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And the moment vanished, imploding in a storm of what-ifs.
I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. “What’s up?” I finally said.
“I think that he might have dyslexia,” she suggested quietly. “He flips his words around a lot.”
“Ah,” I said. “That would make sense. I have it, too.”
The subject had moved on, the moment lost. I couldn’t tell her, not now. I had to wait for the right moment again, the perfect moment. That was what Katie deserved. And I was sure now, more sure than I ever had been of anything in my life.
Katie’s eyes widened. “You do? I would have never guessed.”
I smiled. “I do my best to hide it, and my parents got me help when I was in school. If you think Colin’s showing signs, we’ll get him set up with someone right away who can help.”
“They didn’t help you at home?” she asked, and I looked away.
“They didn’t do much of anything at home, except for praise Toby,” I said bitterly. “They mostly just ignored me or told me what I was doing wasn’t enough. For example, I was captain of the wrestling team in high school and neither of them ever showed up for a single match. They were at all of Toby’s baseball games, though.”
“Jesus, Adam,” Katie said, with compassion in her voice. “I’m so sorry.” She put her hand on my face, cupping my cheek.
“I don’t ever want Colin to feel like second best, after the twins get here,” I confessed, turning my face into her hand. “I worry about it sometimes.”
Katie frowned and grasped my chin to get me to look at her. “He’ll never be second best to me. I love him just like I love the twins,” she said.
I smiled at her, taking her hand in mine. “Maybe I’m the one who’s lucky to have you,” I said softly, and Katie giggled.
“Damn right, you are.” She paused. “But the girls are lucky to have you as a father, and I’m lucky to have you, too. As... whatever we are.”
Should I tell her?
“Don’t get any ideas that I’m in love with you,” she said quickly, and I gave her a half-smile.
“God forbid,” I murmured, and snuggled up closer to her again, taking in her jasmine perfume.
I couldn’t tell her then. It would ruin the moment.
Chapter 27
Adam
Iwoke up in the middle of the night because something wet was soaking through the bed sheets. I immediately sat up, remembering the nights when Colin would climb in with me and wet the bed, but when I opened my eyes, he wasn’t there.
I rubbed my face and flipped on the bedside lamp, seeing Katie looking up at me with frightened brown eyes.
“Adam,” she whispered. “I’m bleeding.”
I looked down and the bed beneath her was soaked with blood. Panic rose in my throat, tightening my windpipe, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
I sat upright and bolted out of the bed. Katie didn’t sit up, as if she was afraid to move.
“It’s going to be okay,” I told her in a calm voice, even though I was nowhere near calm. I didn’t want to frighten Katie any more than she already was, and I knew that she had to be terrified. Hell, I was terrified. There was too much blood. There was no way that there wasn’t something wrong, and I was struggling to keep my thoughts coherent.
Instead of sitting her up, I scooped her into my arms, and carried her down the stairs, my heart beating too hard. I walkedinto the garage, helping her into the car first, buckling her seatbelt, then darting over to get into the driver’s side.
“Does anything hurt?” I asked her, almost breathless, and Katie nodded, grimacing and holding on to her stomach. She was still six weeks away from her due date. They were too early. I didn’t know anything about pregnancy or even newborns other than what I had learned with Katie. I hadn’t met Colin until he was nearly a year old, and I never had any contact with his mother while she was pregnant. I cursed under my breath. I should have read that book that Katie asked me to read about labor and delivery, but I thought I had plenty of time.
I felt woefully unprepared, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I have called an ambulance instead of driving her myself?
Katie placed her hand on my knee, squeezing. “These are definitely not Braxton-Hicks contractions,” she choked out, her grip painful on my knee but I didn’t say a word.
