Page 97 of Unbind

‘I didn’t get him anything,’ Adam says firmly. ‘I simply asked Aide to take a look at his LinkedIn profile. Your brother earned that job on his own merit—Aide says he’s a very fine programmer.’

‘He definitely doesn’t know,’ Mum says to me now.

‘And it’s going to stay that way, got it?’ Adam says, glaring at me. ‘It was an intro. Nothing more. Let’s not make a big deal of it.’

‘What about this new prosthetic thing he’s so excited about?’ Mum asks him. ‘That seemed to come out of theblue. Know anything about it?’

The panicked looks Adam’s shooting me just keep on coming. I’m torn between amusement that Mum is blithely laying bare his apparent secret side hustle of fairy godfather to my brother and a rush of emotion sostrongit’s threatening to overwhelm me.

Adam is such a good man. Such a kind man. And clearly, a man who seems to believe he still has to make reparations to Stephen, all these years later.

‘Good God, Adelaide,’ he grumbles to Mum. ‘You need to work on your discretion.’

Mum sits back and crosses her arms with a satisfied smile. ‘I knew it.’

‘It was a single phone call,’ Adam insists. ‘A mutual friend hooked me up with the CEO. But again, Stephen will get that eye on his own merits. He may be a good candidate, he may not. There’s absolutely nothing I can do about that.’ He turns to me. ‘And for the love of God, I won’t let you ever use this stuff as leverage when you’re pitching my good name to your brother. Never. Understand?

‘He accepts me, or he doesn’t. Either way, we’ll deal with it. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. But I don’t ever want him feeling beholden to me, because the truth is that I ruined his life, and if I call in a million favours on his behalf, none of them will change that fact.’

‘Yeah,’ I say quietly. ‘I understand.’

Mum opens her mouth to speak, then pauses. When she finally speaks, her words are measured. ‘I truly believe, Adam, that you didn’t ruin his life. You altered the trajectory of it, yes. He suffered a lot of trauma and a great loss, but he’s fine. We’re all fine.

‘Of all of us, you’re the one who’s suffered the most unimaginable losses, and look at you. I don’t need to tell youthat a good life can be forged from the ashes of tragedy. You don’t need to worry about Stephen anymore. It’s not your job, you hear me?’ She winks at him, and it’s filled with affection. ‘Just focus on my daughter for now.’

57

NATALIE

Ishould speak to Stephen alone, I really should.

But maybe if I spill the beans to him when Anna’s around, he won’t bite my head off.

That’s not fair. He deserves to hear this from me, one on one. That’s all there is to it.

Although… Anna’s his wife. She deserves to hear it just as much as he does.

If I meet up with him alone, then he’ll just end up storming off home and giving her some massively skewed version of the truth, and then she’ll go all mama bear and call me, and I’ll tell hermyversion of events, and she’ll be horrified on my and Adam’s account and she’ll hang up and bollock Winky, and it’ll all be a giant mess.

Yep.

I’m definitely bringing Anna along for the ride.

Maybe I can use her as a human shield if the shit really hits the fan?

I purposely leave my chat with Stephen until the day before Adam and I are due to fly to New York. I’m intent on getting my secret relationship off my chest so I can enjoy what I know will be the most exciting trip I’ve ever been on, and there’s some comfort in knowing I’ll be putting an ocean between us if my brother really loses his rag.

The memory of our impromptu and ridiculously emotional (not to mention eye-opening) lunch with Mum is as much of a balm to my conscience as it is a warm blanket around my heart. That my mother knows and adores Adam is crazy and wonderful and miraculous.

When he disappeared off to pay the bill at his insistence, she hugged me so tightly and told me how absolutely thrilled she was for us both and how certain she was that he would make me happy. I won’t allow myself to have her level of faith over our future—it’s been less than a month since we started fooling around, after all—but her insistence that we’re good together is a definite comfort. She seems equally excited for both of us. Not only is Adam a “good boy” and therefore a worthy suitor, but she also seems relieved that he has me in his corner.

If only she knew how fully and irrevocably I am in that man’s corner.

As I walk the short distance from Clapham Common tube station to Stephen and Anna’s lovely Victorian house, I remind myself that I have nothing to be ashamed of here. Yes, my relationship status will be a blow to my brother, but I know that the man I’m dating is the very best kind of man there is. I’d stake every last pound I have on the strength of Adam’s character.

I just have to find a way to persuade my brother, the victim of Adam’s ugliest, most depraved moment of existence, that one hate crime does not a man define.

Gen’s allowing me to start late tonight so I can have this chat, and she’s very sweetly told me not to turn up for work if I’m too upset afterwards. Adam has been texting me all evening with little messages of support, and belief in me, and gratitude that I’m taking this stand for him. I know how guilty he feels about every single part of this, and I hate it for him.

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