Page 28 of Last Comes Fate

“It must have been more than that. You must have watched him for years, maybe. Followed him from afar. Watchedus. Even back then—it’s the only way you could have seen us together.” My eyes popped open as icy-cold waves of awareness continued to wash over me. “And then you stalked me, didn’t you?”

I clapped a hand over my mouth. Every hair on my body was standing up straight.

“Frankie,” Adam said, hands up like a lion tamer approaching a new wild cat. “It wasn’t like that. I promise. Yes, I saw him once with you, back when I’d just moved to the city. It was an accident, I swear.” He shook his head. “You were so beautiful back then, do you know that? So brave. He never deserved you.”

“No one knew,” I whispered. “That I was pregnant. He left before I even knew. I didn’t even tell my family until I was almost six months along. Which means after he was gone…you kept following…me?” I cringed. “What was that about? Some sickBlack Swanaction to take over Xavier’s life? What the hell, Adam?”

His brown eyes brightened with something akin to rage, though he didn’t shout. Only because he couldn’t. Outside the door, we could both hear the increased pitter-patter of tiny feet in the hallway. At any moment, that door was going to open, and my day was going to begin. Meanwhile, I was going to have to work just a few doors down from an honest-to-God stalker.

“I am not obsessed with Xavier Parker,” Adam said again. “The only person I care about anymore isyou. I’ll get you to believe me somehow, I promise. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day you’ll forgive me for any wrongs you think I’ve done, and I’ll have my chance again. Because you’re finished with that guy at last, right?”

I gulped. “I willneverbe finished with Xavier, Adam.”

For whatever reason, Xavier’s kiss tingled on my lips—meant to be an homage to the past, it still felt like a promise for the future.

How messed up was I?

Adam just smirked as he checked his watch. “Pick up and drop offs don’t make a relationship, Frankie.”

“No, but having his baby all over again does,” I retorted, then clapped my palm over my mouth as I realized my mistake.

All the good-natured ease and feigned kindness had been erased by that one small sentence, revealing a monster of an expression that was as different as Frodo from Gollum.

I might as well have threatened his “precious.”

Oh,God.

“His—what?” he demanded.

“Get out.” My voice was a knife, subtle and low, but no less menacing. “Get away from me, get out of my classroom. If you’re smart, you’ll turn in your notice today. But in the meantime, you need to stay away from me and mine. Starting right this freaking second.”

“Ms. Zola!”

Before I could answer, we both turned to find the door opening as my first student of the day walked in. I exhaled heavily, never so glad to see an eight-year-old girl in my life.

“Ms. Zola,” said Esther Tompkins, “My mom said I couldn’t bring peanuts to school anymore because we are a nut-free classroom this year, and I just want to say, that is totally unfair! Oh, hi, Mr. Klein!”

I smiled at her, but before replying, I looked back at Adam, who had only just managed to school his features back to something presentable.

“Go,” I told Adam quietly. “Now. We have class.”

His light brown eyes bore into me so intensely, I thought I might literally see a mark on my forehead had I glanced in a mirror. “I can’t believe it. That you would—”

“Go,” I interrupted.

Defeat finally slumped over his shoulders. “Fine. But Frankie, we will finish this discussion later.”

No, we will not,I thought mentally as he finally turned to leave.

But even then, I couldn’t believe myself. Even then, I knew that wouldn’t be the last thing Adam Klein had to say about Xavier Parker.

* * *

It was,however, the last thing I had to say to him that day. After receiving a couple of irritated, but mostly sympathetic comments from other teachers and the school principal, I was allowed to skip a faculty meeting and leave early when my kids went to PE.

Finding myself with an extra hour before I was due to meet Xavier at his hotel at three, I decided to go home so I didn’t have to confront him in clothes littered with marker stains. The weather was nice as I meandered down Van Brunt, even taking a half hour to check out the latest art installations at Pioneer Works.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had even thirty minutes to myself like this. Even with the help of a nanny in England, all my spare time had seemed to go toward, well, if not Xavier, then doing something to help him, whether it was researching his family or getting dressed up for some silly event.

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