Page 11 of Bookworm
With a sheepish smile, Adam cradled his handful of groceries in the torn paper bag. “Yeah, uh. That’s my apartment, right down there,” he said, pointing at door 421. “The building is owned by Dartmouth and used for employee housing.”
“How nice!” Dad boomed, delightfully clueless as Addy and I shared a look.
Dad had no idea things had ended poorly between Adam and me. All he knew was that we broke up when Adam left for Dartmouth and that I spent two weeks holed up in my room listening to loud music until Addy and my friend Mia dragged me out of my room and back to the land of the living.
“Yep,” I said. “Nice. That’s… what it is.”
“And he doesn’t just work at Dartmouth… he works at the library there!” Dad added. “You two will probably be working together!”
I cleared my throat. “Actually, Adam’s the whole reason why I was hired by Dartmouth in the first place.”
Not for the first time, Dad and Addy were rendered speechless.
Adam rubbed the back of his neck, the action so entirely similar to what he used to do in high school that an ache throbbed behind my breastbone at the sight of it. “I wouldn’t say I’m thewholereason.”
“Is this your boyfriend?” Cole asked, blinking wide green eyes up at Adam.
“No,” I answered quickly at the same time Addy swept Lacey out of my arms.
“Okay,” Addy said. “Boys, it is past your bedtime! Give your sister a hug, then march your butts out to the car!”
There were a few groans and arguments, but Cole and Coen gave me another hug and rushed toward the elevator, fighting over who would press the buttons.
Addy squeezed me into a quick hug. “It’s good to have you home, kid. Even if it’s not a permanent thing.”
Dad pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Dinner Sunday at our house?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
With a wave, the chaos that was this new definition of the Meyer family was gone, leaving just me and Adam standing in the hallway.
“Wow,” Adam said. “Your family sure is different than in high school.”
I exhaled something that was a cross between a sigh and a chuckle. “Isn’t that the truth?”
My family had morphed and evolved a lot over the years, starting before Adam ever knew me.
Back when we lived in New York City, the Meyers family consisted of me, Dad, and Grandma. Then, it was just me and Dad for a little bit… until Addy entered our lives.
For a few years, it was just the three of us… with the occasional visits we’d take to England to visit my mother, her new husband, and my little brother, Duke.
Then Addy had the twins shortly after her wedding to my dad and all hell broke loose.
Well, maybe hell was the wrong word… it insinuated that it was a bad thing. The boys weren’t bad. They were chaotic, sure. Loud, God yes. But the farthest thing from bad.
With their arrival, our quiet house and little blended family of three turned into a nonstop hurricane family of five. I loved them all so much it hurt, but even still, it took some getting used to. I went from being an only child for eighteen years to watching my dad start the process all over again.
I’d always be his daughter. There was no doubt about that. But by no fault of his own or Addy’s, there were times I couldn’t help but feel like I was on the outside looking in at my own family.
I wasn’t resentful. It was just the way of things. The nature of growing up and moving away just as your Dad starts to have children in his second marriage.
And I knew that if Dad ever found out I had these thoughts? He’d make himself crazy with worry and overcompensate to try to include me even more. But the fact is, he’s notdisincluding me from anything.
I was the one who moved to another country.
I was the one who didn’t visit more than once a year.
He was a great dad. Addy was the best stepmom I could ever ask for. And I loved my brothers and sister.
