Jared was surprised at how easy it was. The conversation between Hadley and Juliette was fun and friendly, and they teased him and Adam good-naturedly. It was almost midnight by the time Hadley called a cab, saying she’d pick up the car tomorrow, and leaving Jared at the Hemlock house with an exaggerated wink.
“I’m going to bed,” Juliette said with a sigh as she shut the front door and locked up. “That was a lovely evening, but I’m exhausted.”
“I think we’re going to go up too,” Adam said, looking to Jared for confirmation.
Juliette kissed them both on the cheek before heading up to her rooms. When she was safely out of sight, Jared wrapped both arms around Adam and held him close.
Chapter 20
By late Saturday afternoon, the rain was a steady patter against the windows and inside, it was as dark as if it was early evening. In Adam’s living room, it was warm, cozy bliss.
Jared sprawled on Adam’s chest, pressing his cheek against the steady rise and fall of his breastbone, and napped. Adam was watching something on TV, a documentary that didn’t interest Jared in the slightest. He wasn’t bothered about the choice of entertainment; the week had left him exhausted, and he was grateful for the opportunity to get some extra rest.
Now things had changed between them and the world outside this room, Jared felt invincible. This relationship had been built on a rocky foundation, and that was usually a recipe for disaster, but Adam was willing to put the effort in and fill in the gaps. They weren’t exactly going slow; there was an understanding they had to make up for past mistakes. Both of them.
When there was a change in the room, Jared started to wake up a little but couldn’t find the energy to move, so he stayed where he was. The gentle fingers smoothing through his hair didn’t stop their dreamy caress, so really, he didn’t need to move at all.
“You look good together,” a soft, female voice said.
Juliette, Jared’s brain helpfully supplied. Beneath him, Adam hummed, the noise vibrating in his chest.
“I hope….” she started, then moved closer to the couch. “I hope you know what you’ve got here, Adam. Don’t throw it away.”
“I won’t,” Adam said.
“This is probably a silly question, because I think I know the answer.”
“Go on.”
“Do you love him?”
Jared was sure they must know he was awake, or awake-ish, at least. The hands in his hair didn’t stop, though, and he felt Adam lean down and kiss the top of his head.
“Yeah, I love him. A lot.”
“I never thought you’d have this, Adam. You were a selfish boy, and love can’t be selfish. You have to give with no expectation of anything in return.”
“I know.”
Juliette said something else, and Jared didn’t hear her murmured words this time, then she left. A few minutes later Adam wriggled, and Jared stretched out of his nap.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Adam teased.
“Hey,” Jared croaked. He leaned up to brush dry lips over Adam’s, then moved off his makeshift, moving pillow.
Jared padded off to the bathroom, and when he got out, Adam had moved onto his bed. Now he was done with his nap, he was feeling too refreshed to sleep again, but was more than content to lay down to talk for a while. There was something he’d been meaning to ask.
“Would you tell me about your dad?” Jared said as he settled next to Adam.
Adam gave him a funny look. “It’s not really a secret,” he said with a frown.
“I know,” Jared said and shifted on the bed so they were facing each other, sharing a pillow. He tucked his hands under his cheek and waited.
“He died when I was a baby,” Adam said with a shrug. “I think I was about two. I don’t remember him at all, but my mom talked about him all the time when I was growing up so it feels like I know him. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah,” Jared said, because it did.
“He was a marine. He married my mom when she was nineteen and he was twenty-five, which was apparently a big deal to Mom’s family. She was only twenty-two when she had me, and my dad was at home completely by coincidence when I was born. He got cancer.”
Adam sighed and reached for Jared’s hand, tugging it out from under his cheek and lacing their fingers together.
“It was bad,” Adam continued. “Inoperable. He died only a few months after they found it.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Yeah. Yeah. He was technically still serving when he passed away, so he was buried with full military honors. I think that was important to my mother. Their relationship—well, I only know what she’s told me. But when I was a kid, she used to tell it like a Cinderella story. She was the uptown girl, and he was this blue-collar guy, and they fell in love after meeting at a diner in Tacoma. They got married really quickly and he was already in the military, so for the first year they were married, they were apart more than they were together. I know my mom wanted more kids. She never intended for me to be an only child. But after my dad died, she didn’t want any more children without him. I don’t think she’s ever loved anyone else.”
“That’s… wow.”
Adam brought their combined hands to his lips and brushed a kiss over Jared’s knuckles. “A few years ago, I started to nudge her into dating. She’s a beautiful person, you know? She should date. I don’t want to think of her alone, ever, and I know she’s a social butterfly, but it’s not the same. I want her to have someone.”
“You asked her about some guy. Guillem?”
“Yeah.” Adam smiled. “I met him the last time I was in Paris. He took us out to dinner. He’s an artist and a good one, despite
