Page 74 of Make It Without You

“So you gotyour first tattoo at eighteen?”

Our empty plates sit abandoned at the end of the patio table. Conversation was at a minimum as we ate our food in comfortable silence. I decided that if Adam wanted to cook for me for the rest of his life, I’d happily sit with a glass of wine and watch.

“Yes and if Dylan gets one the way I did, I’m grounding him. I won't care that he’s technically an adult.”

His dad-side coming out makes me laugh. “How did you get your first tattoo?”

“At a house party when I was eighteen,” he says with a grimace on his face.

“Oh, Adam. If I was your mother I surely would have grounded you.”

“You would have?” He leans into the table to ask.

“Mm-hmm. And then again once I found you got your nipples pierced. Although they are the hottest thing I’ve seen and not at all what I expected from you.”

Adam pushes back from the table and grabs our plates. “What did you expect?”

“The tattoos were unexpected but they’re growing on me.” I voice as I gather up our polished-off wine bottle and empty wine glasses, trailing behind Adam into the kitchen.

“Duly noted,” he tells me as he turns the water for the kitchen sink on.

We work as a team with rinsing our dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. I wash off the tongs and wipe down the counters while Adam scrubs down the grill.

“More pool?” Adams questions when he’s joined me back in the kitchen.

Glancing outside I shake my head. “How about a movie?” I meet Adam’s eyes as he nods his head. “Any chance I can shower?”

“Is that an invitation?” He queries as he crowds my space.

My hands land on his chest in an attempt to hold him back. “No.”

“Okay,” he agrees with a kiss on my forehead. “You can shower in my bathroom.”

I pin him with a stare that usually has my students shaking.

“Just to shower, Ms. Bailey. I promise.”

“Lead the way, then,” I say with a flourish of my hand.

He grabs my bag from the kitchen island and I follow him like a needy cat. My eyes travel over the pictures lining the wall as we head up the stairs. Dylan in all stages of life, candids of them both, and some landscape shots. It’s another tiny peek into their life as a family of two.

At the top of the stairs, Adam turns right and heads to the only door at the end of the long hallway. He leads the way into a spacious primary bedroom with a sitting area off to the side that catches the setting sun. His room is swathed in shades of blue and warm wooden touches. A fluffy cream rug adds texture and warmth to the wooden floor that I’m sure gets cold in the winter. The bed is a huge dark oak four-poster king-size bed with a cream-colored linen duvet and an even amount of pillows that I could sink into.

“It’s just your room on this end, huh?”

The thump of my bag being set on his dresser pulls my focus to him. “Yeah. After we lived in our last apartment I realized that Dylan and I needed rooms that weren’t next to each other. Having a 6 AM wake-up call after working the closing shift for work proved me to be insufferable.”

“I’ll bet. Well, everything I’ve seen of your house is beautiful. You should be proud, Adam.”

“Thank you.” He accepts the praise and crosses his arms over his chest. “Bathroom is through here and there are towels in the small linen closet.”

Adam steps aside to allow me entrance to his spacious primary bathroom. It’s safe to say he loves color.

White hexagon tiles give the floor a clean feel that’s not overly sterile. A thin rug runner sits in front of the double oak wood vanity that contrasts beautifully with the dark navy blue backsplash that runs from the vanity to the standup shower. A massive soak-in tub sits in front of the bay windows providing an uninterrupted view of the dense forest lining Adam’s backyard. The gold handles and knobs compliment the wood tones of the bathroom vanity and the white countertops complete the room.

“Is it your goal to get me to not want to leave?” I ask him as I run my hands over the gold faucet of one of the sinks.

“If I say yes, will you stay?”

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