Rage bubbled under my skin and when I heard the running footsteps approach, I whirled ready to fight.

"Eden! Oh, my gosh, what happened?" Taylor's eyes popped at the sight of all that damage.

I didn't answer. I was busy scanning the student lot for Belinda's little blue Hyundai.

There.

South side, against the grass median.

I marched toward it, revenge burning in my brain. I even had my keys out. Taylor, bless her calm little soul, had other ideas.

"Eden, stop. You can't do what I think you're about to do."

I whirled on her. "WHY NOT."

"Because you have no proof she actually did this." She waved a hand at my car and spoke in a soft tone meant to soothe me but I'd had enough.

"Oh, come on, Taylor! You were there. You saw what she did with the soda. Hurting me is her new favorite sport." I angrily swept the tears from my cheeks. "She lies awake at night, thinking up new ways to make me pay because I was an hour late to some stupid party!"

"Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but I don't think of you at all anymore."

I spun around, found Belinda and Ashley behind me. Ashley stared, open-mouthed at my car, which now had a small circle of kids around it. But Belinda? She looked only at her cell phone.

"Tell me what I did!" I shrieked. "What do I have to do to get you to talk to me?"

She looked up from the message she was texting with a shrug. "Nothing. There's nothing you can do that will ever make me want to be your friend again."

I was stunned into a silence so painful, my knees buckled.

"And since you're so good at doing nothing, that shouldn't be too hard, even for you."

She stuck out an arm, shoved me out of her way and climbed into the little car, Ashley in the passenger seat. With a squeal of tires, they were gone.

I watched them go, trembling from the bone-deep hurt, Taylor tugging on my hand. "Eden. Eden, come on. Let's go. I'll drive."

It was nearly four o'clock when Taylor pulled into the driveway of a sprawling Victorian about ten minutes from the school. It took a while for us to get on the road. School security wanted a full report so I related everything that happened with Belinda that day. They questioned Taylor, too. The principal conceded there was no real proof Belinda acted maliciously but promised to speak to her anyway.

I arranged for tow service and they promised to have a loaner car for me in the morning.  Taylor drove me to Amanda's house. "I stop by a few days a week. She's got her hands full taking care of a little girl plus Adam."

"Adam lives here?"

Taylor's eyes went tight. "Yes. For now."

For now? He was seriously injured so I suppose even Adam Almighty couldn't live by himself right now. Where did he live? Did he even have his own place anymore? What does the Army do with soldiers who can't perform their duties?

I didn't press, but followed her up the walk to the porch steps and through the front door. A screech high enough to shatter glass almost made my ears bleed as a tiny pink ball of energy whipped across the hall and into Taylor's arms.

"Hey, squirt. Where did you go today that you're all dressed up?"

"Nowhere. I'm just playing. Look. I got a ta-ra-ra."

The little girl was about three or four with dark hair falling in waves to her waist and topped with a bright pink plastic tiara. She wore a pink tutu and... boots. Maddie would have marched me back upstairs with a ten-minute lecture on accessorizing to maximum effect. I laughed.

"Eden, this is Cassie."

"Hi, Cassie."

The little girl stared at me with enormous unblinking brown eyes.

Adam's eyes.

"You're pretty."

"So are you."

Her lips curled into a dimpled smile. She did a little twirl. "Do you like my ball-a-riner outfit?"

"I do. I love pink."

Her smile became a frown. "Then how come you're not wearing any pink?"

I looked down at my sweat pants and hoodie. "Um, well, I have some boo-boos on my arms and have to wear comfy clothes. I don't have any comfy pink clothes."

She swung her gaze to Taylor. "Shopping, Tay, shopping."

Taylor groaned. "Yeah, yeah, shopping, but not today. Did you eat your snack yet?"

Cassie's mouth curled into an O and she ran off in another pink streak.

"Distraction should be patented, don't you think?" Taylor grinned.

I laughed. "She's great. So happy."

"Oh, that she is." Taylor's smile dimmed. "Please forgive me for this." She held up both hands with her fingers crossed, then led me by the hand into the family room. My belly did a slow roll and I gasped.

Adam reclined on one end of a huge L-shaped sectional sofa, a pillow under his leg. His eyes were closed and I froze mid-stride, afraid to wake him, afraid not to.

"Wake up, you lazy bum." Taylor sang and my jaw dropped.

