Page 74 of Vital Blindside

“Tell it to me,” she whispers, eyes half-open.

I swallow and nod. There isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t tell this woman, even if what she wants to know is something not many besides my closest friends know. Not because I hide it, but because it’s not something others need to know. It’s personal, not only to me but also to Beth.

However, it’s something Scarlett needs to know. It’s a piece of me that I don’t mind sharing with her.

“I’ve known Beth since I was in elementary school. She had a similar family life to mine, and I took it upon myself to befriend her. I kept the mean kids away and, as we grew older, would make sure to do things like drive her home from school or listen to her rant about whatever was bugging her.

“Eventually, her friendly feelings toward me turned into something I couldn’t reciprocate, and when that upset her, I decided it was best to separate ourselves. We didn’t have any contact with each other after that, until university came around.”

I pause, and Scarlett nods in understanding. Her eyes are more open now, more awake.

“The first time I saw her again was when Ava spilled coffee all over her in a Starbucks. It was an accident, but Beth was more outspoken then and took it as something it wasn’t. It started a feud between them, and even though I was curious about the new Beth, I kept my distance.”

“Until you didn’t?”

I nod. “Until I didn’t. I was a hormonal college guy who thought with his dick more than his head and ended up sleeping with her. More than once. Then she disappeared. She dropped out of school, and I didn’t hear from her until three years later.”

Scarlett’s fingers tense around my hip. “What?”

“Yeah. It was three years after our last time together that she found me at Sinner’s and told me I had a son. She was having a manic episode, and . . . it was just really scary. She was yelling for me in the middle of the club and going at it with Gracie because she couldn’t find me. That’s when I found out she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder shortly after she had Cooper.

“Her parents didn’t take the pregnancy well, and with a dad who works for the mayor, they all but forbade her from telling anyone about it. Even me. They thought it would make them look like fools that their daughter got pregnant by a guy who didn’t want her. Beth spent her entire pregnancy locked away in her house and the following two years struggling with her new disorder and raising a baby alone.”

Scarlett’s hand has crept up to my waist, and her grip is tight. She blinks away a film of tears in her eyes.

“That must have been a nightmare for her,” she whispers.

“It was. I’m just happy Beth came to me when she did. God, Cooper was in the car that night. I was half out of my mind after the bomb she had dropped on me, but I remember as clear as day following her to her car and looking in the back window. He was asleep in his car seat, his little head leaned to one side. There was a small blue blanket tucked over his lower half, and he had it clenched in his tiny fist. I thought I was going to pass out on the curb.”

“Adam,” Scarlett whispers and uses her thumb to brush the wet skin beneath my eye.

Despite the sudden tears, the ghost of a smile pulls at my lips. “I knew instantly he was mine. Not only was the timing perfect, but he looked just like me. He still does. We got a paternity test just to be safe, but the results weren’t surprising.”

“He’s your mini-me. I noticed as soon as I saw him the first time,” Scarlett says, smiling.

I kiss the palm of her hand and intertwine our fingers. “I know you have more questions, but Beth will probably want to be the one to tell you everything else. Some of it isn’t for me to tell.”

Scarlett nods before leaning toward me, our mouths a hair apart. “You’re a good man and a great dad, Adam White. I’m lucky to know you.”

Her words pierce my chest. I press our lips together and pull her as close to me as she can get. Wrapping her up in my arms, I hold her tight and pray that this won’t be the only time I get to have her this way.

It’s too late to go back now.

27

SCARLETT

I wake up feeling like I’ve spent the night under the summer sun.

A heavy arm is draped over me, and my legs are sandwiched beneath a hairy one. I’m warm. Secure. Adam is a protective barrier between me and the world right now, and I want to stay here for as long as I can.

I’m only an inch away from the edge of the king-sized bed, and that only makes me stifle a laugh so I don’t wake him. A pinky-orange colour glows beneath the blackout curtains covering the window, so it must be very early.

Adam’s breath fans my hair, and I can feel his lips pressed to my head. A smile breaks out on my face. The memories of last night replay in my mind. Everything we did, everything I felt, it’s all burning inside me.

I’m falling in love with him. That much I can’t deny. Now, what do I do with that? What does all of this mean going forward?

All I know for sure is that I need to figure my shit out sooner rather than later. I’ve been putting my future on the back burner for too long now, and it’s become a weight tied to my ankle, pulling me down.

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