Page 72 of Release Me

“Serious?” I raise a brow. “What makes you think it’s serious?”

“Sebastian Everett Adler.” She wags her finger at me, reminding me of when Luca was a baby and she used the same motion to tell him something was a no-no. “Don’t play coy with me. I’m your mother, I know what it looks like when you’re serious about someone.”

“Maddy, I thought we agreed we weren’t going to meddle,” Dad says, walking into the kitchen with more serving trays in his hand. I take them from him, the instinct to accommodate him stronger than it’s ever been before, causing me to act without thinking. Dad sighs and shakes his head, exasperation written in the lines of his face. “And I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to baby me, Sebastian.”

“Guess we’re all going back on our word because I could have sworn you told me you were going to take it easy.”

“I am taking it easy,” he says, clapping a strong hand over my shoulder when he joins me at the sink. “Tell him, Maddy.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re taking it easy,” Mom says, moving over to us. “Can we get back to the conversation at hand?”

I pour dish soap onto a sponge and wet it. “What conversation is that, Mom?”

“The one where you tell me how you got that gorgeous girl out there to fall in love with you.”

“Mom!”

“Maddy!”

The disbelief in my tone blends with the surprise in Dad’s and Mom rolls her eyes at the both of us. “Relax, you two, it’s not like she can hear me.”

“Like who can hear you?” This, from Zoe who appears out of nowhere with Nadia in tow. All at once, Mom, Dad and me all turn around to find Nadia and Zoe coming up behind us. The two of them look between the three of us, and there’s a moment of awkward silence that Dad breaks.

“Nadia, has Sebastian told you about the wine cellar?”

“No, Everett. I don’t believe he has.”

She throws me a wide eyed look that’s all fake accusation, and I stick my tongue out at her. “My apologies for not giving you the full specs of the house, precious.”

The nickname slips off my tongue easily, and I regret allowing it to when Mom and Zoe both press their lips together to suppress what I’m sure is a squeal.

Nadia smiles, a slight hint of red creeping into her cheeks as she holds my gaze. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find it in my heart to forgive you.”

“Thank you.”

“After your dad shows me the wine cellar.”

In a move that shocks the hell out of me, she loops her arm through Dad’s and smiles up at him, allowing him to lead her out of the kitchen. My heart does something odd as I watch them walk away, leaving us all to linger in the wake of a conversation about storage temperatures and humidity percentages. It aches and swells at the same time, hurting for the part of Nadia that’s suffered at the hands of so many men, rejoicing for the part of her that feels safe with not only me but my family. My father, my brothers, my sister and Mom. She’s opened up to each one of them today in different ways, showing glimpses of who she is when she feels safe, and it’s only made me love her more.

Clearly, I’m not the only Adler that feels that way.

“You know Dad is going to have her down there for hours, right?” Zoe asks, hopping up on the counter beside me.

“Nadia won’t mind,” I assure her, ringing out the sponge to get rid of the excess water and suds. “Wine is her favorite thing to talk about.”

I still haven’t quite figured out why that is, but if I had to guess I’d say it has something to do with her parents. There are some interests that only become passion through the loving guidance of a parent. It can be a bright, positive thing born at the intersection of a parent’s knowledge and a child’s desire to connect on a level beyond familial obligation. If the parents are lucky—the way my dad was with me and business, the way I suspect Nadia’s parent’s might have been with her and wine—the child’s interest will grow as they get older, creating a long-standing dedication to a love they both share.

“Oh, Everett will love that,” Mom sighs wistfully from my other side. “He’ll finally have someone to obsess over his collection with.”

“Thank God! That means I don’t have to go down into the cellar with him any more.” Zoe shivers dramatically, which makes me and Mom laugh. “It’s way too dark down there.”

I dry my hands off on a kitchen towel, ignoring my sister’s antics. “Mom, when did Dad start building his wine collection?”

“Around ‘94, I think. Why?” As soon as the question leaves her lips, her eyes light up. “Are you thinking about starting one for Nadia? That would be so lovely, Sebby!”

“Mom, calm down.” Zoe places a hand on her shoulder, giving her a concerned look. “What’s going on with you today?”

“Nothing! I’m just excited. It’s nice to finally see one of my children in love.”

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