He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips, tasting her sweetness and loving every moment of it. She gave a soft moan into his mouth, and as much as he wanted to continue, to take all that she had to give him, somehow it no longer felt right, here in her father’s home, in the middle of a city he hated, with a woman who would rather follow the wishes of her father than her heart. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t fault her for that. He understood the allegiance to family, as it was part of what he admired about her. She was loyal to a fault.
He broke his mouth from hers, lifting his head but not pulling away, resting his lips on her forehead, where he planted a sweet kiss before bringing her head into his shoulder. He held her tight, and as he did, he felt a slight wetness on his shirt. He pulled back to find silent tears running down her face, and he gently wiped them with his thumb. He didn’t say anything, as no words were required. She didn’t need to tell him this was goodbye. He knew.
Sleep remained elusive for the rest of the night. Adam tossed and turned, thinking of all that had happened. He did not regret making love to Rachel in the cottage, but he did feel a deep sense of guilt that he had taken her innocence without marrying her. It did not seem right, and yet he could not very well force her to become his wife. His mind spinning, he rose from his bed and pulled out his plans from his bag. He took them home with him from the power plant every night, as he never knew when inspiration might strike. Besides that, something within him prevented him from leaving them there. He trusted Andrews, but Trenton… Trenton, he did not.
As he sat there on the hard, cold bed, staring at them, he looked closely at his drawing, picturing the inner workings of the model in his mind. If this piece connected with that… he closed his eyes, trying to see how it would all come together, when suddenly the answer sprang into his consciousness.
“Yes,” he whispered softly. “That’s it.”
He found his pencil and began stroking in the final piece that had so eluded him. The despair that had gripped him from his encounter with Rachel remained; however, it was ever so slightly edged out by a growing elation over this project. He didn’t know what had made the final change allowing him to see the solution, but he could hardly believe it had come to him.
The next day he practically raced to the power plant to share his news with Sullivan Andrews, not noticing who else was present as he rushed to the man’s desk.
“Andrews! You will never believe it,” he said, as he pulled the plans from his bag and spread them over the assortment of papers that littered the man’s workspace. “I’ve got it!” Andrews looked up at him incredulously while he skimmed his eyes over the work, bringing his gaze up to Adam.
“That’s it,” he said, his voice low. “You’ve done it, son.” He grinned. “You’ve done it!” He clapped his hands briefly, picking up the plans. “Come, now. We’ll finish the model, and then can hopefully begin a working prototype!”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Adam said, with a nod to the man. “You helped me think it through.”
It was only then, when he turned to take his new plans into the workroom, that Adam noticed Trenton standing at the entrance to the room, leaning against the doorjamb. He hadn’t joined in the celebration, yet a smug expression covered his face. What was the man about? Adam felt a sense of unease, yet could do nothing but simply nod at him, before turning to follow Andrews into the workroom.
21
The cloud of melancholy that had begun to follow her around left Rachel feeling not at all like herself. She thoroughly enjoyed keeping a rather sunny state of mind, and yet, since the conversation with her father, she felt nothing but regret that the life that had seemed so clear since her time with Adam in the woods had become so dismally cloudy.
The more she was with him, the more she wanted him — for now, and for the rest of her life. And yet, how could she so directly go against what her father wanted, what he had been planning for her? Her father had given her everything while her mother had wanted nothing to do with her. To betray him now seemed the ultimate form of ungratefulness. So why did following his expectations feel so wrong?
That morning, long after Adam had left for the power plant, Eloise came to visit her. After she was shown into Rachel’s drawing room, she had a smirk on her face as she sat on the armless green easy chair.
“Good morning, Eloise,” said Rachel, lifting the teapot in front of her and pouring her friend a cup as she tried to inject cheer into her voice. “Lovely of you to visit this morning.”
“How could I not?” asked Eloise, bringing the cup to her lips. “For I could not help but come to congratulate you on your engagement.”
“My engagement?” Rachel looked up at her in surprise.
“But of course,” said Eloise, raising her eyebrows. “It was in today’s paper. Surely you must be aware?”
“No… I have not yet had the chance to read the paper,” she said, her heart sinking. It would be just like her father
