27. Casey
TWENTY-SEVEN
Casey
Casey
After finally opening up about Josh, my failed marriage, and all the things that I’d been through, Adam cradled me in his arms until the bathwater was cold.
When he lifted me from the tub, dried us off, and helped me get dressed, I realized my pain had eased, just a little.
I had been nursing my wounds for so long, I thought I would never stop hurting.
But Adam was a balm, one that soothed every ache and heartbreak.
He didn’t just make me feel happy. He made me feel whole, something I never thought I would feel again.
I almost told him I loved him. I’d said ‘I love you’ many times in my life, but in that moment, I knew I had never truly loved anyone before, not like this.
Those three words lingered in my thoughts and in my heart, unwilling to be suppressed or ignored.
I had to keep it to myself. This situation was already beyond complicated.
I would tell him, but not yet. First, I had to break up with Marshall.
It was inevitable, and I’d known it for weeks.
I just didn’t want to face the truth. Once I rang that bell, there was no going back.
After a week of trying to avoid my apartment and the inevitable conversation I needed to have with Marshall, I’d gone to work early, pretending I had to re-organize the office inventory.
It wasn’t a total lie. The place was a pigsty, but no one had told me to do it.
Rolling my sleeves up and scrubbing every surface was just what I needed to distract myself.
With my head buried in a box of half-empty paint cans, I almost dropped a bundle of brushes when there was a knock at the door.
Adam stood in the open doorway, a hesitant smile on his sun-kissed face.
The rush of seeing him when I wasn’t expecting to had me sprinting across the room and straight into his arms. God, he smelled so good.
His earthy scent was better than any cologne.
A shiver went up my spine when he pressed his hand to the back of my head.
He gently stroked my hair, neither of us willing to end the hug.
“How are you? Still feeling okay after your heat?”
I felt so relaxed in his arms that I almost forgot to answer. “Yes. It’s ridiculous how calm I feel. I’m never like this after a heat. Usually I stay wound up for a week. It’s nice.”
“I’m glad.” He tipped my head back, studying my features with his green eyes as if he could peer inside me.
Maybe he could. Adam always seemed to know me better than I knew myself.
“Are you okay besides that? You’ve been quieter than normal.
We unearthed some painful memories last week. It’s okay if you’re still upset.”
“I’m not upset anymore. I thought I would be, but telling you everything really helped. I’ve never told anyone about what Josh did. Not even my parents know the full story.”
It passed between us, a silent revelation, one that had us moving closer until our lips met in a passionate kiss.
I trusted Adam. I trusted him more than anyone else, more than I’d ever trusted someone before.
I knew before I said a single word that he wouldn’t judge me or blame me for a single thing that happened in my marriage, or everything that came after.
I paused, almost forgetting about everything else as I stared into his eyes. “Adam, I…” I pulled up on my toes and gave him a deep kiss.
A second knock at the door made me jump, and only Adam’s arm around my waist kept me from falling.
My parents stood in the doorway. My parents. Oh fuck. The one moment I never wanted to happen was here, and the man standing next to me wasn’t even my boyfriend.
Mom’s soft grey hair was done up in a simple bun at the base of her neck. Her smile was always full of warmth, a smile that drifted over to the Alpha who had his arms around me. “Casey. Sorry for dropping in so suddenly. We thought we might surprise you since we haven’t seen you in a few months.”
Wearing his usual jeans and jacket, Dad’s smile grew as he let go of Mom’s hand. He quickly stepped forward, holding his hand out for Adam. “You must be Marshall. We haven’t heard a lot about you, to be honest, but that’s just Casey for you. I’m Greg West. This is my wife, Cindy.”
Without knowing what he looked like, they’d naturally assumed the man they caught me kissing was my boyfriend. Before I could correct them, Adam gave them both a friendly handshake, giving my Mom’s hand a small pat with his best smile.
“Lovely to meet you both. Casey hasn’t mentioned much about you two either, if it helps.” He pulled me closer, sliding his arm around my waist. “It’s obvious he cares about you both, though.”
What was he saying?
Mom chuckled, tossing a knowing finger in my direction. “Our Casey is a complicated man. I guess you really do know him.”
“I’m taking good care of your son, Mr. and Mrs. West. You have no need to worry about him.”
Oh my god.
My mom glanced at me before returning her gaze to Adam, her smile unwavering. “We were hoping to take Casey out for lunch. Would you like to join us?”
Before I could panic, Adam lifted his hand to decline.
“I’m sorry, I promised my son we would spend lunch together. Another time, I hope?”
“Son?” Dad asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
I rushed over, quickly urging them toward the door. “I’m busy for lunch, Mom, but dinner would be fine.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” She peered at Adam over my shoulder, and gave me another warm smile. “He’s nice. I like him.”
I had finally introduced someone to my parents after so many years of keeping them in the dark about my dating life, and they were both spellbound by Adam’s charm. To be fair, I was spellbound by him too, or else I wouldn’t be in this mess. The man had mad rizz, I’ll give him that.
“Stop,” I whispered. She took the hint and followed Dad back down the stairs. I flinched when Adam’s hand touched my shoulder.
“Don’t be upset, Casey.”
I wasn’t upset. I thought I would be, but the only thing that bothered me was Adam didn’t get to meet them as himself. I wanted Adam to meet my parents. Not as Marshall’s father. As my boyfriend. I’d had many revelations in the past week. This was by far the most significant.
I turned and kissed him, conveying all I felt with my lips, with my body, and he felt every unspoken word. The soft kisses on my lips, my cheek, my forehead were silent declarations all on their own, matching the unsaid words in my heart.
I love you. I need you. I want you by my side.
“Adam…” His eyes seemed to pierce right through me. He understood me perfectly before I’d even spoken, just like he always did. “I want more. I need more than whatever this is between us. No more hidden texts, or secret hookups in the dead of night.”
“I know.”
“I have to end things with Marshall.” The words hung in the air, the words we’d left unspoken this whole time, from the very first time we gave into temptation.
His jaw ticked, and he touched my face, his calloused fingers softly brushing my skin. “I know.”
“He’ll hate you.”
He gave the same answer, the words carrying more significance every time he said them. “I know.”
“What should we do?”
“I don’t know.” His kiss sent a shiver through my trembling body. “I want you, Casey. That has never changed.”
And I wanted him just as desperately. If there was anyone I would risk ruining my life for, it was Adam. But it wasn’t just my own life I'd be upending. Adam might lose his son if we went any further.
“I have to go back home.” My chest seized, and only his touch on my body kept me from falling apart. “I’ve been putting this off for as long as I can, and Marshall will suspect me if I stay any longer. He needs to know, but I don’t want him to find out like this.”
I knew this was coming. I’d been dreading it, hoping we could stay in this bubble just a little longer.
It was my turn to say those two words. “I know.”
Could I survive without him by my side?
Tipping my chin, he caressed my lips, my cheek, his fingertips gliding across my face until my shoulders eased and the tension left my body. With a simple touch of his hand, he made all my worries seem distant. He always knew what I needed.
“I need you,” he whispered, his husky voice betraying the emotion in his heart. He said, ‘I need you.’ What I heard was, ‘I love you.’
With one last kiss and a lingering touch on my face, he left the studio, and the air felt colder with him gone.