With his eyes still closed, he lifted one hand and extended his middle finger. "Go away. Somebody's tea parties and dance performances wore me out. I deserve this nap."

"I brought somebody to see you."

"Great and me without my make-up." He grumbled, opened an eye and saw me. His mouth formed an O of surprise and he sat up so suddenly, I gasped, worried he'd re-injure something. "Eden!"

"Hey, Adam." I forced myself to smile.

He swung his legs to the floor, grabbed a crutch from the floor beside the sofa. He stood easily, and my smile widened. He'd made so much progress since I'd last seen him. With a proud grin, he waved me closer. "Big difference, right? Ranger's a real drill sergeant but damn if he doesn't know his shit."

I stepped closer and to my astonishment, he wrapped his free arm around me and hugged. "Oh, God. Sorry. Does this still hurt?"

Does what still hurt?

He pulled away, searched my face for a wince or grimace but all he found was a happy smile.

A crazy happy smile.

Adam was a strong presence in his wheelchair but on his feet, he was like a small planet – like he had his own gravitational pull. My pulse thundered and I kept forgetting to breathe. He was the same but he was different and I knew why. The pain must be so much better. The  intimidating scowl he usually wore was gone. When he smiled, he was damn near intoxicating.

"It's really good to see you." God, I am so lame.

"Yeah. You, too. How are you feeling? Pain's manageable?"

I shook my head and shrugged. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You were hurt so much worse than I was."

He waved a hand. "I'm a soldier." He said it like it explained everything. "You're not."

"Really?"

"Smart ass."

With a laugh, I raised an eyebrow and said, "You called me smart. Points for you."

He looked at me funny for a moment and then moved the pillow to the table in front of the sofa. He sat with no effort. He tucked the crutch almost under the sofa and lifted his leg to the pillow. I couldn't help but stare. It was bandaged – compression dressings like mine. But it wasn't raw. I didn't see any ooze through the bandages. He tracked my eyes. "You getting pressure treated, too?"

Pressure treated. That was funny. But when I remembered the soaked garments in the bottom of my bag, I winced. "Um. Yeah."

He ran his hand up my arm and I tried not to have a stroke. "How come you're not wearing them?"

Taylor rescued me. "Can these go in the dryer?" She reached for my backpack, took out the damp bundle and disappeared with it.

I shrugged. "Long story."

Adam angled his head and wisely changed the subject. "You still see Ranger?"

"Yeah, once a week. I'm not in much pain but I have a lot of restricted movement. I can't lift my arms." I demonstrated, holding my arms straight out to the side. I could lift them only to shoulder height and that was pushing it.

Adam nodded, watching. "Keloids?"

"No, Ranger says my scars are hypertrophic, or something like that."

"That's good. Those are the ones that get better in time, right?"

"That's what he tells me. What about you? Your leg seems so much better."

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Honey."

I arched an eyebrow. "Darling." I repeated my statement. "Your leg seems a lot better."

Adam laughed and shook his head. I shook mine, too, hoping it would jump start the brain that stalled when Adam called me "Honey."

"Honey. We're treating my leg with honey."

My face flamed and I stared at him, waiting for the punch line.

"I'm serious, Eden. Honey over the wound. Supposed to prevent infection and scarring."

"You're telling me you put honey, like bee honey, on your burns?"

"Yep." He popped the P. "And it's working. I haven't had fever or any signs of infection."

"That's great." And it really was.

Taylor came back into the room and I suddenly realized I'd hardly noticed she'd left it. "Here, Adam." She handed him a glass of water and bottle of pills.

"Thanks, Tay."

"Vicodin?" I asked, familiar with the routine.

Adam shook his head. "No, ma'am. Plain old over-the-counter pain killers."

"Oh, my God, that's seriously great. You're really making progress."

He nodded. "I can't believe how fast it's been. I might be able to rejoin my squad."

My glee dimmed. "You... want to go back."

He stared at me, his forehead creased. "Of course. Why wouldn't I? I'm still a soldier, right? As long as I can march and aim a rifle, I have to fight."

His words were like a pin stuck in my over-inflated heart. I thought – well. It no longer mattered what I thought. I turned away.

"Eden?" Taylor's voice made me jerk. "You okay?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Fine."

"You look pale." She looked pointedly at Adam.

"Beat it, Tay."

Taylor rolled her eyes, but left the room again.

