Page 10 of (Un)Spoken

“Good career,” Curt agreed, patting his wife on the arm. “Hard work, but meaningful.”

“Yes, sir.”

As if a timer had gone off in her mind, my mother suddenly sat up straighter. “Marta, did you and Alex talk about those floral arrangements Calla dropped off?”

As the conversation veered back to the wedding, I exhaled slowly, using the opportunity to take a breather. Leaving the dining room, I walked across the foyer and into a quaint living room. One of the walls was lined with bookcases, hand-carved with sunflowers in the moldings. I smiled as I ran my fingers over the surface. Even after all these years, I recognized my brother’s handiwork. In school, he’d taken every shop and woodworking class he could. Whittling had become a favorite hobby of his, and you could always find him chiseling some scrap of wood left over from one of Dad’s projects. My room at home still had some of his carvings, from the early ones that resembled lumps more than animals to the horses he made later on that looked like they’d start galloping off the shelf.

Alongside all genres of books were pictures, mainly of Alex and Cole. In all of them, they looked so happy, it made my chest ache. There were images of others, the family Cole had created away from ours. As much as it dug a deep hole in my chest, I couldn’t help but be happy for him. It was the kind of life I’d always imagined for myself,one filled with laughter and love. Knowing Cole had come so far and found it for himself gave me a new sense of hope.

As I turned out of the living room, I headed down the corridor instead of going back into the dining room. When I reached the rear kitchen entrance, my feet faltered as I took in the sight in front of me. My brother was holding Alex, brushing his lips across her forehead. They swayed together as if there was a secret melody between them, one the rest of us couldn’t hear.

I started to step back, not wanting to interrupt their moment, but no matter what I told myself, I couldn’t force myself to look away. Even from this distance, the love was clear between them. There was a time when I thought Cam and I had that, but time and space had taught me that I’d always love Cam as family, nothing more. We never looked at each other like Alex and Cole. What we had was young love, the kind shaped by excitement and new experiences. They had the kind of love that knocked the wind out of your lungs, that made it impossible to see anyone else in the room.

I crossed my arms around my chest and stared down at my shoes. So many nights, I ached for that kind of love, and I was almost sure it was out of my reach. I had too much going on, and there wasn’t a lot of room in my life for new people. But as much as I wanted to be a strong, independent woman for my daughter to look up to, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a partner, someone to ease some of my burdens, some of my loneliness.

But then, there were nights when Emilia would crawl into bed with me, and all those doubts and lingering loneliness crept away as her tiny body molded against mine. She was my everything; all my love was poured into my preciousgirl. She was my entire world, and that was enough for me. She deserved my whole heart.

I turned to shift back into the living room when I smacked into someone standing behind me. Before I could even look up, I knew who it was. My hands landed on his sculpted chest, the soft smell of cedar crowding my senses.

Adam.

I cursed myself for making a fool of myself in front of him.Again. Earlier, it had been his fault, almost knocking me down because I was too busy staring at him to move away. But this time, it was all me.

His blue eyes twinkled as he looked down at me, the same smirk I’d grown up with now aimed at me. As a kid, Adam was always larger than life, the person you couldn’t help but gravitate toward. He was the prom king and the debate club president. He rocked the football field and the drama stage. Everyone wanted to be friends with him, yet he was fiercely loyal to my brother.

“We gotta stop running into each other like this,” he chuckled as he helped me straighten.

My skin immediately prickled under his touch, coming to life with the simple gesture. It was wild how affected I was by his presence. There was no universe where I should share the same breath as Adam Rice, much less the thoughts that had plagued my mind since I saw him earlier. God, his movies did not do him justice. The years had been way too kind to him. While he still had that same old twinkle in his eye, everything else had improved with age. It made it hard to remember I’d grown up with him. He was still the same guy who would show up with lilies every Sunday for my mother, all because he knew she loved how they brightened up the room. The kid who would pass me his blueberry pie because he knew it wasmy favorite and my dad would never let me have more than one piece.

But staring up at him now, it was like the past and present versions of him had merged into the man of my dreams. He was chiseled, his aura radiating confidence and swagger, but he was still holding on to that boyish charm that knocked everyone off their feet.

I cleared my throat, realizing I’d been staring at Adam for far too long. “I’m so sorry,” I said as I pushed back toward the wall. “I don’t know what’s going on with me today.”

“It’s been a big day,” Adam said. “You don’t have to explain if you’re feeling a little off-kilter.”

I nodded, hating that he could see how overwhelmed I felt. But being hidden in the nook with him, it was like the stress of the day melted away, swept away in the ocean of his eyes.

But just as my heart rate started to steady, Cole stepped into the room, his eyes narrowing at the two of us. “Tor, you good?”

I nodded, taking a step out of Adam’s orbit. “Yeah, just needed a breather. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mom so excited.”

“Yeah,” Cole chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “Alex and I were saying the same thing. While I love Mom and Dad’s visits, I’m ready to have some time alone with my wife.”

“Future wife,” she corrected with a smirk.

“Close enough,” Cole answered back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “And I can’t help it, sweetheart. I like the way it sounds.”

I glanced at Adam with a sly smile. “Are they always like this?”

“You should have seen them when they first met.” Adam shuddered. “I was pretty sure they were going to kill each other.”

Alex rolled her eyes at the comment and stepped toward me. “Trust me, you make a much better first impression than your brother.” She reached out like she wanted to hug me but paused before I could get any closer. I hesitated for a second then moved closer, wrapping my arms around her petite frame.

“Thank you for taking care of Cole,” I whispered in her ear so my brother couldn’t hear.

“That was all him,” she chuckled, squeezing me a little tighter. “Thankyoufor coming. It means more than you even know.”

SIX

---