SIW Adam & Bronwille: Ch 01 The Past

Chapter One : The Past.

Adam was restless, his wolf agitated. Yet again she'd slammed the door in his face. When he called her an hour later, hoping she had cooled down by then, she again didn't pick up, letting him go to voicemail once more. He left by now, his few familiar words, "Bronwille, can you please talk to me? Just let me know you're alright." Then he always had to bite his tongue to stop himself from adding "I love you".

Two months had passed since the attack on Bronwille in the alley next to "The Viper". At first he called twice every day, then once a day, then every other day. Now he called on Monday and Friday. Not once had she answered his calls, not once had she talked to him when he stood in front of her door.

He was starting to lose all hope that she would get better. Every minute he wasn't needed in his tavern, he spent watching over her, making sure, well hoping was more like it, that she's ok. It was only because of Mia that he knew she was doing somewhat ok. "She gets by," was the usual answer he got from Mia every time he saw her.

The staff at his tavern avoided him like the plague, where as they normally always stopped by his kitchen for a little chat before and after their shift. At first he was fine, then he started being silent and now he was nearly losing it with his mate refusing to acknowledge he even existed. The only ones brave enough to meet his temper were the Alpha's and Beta's of his own pack and the Whelan brothers and their mates.

He grumbled, cursed and growled as he battled with all the pots and pans on his tiny stove. He felt like trashing the place, not caring if anything was left whole or not.

"Hey, Mister Grumpy, I see you're at it again?" a sweet voice said behind him. Suddenly part of his tension disappeared. Mia always had that effect on him.

"Hi sunshine. Sorry for the mood. How are you doing?" he asked, grabbing a towel to wipe off his hands as he turned towards Mia.

"I'm just peachy. This morning sickness is finally giving up ruining my day. Guess I don't have to ask how you're doing. I could hear the trashing all the way up front," Mia said.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. He was aware his behavior wasn't normal but he had no clue how to solve this whole situation with Bronwille.

"Adam, we got to do something. This is becoming unbearable for you, not to mention those around you and your customers."

"What do you want me to do then? She doesn't answer her phone, at least not for me. When I'm at her door she doesn't even open it. She doesn't even talk back. It's driving me up a wall. I understand she needs her time and I'm willing to give her that, but I'm slowly going insane here because she can't even bring herself to say just a simple 'Yes, I'm fine' or 'No, leave me alone'," he spoke heatedly rattling more pans on the stove in front of him.

"I'm so sorry she's making you feel like this. You know she isn't doing it intentionally, right?" Mia asked.

That question resulted in Adam slamming down a pan with so much force the contents spilled over the sides. 

"Of course I know, but I don't have to like it that my mate thinks she has to deal with this on her own. I'd move heaven and earth to make that hurt go away, if only she would let me. It's driving me and my wolf insane. We want to be there for her, but she isn't letting us in," Adam said in a hurt voice. Finally calming down a little he sighed as he turned around facing Mia. 

"I don't know what I can do to get through to her without scaring her shitless. You got any options?" Adam asked with a hint of hope in his eyes.

"I have an idea that might help you understand how she copes with everything. Here take this," Mia said as she handed him a tiny piece of paper. "Go to that site and look for the name I wrote down. You know she works mainly as an editor but whenever she's troubled she writes. 

I'm going to plead the fifth if she ever finds out how you got this. She barely admitted it to us that it was her. Read her bio page and maybe that can spark a little something to help you along," she added in a mysterious tone.

"And why is it you tell me this now and not sooner?" Adam snapped. Defiantly, he turned his back to her and started cleaning up the mess he had made. Sadly, he only made it worse by his brisk movements caused by the barely constrained frustration that was now building up inside of him, replacing the anger he'd felt before. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you," he spoke softly, facing her again. Looking at the tiny piece of paper, "So what is the meaning of this?" he said as he waved it briefly in front of Mia.

"At some level she trusts you; or else she wouldn't have allowed you to care for her those first few days. Her way of dealing with everything is to write, write and write some more. I checked her bio this morning and she put up something new. The first time it took her two whole years to get back. It was eighteen months before she started writing something down, now she's put something up after two months. 

"That proves she's starting to come around. If I may suggest, read 'Broken Bones' first before you read anything else, even her new submission. Keep that for last," Mia explained. "And well, we don't want you walking around all grumpy and growling at everybody. I thought providing this will help you as well, maybe you can find another way to get through to her instead of getting her door smacked in your face every time."

