Sitting on the small loveseat on the back deck of my apartment, I gaze out at the afternoon sky. Adam sits beside me, a fuzzy lap blanket thrown across us both.
There’s a coolness in the air today, but there’s also a calm that wasn’t here before Adam’s Instagram Live confession—and then revelation about our connection.
Even the birds seem happier.
His presence is a comforting constant in the whirlwind of emotions and revelations that have become my life. I can hardly believe how hauntingly similar to a romance novel my life has become.
It’s almost laughable.
Adam takes my hand, his touch grounding me back to the present. “We’ve been through a helluva lot the past few weeks, haven’t we?”
“That’s putting it mildly. It feels more like a hurricane penned by a writer with a flair for melodrama,” I quip, a smirk playing on my lips.
The side of his lips tilt upward. “Yeah, there’s definitely some melodrama mixed in there.”
“Adam …” I begin, turning to face him. I need to get this final piece off my chest. “For what it’s worth, I really had no idea you were the man from Nocté when we first met. I didn’t mean to lie—or take advantage of you.”
His eyebrows shoot into his hairline. “You think you took advantage of me?”
“Didn’t I?” I ask, my heartbeat thumping unevenly.
He shakes his head. “I mean, that’s not the way I see it. We were both consenting adults, Carlie.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t tell you what I knew when I—” I shake my head. “I should have.”
Adam nods in agreement. “Yeah, you should have.”
I frown, wishing I could go back in time and have a do-over. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I forgive you.” He nudges me with his shoulder, then laughs. “On the upside, we get three shots at our first time.”
My eyebrows tug in and I shake my head. “What?”
His grin is enormous. “The first time was as strangers. The second time, we weren’t on the same page. Next time, we start all over, knowing fully what we’re getting ourselves into.”
My heart nearly trips over itself.
There will be a third, first time.
I can’t help but laugh. “Something to look forward to.”
“Indeed,” he agrees with a huge smirk. “When did you know? Or guess?”
Instantly, my mind flashes back to that first kiss—to the way he smelled and the electric current that rushed through me. It was a shock, to be sure.
“Our first official date,” I admit, biting down on the side of my lip. “I mean, I didn’t know for sure—but that’s when I seriously wondered. There was something in the way you kissed—the way you smelled.”
“When did you know for sure?” he presses, rubbing his warm palm over the top of my thigh.
His stormy gray eyes track my movement as I itch behind my right ear. “Last night.”
“So, definitely not on the same page.” He huffs a soft laugh. “Truth?”
My gaze flicks to his and I nod.
“Before your first session at St. Mary’s, I was looking for you,” he whispers, his gaze dropping to our laps.
“What do you mean?” My eyebrows tug in as I watch him struggle for words.
His tongue flicks at his lower lip as he continues, “Every time I saw a woman with red hair—I realized I was holding my breath, wishing … Hell, I was hoping to run into the woman from Nocté—I was searching for you. Even though I knew I shouldn’t. Even though it would mean being kicked out of the club.”
“Why?” I ask, drawn into every word.
His eyebrows flicker as he sorts through his thoughts. “Because there was something in the way we connected that night. And I’m not just talking about the sex, either. Even though that was—” His sigh is utter contentment.
I can’t help but grin, knowing that whatever I did—whatever we did—impacts him this way.
“When you walked into the gym that first time, Carlie I swear, my heart stopped. I think, maybe, a part of me knew,” he whispers. “I was just too afraid to believe it.”
I shake my head. “How could you possibly know? I had my hair up and I was a basket case. I was nothing like—”
I stop short, realizing I almost said I was nothing like Zoey.
Again, he chuckles under his breath. “You definitely weren’t what I was expecting—but I kept finding myself searching…” he reaches out, brushing my hair over my shoulder and pulling back the neck of my shirt, “for this.”
I inhale a sharp breath as he presses a kiss to my clavicle.
He’d been searching for my birthmark in the same way I was looking for his tattoo.
Part of me wants to shy away from his touch, but if there’s one person I want to see all of me, it’s him.
“I’ve always hated my birthmark. I try to keep it hidden as much as possible,” I confess, watching him as he traces it.
He drops my shirt, staring deeply into my eyes. Questions are lingering in his but instead of putting words to any of them, he leans forward, brushing his lips to mine.
