Page 58 of Even if You Fall

His dark hair that was so much messier than usual. The angles of his tanned face that made my fingers ache to reachout and trace the defined edges. His distracting lips that were twitching with amusement as he watched his family.

But it wasn’t until Adam uttered a soft, “My little Ellie, the lover,” that I realized he was translating for his dad.

Considering Adam had been graciously whispering his dad’s words to me all day, it shouldn’t have taken me so long to realize what he was doing. Then again, I’d been distracted by the worrying realization that Adam most likelycouldandhadseen beneath my perfectly crafted façade. I’d been lost in the comfort something as simple as him leaning against me could offer. I’d been wrapped up in the memory of Adam saying he liked the real me...

He tipped his head ever so slightly to the side and informed me, “If you haven’t noticed, Ellie has a habit of thinking every guy she dates isthe one.” His eyes slid my way and flared when he noticed I was right there, already looking at him.

Turning his head fully to face me, he unabashedly looked at me for what simultaneously felt like seconds and hours. When his gaze dipped to my mouth and held, I was sure my heart would give out right then and there.

But then his stare returned to mine, his brow furrowing when he asked, “You good?”

“If I saidyes?” I asked, already having a feeling I knew what his response would be.

“I’d think you were lying,” he said without hesitation.

My head slowly nodded, but I wasn’t sure if I was agreeing or just accepting what I’d already figured out: He truly could read me so well.

Not that I wasn’t okay; I was having such a great time with his family. But the wonder of what Adam might see when he looked at me was something to worry about in and of itself. And right then, I was truly worried I didn’t know how to keep from completely falling for the man beside me.

I could continue outwardly fighting it, sure. But I’d started falling for him even when he was awful to me. My heart didn’t stand a chance againstthisAdam.

Still, I found myself saying, “I’m good, Superman,” before sitting back and trying to get lost in the conversation again, all while Adam quietly studied me.

But then Ellie turned her attention on me just as I finished stealthily slipping the muffin back into the box, and asked, “So, how’d you two meet—for real this time,” and my stomach dropped.

A laugh tumbled past my lips that was equal parts uncomfortable and worried. “I, uh?—”

“We’ve already told you,” Adam cut in, coming to my rescue. “This isn’t what you think it is.”

“Sure, sure,” Dani said with an eye roll and shared a look with their youngest sister that said,and we still don’t believe you.

“You keep giving us theco-workersstory,” Sam’s wife chimed in, “but how do you expect anyone who’s been around you for more than five minutes to believe that?”

Heat flamed in my cheeks as I thought of the way we’d just been leaning into each other and the way I’d just gotten trapped in Adam’s stare...something that had happened all too often throughout the evening.

“Exactly,” Ellie continued for them, then made a face. “Why even keep telling that story? It’s weird.”

“Because it’s the truth,” Adam said unwaveringly.

Ellie’s eyes rolled, and she dramatically flopped over onto Dani, who laughed. “He’s hopeless,” their youngest sister muttered, signing lazily.

Their dad signed something, and for the first time, Adam didn’t translate it for me. But he did visibly still just before everyone else muttered their agreements.

“This isn’t a joke,” Adam ground out, the seriousness of his words clearly displayed in the forcefulness of his hand gestures.

“Of course it isn’t,” his mom began. “We know what this means to you, just as you know what this means to us. We just want to share in the joy of your relationship.”

“Mom,” he said on an exhausted sigh before scrubbing a hand over his face. “We’re not in a relationship.”

She scoffed and waved him off, then looked around. “Someone smack him.”

Sam had launched a pillow before their mom ever finished with the lackluster order, as if he’d already been prepared to, and Adam was a fraction of a second too slow that time. He grabbed the pillow just as I freed my hands to try to block it—right as it smashed into my face.

“Sorry,” Adam said quickly as he chucked it back in his brother’s direction. “I’m sorry.” But from the depth of his apology, I knew he was apologizing for more than a couch pillow hitting me in the face. Not that it had been his job to stop it, and not that it had really hurt.

“You shouldn’t have brought me,” I said on a breath, even though I was sure at least half of his family could still hear me.

Indecision warred in his eyes before he said, “I didn’t have a choice.”

---