Chapter 38
CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHT
“Adam, you haven’t said anything about the concert last night.”
Adam looked over to Lauren and took a scoop of the cranberry sauce she’d made. “It was great,” he said.
“Oh, it was more than great,” Joey said as she followed him down the buffet line at her mother’s peninsula. “It was amazing, Momma. You should have seen him on that stage.”
Surprise had him turning toward her too. “Seen me on the stage? I was up there for, like, thirty seconds.”
“It was a couple of minutes at least,” Joey said, putting a slice of ham on her plate.
She followed that with a big scoop of mashed potatoes, and he smiled to himself.
She’d confessed to him last night that she liked the sides at Christmas far more than the main dish, especially when her mother was cooking.
I don’t know why she insists on having ham, Joey had told him. But she does, and it’s always kind of dry.
Adam wasn’t sure why Lauren had made cranberry sauce to go with ham, but he’d taken it as a lubricant, just in case.
“And he had the greatest speech ever,” she said. “I was willing to donate my entire salary to horse rescue.” She trilled out a laugh. “And this morning, they crossed one hundred thousand dollars of donations in one day.”
It had actually only taken sixteen hours to get to one hundred thousand dollars, which had been Harry’s original goal.
He and Belle had both posted on their social media, and they’d asked their fans to think about how much they would pay to attend a concert by him, by the two of them, and by Country Quad, then to donate whatever ticket price they came up with.
Harry was exceptionally good at social media, and Adam had taken that idea and run with it.
He posted the same call to action for Country Quad across all of their platforms. To double down, he’d asked people to post their receipts in the comments of any Country Quad concert they’d been to over the years.
That had gotten a lot of engagement and a lot of comments, which helped the algorithms push the content out to even more people.
“I can watch it online, right?” Lauren asked.
Adam nodded as Joey said, “Yes, I’ve watched it three times already. Momma, it is so good. Daddy wrote one of the songs that’s brand new, and everyone plays in it—Harry, Bryce, Belle, and even OJ.”
Adam watched her mother’s face, and while she wore a smile, she certainly didn’t seem as engaged in the conversation as Joey was. He loved watching his normally quiet, reserved girlfriend come to life.
He waited at the end of the bar, so that she could lead them to a place at the table. It was just the four of them for Christmas this year, as they had spent Thanksgiving down in Coral Canyon with her daddy and his branch of the family.
Adam had arranged to go home in January after the concert series and Harry’s wedding, when Country Quad would have nothing to do but re-watch their winter performances.
He would still have plenty to do, as he had to deal with the donations, as well as all the social media.
Not only that, but he had already been contacted by three organizations who wanted to partner with Country Quad in some sort of mini concert series.
That would be a hard sell, and Adam had not replied to any of them, using the holidays as an excuse to set his autoresponder and get to it later.
Joey led them over to the table, and he pulled out her chair for her as she continued to gush about the concert.
He took one bite of ham with mashed potatoes, realizing everything Joey had said about the protein was correct.
He slathered cranberry sauce on it after that and managed to get down the two pieces he’d taken.
Joey paused in her play-by-play of the concert, and Adam put his hand on her knee under the table.
He absolutely loved her enthusiasm, because Country Quad had become such a big part of his life, and it felt like she was cheering for him and not the band.
But her mother’s eyes had glazed over about the time Adam had taken his first bite of ham, and he said, “Why don’t you ask your mother about her tomato starts? ”
Joey looked at him, questions in her eyes, but she was smart, and she looked over to her mother. Adam saw the recognition as it crossed her face, because Joey could read a room. It had just taken her a little longer this time.
“Yes, we saw some tomato starts in the garage,” she said. “How did you do those?”
“They’re not really in the garage,” her mother said. “We had Peter from down the street come and put a little greenhouse against the window, so I can check on them without having to go outside.”
“Right,” Joey said, though Adam and Joey had walked past them in the garage and seen them through that window.