"Eden." His deep voice called to me. I couldn't not look. His hand tugged mine out of my pocket. His thumb circled the pink scars there. "Am I hurting you?"

I shook my head.

"Sit down. Please."

I sat because he'd asked. My skin sizzled where his fingers touched. It was like being burned all over again. Branded. But it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt a bit. Because it didn't hurt, I pulled my hand away and then felt cold.

I heard him sigh beside me. "Will you look at me?"

I pinned my eyes to my lap where I twisted my hands together. I wanted to leave, to bolt and run home, anything to avoid hearing him say good-bye when we'd never really talked, never really even said hello.

But I didn't.

I tucked my hands back into my pockets and tried not to stare at Adam's arms. The muscles flexed when he moved and I wanted to skim a finger down the curves- and suddenly, I was.

Adam's breath hitched and the arm I was touching snaked around my neck, tugged me closer. Finally, finally, I looked at him. His jaw clenched and a blood vessel twitched in his temple. I was close enough to smell him, smell his skin, the hint of soap or shampoo or maybe the honey. It was a heady combination and my thoughts scattered. I forgot about the keyed-up car and the slashed tires. I forgot about the Coke shower and Belinda's horrid words. I forgot about the pain in my shoulders. His hand tangled in my hair, rubbed my head and – oh, every nerve, every cell focused on that tingle until it became the center of my world. My eyes slipped closed only to pop open when I felt his tongue lick my lips. I gasped and Adam... charged. The hand in my hair gripped and pinned me in place. His other hand came up to hold my face while his mouth controlled mine and I...Oh, God! I clutched his shoulders, shifting, trying desperately to move closer to him when I was abruptly pushed away and dumped in the center of the sofa like a discarded newspaper.

"Adam, I-" I began, astounded my voice worked.

"Look," he scooted a few inches away. "It's great to see you again."

Really? Then why are you pushing me away?

"Really," he added, though I'd not spoken out loud. "I think Taylor set us up. I...um, well, I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

Wrong idea. Which wrong idea? That he was a solider? That he'd just kissed me into a stupor and stopped like someone had flipped a switch? Tears stung the back of my eyes and filled my throat, but I would not let him see. Instead, I smiled brightly.

"Relax. No ideas here, wrong or otherwise. Dumb blonde, remember?"

His eyes narrowed. "Stop that."

A sudden screech from the next room caught our attention and the pink blur that was Cassie ran back in, Taylor chasing her. Adam's leg was propped on the coffee table and the little girl was running straight for it. I sensed him brace and try to move out of the way, but knew he wouldn't be fast enough. I leaped up, caught her under the arms and swung her up and over before she'd made contact.

"Easy, Cassie. Uncle Adam is still hurt." Taylor scolded her.

In my arms, the little girl pouted. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"It's okay. Eden saved us both." Adam smiled.

The little girl tightened her grip on my neck and I hissed in a breath.

"Oh, Eden, I forgot. Cassie, let go now, you're hurting Eden."

"No. She's pretty."

Cassie laid her head on my shoulder and Taylor laughed.

"Cassandra!" A sharp voice called from the door.

Adam's sister, Amanda, stood there, hands on her hips.

"We talked about this, Cassie. No bothering Uncle Adam. He needs to rest so his leg heals. Come on now, let's watch Dora."

Cassie squirmed in my arms and I set her on her feet. She ran out of the room, Taylor on her heals.

Amanda looked after them and after a moment, sighed. "Eden. Nice to see you again. Sorry about that."

I shook my head. "It's okay. She's adorable."

Amanda nodded. "True. But she's also a handful. How are you feeling these days?"

I shrugged, a tiny lift of my shoulders. "Some motion issues from the scarring but the pain is way better."

A gleam came into Amanda's eyes. "Range of motion? Is that why you're still wearing your hair up?"

I nodded, unable to meet her eyes. "It's hard to reach it to style it, so I just... don't."

"Step into my parlor."

"Mandy-"

"Oh, stop worrying, Adam. I'm helping."

I swung confused eyes to Adam but he only looked exasperated. When Amanda tugged on my hand, I followed her out through the kitchen to a room behind the garage. Amanda switched on a light and I gasped. The room was a small salon.

"You do hair?" I swung a happily shocked face to hers.

"Yep. If you'd like, I can do yours right now. Cut out some of the length and bulk so you don't have to style it at all. Just let it air dry."

