Page 53 of Echoes of You

“What’s so funny?” Adam asked from the couch.

His tone was deceptively calm—the kind of calmness that had my palms instantly dampening and my stomach twisting. I swallowed hard. “A picture of one of my friend’s sons. He got into some paint, and it was pretty cute.”

I tried as much as possible to keep Nash’s name out of my mouth. I got it. I really did. I wasn’t sure I’d be thrilled about my boyfriend having a female friend he was potentially closer to than me. I did my best to stretch out the time between phone calls with Nash and always had them when Adam wasn’t around.

“Which friend?” The question was casual as if he were actually curious.

“Lawson.”

Adam’s fingers tightened around his phone.

Over the past year, I’d gotten good at registering every tiny move and preparing for the sudden shift in temperature in my relationship.

“Who texted you?”

“Nash.” I didn’t hesitate to answer. That would only make things worse.

Little lines of strain formed around Adam’s eyes. “And what doesNashhave to say?”

“Just wanted to send me that photo of Charlie.”

Adam finally looked up from his phone, his cold gray gaze colliding with mine. “What do you think it says about you that you’re so determined to keep up this friendship with another man?”

Beads of sweat rolled down my back. “He’s been in my life since I was five. There’s no romantic history there.”

“But you wish there was.”

I stared at my boyfriend of over a year. “I’m with you. I don’t want anyone but you.”

Adam scoffed. “You make me look like a fool. I was talking to Carl, and he said he doesn’t know why I don’t just dump you. You obviously have zero respect for me and our relationship.”

My heart lurched, a sickening dread sweeping through me. “That’s not true. I moved across the country to be with you. Quit my job. I travel with you whenever you need.”

His eyes hardened. “I thought youwantedto do those things.”

“I did. I do. But they should be evidence of how much I want this relationship to work.”

Adam leaned back in his chair. “If that’s true, then why don’t you put your phone away and come spend some time with me?” He patted the cushion next to him on the couch.

I looked down at the text messages from Nash. He’d be able to see that I’d read them without responding. I hated the idea of that, but I shoved the guilt down and crossed to Adam.

He pulled me down next to him, grabbing the phone from my hand and putting it on the side table. He wrapped his arms around me so tightly that it was hard to breathe. “I’m sorry, Madison. I just love you so much, and I want this to work. Don’t you?”

“Yes.” My throat was so tight that it was hard to get the word out.

“Good.”

But I wasn’t so sure it wasgood. There were moments it was. Where I felt safe and cared for, but as I stared down at my engagement ring, I realized what I felt more and more was trapped.

The sound of a door opening jerked me out of the memory. I did my best to uncurl my fingers from the blanket wrapped around me. The memory hadn’t even been a particularly bad one. It was what it symbolized. That handful of moments when the tides had started to turn from good to so very bad.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. I did my best to brace. I’d never been good at hiding my emotions. They played over my face for all to see. They’d gotten me in trouble with my father and with Adam. But Nash could read me better than anyone.

He filled my bedroom doorway, his broad form eating up the space. The moment his eyes landed on me, he stilled. “What’s wrong?”

My fingers twisted in the blanket. “Nothing. Just tired.”

Nash strode across the space, lowering himself to the mattress. “You sure about that?”

---