Turning around, he threw the washcloth over his shoulder and leaned against the counter. The chef's coat was a tight fight, not hiding his muscular build at all. The seams almost looked like they were tearing up when he crossed his arms.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to scare her anymore then she already is. I know of that first attack and that it was a close call. But how is me reading her stories going to help either of us? You know I'd do anything for her, just as Chris will for you and the babe and Nick for Fran. I know she went through hell and back. I've seen my share of misery over time. Fact is we don't even know what she saw, if she saw anything at all. I just want to hold her, soothe her, care for her," he spoke softly. The anguish was clear on his face now.

"Oh Adam, I feel for you," Mia said as she walked up and hugged him. Close contact always soothed a wolf, not the same level of soothing a mate could provide, but soothing nonetheless. 

Loosely he circled his arms around her, letting his wolf relax from the comforting touch. He took a few moments for himself, letting Mia's words get through to him. Trying to understand what she really wanted him to do.

"So you think if I read her story and her new submission, I may find a way to get through to her?" he asked wearily.

Mia looked up at him, "I'm sure of it. Once you read her bio, you'll put things together," Standing on tip toes she planted a quick kiss on his unshaved cheek, "I'm sure you'll figure it out, grumpy."

Stepping back she turned around to walk out of his kitchen. At the last minute she turned and smiled, "Though I do suggest a shave next time you go to her, she's got delicate skin."

Adam chuckled at her remark, "Point taken. Now get back to Chris before he barges in and decides to decimate me for hogging his mate. I'll bring out the usual in a bit."

"You know he's no match for me," Mia smirked before she darted out of his sight. Her smirk turned into a wide smile as she heard his laughter follow her. Do me proud Adam. Bron needs you more than she's willing to admit. Now I just hope Bron forgives me for telling her little secret.

Later in the evening, when he had locked up his tavern, he went upstairs to his flat and turned on his ancient computer. He gave it enough time to load up while he went for a quick shower, washing off all the sweat and hoping it would invigorate him. 

After drying himself, he just put on a pair of sweatpants, not giving a damn if he went commando underneath. He pulled off the cap of the bottle of beer and sat down in front of his computer. He looked at the tiny piece of paper with the nice clear handwriting of Mia on it. Taking one large sip of his beer, he placed it next to the screen.

Slowly he typed in the address and waited for it to load. The layout of the site was clean, nothing frilly as he expected in the first place. Not wanting to waste too much time, he entered her pen name in the search box and just a few moments later her bio page opened in front of him.

Most of her boxes were blank. She was between twenty-four and thirty, was single but not looking and her two hobbies were reading and writing. At the bottom of her page there was a button tagged "volunteer editor", it picked his curiosity but he was more interested in her writings now. He made a mental note to check it out later.

Clicking her story page he noticed several stories listed under her penname. Checking the options he let them show in order they were submitted. All her entries were short stories. She'd submitted a few before "Broken Bones", a handful after and then her last submission dated a few days back. The cursor of his mouse hovered above the story Mia had told him to read first. 

Reaching for his beer, he took another big sip. As it made its way through his body, he built up enough courage to press that tiny button and waited, again, for her story to load. Maybe I should invest in a new computer, this constant waiting is nuts! he scolded himself.

Then he started reading: 

* * * *

* * * *

Broken Bones By RedB

Prologue:

How does one compare broken bones to a broken spirit? Which one is worse?

It's difficult to answer. But bones heal, memories never go away.

Chapter 1:

The call of a large black crow screeching caught Amelia's attention as she kneeled in her garden, preparing to plant the spring flowers she'd recently bought at the nursery and had delivered to her house so she didn't have to leave. Gardening was the only activity she enjoyed doing outdoors and these brief moments were nirvana for her when she was brave enough to step outside.

As her pale green eyes took in the larger black bird, which by the way was staring at her in an ominous fashion. She contemplated whether this was an omen or just a natural appearance. The thing cawed at her again, demanding attention.

"Are you here for more than a bug crow?" Amelia teased, but flinched as the bird answered her with a chirp.

"Well then, if you are here to remind me, then riddle me this -- what is more painful? Broken bones or a broken spirit?"

The crow tilted its head to the side as if it thought through her question and then made a sound that was eerily close to "spirit". Amelia freaked out, dropping the hand shovel she'd been holding so the spade sliced through the soft tilled soil and sat there ignored.

