That was a good question. Adam didn’t know for sure that he could trust her again. Only time would tell. He didn’t respond.
Zach didn’t wait for a response. He continued, “The bottom line is you can’t trust her. And you know it. When did she get back here, anyway? How long have you been hiding this from us?”
So that was part of the reason for his reaction. Zach thought Adam had been hiding something from him. One of the reasons their friendship was so strong was that they were always honest with each other—sometimes brutally honest.
Adam said, “I haven’t been hiding it from you. She just got back into town.”
Zach looked skeptical. “Well, where the hell was she?”
This was the part Adam was dreading the most. The story he and Maddie had made up on the way to the club didn’t sound too convincing to him, but it was all they could come up with in a pinch. He sure as hell didn’t think Zach would buy it. He sighed and told the story he and Maddie had rehearsed.
Zach snorted and said, “Bullshit. And she couldn’t even answer your calls? That’s called common courtesy.”
He had a good point. Adam had to think quickly on his feet. He wasn’t good at lying to Zach. He knew Adam too well. Adam said, “She just freaked out and didn’t want to hurt me by giving me any hope.”
Zach tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “And she didn’t think she would hurt you by leaving you and never talking to you again?”
“It was a bad decision,” Adam said. “She made a mistake, and she’s really sorry for it. Plus, she feels a little bit responsible for me getting hurt on the mountain, and the guilt kept her away.”
Zach’s eyes narrowed as he said, “Really? Why would she feel responsible for that?”
Adam realized he had said too much. Damn, but he was a terrible liar.
“Look, Zach, I don’t really want to go into that right now. It’s a very long story. Trust me. Someday I’ll explain the whole story to you. But for now, you just have to understand that I love her and she’s going to be a part of my life, hopefully for a long time. I’ve forgiven her, and I hope that you can too.”
Zach tossed his cigarette on the ground, snuffed it out with his foot, and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t forgive her just like that. I saw what she did to you. Claire and I were the ones who had to pick up the pieces. I don’t know if I will ever be able to forgive her for that.”
Adam pleaded, “Man, you’re my best friend. You’re like a brother to me. I really hope this doesn’t come between us, but I love Maddie and I have to give her a second chance.”
Adam could see the disappointment and sadness in his best friend’s eyes, and he felt horrible. But he hoped Zach realized that he wasn’t going to change his mind.
Zach stomped on the cigarette again, looked Adam in the eyes, and said, “Well, when she does it to you again, don’t come crying to me.”
He turned and walked back inside. Adam stood silently for a moment and then followed him. It had actually gone better than he had imagined. At least they hadn’t come to blows. But still he feared their friendship had been permanently damaged. When Adam was a young boy, his mom liked to use the saying, “Time heals all wounds.” He could only hope that in this case, it would be true.
Chapter 31
Zach and Adam didn’t speak to one another for the rest of the night. The same went for Claire and some of the band members. But most people welcomed Maddie back. Adam thought it was nice having her there again, just like it had been in the beginning.
After the performance, Maddie and Adam went back to his place. She spent the night and they made love over and over. It was in moments like that when Adam wished he could freeze time and they could stay in the moment forever. They were just two people who were madly in love. All of the complicated, outside events of the world around them melted away when they were alone. They could simply be happy together.
In the morning, Adam woke before Maddie. While she slept, he gathered up some things and put them in his truck. When she stirred, he kissed her gently and said, “Wake up sleepyhead.”
She yawned, stretched, and smiled as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He kissed her for a few lingering moments, pulled back and said, “Get up and get ready to go. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? I love surprises. Tell me. Tell me.”
“Not tellin’,” he said playfully.
She stuck out her lower lip, making her best pouty face.
“Come on,” she whined. “At least give me a hint.”
He shook his head and said, “All I’m going to tell you is that I’m taking you somewhere special.”
“Do I need to dress fancy?”
He shook his head. “Nope. It’s a casual kind of place. I hope you like it as much as I do.”
She rolled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. Over her shoulder she said, “If you like it, then I’m sure I will too.”
He smiled. He really hoped so.
They finished getting ready, had a quick breakfast and some coffee, and prepared to leave. As they approached his truck, Maddie noticed fishing poles sticking out of the bed. She smiled and said, “Are we going fishing?”
Adam smiled slyly and said, “Maybe.”
They headed north of New York City to the place where he and his family had gone fishing a lot when he was a kid. He thought that during the two or so hour drive it would be a good time to talk.
Shortly after they got on the road, Adam said, “Will you explain more about
