Page 41 of Lost Summer
She smiled against my chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns over the thin material of my shirt. Yet, I could feel her hesitation—the weight of unspoken things between us.
I got it—I did, but finally, we had each other...why couldn’t we concentrate on that?
“We need to stop pretending, Ted,” she said suddenly, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest, her face illuminated by the soft candlelight. “I mean...about Elena.”
I’d been waiting for it. Hell, I’d been ready for it. And yet, the name still hit like a punch to the stomach.
“I know,” I murmured, running a hand through my hair.
“What’s going to happen with her? With...the baby?” Adele’s voice was steady, but there was a tremor beneath it, one I recognised well—fear, insecurity.
And how could I blame her?
It wasn’t an easy question to answer.
“I’ll support my child,” I responded firmly, meeting her gaze. “But I don’t want anything to do with Elena beyond that. This isn’t aboutusanymore—this is about my child. And, Adele...” I reached for her, lacing my fingers with hers. “You’re my future.We’rethe future. Elena’s in the past.”
She looked down for a moment; her lips pressed into a tight line as she absorbed my words.
I hated seeing her insecurities laid bare like that, so vulnerable. They didn’t deserve to be dragged into the light, but I would’ve felt the same if our roles were reversed. If it were Adele’s belly swelling with someone else’s child... I clenched my teeth, tension rolling through me like a wave. Her hand squeezed mine, bringing me back to the present.
“I just don’t ever want to be the reason for...complications,” she commented finally, her blue eyes lifting to meet mine, searching for hope.
“There’s nothing about this that’s easy,” I admitted.
Understatement of the century.
“No shit,” she whispered, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Still...I’ll handle it. I will.” I meant it, too.
I can’t lose Adele, I won’t.
But my child would need me, and I wouldn’t ever shirk away from my responsibilities. Not now. Not ever. Especially considering the world in which they would be brought up.
Her eyes softened, though the worry never quite left them, even when she leaned in to kiss me again.
The following days flew by in moments both bittersweet and perfect. I took her out to the Magnolia to see Orion’s band perform, and we laughed over too many drinks, Adele pressing her lips to my ear to whisper sweet insults about their questionable taste in cover songs.
In those moments—when her head was thrown back with unrestrained laughter, her eyes crinkling at the corners—I felt the weight of everything fade away.
But it always came back.
Elena had yet to make her next move, but I knew her well enough to know she would. She was biding her time, probably crafting some new plan in her calculating mind.
I didn’t trust her at all.
I spent a night or two tossing and turning, wondering if she’d try to claim full custody of the baby—use any leverage she had against me. I wouldn’t let her. If my child was to exist in this world, I wouldn’t let it grow up in the toxic, manufactured world Elena had created around herself. Money, fame, all of it—none mattered to me anymore. It was all noise.
Adele was what mattered.
“Hey.” Adele’s voice broke through the haze of thoughts, and I turned to find her standing in the bedroom doorway, dressed in an oversized band T-shirt. Her eyes searched mine with quiet concern. “You with me?”
God, she’s stunning.
I nodded, pulling her into my arms. “I’m always with you,” I repeated softly, more to myself than her.
“Good,” she murmured, pressing her cheek against my chest. “Because Ted...we can do this.”