The kiss is slow, and sensual, and whisks all of my thoughts away with the summer breeze.
When he finally pulls back, I’m dizzy and breathless and could totally be talked into round three with the right prompting.
“Don’t ever hide from me. Not anymore,” he whispers, his voice husky. “Got it?”
Silently, I nod, still feeling the lingering touch of his lips.
The intensity in his eyes anchors me to the moment—to the reality of how deeply we’re connected.
Maybe he’s right.
Maybe this is fate.
Because there’s a vulnerability in his gaze—a raw honesty that makes everything else seem inconsequential.
I am so lucky.
Lucky Adam’s the type of man who can forgive me for keeping the truth from him.
Lucky to be sitting here with him now.
Lucky to have found him at all.
Adam gently tugs a strand of my hair, his voice soft yet filled with emotion. “Carlie, since that night at Nocté, there’s been this unspoken understanding between us. It’s like we’ve been dancing around our past, afraid to step on each other’s toes.”
I let out a small laugh, despite the seriousness of his words. “More like I’ve been clumsily stepping on your toes.”
He shakes his head, a smile touching his lips. “No, you’ve been finding your rhythm. And I’ve been amazed watching you.”
The warmth in his words washes over me, filling me with a sense of belonging and purpose. He and I share a hurtful truth—we’ve both had exes break our hearts by sleeping with other people. It’s how we were invited to Nocté in the first place. If anyone knows the kind of pain that causes, it’s him.
I take a deep breath, hoping he understands what I need to tell him. “Adam, after being cheated on, I never thought I’d find my groove again. My ex—his words and actions cut deep and I’ve been hiding behind my fears, letting them dictate my steps for a long time.”
“Carlie,” Adam begins, but I press a finger to his lips.
“Let me finish,” I whisper. When he nods, I continue, “But then … there was you. That night at Nocté, you made me feel like the sexiest woman on the planet.”
“That’s because you are—”
I pin him with a ‘get real’ look but press on. “Then, at the gym—both at St. Mary’s and your place—you made me feel strong, capable, and beautiful. You’ve given me confidence I didn’t realize I could have. I seriously don’t know what I did to deserve this—deserve you.”
Adam’s hand squeezes mine gently, reassuringly. “You didn’t have to do anything to deserve this, Carlie. It’s not about deserving. It’s about two people finding each other at the right time. It’s about connection, growth, and maybe a little bit of destiny thrown in.” He winks at me.
I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by his words, by the sincerity in his eyes. “There’s that destiny thing again, huh? I used to think that was just a convenient plot device in romance novels. Now, I’m not so sure. But if this were a book, we’d be at the climactic final chapters, where the heroine realizes her own strength.”
Adam chuckles, squeezing my hand gently. “And the hero realizes he’s head over heels for the heroine?”
“Obviously,” I say, rolling my eyes playfully.
Adam grins broadly, the sunlight reflecting in his eyes. “And what about the heroine? Is she smitten?”
“Oh, she’s totally head over heels, too,” I admit, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. “But there’s something else she needs to do before she can fully embrace this new chapter.”
Adam’s expression turns curious. “What’s that?”
I hesitate, gathering my thoughts. “She needs to confront her past. Face the demons that have haunted her, so she can truly move forward with the man of her dreams.”
He narrows his eyes as I pause, feeling a sudden seriousness settle over me.
The truth is, I’ve been feeling like a character in someone else’s story for too long. I’ve been pushed around and made to feel less-than.
No more.
Not from Michael. Not from Instagram.
And definitely not from Jillian.
Her narrative—the one where I’m the clumsy, hopeless sidekick ends now.
That’s not who I am.
Not anymore.
Hell, maybe I never have been.
I look at Adam, my resolve strengthening. “I need to confront Jillian myself. It’s like I’m standing at the edge of my own plot twist, and it’s time I take control of the storyline.”
Adam’s expression is a mix of admiration and concern. “Are you sure about this? It’s not going to be easy. She’s a master at twisting things.”
I nod, determination coursing through me. “I know. But it’s necessary or she’ll just keep trying to break us up. I’ve let her, and others like her, define me and dictate what I get to have. But not anymore. This is me, Carlie, author of her own life, about to rewrite a wrong. It’s kind of empowering, actually.”
Adam wraps an arm around me, pulling me close. “Then I’m with you. Plot twists and all.”