Page 52 of (Un)Spoken

I groaned, squeezing my brow between my fingers. While I was still nervous about what Cole would say if he found out I was dating Adam, this secret was beginning to get to me. I hated having to think about every action, to fear that someone would pick up on the mounting tension between us. Deciding to keep it from my daughter was one thing; she shouldn’t have to worry about her parents’ dating lives until it became serious. But I wanted to be able to hold Adam’s hand in public and not be afraid that it would get back to my brother.

Through the window, I glanced across the field, finding Adam’s cabin. At this hour, he was probably sleeping. It was tempting to cross the lawn and go to him, to throw myself into his arms, but that would have to wait until we eventually got a moment alone.

“Mommy?” Emilia’s voice called out. “Can you come play with me?”

“Of course, baby.” I smiled, leaving my coffee on the table next to her. She passed one of her dolls to me before resuming brushing the other’s hair. “So…” I said, trying to appear more casual than I felt. “What did you think about our day with Adam yesterday?”

“It was awesome!” she squealed, smiling back up at me. It struck me then how much her face had changed in the last few months. She’d lost the roundness in her cheeks, and there were two gaps where her little bottom baby teeth used to reside. She was growing up in front of my eyes, and soon enough, she’d be too cool for moments like this with her mother. I pulled her into a side hug, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. She squirmed under my hold. “Mommy! You’re squeezing me.”

“I’m sorry,” I chuckled. “I’m just happy you had fun yesterday. I think Adam really liked hanging out with us.”

“Do you think he’ll come over again?”

“Adam?” She nodded. “I’m sure he will. Would you like that?”

“Yup,” she said, standing up to survey all her toys. “He’s funny, and you smile a lot when he’s here.”

My brow furrowed as I looked at her. “What do you mean?”

She let out a dramatic sigh, placing her hands on her hips. “Like this,” she grumbled, giving me the biggest smile she could form.

I couldn’t help but laugh. God, this girl might be the death of me in her teenage years, but hopefully, she’d use her powers for good later in life. “You think he makes me happy?”

She shrugged. “I think so. And he looks at you a lot. Like you’re the prettiest girl in the whole world.”

My face flustered at her words, both hating and loving that she’d picked up on his looks. As much as I tried to keep this burgeoning thing between us, it was hard to contain my joy when I was in Adam’s presence. And the fact that he looked at me like I was someone important to him? That meant more than I could even put into words.

A knock came on the door, and I called out for them to come in without worrying who it was. We’d had a pretty steady stream of visitors since our arrival. Secretly, I was hoping it’d be Adam, but he was always good about texting me first thing in the morning to see how I slept. Since I hadn’t received a text yet, I had to assume he was still sleeping.

“Hey,” Cole called out, holding up bags from the bakery in town. The smell of cinnamon and sugar made my mouth instantly water. “Stopped by Poppy’s to grab a couple ofthings, and she said these were your favorites. Hope you don’t mind the early morning visit.”

“Only if you don’t have an almond bear claw in there.”

He tugged out one of the pastries, holding it out for me. “C’mon, Tor, you think I have a death wish?”

I hurried over to the kitchen, grabbing a couple of plates before sneaking a peek into his bag. Emilia tugged on the hem of my sweater, hoping for a special treat of her own. Cole must have done something to get on Poppy’s good side, because there were almost a dozen sugar cookies in the shape of a cat, dusted with purple edible sand on the bottom.

Her eyes widened into the size of saucers. “Are those for me?”

“You bet, Ems,” Cole chuckled, pulling her into a hug. “You think I’d stop by here without something special for my favorite girl?”

She looped her little arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly, his face turned a little red. But he didn’t let go until she dropped her hands, squirming for him to put her down.

“Only one!” I called out, sure the parenting police were going to come for me if I gave her too many cookies for breakfast. “We can save the rest for later.”

“Okay, Mommy,” she huffed, rushing back to play with her dolls.

As she played on the floor of the living room, Cole leaned forward onto the counter. “She seems to be doing really well here.”

“She’s a trooper,” I sighed. “She misses Cam, but she’s also used to these long stretches. He facetimes her from the locker room every night, telling her she’s his good luck charm.”

“I like that,” Cole said. “He seems like a good guy.” He sipped his coffee, looking down at the lid as he asked his next question. “No chance of that becoming something again?”

I almost choked on my coffee. Even if there were lingering feelings between Cam and me, they would have been squashed the first moment I kissed Adam. He had bulldozed his way into my heart, not leaving room for any other man to lay claim to it. But since I’d stupidly decided to keep that from my brother, I couldn’t tell him.

“Nope,” I answered. “We’re good as friends and co-parents. It wasn’t some drawn-out or dramatic break-up. We both knew it wasn’t working and decided to end it before things got worse. Sure, it hurt like hell at first, but it’s what was right for us.” I stared out at my daughter. “And it was right for her. I’ll always love him for giving me the greatest gift, but I haven’t been in love with him for a long time.”

He smirked as he stared at me. I scrunched my nose, feeling awkward under his watchful eye. “What? Do I have crumbs on my face?”

---