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Adam stayed the entire night with me at work. Then insisted on walking me home. And for some reason, I let him. I knew if I refused, he’d just follow right behind me like I guess he had been doing the last year.

We laughed and talked.

He told me about the game, one I didn’t mention streaming on my laptop. About his stats as if I needed to be caught up.

“So, scouts are looking at you?” I already knew the answer.

He shrugged, too humble to admit just how good he was. I knew why that was, too. His dad was the world’s most giant ass, a man who had been too stuck in past glory days, too convinced his best days were behind him.

And he made sure he let everyone in his family know they hadn’t been a part of that.

“How’s your mom?” he asked, and I smiled.

“Dating,” I answered. His footsteps slowed down.

“What? Cathy is dating?”

“Yeah.” I smiled, happy for my mom. “She’s seeing some guy from work.”

“At the hospital?” I nodded. “How did your siblings take it?”

“Well, you know my sisters.” I laughed. “For a minute, they were flabbergasted and all dramatic, but then they got it. Mom’s entitled to grab her happy any way she can. And Phil’s good to her. Kind and makes her laugh.” I shrugged, “What more could someone want, you know?”

“Is that what you want? Someone to make you laugh?” he asked quietly as something in the way he looked at me changed.

“Adam…” I couldn’t tell if he was really asking or joking around, but I found myself answering honestly as I kept walking. “Yes. I think that’s exactly what I want. Someone who is kind and funny and makes me laugh and that I do that for them. I want to marry my best friend one day.” He grasped my wrist, and when I looked over my shoulder, he was right there. His head dipped low, just a breath from my lips.

“What else do you want, ladybug?”

“I want passion and…” I licked my lips and didn’t miss the way his eyes followed the tip of my tongue.

It was dark out, but even under the moonlight I could tell his eyes were fully dilated, more black than chocolate brown.

“And I want someone who’s my partner. Someone who always has my back, and I have theirs. I don’t need a man to take care of me.”

“What if he wants to take care of you? What if he wants to hand you the world on a goddamn silver platter, Callie?” he gruffly asked, pulling me in closer. My breath itched in my throat. “What would you do about that?”

“As long as he let me be there for him, too… and I could do my stuff…”

“Your career?”

“Of course.” Visions of white picket fences popped into my head. With bikes tossed on the front yard and a swing set next to it. Little people who looked a little like Adam and a little like me but were their own person also sprung up to life.

I knew all of that, with time, would be possible.

It just shocked me because if I was honest with myself, I had never let myself daydream past confessing how I felt about Adam.

“Run off to Vegas with me.” He winked, and I chuckled nervously. Because if he told me he was serious, I might actually do it. Instead, I rolled my eyes and forced my body to pull away from his, and we kept walking in the direction of the pizza place.

“I can’t. I have a date tomorrow,” I reminded him, or maybe the two of us. His smile faded and his gaze darkened, but he never let go of my hand.

“Roxie will probably be awake,“ I said as I opened the door and was shocked to see the couch completely empty.

“She’s not here. You think she went to bed?” He jerked his chin towards the direction of her room.

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you grab us some plates, and I’ll go check on her.”

“Wait,” he called before I went too far. “She left you a note.” He handed it to me.