Second Look (A New Beginning Book 3) (27 page)

“Amber, which chair do you want?”

Adam pointed to the three chairs.

“You sit in the middle. I want you to sit by mommy.”

Jennifer started to laugh. Only five and a half and she was already a matchmaker.

“Of course! Take a seat and then we’ll sit too,” Adam answered.

“Amber, this is where mommy used to come to the parade every year when she was your age. Your great-grandparents used to live right there,” Jennifer told Amber as she pointed to the small white house. It brought back so many wonderful memories and for Adam to have come there the night before to place their chairs really touched her.

Jennifer turned back towards the street and just tried to calm down so she could enjoy herself. Adam reached out and grabbed her hand, which made her feel a little better.

The parade finally made its way to their area and it helped take her mind off the test.

They watched floats go by with the Minions, cowgirl and cowboy displays, horses, old cars, bands, gymnasts, veterans and so many more for close to three hours. So many people in the parade noticed how adorable Amber looked and always made sure to throw lots of candy her way, as well as other things like toothbrushes, a couple stuffed animals and t-shirts. Her little bucket was over flowing by the end of the parade.

Afterward, once they managed to get out of the crowd and the city, they went out for pizza at Divanni’s.

By the time they got back to Jennifer’s house, Amber’s eyes were drooping and she was just about asleep.

It was an amazing day, one that Jennifer would never forget and she was pretty sure Amber would feel the same. And it was all thanks to Adam.

Now all she had to do was get up the nerve to open the test results with him and they could move on with their lives.

Chapter Nineteen

Adam

It’s time for the truth

“Okay sweetie, let’s get you right to bed. You look so tired.”

Amber yawned and said, “I’m not tired, mommy.” She yawned again and turned to Adam and said, “Goodnight, Adam. I had so much fun.”

The third time Amber yawned made Adam laugh. Nope, she wasn’t tired at all! Amber’s eyes were droopy and she looked as though she could fall asleep where she was leaning against her mom.

Amber said sleepily, “Thank you for buying me the Minion balloon and the mini-donuts. And I bet I have a bigger bag of candy than anyone else at the parade.”

“I bet you’re right. I’m glad you had fun.”

It took Adam by surprise when Amber left her mom’s side and ran up to him for a hug. He leaned down so he could hug her properly.

“I like you, Adam. I think my mommy loves you. She talks about you a lot.”

“Is that right?”

Amber nodded and said, “Yup. She loves you.”

Adam leaned in closer to Amber and whispered, “Can I tell you a little secret?” He waited for Amber to nod her head in agreement before continuing. “I love her too.”

“Why don’t you marry her then?”

I plan on it.

Adam looked at Jennifer who was hiding her face with her hands. He tried not to laugh.

“Okay, sweetie, it really is time for bed. Let’s quit badgering poor Adam.”

“Aww, alright, mommy. Goodnight, Adam!”

“Goodnight.”

He watched the very cute mom and daughter pair walk down the hallway and then disappear into Amber’s bedroom.

He strained his ear towards the back room and could hear little snippets of Jenn and Amber’s conversation.

“…can’t say things like that to…”

“...but he loves you...”

“…so embarrassed…”

“…marry someone you love…”

“…never again…”

What little of their conversation he could hear made him grin.

Adam looked down to his numb wrist. All this time Amber’s Minion balloon was tied around his wrist and his hand was beet red.

At first, he tried to untie it from his wrist, but the knot wouldn’t budge. In fact, his efforts just made the knot tighter. He grabbed for his pocketknife, but felt his empty pocket instead.

Adam wandered into Jennifer’s kitchen and looked around for scissors. None were visible on her counters so he’d have to dig.

He walked forward and started with the first drawer in front of him. Nope, it contained silverware.

He pried open another. This time he found utensils of every kind. How does one collect that many different kitchen gadgets or have use for such things? He shook his head and grabbed open a third.

Just inside were a pair of scissors with bright orange handles. As he grabbed the life-saving tool, he couldn’t help but notice an envelope peeking out addressed to Jennifer Sylvester

It was from HomeDNA.

It was post-marked with a date from a couple weeks prior.

Adam’s heart sank.

She lied? Does it mean she already knows I’m not her father and is still too afraid to tell me?

He set the scissors down on the counter, momentarily forgetting about his throbbing hand, and picked up the envelope. Adam turned it over, not really knowing if he actually had the guts to pull out what was in it and read it.

What the hell?

The damn envelope wasn’t even open!

Adam’s mind whirled. How the hell would they ever move forward if she couldn’t trust him with whatever was in that damn envelope?

He didn’t even care about the results at this point. He would adopt Amber in a heartbeat if Jennifer would let him. Yes, he’d be thrilled to be her father, but no matter the results he wanted to be part of their lives and he really thought she knew that by now.

He sat down at the kitchen table and tried to figure out what to do. Although he didn’t have a clue, one thing he wouldn’t do is shout and leave.

She’s been lying to me for weeks.

He sat at the table and waited for Jennifer to return. His hand started to tingle the longer he waited and he realized he forgot to cut off the balloon. Adam grabbed the scissors and made very quick work of cutting the string off his throbbing wrist. The second the string came off, the sensation of pins and needles began to crawl down to his fingers.

Adam was shaking his hand in the air when Jennifer finally walked into the kitchen. As she walked towards him, a big smile on her face, and he wondered how she would react when she saw the envelope from HomeDNA.

He didn’t have to wonder long. Jennifer came to a screeching halt when she saw the envelope on the table. Her shoes actually made a skidding sound on the kitchen floor and Adam figured he probably would have laughed if it hadn’t been about the paternity test.