“It was really easy,” Joey’s mom said. “I set out those red plastic cups and filled them with dirt, and then I sliced a tomato and put one piece on top of each one. A little water and as much sun as possible, and now I have one hundred and twenty starts.”
“Wow,” Adam said. “What are you going to do with all those?”
From what Joey had told him, her mother was quite ill and couldn’t work—or do much of anything physically. Gardening would definitely be a lot of up and down, hauling supplies, and physical labor, and he hadn’t realized that Lauren was capable of it.
“She sells them,” Gloria said. “The nurseries and hardware stores around here sell a tomato plant for five dollars,” she continued. “Lauren can give them the same plant from her greenhouse, and she only charges three.”
“I started one hundred and twenty more a few days ago,” Lauren said. “I try and space them out every couple of weeks because people are ready to plant at different times.”
“That’s great, Momma,” Joey said. “I didn’t realize you’d done that.”
“I’ve been doing it about six or eight months now.
” Lauren grinned at them from across the table.
“I sold a bunch of plants to the members of the greenhouse society here in town,” she said.
“Once they learned I had them, it seemed like everyone wanted one so that they could have fresh tomatoes out of their greenhouses this winter.”
She looked the happiest Adam had ever seen her, and he found himself genuinely smiling at her too.
The meal finished, and Adam got up to clear the table while the three women continued to chat.
Just because he didn’t know how to cook didn’t mean he didn’t know how to rinse dishes and set them in the dishwasher.
One glance at the leftovers told him he might be out of his league if he tried to put those away, so he left them for Joey or her grandmother to do later.
Later was really what Adam wanted to get to.
Because later, after this meal, he and Joey had planned an intimate gift exchange and dessert at his place.
She’d helped him set up a Christmas tree over the weekend—on the day she was supposed to move into her new apartment—and he’d gotten his wrapped gifts back from his neighbor and put them under the tree.
He felt like a real person who did normal things for the holidays, and he’d bought a smoked turkey, mac and cheese, a dozen fresh rolls, stuffing, and a broccoli kale salad for their Christmas evening dinner.
It came with brown gravy and sparkling cider as well, and Adam had bought three pies from Joey for dessert.
As far as she knew, they were eating here and doing dessert at his place later, because Adam loved surprising her with the things she loved and watching her face light up and then soften as she kissed him.
He would do anything to make her happy, and he’d acknowledged that the reason he did those things was because… he was in love with her.
A couple of hours later, Joey rose from the couch where they’d put on a silly Christmas movie. Adam had done his best to watch it, but he kept sneaking glances at his phone instead.
“We have to go, Momma,” she said.
“Already?” her mom asked.
“It’s going to snow in a little bit,” Joey said. “I have to get Adam home and back to Grams and Gramps.”
“Oh, all right.” Lauren did not get off the couch to hug Joey goodbye. Joey leaned over and did it, and put off her grandmother’s offer for food once and then twice, before Adam helped her into her coat and they made it out of the house.
She’d stopped to pick him up, but he walked with her all the way to the driver’s door and opened it for her. When he got in beside her and slammed out the winter weather, she drew in a deep breath and sighed.
“Sorry about that,” she said.
“Hey, you don’t need to apologize,” he said.
“Maybe she just tires me out,” Joey said.
“You’re definitely more aware of it than I am,” Adam told her. “You don’t need to worry about me at all.” He chuckled as he pulled his seatbelt across his body. “Just wait until you meet my mother.”
Joey looked over to him, something vibrant and electric in her eyes. “Is that a possibility? Me meeting your momma?”
Adam employed his cowboy head-ducking skills and reached for her hand. “I mean, I think so,” he said.
“Seems real serious,” she said.
“Would you have brought me home for Christmas this year?” he asked. “If I hadn’t already met your mother because of that snowstorm?”
Joey studied their hands where his darker fingers ran through her paler ones. “Yes,” she finally whispered. “I think I would have.”
“I’m going home in about another month,” he said. “Maybe you should come with me.”
She lifted her eyes to his, and this time, Adam didn’t shy away.
“I’m real serious about you,” he said.