I was nodding before she even finished talking. "Yes, oh, God, yes. I hate it like this. It's ... it's just too much, you know?"

Amanda laughed and nodded. "I do know. Come on, let's get started. I have someone coming in half an hour."

Amanda shampooed my hair in the sink upside down. I couldn't stand the pressure from the U-shaped mold on the back of my neck. She draped me and led me to the chair in the center of the room, lifting my hair and letting it fall as she assessed the raw material she would work with.

"You have beautiful hair, but it's too long."

I agreed. My hair waved all the way to my waist. 

"I say we cut off a foot, bring it up to here." She indicated a line a few inches beneath my shoulders, where the scars began. "I'll chip into the sides, create some face-framing layers. It'll still be long enough to twist up when you want, but when you don't, it'll fall right into place with no flat-ironing, no blow-drying. What do you think?"

A little tingle ran through me. Maddie was going to kill me for this. I hadn't ever had a proper haircut, just trims to keep the split ends away. She always said my hair was my best feature. Stylists loved my long, straight look because it was so versatile. I didn't care for it so long. It was always snarled and took ages to dry. It got caught in my zippers all the time.

It's my hair, not hers. "Let's do it." I said with a wide grin.

She started cutting and I watched long lengths of hair float to the floor. For a moment, it reminded me of the layers of skin Ranger would slough off in the whirlpool and I couldn't stop the shudder that ran through me.

"He's very happy to see you again."

I jerked and she re-positioned my head so she could trim the back.

"You made quite an impression on him in the hospital."

I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent.

"Eden, I hope you can forgive him for that horrible comment he made about you being a toy. He didn't mean it. A girl he was seeing just told him "So long, don't let the door hit you on the way out" and he took it out on you."

"That must have hurt him a lot." My stomach clenched at the thought of Adam with another girl.

"Not really. He and Jessica were never a match made in heaven or anything. They were just killing time, having fun. It stopped being fun for her, so she bailed. He's been moping around ever since. When Taylor mentioned that you go to her school, I asked her to invite you over. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"No," I said, remembering the fire of Adam's kiss. "It's...um, fine. He's uh, kind of hard to forget."

"But..." she prodded.

I sighed. "But, he wants to get back to his squad. He may not be as uh, crude about it as he was in the hospital. But he's made it pretty clear he has no interest in me...that way."

Her hand touched mine. "Eden, he's never going back. He's barely twenty years old and he's done. He just isn't ready to admit that to himself yet."

I absorbed that. Adam seemed so worldly, so mature. I figured him for twenty-five or so.

"You like him, he likes you. You each know what the other is going through, trying to heal and get your lives back on track after similar injuries obtained under similar circumstances. Adam told me you pulled your friend from a car fire. Did he tell you he stepped in front of a buddy?"

My eyes popped. And my heart swelled.

Amanda smiled at me in the mirror. When they smiled, they were siblings. Same dimples, same bright white teeth. Amanda's eyes were dark but less intense than Adam's. Her dark hair was trimmed to her shoulders in a sleek straight fall that reflected gold and red under the lights. "You're both brave."

Brave. I squirmed under the drape. 

"Give him a chance. Give yourself a chance. See how it goes."

"How what goes?"

A deep voice called from the door. My eyes darted to Adam standing on both crutches in the doorway.

"The new style, silly." Amanda covered smoothly.

His gaze ran over me and then he grinned. "Looks good so far." He hobbled into the room and I was astounded to see him walking on both feet, not one.

"You can put weight on your leg!" I exclaimed.

His smile widened to cocky grin. "Yes, ma'am."

"How do you stand the pressure? I can't manage a backpack or even a purse strap on my shoulders yet."

"It's not so bad as long as you use extra thickness in the bandages."

"Adam, that's... my God, it's incredible. You've made fast progress." 

He laughed, reached out and moved a strand of hair out of my eyes. Amanda elbowed him out of her way with a grin. She took out a case, opened it, removed a comb that she ran through the ends of my hair, shaving off pieces of it in the process. Some sort of razor built into the comb.

Cool.

"Okay. Done. Now, do you want me to blow it out or just let it air dry?"

I was having way too much fun. "Blow it out, I want to see how fast it dries. It usually takes me forty minutes to dry it."

Adam shook his head. "Forty minutes? We're lucky to get four in the Army to get up and move out."

Amanda powered on a hair dryer and grabbed a large round brush. "Bend over and flip your hair forward. I can avoid hurting your shoulders this way."