He remained silent, staring at her, waiting for her response.

“Uh, w…w…where’d you find that?” Jennifer stuttered. “Were you digging in my stuff?”

Adam’s mouth turned down at the corners. “Come on, Jenn, give me a little credit. My hand was about to fall off from Amber’s balloon so I looked for scissors to cut it off.”

He saw her glance at his hand, which he was still waving in the air, and was glad to see her lower her head.

“I…well…I just got it, and…,” she started to explain.

Adam interrupted before she could lie any more, but purposely kept his voice calm.

“Try again.” Jennifer’s eyes widened as he pointed to the red post-marked date on the letter. “Let’s first talk about why you haven’t told me you got it. And then I want to know why in the world haven’t you opened it?”

She sat down in the chair next to him and covered her face with her hands.

It was like déjà vu, but he knew the end result was different this time because no matter the results, he wasn’t going to leave.

Adam reached over and pulled Jennifer’s hands away from her face.

He could see the anguish in her beautiful eyes and the tear running down her cheek. He brushed away the tear with his thumb and then asked, “Why don’t you trust me?”

“I’m terrified that if we open the results and they still say you aren’t her father, you’ll leave again. I just can’t go through that again.”

Adam tried to keep his voice calm and convincing, “Right now, as far as we know, I’m not Amber’s father. You’re the one who wanted me to retake the test so I did, but no matter the results, I’m not going anywhere. Why won’t you believe me?”

Jennifer let out an exasperated breath. “I don’t know.”

For a split second, he wished he had the engagement ring with him, but then shook his head. He didn’t want to propose this way.

“If you don’t know, then I don’t know either. But if you can’t trust me, this relationship was over before it started.”

Pain flickered across her face but she remained silent.

Not ready to give up, he decided to try another tactic. He grabbed the package and turned it over. “Let’s just open the results.”

Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head. “No.”

“Why not? We need to just move forward and the only way we can do that is to open that envelope.”

She shook her head again. “I need time to think.”

“What?” Adam was confused but then his mouth dropped open when it dawned on him what she was saying. “Are you asking me to leave? After I promised you I wouldn’t?”

She gave him a pained look and then nodded.

His heart broke at the realization she just didn’t trust him. “Why? What aren’t telling me?”

Jennifer’s eyes widened. “What? Nothing!”

He shook his head and looked at her for several seconds before he stood up.

Her voice was shaky as she said, “Don’t be mad. Please.”

Adam let out a huff of breath and said, “I’m trying to be patient, but I just can’t understand why you don’t trust me. I don’t want to leave. I want to open the results and move forward with our lives. But you’re not even giving me a chance here.”

Adam grabbed his keys from the kitchen table and started to head towards the front door, something he really didn’t want to do. He heard Jennifer’s chair scrape against the floor.

“Adam.”

He grabbed the door handle, opened the door, and then tried to hide his pain as he turned around to face her. “Yeah.”

“I just need more time.”

Adam shook his head. “I love you. I love Amber. I’m only leaving right now because you asked me to. Don’t forget that while you’re taking the time you need.”

He waited for her to tell him to stop and that they could open the results. But she didn’t say another word, so he walked out the door.

*****

Adam made it home and instead of going to bed, he decided to head down to the lake. Before he let himself out the patio door, he grabbed a couple beers. When he made it down to the dock, he slumped in his favorite chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

He let out a groan. “What am I doing wrong?”

There was only one thing holding them back from having a relationship and it wasn’t the results in that damn envelope. Either she trusted him or they just had no future together.

Ending the relationship with Jennifer wasn’t something he wanted to consider, yet if he couldn’t get through to her, what chance did they have?

He shook his head, his resolve snapping.

He’d make her open the damn letter tomorrow, that’s what he’d do. And prove to her he loved her and Amber no matter what those results were.

As he drank his Summer Shandy he stared out at the full moon. It lit up the night sky and the waves crashing in to the rocky shoreline.

He was clenching his jaw so hard it was starting to hurt.

Jennifer and Amber should be there with him. Instead, he was alone.

They belonged together. It took them several tries over the course of ten or more years, but he was sure of his feelings for Jennifer and he thought she loved him too. What if she broke up with him? What if she decided they didn’t have a future together?

Those thoughts made him think of what a wreck he’d been after finding out he wasn’t Amber’s father all those years ago. It wasn’t pretty and the self-destructive behavior made him into a person he didn’t like at all.

Four years earlier…

Adam stood by a table, swaying slightly and taking another gulp of his beer. He felt his friend’s hand on his shoulder, trying to help to steady him.

“I think you’ve had enough, don’t you think?”

He looked over to Tom who was shaking his head, his mouth in a straight line and his eyes narrowed at him.

Adam waved his hand at his friend. “Bah, I’m fffine. Whattt are you talking aboutttt?”

It had been two months since he ditched his fiancé and found out he wasn’t actually a father. He’d quickly realized drinking made the pain go away, at least for a while. It made him not care at all about any of it.

“Adam, seriously, you need to back off a bit. Maybe its time to bring your drunk ass home, huh?”

“Nah. I’mmm good.”

Tom shook his head again and said, “A few more minutes, Adam, and we’re taking off. You need to go sleep it off.”

“Fuck off, Tom. I’m having fun. Aren’t you? Looooook at those hot chicksss giving us the eyeeeee. Too bad you’re engaged, huh?”

Adam tried to laugh but it came out as a drunken snort.

Tom glanced over in the direction Adam had pointed. “No, dude. They’re all yours.”

“Ah, goooood! I wouldn’t mind a hookup tonight,” Adam slurred. “I’m done withhhh relationships. They hurt too damn mush.”