A smile touched her lips for a moment, and then flitted away. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s so.” He pulled his hand back. “Come on, let’s get to my place before it starts storming.”
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to stay,” she said, as she peered out the windshield and up into the gray sky.
“Well, I’ve got lots of bedrooms if you get snowed in,” he said.
Joey’s mouth tightened, but she nodded and drove them over to his house. Adam used his home security app to open the garage so she could pull inside, and then he closed it before they got out. They went in together, and Adam hung their coats in the mudroom.
“Let’s do presents,” he said, suddenly feeling like a much younger boy on Christmas morning. She’d brought hers in when she’d picked him up, so she simply followed him into the living room, where he guided her to the couch and then knelt in front of the tree.
“First, I got your bookcase set up,” he said.
“I don’t know how you have time to do everything you do.”
Adam chuckled and reached for the first present he wanted her to open. “Second, I’ve got a bunch of stuff for you to take to your family. I don’t know when you’re going to be seeing them.” He twisted to look at her over his shoulder. “Maybe I should just take them myself.”
“It’s up to you,” she said. “I’ll probably see them tomorrow. It’s cousin movie night, and Harry invited OJ, so I’m going to be stopping by the house to get him.”
He nodded, and then handed her the long, slim package. “These might be lame.”
“Adam,” she said kindly. “You don’t know yourself at all if you think you can buy a lame gift for someone.”
He simply smiled and leaned back against the entertainment center while she unwrapped the box.
“Did you wrap this?” she asked, glancing up.
“Heavens no,” he said. “I had a woman around the corner do it.”
“It’s well done,” she said.
“I’ll be sure to tell her thanks.”
She sucked in a breath in the next moment, and Adam loved her reactions to his gifts.
“Is this what I think it is?” she asked, and she hurried to slide her finger under the flap and open it. “Oh, my heck, it is. It’s that heating strip I wanted.”
“It fits right in your pillowcase,” he said. “In fact, I got you a couple of pillowcases made specially for it.”
“Thank you so much,” Joey said, and she propelled herself forward and off the couch to kneel in front of him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, and Adam loved the way she touched him.
He handed her the next gift, and she stayed on the floor beside him as she opened it.
“You got a set of these mixing bowls?” She looked at him with pure wonder on her face. “They sold out in under ten minutes.”
He nodded to the card. “Yeah, you got set seventy-six.”
She shook her head and said, “I can’t wait to find out what the one thing is that you can’t do.” She grinned at him and then opened a new pair of gloves, a scarf he’d asked her grandmother to make for him to give to her, and then finally, Adam hesitated on the smallest box.
He didn’t have to give her this, but he sure was thankful that she had never once said he’d spent too much money or spoiled her. Spending money and spoiling people was Adam’s specialty, and he would employ his superpower for Joey any day of the week, any time.
In the end, he drew a deep breath and handed it to her. He wanted to start with a caveat, but he held it back. Joey could take the jewelry to mean whatever she wanted it to mean.
She unwrapped the little black box, glanced at him, and then lifted the lid.
“Oh Adam,” she whispered. “This is incredible.” She looked at him and thrust the box toward him. He thought she might say, It’s too much. I can’t.
Instead, she asked, “Will you put it on for me?”
Swallowing hard, Adam lifted the diamond tennis bracelet out of the box and gently draped it over Joey’s wrist. It clasped easily, as good jewelry did, and he lifted her hand and kissed the top of her wrist and then the side and then the inside, before he looked at her again.
“You make my whole life shine like diamonds,” he said.
She smiled too, a pinkish hue climbing into her cheeks.
“Is it lame for me to tell you I love you on Christmas?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Joey pulled in another breath, and Adam gathered her into his lap and tucked her close against his chest. “Because if it is—” He cut off and swallowed, not wanting to hold back the way he felt or wait to vocalize it.
“Then I guess I’m lame,” he finished. “Because I’m hopelessly in love with you.” He didn’t want her to feel pressured to say it back, so he quickly touched his lips to hers and sealed his declaration with a kiss.