I did as she directed, found my eyes level with Adam's waist line. I felt a brush creep along my cheeks. I saw his hand lift. He touched my neck, where the scars began.

"Does it hurt much?" His fingers skimmed over me, raising goose pimples on the ruined skin.

Nothing could hurt me now. "No." I murmured.

Amanda ran her fingers through my hair, fluffing it as she dried. She did this for about five minutes and then had me flip it back. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror, astonished by the difference in my appearance. Amanda ran the large brush over sections of hair until it lay smooth and shiny around my face, settling around my shoulders.

"Beautiful," Adam said.

I grew up hearing that word over and over again until it not only lost any meaning for me, I freakin' hated it. But not this time. I think I waited my whole life for Adam to be the one who said it. Adam grinned and Amanda cleared her throat.

"Okay, let me go check on Cassie, make sure she hasn't tied Taylor to a chair somewhere." Amanda left the room, and my heart skittered. Adam unfastened the drape, tossed it over the back of the chair and held out a hand to me. I stood on quaking legs, my mouth suddenly as dry as beach sand and took his hand. His gaze on me was like a finger slowly stroking my skin – it singed like a brand.

He lifted his hand, ran his finger along my jaw. I leaned into his touch. "Princess," he murmured. His voice shook and he swallowed hard. "About out there... on the couch. I'm... I'm sorry." The anguish in his eyes tugged at my heart. "I'm not right for you. You shouldn't hang out with me."

What? No! I get to decide that.

"I want to hang out with you."

"Eden. I'm serious. You look at me with these little cartoon hearts in your eyes and I-" he took a step back and shoved his hair back. "I'll just break them. I mean it. Your heart, I mean."

A laugh bubbled out and he rushed on.

"I'm going back, Eden. As soon as they clear me for duty, I'll go back."

"I'll miss you when you leave."

"I don't want to break your heart when I go." He snorted. "I know that sounds really conceited, but it's true. I hurt everybody I get close to and I don't want to hurt you any more than I already did."

I closed the gap he'd put between us. "You haven't hurt me."

He arched his eyebrows at me. "Princess, everything I said to you in the hospital hurt your feelings."

I shook my head. "Forgiven. Forgotten." Slowly, I smiled and inched closer.

Adam sucked in a breath. "I like this smile," he murmured, his hand cupping my cheek. "It's not posed, timed, or staged."

"That's because it's for you." I managed before his lips found mine.

Dinner was a loud, messy affair. Amanda's husband, Zach, mixed up batches of pizza dough in the kitchen that stretched across the entire back of the house and we all topped our own pizzas. It took ages to slice mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives, pepperoni and meatballs. Bowls and plates littered the long center island and Cassie kept snagging a piece of mozzarella as fast as we could grate it. I moved around the island and grabbed a little bit of everything to top my pizza.

"Eden, did they not feed you in the hospital?" Zach teased me when he saw the pile of toppings on my pie. "I thought models had to watch their figures."

I rolled my eyes. "Not a model anymore. My mother would have a cow if she could see this. 'You can't have that, you'll bloat. You can't eat that, you'll break out. You can't have that either, it'll discolor your teeth. Oh, and not that, that's just empty calories.' I have a lot of catching up to do." I finished with a wide grin.

"Aren't you afraid you'll gain weight?" Taylor asked.

"I hope I do! Maybe then, people will stop-" Abruptly, I stopped talking. We were having fun. I didn't want to end it.

Adam watched me, his face thoughtful. He piled on all the same toppings I'd picked, which I thought was sweet. Cassie was hopping around, making her pizza into a pepperoni smiley face. When the pies were ready, Zach opened the oven and slid in four at a time. The heat slammed into me like a truck and I leaped, my scars blazing from the memory.

"Eden! Are you okay?"

Away from the rush of heat, I was fine. I sat weakly in a kitchen chair. A cool cloth materialized on the back of my neck and I jerked around, found Adam leaning on a single crutch behind me.

His hand on my neck generated heat of a different kind, heat I welcomed instead of feared. "Better?"

"Mm."

"Adam did the same thing when he came home. We thought he had some kind of flashback." Taylor said.

"I did have some kind of flashback." He murmured, still rubbing my neck. I stood, suddenly realizing he should be sitting, not me. He glared at me, his eyes dark and fierce, daring me to treat him as wounded.

