Page 93 of Now or Never

He knew she had Jae, and Natalie, and Ethan. Hell, Vincent would probably pick up groceries for her if she asked him to. But he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to be the one she turned to. There was no reason he couldn’t be there for her, too.

He started to follow her when the surgeon stepped into his path.

“Family only past this point,” she said in a harsh tone. Her features softened in sympathy when she met his eyes. “Can I call someone for you?”

Adam shook his head, took a few steps back. Did he look likeheneeded someone?

Probably.

He thanked her, then turned, and walked out to his truck like a zombie, wondering how he’d let himself get so totally fucked up like this.

He just hoped Chelsea and Ben were going to be okay on their own.

twenty-nine

“Idon’t want it, Mama,” Ben said, puckering his little mouth and turning his face away from the syringe of antibiotics.

“I know, buddy, but you have to. I mixed it with some apple juice. It’s not too bad.”

Ben turned to her with sad eyes and opened his mouth. She shot the medicine in, and as he shuddered from the taste, a fresh wave of guilt hit her.

She was feeling incredibly guilty these days.

“Don’t,” Jae said from the rocking chair in the corner.

Chelsea met her eyes for a second, then looked away. Jae had been lecturing her since they’d got home from the hospital that it wasn’t Chelsea’s fault this had happened. It was nice to hear, but it made little difference. She still felt like the worst mother on earth.

She set the syringe down and pulled Ben into a hug, angry with herself for the millionth time that she had sent him to school when he had a stomach ache. She should have made him stayhome, but she didn’t put her foot down because he wanted to go, and, if she was being honest, because she was relieved she wouldn’t miss work.

“I’m sorry, Benny. We only have a few more days of medicine.”

“Can I play outside today?”

“The doctor said you need a week of rest,” she said, adjusting his pillow and pulling his blanket up around his shoulders. She’d brought his blankets and pillows from his bed upstairs to the couch in the living room, where they had been hanging out together watching movies all day. Jae had worked from the living room on a lap desk so she could be close to Ben, too.

“Let’s watch another movie. I’m worried about you falling off your bike when you’re still recovering.”

Ben shook his head and folded his arms. “I don’t want to ride my bike.”

“What? All you ever want to do is ride your bike.”

“I can’t do it,” he said, dropping his head down. “I just fall and fall and fall . . .” He trailed off.

She and Jae stared at each other, speechless. She never expected Ben to give up. He’d been bound and determined to ride his bike.

“That’s just the way bikes are, Ben,” she said. “It takes a while before you get the hang of it.”

Ben shook his blond head. “I’ll just ride my scooter. I never fall off it.”

It was like a slap to the face to hear him giving up. A little too reflective of how she had been feeling inside about her relationship with Adam.

Actually, not Adam in particular. She was completely done with his mind fuckery. He told her he loved her one minute, ghosted her the next, showed up at the hospital, and then broke up with her. She would be quite happy if she never had to deal with him again.

In a way, she was actually grateful to him. She’d spent years after Jasper left refusing to have a relationship with anyone, and Adam helped her realize what she’d been missing out on. She loved the idea of having a partner. Someone to move through life with, build a family with.

But it was hard, and you’d have to fall a lot.

She fell flat on her face with Adam in that hospital when she told him she loved him and he rejected her. She’d imagined he would tell her he loved her, too, and it would be like that scene at the end ofDirty Dancingwhen Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey finally nailed the lift.

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