The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) (38 page)

There were so many things she wanted to say.
 
She’d rehearsed this moment in her mind a thousand times.
 
She’d let out her hatred, her anger, her confusion, her sadness.
 
Christie wanted her mother to know how much she’d suffered because of her selfish actions, how she’d altered Christie’s life once she walked out that door.

But all of these emotions, felt over her entire lifetime, died as she looked at Clare Wells.
 
She realized that her hatred, her fury, wouldn’t change anything.
 
It wouldn’t make Christie’s childhood better.
 
It wouldn’t bring her mother back to her.

She’d said what she needed to say.
 
She’d done what she’d intended to do.
 
Christie had no intention of ever letting her mother back into her life again, so there wasn’t a lot to say.

She could spend the rest of her life angry at this woman.
 
But then a tiny sliver of hatred would always eat at her soul, burrowing in deeper and deeper as the years passed by.
 
Christie didn’t want that.
 
She just wanted to move on…with Adam, with her life, with a new relationship with her father, with the support of her friends.
 
And Christie couldn’t do that without forgiving Clare.

“I don’t hate you,” she said, her voice soft.
 
She rubbed the skin that had been beneath the bracelet absentmindedly.
 
“I did for a long time, I won’t lie.
 
But now, I can forgive you.
 
I’d hoped that I would see you again one day because I just want to move on…and now I can finally do that.
 
And I can honestly say that I hope you have everything that you ever wanted and that you have a good life.”

Clare stared at her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
 
The image almost made her laugh.
 
Christie waited for a few moments, wondering if her mother would say anything.

Finally, Clare managed, “I’m sorry, Christie.
 
I really am sorry.”

“I know.”

And since she knew that her mother wouldn’t say anything else, she nodded at the group, all silent, and murmured, “Excuse me.”

Adam followed her.
 
No, he led her.
 
Because Christie could’ve walked into a wall at this point and she wouldn’t have noticed.
 
As they walked away from the group, Christie heard the man ask, “Clare, what in the world was that about?”

Chilly air prickled her skin before Christie realized Adam had taken her outside.
 
They walked a little bit away from the gallery until they could have some privacy and then Adam turned to her.
 
When he noticed her goosebumps, he shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Adam let her think quietly for a moment before asking, “Are you okay?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” she answered.
 
“I did what I needed to do.”

“I know,” he murmured, gazing down at her in concern with his golden eyes.
 
“Still…it must’ve been quite a shock.”

A laugh bubbled from her throat.
 
The sound relieved Adam judging by the softening of his features.
 
“It was.
 
The last place I ever expected to see her was in there…and yet, it should’ve been the first place.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

“Yes, Adam,” she said, smiling.
 
She kissed the corner of his lip as a reassurance.
 
“Yes.
 
I’m fine.
 
I can move on now.
 
It’s a blessing that I saw her here tonight.
 
It really is.”

“Oh, there you two are!” came Mrs. Thornton’s voice.
 
Her heels clacked on the pavement as she approached.
 
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay after…”

Adam sighed, “Mom…”

Christie managed a small smile, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends, Mrs. Thornton.
 
I just—“

“Oh nonsense, sweetie.
 
Of course you didn’t.
 
But I must say, I’m a bit confused about what exactly happened.
 
I’m assuming you know Clare.”

Christie nodded, “I do.
 
She’s my…mother, actually.”

Mrs. Thornton’s mouth dropped comically.
 
“Oh my goodness!
 
But…but Clare never said anything about having a daughter.
 
Not that I don’t believe you, of course, sweetie,” she reassured.
 
“I’m just in shock, that’s all.”

“She left my dad when I was nine,” Christie told her, a little uncomfortable.
 
If Clare was Mrs. Thornton’s friend, she didn’t want to drive a wedge between them.
 
But the truth was ugly.

“And you,” Adam added, scowling.
 
“She left you too.”

Christie bit her lip.

“God, how was I ever friends with that woman?” Mrs. Thornton exploded, her expression pained.
 
Sympathy shone in her eyes and she embraced Christie.
 
“I’m sorry, sweetie.
 
I didn’t know.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“Well, she’s certainly off our invite list for our holiday party.
 
You can be assured of that,” Mrs. Thornton muttered.
 
“And there’s no way I’m going to her dinner party now.”

Christie was already shaking her head, “I don’t want to come between—“

“Christie, now you listen to me,” Mrs. Thornton said, her voice stern.
 
“You’re way more important than a friendship with a woman who I don’t even know apparently.
 
I thought I knew who she was, but it turns out she’s nothing but a coward, leaving her own daughter like that.
 
So, I don’t want to hear anything more about it.
 
I wash my hands of that woman and her family.”

Christie nodded and glanced up at Adam.
 
He was frowning, staring at his mother.
 
She could almost read what he was thinking…that Mrs. Thornton willingly chose to leave him when she’d taken those pain meds.

Leaning into Adam, she grasped his hand in comfort.
 
Mrs. Thornton herself quieted, as though she finally realized what she’d said.
 
Her features were pained as she stared at her son and in her eyes Christie read an apology.

After several tense moments, she quietly suggested, “Adam, why don’t you take Christie home?
 
I’ll let Viktor and Joseph know you’re not feeling well.”

Christie wanted to protest, but a stronger part of her just wanted to leave.
 
So, she nodded gratefully and said her goodbyes, promising that she’d come to dinner soon.

