tilts her head, her gaze flicking to the empty space beside me. "Um…where’s Adam?"
She’s so used to seeing us walk in together that his absence immediately catches her off guard.
"He'll be in Cortland this week," I say. "He has some projects there, and he's visiting his brother."
"Brother?" she asks, her curiosity piqued.
"Foster brother," I clarify. "And before you ask, he's married."
"Yeah, about that," she begins. "I'm sorry about my call. I didn’t mean to step on your toes."
"It’s okay," I say, offering her a smile. "I think your call helped us clarify a few things."
"Good," she says, not quite meeting my gaze.
"Sheri, I owe you an apology," I say. "I'm sorry I was short with you."
She bursts out laughing. "You should’ve heard yourself," she says. "‘Adam's love life is none of my business.’ But with that tone, you might as well have stuck a sticky note on him that said, 'I belong to Katherine Linder.'"
"No." I exclaim, my cheeks flushing. "Was it that obvious?"
"Yeah," she grins. "So, are you two an item now?"
"We're still trying to figure things out," I admit.
"In other words, he’s taken," she says, raising an eyebrow.
"In other words," I smile sheepishly. "Refer to the sticky note."
***
After work, I go home and change into some comfortable clothes, before sitting on the swing and opening my laptop, intent on getting some work done. My fingers hover over the keyboard for a moment before I type in my new password: AdamKissedMe .
Well, technically, I kissed him first. The memory is so vivid, I can almost taste it. The man knows how to kiss.
Yesterday, we drove to church separately because I had to be there an hour early to teach Sunday school with Loren. After the service, we had lunch at my parents’ house. Adam seemed unusually quiet, and then he left to visit his foster parents. I waited up for him, hoping he’d come home soon, but by ten, I gave up and went to bed. This morning, I woke up to an empty kitchen. He had already gone, leaving me with nothing but a hollow feeling in my chest
I wonder if he’ll call me this week. Should I call him?
A light knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts. I recognize it instantly. My sister, Loren, never rings the doorbell. Instead, she knocks lightly three times, pauses, then knocks twice more. I swing the door open, and there she stands, holding a quart of my favorite ice cream.
"Spill it," she says, walking past me like she owns the place.
"What?" I feign innocence, shutting the door behind her.
She shoots me a knowing look. "You were quiet all day yesterday. First at church, then at lunch. So, what’s up?"
"Nothing is up," I lie.
She tilts her head, squinting like she’s trying to read my mind. "Is Adam home?" she asks, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"No," I say. "He’s gone for the week."
Her expression softens. "Is that what has you down, Sis?" she asks in a motherly tone. "You miss Adam?"
"No!" I lie… again.
She raises both eyebrows and crosses her arms, waiting for me to fess up.
"Yes," I admit with a sigh. "Okay, yes. I miss him. A little. A lot. Ugh! I can't stop thinking about him."
Loren walks into the kitchen and grabs two spoons. She removes the lid from the container and sets it down on the counter between us.
"The last time Justin and I were here," she begins tentatively, "we noticed a few things."
"Really?" I say, my spoon pausing midair. "Were we that obvious?"
"Well, he’s been in love with you for years," she says matter-of-factly. "But the way you’ve been acting lately tells me you've fallen too."
"No," I protest, though even I can hear the lack of conviction. "I’m not in love. Maybe just a little infatuated. Yes, I'm attracted to him, I won’t deny that. But in love? That’s a stretch."
Loren smirks, taking a bite of ice cream. "You’re sitting here moping because he’s out of town," she points out. "Who does that if not a woman in love?"
"I miss him," I murmur, more to myself than to her. My heart clenches as the realization fully sinks in. "Oh my gosh," I whisper, my eyes widening. "I miss him."
"Has he said anything to you?" she asks before taking another bite.
I glance away and start plucking at the sleeve of my sweater.
"Katherine," she says, stretching each syllable of my name. "Did something happen?"
"I kissed him," I confess, covering my face with my forearms.
"You mean he kissed you," she tries to correct me, as if it’s just a simple mistake, as if I could be mistaken about this.
"No," I clarify. "It was definitely me. And then him, and then him again." The words tumble out, the truth both terrifying and exhilarating to say out loud.
"Katherine Shay Linder," she whispers, her eyes growing wide, the reality of what I’ve just confessed sinking in.
I tell her everything—from Sheri's phone call to the kiss… kisses. She sits watching me with rapt attention, her spoon slowly traveling between the container and her mouth.
"This is too good," she says, pointing her spoon at me. "Not the ice cream—the story. So, what now? Are you guys together?"
I let out a sigh, slumping back against the couch. "It was just a kiss. I don't know. We didn’t exactly define anything. Plus, he left before I even saw him this morning."
Loren narrows her eyes. "He left without saying goodbye?"
"I went to bed before he got back last night," I defend him automatically. "And this morning, he had to be up early."
She tilts her head, studying me. "Uh-huh. And you’ve been sitting here all mopey, staring at your phone, debating whether to call him.”
I groan, covering my face again. "Why do you have to be so annoyingly right all the time?"
She grins, shoving another bite of my ice cream into her mouth. "It’s my job as your sister. So, are you gonna call him or keep agonizing over it?"
"You think I should?" I ask. "Maybe I should wait and see if he calls me first."
"Do you have real feelings for him?" she asks, her tone growing serious.
"Loren," I begin, my voice barely above a whisper. "I get butterflies in my stomach just knowing I'm going to see him—which is literally every morning. He opens my car door. He brews fresh coffee at the office and always brings me a cup without asking. He smells like heaven. I love his laugh, and his smile. I love teaching him to cook and watching the way his whole face lights up when I tell him the food is good. I love how he places his hand on the small of my back, gently guiding me into a room like it’s second nature. He's sweet. Kind. Funny. He doesn’t even realize how handsome he is, and somehow that makes him even more so. And when he kissed me..." I pause, trying to steady the tremble in my voice. "Something deep inside me came to life. It was like a spark I didn’t know I was missing. And now, knowing I won’t see him for days... I miss him so much, my heart actually aches."
"Wow," Loren says, reaching for the last of the ice cream, only to find the container empty. "You just described how I feel about Justin. Katherine, you're in love."
"I'm in love," I say, the words sounding foreign. "I'm in love."