"Oh my God," she moaned and scrambled frantically to her feet to escape the black reminder. Black as the mark on her soul, that no matter what she did, it seemed to keep coming back to haunt her. Like that crow. Like the memories.

Inside, Amelia ran to the sink and gripped the cold porcelain rim, closing her eyes to blot out the recollections that pushed on her mind. Memories she didn't want to dreg up. 

A soft ticking drew her out of the battle and when she opened her eyes she came face to face with the damn crow sitting just outside her kitchen window watching her. He tapped the glass once again with his large glossy beak before returning to the eerie evaluation with its little black beady eye.

"Go away," she moaned, cringing at the weakness in her own voice. "I don't want this. Just go away."

The crow shook its head and tapped the glass again.

"Just go away."

Too late.

Phantom hands reached from behind and cupped her breasts in a painful remembrance of her ordeal. She twirled around in a panic trying to evade her own mind, but those hands followed. Amelia felt her panic rise as her heart picked up a rapid rate as she ran towards the bedroom, diving into the bed and throwing the covers over her head.

"Just go away," she begged, this time to the memories. "I don't want to remember this!"

Outside the crow called again as he flew around her house. That sound was enough to tip the balance and Amelia tumbled into her trance, relapsing back into the shattered state after the attack. Her mind shut down and her body went into survival mode. Just like before, there was no one here to help her, only her own self-preservation to claw her way back out.

~ ~ ~ ~

She'd been late leaving work one night, trying to get a few last minute reports completed so she could sleep in tomorrow instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to finish. Working for a large marketing firm didn't give her much chance to sleep in very often, so she took what she could when she could.

The dim lights of the parking lot, some flickering insistently, sent parts of the lot into darkness for a few clicks of the clock and caused her to pause. Her Honda Accord was parked in the darkest part of the lot and right next to this windowless white van she didn't recognize.

Looking back inside, she knew she was one of the last to leave the building and contemplated asking Justin to walk her out, but changed her mind. He was weaker than she was, so what was the point in that? His tall lanky frame would do nothing but give her mental security, so she stepped out into the cold night and walked towards her vehicle with key in hand.

The van was parked on the driver's side of her car, giving her the idea of entering in through the passenger door and sliding over once she was in. She chose that option and was about to insert the key into the lock when a powerful force thrust her against the passenger door and pinned her there.

"Thought you were being clever, did'ya?" The deep male voice whispered against the shell of her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't move. "Don't think of screaming either," the press of a sharp point against her rib cage highlighted the need to remain quiet. "Good girlie. We've been waiting for you, you know. You made our life easier by working late tonight, so now we're going for a ride. And remember," he pressed the sharp point more firmly into her ribs, "no screaming."

Because her body was effectively pinned to the car with her chest being smashed against the windows, she could barely turn her head to see her attacker. What did get her attention was the metallic sound of the van door opening and two more men, both wearing ski masks staring back.

"She's got tits for sure, that should make our play time more enjoyable," one called out. The other one punched the speaker before looking in Amelia and her attacker's direction with cold blue eyes, "Come on fucker; let's get going."

The pressure lifted from her body and she found herself numbly dragged towards the van. The last thing her eyes saw as the van door closed was her purse sitting on top her car with the contents spilling out like vomit. A small can of pepper spray barely visible, but useless. 

As the driver put the van into reverse, the large man who'd grabbed her squatted down inches from her face where she crouched in the back, trying to curl into a small little ball. 

Her body was shaking so badly from her trembling that it appeared she was cold. Through her trembling, she tried to make out any features of her attacker from behind the black ski mask, but all she could discern was his cold, calculated brown eyes that in this light looked black. But there was something about his voice. 

"So, here's the deal, chickie. I want into this gang and you're my ticket. Don't fight me and I will let you live. Fight me and you'll never see the light of day once I'm done with you. Understood?'

Amelia didn't reply. Her long brown hair was still covering one eye where it had come loose from the clip, but she still remained silent and motionless. She left the hair where it was.

"First things first, clothes are not allowed where we're going, so let's get you prepped. Once we arrive, you'll be cleaned up and prepared for my initiation. Plain and simple, I will reward you with a few orgasms if you don't fight the process, so remember that as you're being cleaned up," he lifted his knife, "Now strip." He used the tip of a hunting knife to indicate her jacket.

That roused her, "Now?"

"Yup."

Her terrorized eyes swept through the van and counted that including the driver, there were three men here. 

"You're taking too long," he leaned closer, "Remember, don't fight me, chickie and I consider this fighting me."

