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"Hey, you awake already?" Adam asks, rolling toward me.
Wiping away the tears before he can see them, I smile over my shoulder at him and nod. "Is it that early?"
"The sun isn't even up yet. Can't sleep?"
"Something like that," I mumble, pushing myself into a sitting position and clicking on the light.
"Warn me next time, babe. That lamp is brighter than the sun."
Adam covers his face with a pillow and groans. Reaching for my phone, I flip it over to see it's a little before six o'clock.
It's going to be a long day.
"I'm going to shower and get ready to go see Chloe before I take my mom back to Denver. Go back to sleep," I say, clicking the light off and removing the pillow so I can kiss his lips.
I miss the mark, kissing his cheek instead.
"Why don't I make coffee and then we can figure out who's riding with you."
Sliding my legs off the bed, I wait a few beats before I answer him. "I think this is something I need to do alone. I think I get why she invited Liam here. I understand why she won't give up. We need to talk, and I can't do that with anyone else in the car."
"Care to share?"
Of course he wants to know. Why wouldn't he? This impacts his life too. My mother is a raging bitch to him because he's not Liam.
"I'll tell you over coffee."
The water is scalding, just the way I like it. I stand with my back to the spray, hoping to alleviate some of the cramping in my lower back. It's a semi-constant ache now. It hurts more when I stand, so the fact I'll be seated in the car most of today will hopefully help because hot water isn't doing the trick.
Walking into the kitchen, I'm surprised Adam isn't seated at the island. Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I'm reaching into the refrigerator for creamer when I hear his voice.
Not Adam. Liam's voice.
"Still drinking sugar water?" he asks.
Snatching the creamer from the top shelf, I take a deep breath and try to remember that this isn't his fault. I'm not sure what my mother told him to lure him here, but she brought him into this. She's the reason I'm upset. He wouldn't be here if she hadn't dangled a glimmer of hope in front of him like a carrot and dragged him across the country.
"I only get one cup a day, so I make it the way I like it," I reply, closing the door and coming face to face with my ex. It’s been years, but it feels like just yesterday I was closing my bedroom door in his face. The ache in my chest is real.
He looks the same as I remember. Khaki pants and a polo style shirt, per usual. His closet was always filled with the same shirt in a variety of colors. His hair is a bit longer than he used to keep it, and his eyes are weary.
"I'm sorry, Addison. I didn't know," he begins, motioning to my protruding belly. "If I had, I never would have let your mother talk me into coming here."
I knew she was behind this. Always meddling in my business.
"I suspected she was responsible. If you realized it was a mistake, why are you still here?" I ask, moving past him so I can finish making my cup of coffee.
"I wanted to apologize. To you and to Adam. He seems like a great guy, and I didn't come here to cause any trouble."
"Well, apology accepted. I would say it was nice to see you, but you'd know I was lying," I reply, sounding snappier than I had intended.
"Before I go, I was wondering if you wanted me to take your mom back to Denver with me. She said her plane leaves this afternoon. I figured I'd save you the drive since I'm headed home anyway."
"Home?" I ask, spinning in his direction. Not back to Denver. Not to the airport. He's headed home.
"Yeah. I moved a few years ago. I wasn't following you, I promise, but knowing you were so close didn't make it easy to keep my distance."
"Why Denver?"
