Page 44 of Now or Never

Chelsea stared on, watching Adam walking behind Ben. A flood of emotion and guilt hit her. She wished Ben had a dad in his life. Wished Jasper weren’t such a dickwad. Wondered whether she should have forgiven him so that Ben could have a dad. Wondered whether she should try to find a man that would fit into their lives.

Wondered whether Adam could ever be that man.

“DoIneed to tellyouto get a grip?” Jae asked.

Chelsea blinked, shaking the thoughts out of her head. She and Ben didn’t need Jasper, or Adam, or anyone else. But maybe it would be nice to have someone to do life with. Someone who wanted to build a family with her.

Or maybe she just needed to get laid. She could always hit on that hot dad at the school Monday morning.

Adam passed the stick to Jae and stood next to Chelsea, watching in silence for a moment before breaking it.

“I was going to call you today.”

Chelsea’s brain stopped working.

“Oh?” Chelsea said, trying hard not to show any kind of reaction.

“Yeah,” he said. “I was going to ask for your help with Ethan’s wedding, now that Float Fest is over. I don’t know what kinds of flowers or colours or what kind of cake Natalie likes.”

Chelsea couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Why didn’t you just let them elope?”

Adam feigned offence, pretending to clutch a set of pearls. “How could you say that? Getting married is a big deal. And big deals need to be celebrated.”

“Eloping is still celebratory.”

Adam shook his head, the mood shifting slightly. “Life’s too short to let happy times slip by. You gotta stop and soak them in.”

Chelsea glanced back at his house, then up at his green eyes staring a hole through hers. The mystery of Adam was clicking into place.

He lost his mother young, avoids the media spotlight, and just mentioned something about an accident.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Chelsea smiled at his playful green eyes. “I’m trying to figure you out.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Good luck with that.”

She wanted to know more, but he swiftly moved the conversation along.

“Do you have time to talk about the wedding right now?” he asked, nodding his head toward his house. “I don’t think it will take too long.”

Chelsea’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t think it will take long? To plan a wedding?”

Adam shook his head with a cocky smile that made Chelsea laugh. She glanced over his shoulder at his house and tried to imagine what it was like inside. Maybe with a look at his personal space, she could connect more dots.

She looked over her shoulder at Jae and Ben, then back at him.

“Okay,” she finally said. “Just let me tell Jae.”

She turned to walk toward Jae and Ben, trying to hide her giddiness, when Adam’s voice grabbed her.

“I’m just gonna grab a quick shower first,” he said. “Let yourself in through the patio doors and help yourself to whatever you want from the fridge.”

Before she could say a word, he turned and jogged off toward his house, leaving her on the beach feeling incredibly uneasy about letting herself into his home, but at the same time, unbelievably excited.

Chelsea crept up the wood stairs leading to Adam’s house and crossed the deck. When she got to the door, she reached her hand up and knocked, feeling weird about walking into his house alone as if she owned the place. When he didn’t come, she reached for the handle and reluctantly let herself inside.

“Hello?” she called, as she closed the door behind her.

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