As they walked towards the parking garage near the gallery, Adam said, “We can come get your car in the morning, okay?”

She nodded, the crisp air helping to clear her head.
 
Nibbling on her lip, she tugged on Adam’s hand to halt their pace.
 
He tilted his head to regard her as she brushed her fingers tenderly over his cheek.
 
“Are you okay?” she murmured.

He gave a laugh.
 
“Am
I
okay?
 
I’m more worried about you.”

“What your mom said… I know it upset you.”

Affection flared in his gaze and he leaned down to press a small kiss to her lips.
 
As he pulled away, Christie could see that she’d been right.
 
There
was
a sliver of hurt in his eyes.

“It did upset me,” he confessed.
 
“But my mom realized that too and I could see her shame.
 
That’s enough for me.”

Christie leaned against him and enveloped Adam in her arms.
 
He returned her embrace and they stood there for a few precious moments, simply holding onto each other, healing each other.

Eventually, Adam kissed her neck and then murmured, “Let’s go home.”

Snazzy greeted them, meowing loudly on the couch when they entered Christie’s apartment an hour later.

Christie sighed as Adam locked up.
 
She crossed the room to pet Snazzy and watched from the corner of her eye as Adam loosened his tie.
 
His jacket was still wrapped around her shoulders, so she slid it off before heading towards her room for a hanger.

She sensed him following her.
 
They hadn’t spoken on the way home.
 
After Christie asked about his mother, Adam seemed to focus all his attention on
her
well-being.
 
He seemed to think that she was in a more fragile state than she actually was.

After she hung his coat on a silk hanger in her closet, she turned around slowly to face him.
 
Adam was leaning against the doorframe of her room, his arms crossed over his crisp white dress shirt.
 
He’d discarded his tie somewhere in the living room and he’d already undone the top two buttons on his shirt.
 
He’d never looked more handsome to her.

“Adam,” she said, her voice firm.

“What can I do?” he asked, his voice low.
 
It was full of concern and he started to look uncertain.
 
“Do you want me to make you some tea?”

Christie smiled, her heart doing flip flops in her chest.
 
“No, I want you to make good on what you said in a certain storage room closet and ravish me thoroughly.”

“But…” he trailed off, running a hand over his five o’clock shadow.
 
“We probably shouldn’t, especially considering what happened tonight.”

Christie gave him her best pout, knowing he couldn’t resist it.
 
Adam…always trying to be a good man.
 
“What I want is for you to be selfish tonight,” she murmured.
 
“Because it’s exactly what I need.
 
Okay?”

“Christie, we should talk about this…”

“Adam,” she said sharply, losing her patience.
 
His gaze cut to her.
 
“I’m not having a breakdown right now.
 
Maybe I’m still in shock.
 
Maybe it hasn’t hit me yet that I saw my
mother
tonight.
 
That I
spoke
with her.
 
But right now, I feel perfectly fine.
 
The world will move on.
 
I’ll
move on from this.
 
There’s no reason for me to be angry, or upset, or sad right now.
 
It wouldn’t change anything.
 
And honestly, I’m just more worried about you.”

“Well, I’m more worried about
you
,” he countered.
 
“It’s not a bad thing to feel those emotions, Christie.
 
She
left
you.
 
It’s okay to be angry
and
upset
and
sad.”

“But that’s just it.
 
I’m
not
.
 
Instead of this night being about her, I want to celebrate the fact that I’m done with that fundraiser, that Joseph will be in an excellent mood next week, and that I’m here with you…that we’re here right now, together.”
 
She approached him.
 
“And happy.”
 
The truth of her words sunk in.
 
“Are
you
happy, Adam?
 
With me?”

He crushed her in an embrace, breathing her in as his warmth surrounded her.
 
“Of course, I am.
 
That’s the most ridiculous question I’ve ever heard.
 
I couldn’t be anything
but
happy with you, Christie.”

Christie beamed and pulled back so that she could see his features.
 
Adam’s golden eyes locked with her gaze and held it as he stroked the soft skin of her cheek.
 
The emotion she saw in the golden depths made her heart stop.

And she knew, right then and there, that this was
it
.
 
This was the real thing.
 
He was everything she’d ever wanted, needed.

“Adam?” she whispered.

“Mmm?”

“I love you, too.”

A flicker of emotion in his eyes and then he rumbled, “I know.”

“Oh really?” she asked, smiling.

“I was 99.99% certain,” he returned, the edges of his lips quirking up.

“That’s not a whole lot of room for error.
 
Sounds like you’re pretty confident.
 
What gave me away?”

His hand cupped around the back of her neck so he could bring her closer.
 
He brushed the softest kiss across her lips and then said, “This.
 
The way you look at me.
 
The way you’re looking at me right now.
 
You’re not a subtle woman, Christie Allaway.”

She let out a breathless laugh, her heart pounding in her chest.
 
“You’re the expert on women now?”

He grinned.
 
She swatted at his chest, trying to fight off a smile.
 
She lost the battle the moment she heard his deep, rumbly chuckle.
 
“No, not on
women
.
 
On
you
.
 
You taught me.”

“I did, huh?” Christie breathed, liking that idea way too much.

Adam leaned forward again.
 
But right before he was a breath away from kissing her, he whispered, “Yes, you did.
 
You taught me.
 
Everything
.
 
And like you told me before, after our first lesson all those weeks ago…I
am
a quick learner.”