Page 20 of For the Record

I rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand. Perfectly fine, I replied.

Crew suddenly slammed his fork down on the table, jolting the rest of us at the table. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth twisted. “Is no one going to talk about it?”

Mama B tilted her head to the side. “Talk about what, dear?”

Crew all but stood, leaning over the table and pointing at Adam and then at me.

Oh lord. Warmth rose into my cheeks in a blush. No, a blush was subtle. This was a bright, red-hot heat that made me look like a traffic sign.

“Adam and Rachel. Clearly, they got married last night, and we’re sitting here eating Mickey Mouse–shaped chocolate-chip waffles as if nothing has happened.”

Adam cleared his throat. “You’re the only one eating that.”

“Not the point.”

Nathan chimed in. “Did you make that yourself at the waffle bar?”

Crew groaned. “Still not the point.”

I raised my left hand, turning around the mountain on my finger. Okay, it wasn’t that big. Or maybe it was. I didn’t exactly know ring etiquette, but this one felt larger than most. Flashing the ring to his family, I sighed. “It’s true.”

Layla and Calla let out synchronized fake gasps, hands reaching up to clutch strings of pearls that weren’t there. Bless them.

My eyes stayed on Adam’s parents as I waited for shock to sink in. It never did. Mama B’s face stayed the same, except her eyes softened toward me. Jerry gave an affirming nod to Adam, which he returned.

Luke turned his gaze from Layla over to Adam. “How did that happen?”

Adam shrugged, not looking up from his bacon and taking a bite as though nothing had happened. “Been thinking about it for a while.”

I knew it wasn’t the truth deep down. The logical side of my brain kept that in check. But it didn’t stop my gut from doing full-on somersaults. This giant, tattooed, motorcycle-riding bear saying he had been thinking of putting a ring on it “for a while” was not going to just casually fly out of my brain. Despite our friendship over the years, I couldn’t simply turn off a magic switch and ignore Adam’s undeniable attractiveness. Hearing him affirm me and not chalk it up to a mistake warmed my heart.

Mama B spoke up at that. “Ah, love can come from all corners, can’t it?”

“What’s the plan now?” Nathan questioned.

“Taking it a day at a time. We just got married. We want to figure it all out as we go,” Adam answered, still not looking anyone in the eye.

“Do you guys know what you’re going to do from here?” Luke asked.

“How come the guy who stays in his Batman cave got married before I did?” Crew interrupted before Adam could answer.

We each continued eating as his family hit us with a barrage of questions and Adam handled each one with Olympic grace. I took a deep breath in relief, squeezing Adam’s hand beside me. We would pull this off. Not because of anything I could do, but because of him.

Currently playing: I don’t feel like dancing by the Scissor Sisters

***

Adam Wells rode in my car, his giant shoulders taking up all the space. The longer we drove down the road, the more I could peek at the floral tattoo crawling up his forearm into dangerous bicep territory.

He was a friend. A nice one at that. Someone to talk to who had no preconceived notions about me, considering he didn’t know much of who I was. An outside perspective that was about to get an inside view.

Our text conversations over the last month or so while he’d been gone had gotten deeper the more we talked. And by deeper, I simply meant that Adam was no longer replying to everything I sent with one-word answers.

But still, a friend was all he was, and it was all I had availability for. It didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the way his aroma filled my tiny car.

Eagerness pooled in my chest at the thought of him meeting my dad. It was rare for him to have visitors other than me. He always got excited when I said I was bringing someone along. Usually, it just meant Layla. Though one time Calla came with me when she heard they were having a plant propagation class. Either way, I was looking forward to seeing his face light up at someone new.

After hopping out of the car, I directed Adam to the front entrance of the community center portion of Dad’s complex. It was the middle area, with a large gym, a movie room, and multiple areas for classes. His section of the multiple duplexes was only about three buildings down, so he spent half of his time here and the other half at his home.

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