Chapter 23
Josie sat in the conference room on Monday morning, sipping her coffee and answering emails while she waited for Adam to join her.
After the barbecue, which had been just the right thing for this grieving group of tight-knit friends, Adam had convinced her to pack a bag and stay at his place for a while.
Honestly, it hadn’t taken much convincing.
The ease with which she’d been persuaded had less to do with worry about her newly discovered half-brother and more to do with her growing affection for Adam, his kids, and even his giant, furry dog.
The fact that she got to sleep next to Adam, tucked into his warm embrace, was a pleasure all its own.
While she wasn’t quite ready to give up her place, she’d never felt at home with another person like she did with Adam.
Her grief hit at unexpected times, often knocking the breath from her lungs, but being part of his lively, welcoming family allowed light to find its way into her darkness. Waking to the sounds of life in the house next to a man she couldn’t seem to get enough of was truly no hardship.
When Adam walked into the room, followed by Cam and Jake, Josie shut her laptop and sat up straight.
After a quick greeting, Jake sat down next to her.
Adam stood at the coffee bar fixing himself a mug, and Cam leaned against the far wall, arms crossed and with the scowl Josie had become quite familiar with frozen on his face.
“So, I did an initial dive into Kevin Murray,” Jake began.
Josie’s eyes widened. “When did you do that? We were at your house until after dark yesterday.”
Jake gave her a tired half-smile. “I’m an early riser.”
Noting the dark circles under his eyes, Josie wondered if he’d gotten any sleep at all. She made a mental note to check in on him more regularly. Jake’s grief was nearly as heavy as hers, and he had his own demons to battle on top of it.
“The guy has a juvie record. It’s sealed, of course, and I didn’t bother trying to access it because he has an adult criminal record as well,” Jake said. He gave a casual shrug as if breaking into sealed records was a simple exercise for him, which, for all Josie knew, maybe it was.
Josie felt tension emanating from Adam when he sat down on her other side, and Cam’s scowl only deepened as Jake continued to speak.
“His rap sheet is moderately impressive. Mostly petty theft and low-level drug charges, but he went away for breaking and entering. Served eighteen months. More concerning are his known associates. He’s on a Federal watch list due to his affiliation with a gambling ring in South Boston.”
Josie leaned forward in her chair and clasped her hands together on the top of the glossy wooden table. “Well, I guess Kevin’s physical resemblance to Charlie is about as deep as it goes.”
She’d known this after a few minutes of conversation with the man, but a piece of her had held out hope. No one could replace Charlie, of course, but she would have welcomed Kevin into her life as family. Now, she needed to steer clear.
Letting out a long, disappointed sigh, Josie said, “Hopefully, I’ve seen the last of him.”
Jake put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “I wish things were different, too.”
She heard the sadness in his voice and nodded.
“Well, what’s the plan? I know you all have a plan,” she said, waving her hand in the air.
“Until we’re sure he isn’t going to harass you, I’d like you to stay at the house,” Adam said.
Cam’s expression lightened and he cleared his throat, a half grin on his face. Adam shot him a glare, and Josie glanced between the two of them. She felt a flush creep up her cheeks knowing that Cam had some kind of opinion about her staying with Adam.
“Do you think there’s a real threat?” she asked Adam, but it was Cam who answered.
“Not necessarily, but you should stay at A.J.’s anyway,” he said.
When Cam left, the door clicking shut behind him, Josie looked to Adam, eyebrows furrowed.
“He likes us together,” Adam said.
“We all like you together,” Jake added, gathering his laptop and pushing up from his chair.
“Oh. Well, that’s good. I like us together, too,” Josie said, and then bit her lip as embarrassment flooded through her.
When Adam leaned in and planted a firm kiss on her lips, she gasped.
“On that note, I’ll leave you two kids alone,” Jake said, striding out the door.
Instead of letting her go when the room emptied, Adam gripped Josie by the back of her neck and deepened the kiss. Their tongues danced, and Josie lost herself in the moment. Enveloped in his strong embrace, she breathed in his clean, masculine smell and felt heat build in her core.
When he finally pulled away, a desperate, entirely involuntary sound escaped from her, and Adam groaned.
“Unless you want me to lock the door and spread you out like a buffet on this conference table, we should stop.”
Josie wondered what on earth was happening to her good sense when she found herself seriously considering the idea.
Of course, she might never be able to enter this room again if they gave in to the urge.
Besides, in reality, Josie would never be able to relax knowing Cam and Jake, and all the other TSI employees, were just beyond the door.
“You were considering it,” Adam said, a mischievous, delighted grin on his face.
“You’ve turned me into a sex fiend,” she said, smoothing down the front of her silk blouse.
