Page 65 of Unveiled

He wanted to tell her how he felt—that he was falling for her. That maybe he’d fallen for her long ago. But he kept his mouth shut. She had enough burdens to bear tonight, and he refused to heap anything else on her shoulders. He needed to wait for her to come to him. He prayed that just being there for her would be enough to prove his intentions were true.

“Come on, babe.” He patted her hip and settled her back in her seat. “Let’s go.”

Taking his time as he rounded the truck, he shot off a quick text to Wendy to ask if she could watch Jaclyn a bit longer. They’d driven about a mile down the road when his screen lit up with an incoming message. He glanced at Wendy’s affirmation, then set his phone in the cupholder. In the passenger seat, Adalyn sat quietly, back to her reserved self. When he pulled into a pub on the outskirts of town, she threw him a questioning glance.

“What are we doing here?”

He turned to face her and laid one arm over the back of the seat. “We don’t have to go in if you don’t want to, but I thought you could use it. You never have any time for yourself.”

She stared at him hard for a moment, then redirected her gaze to the bar. “I shouldn’t. Wendy’s watching Jaclyn and⁠—”

“I already asked her to stay a bit longer.” Adalyn’s gaze jumped back to his. “She said to take as long as we need.”

She was always too busy taking care of everyone else—Jaclyn, the salon, Evelyn. She deserved a little bit of time to unwind. “I’m going to guess rum.”

Her brows drew together in confusion. “For what?”

He lifted a shoulder. “I could tell the other night that you weren’t really into beer. So I’m guessing rum is more up your alley.”

“Close.” A tiny smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Vodka. Specifically, martinis.”

He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “Then how about we get you a martini?” After the episode with Evelyn, Adalyn could probably use a martini—or three.

She sank her teeth into her lower lip before replying. “I guess so.”

Pleased that she’d agreed, he slid from the truck and went around to help her out. She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as he led her toward the front door. It was such a wifely thing to do, and it felt so natural that his heart swelled in his chest. It was the first time she’d reached for him first. She’d rarely, if ever, instigated romance between the two of them. Almost always he went 90 percent of the way before she’d move in to meet him.

He was starting to realize that he hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface of Adalyn’s complex personality. She was outwardly serene and sweet, compartmentalizing all of her fears and doubts and insecurities and shoving them down deep. But now, things had begun to shift. She was touching him for the first time ever, as if he was more to her than Jaclyn’s father. Even when they’d made love last night, she hadn’t exhibited this kind of comfort. She’d been passionate, yes, and eager—but this was different.

He held the door, and they made their way to a corner booth in the back of the dimly lit bar. The heavy air held the tangy scent of lemon cleaner and sweet liquor. Adalyn slid into the booth and he followed. She shot him a shy smile as he looped his arm around her shoulders, his thigh pressed tightly to hers. He knew she hadn’t figured it out yet, but he was determined to make her understand—he wasn’t going anywhere.

A waitress came by and took their order, and he turned to look at Adalyn. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She let out a mirthless laugh. “The fact that my mother is an evil manipulator? No, I’m all good on that. I’ve wasted over two decades getting caught up in her drama, and I’m done with it. My threshold for crap only reaches so far, and she definitely crossed the line tonight. I meant what I said back there. I don’t want anything to do with her—and I don’t want her around—unless she gets her life together.”

Fair enough. The amount of swearing she’d done in those few sentences alone told him just how serious she was. He let the silence stretch between them for a moment while he searched for something else to say. Before he came up with anything, she beat him to the punch, her voice filled with a combination of exasperation and frustration.

“You know”—she turned to face him—“I don’t mind helping her out. I really don’t. In fact, I’d have been more than happy to do it. But it’s the principle of the thing. The fact of the matter is, she didn’t even bother to ask if I would take her to the airport. Heck, she never even said anything about going before tonight. I’m sure she was just bored and needed a change, so she decided to hop on a plane, because she’s spoiled and thinks she can have whatever she wants.”

She paused to take a breath, and he stretched his legs under the table, settling further into the booth. Her body was still tight with tension, but he let his hand linger lightly on her shoulder, a gentle touch letting her know he was there for her.

Adalyn sighed heavily. “I’m so tired of being treated like crap because she feels entitled to do whatever she wants whenever she wants.”

He waited a moment, but it seemed her tirade was over. “For what it’s worth… I’m glad you finally stood up to her.”

“Yeah?” Steely eyes met his. “You don’t think I overreacted?”

“Not at all.” He shook his head. “Granted, I don’t know her all that well, but your mother seems… difficult.”

Adalyn let out a half laugh. “You think?”

“She strikes me as being a very strong personality who bullies people into doing what she wants.” Adalyn nodded in agreement. “Sometimes the only way to get through to someone like that is to stand up to them just the way you did. If they feel like they can push you around, they’ll continue to walk all over you.”

A tiny smile quirked her mouth. “Sounds like you’re familiar with this.”

He shrugged. “Not personally, exactly. But I knew guys like that in the service. Thought they were better than everyone else.” He took a moment. “Your mother is kind of like those guys. Everyone is deserving of respect, and it’s time she starts showing it to you. You have a successful business and you’re an awesome mom. Who wouldn’t be proud of that?”

She dipped her head, presumably to hide the flash of moisture he’d glimpsed in her eyes. Her voice was whisper-soft when she spoke, and the rasp told him his hunch was correct. “Thank you.”