I said nothing, but took the cloth from my neck, ran it over my face. I felt faint from the combination of heat and cold, lust and pain.

"Really loving the hair, Eden." Taylor skillfully found a new subject.

Zach grinned at his wife. "You did this?"

"Yep." Amanda nodded and I watched his eyes light up as he whistled.

"Nice work."

Amanda curtsied and Zach grabbed her in an exaggerated dip before kissing her into a giggle fit. What was it like to have a man love you for your talents and skills as much as for your beauty? I didn't remember my father and mother together. The only married couple in my family was my grandparents and all they did was scowl and call each other names. When Cassie ran over and squeezed between her parents, Zach scooped her around in a similar dip and kiss and I think my heart kind of cramped. I'd never had that and if Maddie was right, I never would.

Suddenly, I wanted to flee. I didn't belong here.

"Eden, you okay?" Taylor slid an iced tea onto the table in front of me.

Sure, I was peachy. "Fine." I said and flashed a pageant smile. Adam limped toward the sink, leaned a hip against the counter and frowned at me. Wonder what I did this time.

The timer on the oven beeped and Zack shoveled out the first four pies and slid two more inside. Amanda ran the pizza wheel across the pies while Taylor passed out plates. I'd just bitten into my first slice when my cell buzzed. A text message from a number I did not know.

STOP IGNORING ME. NEXT TIME, I'LL DO WORSE.

Attached to the message was a picture of my car, all slashed up.

I gasped.

It was him.

The psycho fan who kept sending me gifts and stuff.

"What's wrong, Eden? You look anxious." Amanda laid a hand over mine.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't text at your table. That was rude."

Amanda shook her head. "I asked you what's wrong. I didn't say you were rude. Did you get some bad news?"

"Um... no, not exactly. Disturbing news." I showed her the text. "I have to get a new cell number, I guess."

Amanda's eyes popped and she passed the phone to Zach, whose mouth thinned into a tight line. "This is your car?"

I nodded. "I told the principal my friend, Belinda, trashed it. She's not speaking to me and-"

"Belinda's a witch. She poured Coke down Eden's back at lunch today. That reminds me – your bandages are probably done drying by now. I'll help you get them back on."

I managed a tight smile.

"Eden, this text. This isn't the first one, is it?" He asked.

I shifted my gaze. "Um. No. I've been getting cards, flowers, and gifts from someone who calls himself A Fan. Ever since I ... well, it happens in my line of work. Yet another reason I'm happy to quit." I squeezed out a weak smile. This guy knew about my school? And... and my car?

Jesus.

An open palm appeared under my eyes. I looked up, found Adam, still frowning, holding out his hand for my phone. He scrolled through the messages, read them, and limped out of the room on one crutch.

I stared after him, but Amanda squeezed my hand. "Ignore him. He doesn't know what to do with you."

"He doesn't have to do anything." I protested.

Amanda laughed. "Oh, honey. That's his biggest problem. He thinks he does. Adam's having trouble coping with his..." She waved her hands, looking for the right word. "Well, he likes to feel useful." She suddenly flung up a hand. "Oh! Speaking of useful, Taylor explained that you need work, something flexible so you can earn money for school?"

My eyes widened. "Do you know a place that's hiring?"

With a grin and a nod, Amanda said, "Yes. Me."

Enthusiasm waned. "Amanda, I don't know anything about hair styling."

"That, I've got under control. What I need is help around this house." Amanda glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. "My mother arrives tomorrow. She and Adam... well – they don't see eye to eye. He doesn't even know she's coming."

"You didn't tell him?"

"No. He's in no shape to leave and that's exactly what he'll do when he finds out. So. He won't find out until she rings the bell."

I drew in a deep breath, considered. I didn't know Adam had Mommy issues. I wasn't sure I wanted to get in the middle of them. But getting to see Adam every day held a certain appeal, even if he didn't want to see me. "What would you need me to do?"

"Errands, mind Cassie, some housework, cooking if you're up to that – okay, scratch the cooking." She amended when my face registered my fear at that suggestion. "And just help me keep the peace around here."

I debated. I needed the money but Adam... He made it clear he plans to go back. I'd probably never see him again after tonight.

"Okay," I said. "I'll do it." And then I giggled.

Oh. My. God. 

Author's Note: Spacing's better now, right? Copying and pasting from Word does strange things. Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to vote!