Amelia swallowed working through her options, but obviously this took too long for a blinding pain shot through her mind as his fist slammed into the side of her head knocking her onto her side.

"Strike one," he said coldly just before his knife sliced through the thin silk of her suit jacket. The sounds of ripping fabric followed as he shredded first the jacket, then the silk blouse and skirt exposing the matching bra and panty set.

Amelia recovered from her stunned state and fought back finally. She lashed out with her legs and kicked the bastard in the balls sending him reeling backwards grabbing the juncture between his legs. Her attacker, who she dubbed Giant, kicked out with his own heavy boot and slammed into her ribs, knocking the wind out of her. If that didn't break a rib, she'd be surprised. The freezing cold of the metal flooring in the van helped clear her head and focus back on the situation.

"Bitch," Giant snarled.

"What do you want with me!" she yelled once she found her breath again. Giant was recovering too, though. He now leaned against the barren wall of the van as he continued to grip his balls.

"You'll see. That wasn't nice, chickie. No kindness for you here on out. I need my jewels tonight and that pissed me off. Don't," he loomed dangerously close in motion so swift it startled her, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath, "do that that again."

"Fuck you," she spat a glob of spit into his face and again blinding pain as he punched her again. 

"Fuck you back, bitch. And I will, multiple times, you'll see." He slumped back against the van wall while he wiped the spit off his face using the back of his hand. The mask prevented him from removing it all, but he did the best he could do. 

Outside of the pain shooting from his balls, he was enjoying this little feisty reaction, because he wanted a fight. He wanted a good show to demonstrate he was right for this gang. Choosing a weak or submissive bitch would have worked against him. His dick flared to life at the thought of fucking her hard while she tried to get away. That pressure in his jeans further aroused him, so he stroked himself right in front of her, "This is all for you, chickie. Rock hard and throbbing." 

She paled at hearing his words. Her eyes traveled to the visible bulge and that further caused her to panic. No one saw her being taken and no one would know to report her missing. Not until tomorrow when people started arriving for work and seeing her purse and car would someone think to call in a missing persons report. She was alone and she felt the biting fear that she was probably going to die after this was all over.

"I see you finally understand," he sneered from behind his ski mask. "I picked you because you are a loner. You don't have friends and you don't have anyone who gives a flying fuck about you in this town. You're mine now, bitch. So start acting the part and get undressed. Now."

Amelia gulped twice before she sat up and looked down at her tattered clothing, or what remained of them. He'd pretty much shredded her suit and so she slowly removed what was left and sat there in just her bra and bikini underwear. 

He eyed her lewdly, "I took you for a tease, Amelia, and thought you'd wear a thong. You strut your hot cunt for the rest of the world, but don't let anyone near enough to see between those hot legs of yours."

The use of her name jolted her violently. Her heart sank well into her stomach when she heard it spoken off this man's lips. Suddenly, she knew who he was and it caused her to sink lower into a state of despair.

Giant started laughing the moment recognition bloomed in her eyes. "How's it going, sweetheart."

"How?" she moaned. "How could you do this to me?" Rubin was a man from work who started with her company six months back and had slowly worked under her protective barrier that kept people at arms distance. She'd miscalculated with him...trusted him...and now this. Making friends had always been hard, but he'd promised her he'd never bring her harm and slowly over time, he'd earned her trust. 

"Easy. You're my ticket, so I used you. Simple, I want something more but I get a bonus in this deal because I've wanted to fuck you senseless for months."

"But you, but you said—,"

"—I said shit. I said absolutely nothing," he leaned closer and pulled the mask off, showing his smooth face and dimpled chin. Ruffling his sandy blond hair and then smoothing it back in that awfully familiar fashion had Amelia cursing to herself that she'd ever found him charming at all.

"Why?" her voice cracked, still unable to comprehend what was happening as the shock started to make her mind numb and her body useless.

"I spotted you at work immediately. All I had to do was seek out the one woman who always ate lunch alone, took breaks alone and left alone. Darling, that is you. Hell, I bet you fuck yourself alone." Rubin sneered as his eyes roamed rudely up and down her scantily clad body, "But not for long. Tonight I fuck you and hard."

She leaned back, covered her breasts with her crossed arms and closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be happening. It couldn't be...she jumped when his hand gripped her chin and tilted her head up breaking her private chant to make all this go away.

"Keep your eyes open."

The van slowed and turned onto a dirt road throwing both her and Rubin around in the back until he had her pinned to the floor looming over her body. He laughed crudely when he took advantage of their predicament and pressed between her legs with his rock hard cock.

