Page 37 of When We Breathe
That’s a hit to the chest. We’re both protective and possessive when it comes to our little family, but Adam takes his role incredibly seriously. I know it stems from his shit childhood and the lack of love and care he received from his parents.
“And we appreciate you, A,” I assure him before nibbling on his lips. “You go above and beyond for us, every fucking day. I love you so much.”
He grins and leans his forehead against mine. “I love you, too, baby.”
“Come on, let’s go inside and scout out where we should add Alex’s space to the house. We’re both prunes by now.”
“It’s getting late,” he says as we towel dry and then walk into the house, checking the time. “She should be home soon.”
I reach for my phone, and feel my chest catch when I see a message from her.
Fuck, I adore that girl.
“She texted us,” I tell him. “Probably to let us know she’s on her way home.”
He checks his own phone as I pull the fridge open for a glass of water.
“Fuck.” His voice is hard, and I turn to see him scowling at his device.
“What’s wrong?”
“She’s not on her way home. She went to her apartment.”
I grab my phone and open the message.
Shorty: Hi, sexy men! Book club was so fun! Drank too much, so I’m walking to my apartment. Will crash there and come to your place in the morning. Sweet dreams. xoxo
“Yeah, no.” I shake my head, already headed to the bedroom to pull on clothes. “She’s coming home. She’s not staying at her apartment.”
“I don’t even want her tohavethe goddamn apartment anymore,” he says behind me.
“We’ll talk to her about that tomorrow.” I shove my feet into cargo shorts and grab a T-shirt. Adam’s already pulled on his own clothes, similar to mine, but instead of a black tee, his is green. Then we’re rushing through the house and out to the garage.
“I might spank her perfect little ass for this,” he says as he starts the Porsche.
It’s dark, and the roads are quiet as we drive into the heart of town. The tension in the air is thick because we’re both agitated. A little angry. A lot worried.
“I don’t want her fuckingwalkingby herself in the goddamn dark,” Adam growls beside me, his knuckles white from how hard he’s gripping the wheel. “Why didn’t she just call us?”
“She said something to me earlier about us getting some alone time in tonight.”
“Fuck that.” He shakes his head and glances my way. “Is that how you feel? That you need time with me without her?”
“Okay, listen. No, I don’t need her to be away from us. There will be moments when it’s just nice to spend some one-on-one time with each of you, but I didn’t encourage that comment earlier. I told her to come the fuck home so we could worship her.”
A muscle flexes in his jaw, and I reach over to pry one of his hands off the wheel so I can link my fingers with his. He holds on tight, and I bring it up to my lips and kiss his knuckles.
“I don’t want her to think that she’s a fucking third wheel, G. I thought we were past that bullshit.”
“I don’t think that’s what she meant. It’s going to be okay. We’ll go gather our girl and take her home where we can take care of her.”
He sighs, then nods, and I feel his hand relax a little in mine. “Is it a little unhealthy that I can’t stand the thought of being without her for even one fucking night? I’m too used to snuggling up to both of you. I want you both with me, every night.”
“If it’s unhealthy, I’m there with you. We love her, A. Of course we want to be with her.”
We haven’t said it out loud yet—not to her, and not to each other—but that doesn’t make it any less true.
Adam pulls into the driveway, and before the engine is even off, I’m out of the vehicle and taking the steps two at a time to get to her door.
