Page 58 of (Un)Spoken

“There’s always later,” I laughed.

“You’re damn right about that.” He winked as he stood, depositing the washcloth in the laundry basket. He crawled into the bed, lifting the comforter so it covered us both. “C’mere.”

His strong arms surrounded me, pulling me into his chest. His lips pressed into my forehead and hair, as if he couldn’t get enough of me. I chuckled as I traced the planes of his chest, nuzzling into the crook of his shoulder. “Sleep,” Adam said, pressing one last kiss against my lips. “I’ve got you, Tori.”

I squeezed him a little tighter before I shut my eyes. “I have you too.”

THIRTY-FOUR

The following day, I woke up slowly, letting my eyes drift open to take in the light. As much as I loved our apartment, there was something about staring at the lake when you first opened your eyes. I let out a content sigh as I shifted, feeling someone else’s weight on my back. I reached down, running my fingers along Adam’s forearm.

Adam nuzzled into me, leaving a soft kiss on the back of my neck. “I could get used to this.”

I chuckled as I turned to face him, running my fingers through the soft stubble that had formed on his cheeks and chin. “It’s been a long time since I woke up to someone besides Emilia in my bed.”

“Been even longer for me,” Adam sighed as he kissed my forehead. “You’re my first.”

I stared at him for a moment as his words clicked in my sleep-addled mind. When they did, I sat up, turning to face him fully. “You’ve never had someone stay the night before?”

Adam chuckled, reaching up to take my elbow so I settled into the crook of his arm again. “Nope,” he admitted,kissing the top of my head. “For a while, that felt like a serious step, one I wasn’t willing to take. Even if I did fall asleep, I’d always be gone before the morning. And then, it became about protecting myself. I wasn’t willing to let someone come into my world and ruin what I’d built for myself.”

I shifted to face him. “And that’s different with me?”

“Baby,everythingis different with you.”

We were silent as his words filled the air, giving life to this new yet profound connection. Because as scary as it was, I knew what he meant. Even though I’d been in a relationship before, everything felt different with Adam. Being around him made me feel confident, secure, and, most of all, safe. For so long, I’d been on my own, doing everything possible to ensure Emilia was happy. But now, I realized my happiness mattered too. Growing up, I learned a lot from my parents, but more than anything, they gave me an example of unconditional love. It wasn’t perfect, wasn’t glamorous. There were days that they fought like hell. But no matter what happened, they were a team and weathered life’s storms together. I never felt that with Cam, not even during our good days.

But with Adam, it was innate, as natural as breathing.

And if I could give my daughter an example like that, I’d consider my job well done.

“Same here,” I chuckled as he pulled me closer, his erection digging into my hip. It was hard not to shift against it, wanting to feel him inside me again. But as I moved closer to him, I winced, the ache between my legs evidence of the many rounds we went last night.

Adam frowned at the sight. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” I chuckled, pressing a kiss to his chest. “Just a little spent after last night.”

He shook his head, hiding his face in my neck. “I would say I’m sorry, but last night was everything and more, so I can’t bring myself to apologize.”

“I don’t want you to,” I laughed. “It was amazing for me too.”

He smiled so brightly back at me, my heart almost burst out of my chest. This moment, this man—this was that life-affirming joy people always talked about. It felt like the start of something big, like the kind of love people always aspired to find.

I gently pushed back on his chest to climb out of bed, grabbing his spare shirt from the end of the mattress. He leaned on his elbow, smirking as I walked with a little limp. “Where are you going?” he called as I walked into the bathroom.

“To pick up Emilia,” I responded. “It’s almost eight. Cole has to head out to get some stuff for Fall Fest, so I promised I’d grab her early.”

I heard some shuffling in the bedroom as I finished cleaning up. Looking into the mirror, I found Adam standing at the bathroom door in a clean shirt and a pair of jeans. He looked too good, too presentable after our all-night marathon. Meanwhile, I looked like I had just crawled out of a hole, my eyes circled in dark rings, my hair a tangled mess.

“What are you doing?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Going with you.” Adam shrugged, stepping around me to grab his toothbrush.

I shook my head, leaning against the doorframe. “You don’t have to. It’s really early, and you should get more sleep.”

Adam chuckled as he rinsed his mouth, steppingforward to press a kiss to my lips. “I already told you, trouble. Last night meant something to me. I’m yours, and I don’t want to wait any longer.” He frowned, taking a step back to look at me. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about wanting to tell Cole.”

“No,” I insisted, placing my hands on his broad chest. “I do. Today. But I just thought you’d want to wait until later.”

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