AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We sat there for a long moment as I thought about what I should say. I seemed to be at a loss for words a lot lately, and I seemed to be especially so in front of Adam. All of a sudden, all those times that we argued incessantly seemed like a lot more fun. "I know this is scary. But he seems like a really sweet kid. He asked about you. I think he just wants to know if you're going to be nice."
Adam looked at me uncertainly. "I would never be mean to him. I know I'm kind of…what did you call me?"
"Obnoxious. Annoying. Grumpy," I supplied.
The corner of his mouth tilted. "I can always count on you to be honest with me."
"In a bid to get him to smile, I may have talked up your belching skills," I admitted with a sheepish expression.
His head came up, and he looked at me with an intriguing sparkle in his eyes. "My belching skills?"
"He seemed impressed that you could burp the alphabet…and I might have told him about the jellybean thing. He was also impressed by that. So, those could be openers, as strange as they are," I offered.
"I could work with that," Adam said, seeming to gain a little bit more confidence. "I just don't wanna screw up," he admitted. I felt myself soften, and he must've noticed because he quickly added, "I'm not used to that."
I rolled my eyes at that comment. "Look, Adam, if my limited experience with children is worth anything, what I do know is that you will screw up. It's inevitable."
He gave me a small laugh. "Gee, thanks. Your confidence in me, as always, is staggering."
"This has nothing to do with my confidence in you and everything to do with the fact that no parents or caretakers are perfect. You're in an impossible situation right now, nobody can expect you to get it just right. But I've seen you when you're determined about something. Remember that case you were working on a couple of years ago when Brian and I were still together? Nobody else could tell that lady what was wrong with her, and you would not stop until you had it figured out. You saved her life because of that."
Adam shrugged. "That's my job, though."
I glanced over towards my closed office door. "Yeah, well, for the foreseeable future, that little boy is your job as well. So long as you can make him feel safe and comfortable, keep him clean and fed, then that's a win. It will start coming together for you in time, and who knows, I might be able to find another relative pretty quickly," I told him, but Adam still looked uncertain.
His knee still jiggled furiously, and before I could stop myself, I reached out my hand to place on his knee to still him.
His head jerked up, and he looked at me, heat in his eyes. How could he have been terrified two seconds ago but now looked like he could maul me on the bench outside of my office? I ripped my hand away. "Sorry, I forgot who I was dealing with here," I said, looking away.
"And who's that?" he questioned.
"The most arrogant man on earth. So, where is that confidence now?" I baited him.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head, and I saw a flash of sadness in those deep brown eyes again. Later, I would blame that flash of vulnerability on my impulsive response when I reminded him, "I meant what I said before. If you need anything, just call me. I'll help however I can."
He looked at me solemnly, letting out a long breath, and he finally rose from the bench. "All right, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Slowly, I opened my office door and poked my head in. Wolfgang and Cheri were still happily talking about Pokémon cards.
"Hey, Wolfgang, I have somebody here who's really anxious to meet you," I said, moving further inside and making way for Adam. I looked between the two of them with the same sets of soulful brown eyes. "Adam, this is Wolfgang," I introduced.
Adam stepped forward, his posture emanating nerves and uncertainty.
Wolfgang looked just as uncertain as he looked up at a tall guy who had his hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks. There was an awkward silence. Finally, Adam opened his mouth and proceeded to belch out, "Hi, I'm Adam."
"Gross," I muttered. Cheri and I exchanged a wide-eyed look, but Wolfgang was giggling, a whole body laugh that made everybody in the room smile despite themselves. Through his giggles, he managed to get out in a small voice, "Hi, Adam."
Adam grinned, taking in the dimpled smile and laughter of the little boy. And something stole over him. It was strange—never before could I say that I saw somebody completely change before my very eyes, and maybe I couldn't say it then, but Adam looked like he'd been zapped. If there was ever a thing like love at first sight, I felt like I had just witnessed it.
***
"That's it, I'm coming over tonight," Lucy announced over the phone.
"What? Why? I thought you would be hanging out with your husband," I said, emphasizing the last word.
"Sam has to work late tonight. But that wouldn't matter because you have that sound in your voice," she pointed out.
"What sound? I don't have sound," I insisted.