“I think your wild side was always in there, but I’m honored to be the man who gets to explore it with you.”
Did he always know just the right thing to say?
Josie had a big, stupid smile on her face when she left the conference room and followed Adam into his office. It was still there when she settled herself into her workspace, and it reappeared at random times over the course of the morning.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Kevin, and the nearly unbearable pain of losing Charlie, Josie felt alive. She was falling in love, and she’d never experienced anything quite so wonderful.
***
Work on the retreat center kept Josie busy during the day, and time with the kids filled her evenings. In the quiet of the night, when the rest of the house was asleep, she and Adam explored each other’s bodies.
Josie had never given sex much thought after the few disappointing encounters she’d had over the years, but now, she looked forward to it with breathless anticipation.
Adam had awakened something inside her she’d never know existed.
She felt safe enough to share her deepest desires and darkest fantasies with him, and their intimacy only made her fall that much harder for him.
The next few weeks passed without so much as a word from Kevin, so despite their comfortable routine, and the joy she felt each time she walked through Adam’s door, Josie felt she should offer to go back home.
When she and Adam put the kids to bed after a particularly satisfying workday–they’d actually closed on Holly’s property–Adam pulled a bottle from the fridge and two champagne flutes from the cupboard.
He popped the cork and poured, handing Josie her glass. “To next steps,” he said.
There was an intensity in Adam’s eyes and a tone to his voice that suggested his words might hold a deeper meaning. A thrill of excitement made Josie’s stomach leap, but her elation was quickly tempered by doubt.
They clinked glasses, the bubbles bursting on Josie’s tongue when she took a sip. Adam examined her face and then placed his glass carefully on the kitchen counter.
“What’s going on in there?” he asked, gently tapping her temple.
She nibbled her bottom lip, and Adam groaned.
“If you keep doing that, I’m not waiting to hear your answer.”
Josie let out a nervous laugh.
“Talk to me, Josie. Today was a great day. You should be extremely proud of the work you’re doing.”
“It was a great day. You and Holly deserve a good bit of the credit, too, but I wasn’t thinking about the project,” she said.
Adam didn’t prod or push her to say more. He simply waited, his eyes on hers, his hand reaching to brush a stray piece of hair from her cheek.
“Do you want me to move back into my place?” she asked, the words tumbling from her mouth before she could temper her nerves.
Adam stilled and a crease furrowed his brow. “Why would you think that?” he asked softly.
She swallowed down the lump in her throat and shook her head.
“Have I done something to make you think I don’t want you here?”
“No, no, absolutely not,” she said, rushing to assure him.
The hint of worry on his face disappeared, and he tilted his head, waiting for her to say more.
“We haven’t heard from Kevin in weeks. I think it’s safe to say, he isn’t going to bother me again. It’s probably fine for me to move back home. I didn’t want to assume…”
When her voice trailed off, Adam stepped into her space, removed her glass from her hand, and cupped her face.
“I know we haven’t talked about it, and that’s on me, but I want you here, Josie. I never want you to leave.”
Her eyes flew wide at the fervor in his voice.
“There’s no pressure, though. If you aren’t ready to move in permanently, I understand.
This relationship progressed quickly, somewhat due to outside circumstances, but make no mistake, Josie, I want you in my life, in my home, and in my bed.
I don’t want you to go, but I’ll support your decision either way. ”
Every muscle in Josie’s body relaxed, and warmth spread from her belly outward. Her emotions ranged from relief to hope to joy.
“I don’t want to leave. I love you. I love the kids,” she said.
Adam pulled her to his chest. “Good,” he said, cradling the back of her head in his palm. “We love you too.”
***
Josie sorted through her cookware and dishes, separating items into boxes for donation and boxes to bring to Adam’s house.
Well, her house now, too. Adam insisted she make the space hers, so over the last few weeks, she’d done just that, mostly in small ways.
A new paint color for the downstairs bathroom, a piece of artwork for the living room, fresh flowers on the kitchen table.
She thoughtfully included the kids whenever she wanted to make some kind of decorative change to the house, and she regularly mentioned Allie in conversation.
Josie wanted the kids to feel free to talk about their mom, and so she created space for Allie’s memory with openness and care.
When she’d helped them make cupcakes to celebrate Allie’s birthday, and even Joan ate one with a smile, Josie knew she’d found her place with the family.
Now, as she emptied the last of her cupboards in preparation to put her brownstone on the market, a piece of her felt nostalgic.
This house was the first place she’d ever owned, the first place she’d ever truly made hers, but her excitement vastly outweighed the twinge of sadness tugging at her.
An unexpected future waited for her, with a man so amazing she couldn’t have designed him herself and kids who’d stolen her heart.