Page 67 of Blindsided

The man keeps his arm around my waist, and I find myself listing into him. What the hell is going on with me?

“You’re okay now, Talia. I’m going to take care of you.”

CHAPTER29

Matthew

“If you don’t stop clicking your pen, I’m going to stab you with it,” Adam says without any inflection in his voice. He can be abnormally scary sometimes.

I drop the pen onto the coffee table in front of me. We’re sitting in Adam’s office, working on the new contracts for our partnership with LA’s basketball team. At least, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. I can’t get my brain to focus on anything else but Tilly being in New York alone. I normally wouldn’t be worried. Desmond would come running if Tilly needed him, but he’s still pissed at us. I’m not sure how reliable he is at this point. Not that he would deliberately harm Tilly. I just worry that he won’t answer her call if she needs something.

In fact, I know he won’t. He hasn’t answered either of our calls since his visit.

“Okay, I can’t concentrate with all the moping. Let’s discuss whatever it is you’re stewing on, and then we can get some work done.” Adam chucks his own pen onto the coffee table. He leans back in his chair and rests his head against his pointer finger.

“This feels oddly familiar,” I quip. I did this exact same thing to him when Ellie broke up with him. He was such a miserable bastard back then. God, I’m glad they worked it out.

Adam just stares at me with his unemotional face. It makes me uncomfortable when he does that. Which I think is his goal.

Finally, I sigh. “Tilly is in New York right now, and I’m worried about her. With Desmond being mad, she has no one with her.”

“Why didn’t you go?”

I laugh. “You’re kidding, right? We have this major contract to put together. I can’t just bail.”

Adam frowns. “It’s going to take us a couple of weeks to get this together. You could’ve taken a few days off.”

I grimace. I probably could have gone with her, but I think I used this as an excuse to take a minute to be alone. I’ve been pushing my feelings aside to make sure Tilly was okay after the fight. I thought I could use the time away from her to get my own emotions under control so that when she came home, I was in the right place to take care of her.

“Did you have a hard time adjusting to the idea that you needed Ellie more than you’ve ever needed anyone?”

Adam looks at me like I’m an idiot.

“Right, I was there for a couple of those conversations. I just… I’ve always been able to handle my shit. And I thought this thing with Desmond would be the same. I’d get myself together, and then Tilly would come home, and everything would be fine.”

“But it’s not,” Adam says.

“No, not even close. I miss her. And I need her. I want to talk to her about everything I’m feeling, which makes me feel pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic, Matthew. It proves you’ve found the woman you should spend your life with. I’d be more worried if you felt better with her being gone.”

I tilt my head in acknowledgment of his point. I didn’t think about it that way.

“So, are you going to continue moping in my office, or are you going to go get your girl?” Adam raises his eyebrow at me like only a good big brother can do.

“Can I take the jet?” I grin.

He rolls his eyes but nods his head. I fist pump the air and then leave his office without another word.

* * *

The plane lands smoothly at Teterboro several hours later. It took time for them to prep the plane, and while I tried to leave the office immediately, I did have a few work responsibilities to tend to before I left.

The sun has already set, and I try for the sixth time to call Tilly. She hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls since I left Adam’s office.

I’m trying not to freak out, but it’s starting to get difficult.

I take a rideshare into the city, and it drops me off at Tilly’s hotel. I walk up to the front desk to ask if they can call her room, since I don’t know what her room number is. My stomach starts to flip the longer the attendant waits for an answer. When no one picks up, the woman frowns.

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