"Nice."

"Fuck off."

"Soon. Many times."

The driver and the other man turned back right when Rubin kissed her hard, pressing his lips roughly against her struggling face and smashing her head back into the floor. She turned into a hell cat in that moment and fought with a strength she didn't know she had, raking her nails down the front on his face, drawing blood.

Rubin slapped her hard, causing spots to flash behind her eyes before he did it again and again until Amelia was stunned still. But she wasn't through.

When Rubin was starting to relax enough to check his wounds, wiping the blood off and cursing silently, Amelia struck out and kicked him hard in the balls again and then kicked out again when he leaned forward in pain, colliding with his face breaking his nose immediately.

Blood splashed across her bare skin and splattered down the front of his shirt. This sent Rubin into a freakish rage as he sat there for a moment holding his bleeding nose watching her. She could see the heat burning behind those eyes and regretted her actions immediately.

"You fucking bitch!" Rubin roared and pounced on her smashing her head back against the floor in one smooth motion, knocking her unconscious immediately. The last thing she saw was his feral face as he bore down upon her frightened self and then nothing.

* * * *

* * * *

Adam leaned back as he pinched the bridge of his nose. If what he had just read was what had happened to her... Suddenly standing up, his chair fell abruptly to the side by the sheer power trapped inside of his body. His wolf was angry, it wanted blood, and it wanted revenge for what had been done to its mate. 

Grabbing for the beer he emptied it in one go, hoping it would numb his senses just a little bit. Breathing heavily he tried calming down his wolf but failed. The familiar snapping of bones reached his ears and a few seconds later his wolf stood in the middle of the living room. 

Growling.

Pacing back and forth.

More growling.

Grabbing one of the large cushions, his wolf started shaking the offensive thing as if it were its prey. Little pieces of the stuffing were flying all over the place. Only when the wolf noticed nothing was flying around anymore did he release the empty cushion and calmed a little bit, having expressed his anger for this situation he was in. He felt his human side fighting for control and reluctantly gave in.

Adam swallowed hard, sitting in the middle of his room. He took in the results of his wolf's little outburst. The anger and rage was still bubbling inside of him but his heart also wept for her. Rationally he knew he couldn't have prevented what happened to her that time but he cursed himself for not staying with her when she left "The Viper". He got up again and a rage came over him. He kicked his chair to the other end of the room, shattering it against the wall. Agitated and angry he called Chris, letting him know he'd be running on their land near the lake. He needed fresh air and he needed it fast!

+ + + +

He wasn't able to shake the anger off of him. Four laps around the lake and he didn't calm down at all. Crouching down he drank some of the ice cold lake water. Adam shook his head as he felt it go down. Still the rage and anger rippled through him and before he knew what he was doing he jumped into the water.

His wolf didn't agree with this course of action and forced his human form to appear. Gulping down a big swallow of water, he quickly resurfaced and coughed up the water he accidentally swallowed. Silently he cursed his wolf but he was surprised that his temper had cooled down as well.

Feeling the cold take over, he quickly swam to the shore and climbed out. Much to his surprise he saw Mia standing there with a towel in hand.

"Chris told me you'd be running here. I'm assuming you read a certain something?" Mia explained herself being where she was.

"Just the first chapter. I couldn't bring myself to open the next one. I was this close to losing it," Adam answered, holding his index finger and thumb close together. Accepting the towel, he dried himself quickly, before wrapping it around his waist, covering up his nakedness.

"Come sit with me for a little bit," Mia told him, patting the spot next to where she sat down.

They both stared into the distance for a while, just enjoying the quietness between them.

Fiddling with a corner of the towel, Adam finally broke the silence when he asked, "How accurate is her story, Mia?"

"She never told us what really happened, but when I checked up on her I could read some of her dreams." Mia reached for Adam's hand and gave it a good squeeze before she spoke again. "It's as accurate as it can be, apart from the changed names. When I looked at her dreams it was only bits and pieces. Only when I read her story did those pieces fall into place."

Adam's anger reappeared. His eyes took on a golden shade as his wolf battled him for control. A growl was already emanating from his chest and he was showing the telltale signs of an upcoming shift.

"Get a grip on it Adam. You won't be of any help to her if you lose it this easily. I thought a former SEAL had more self-control?" Mia said putting him straight.

Taking a few deep breaths, he relaxed again. Mia was right. He couldn't act like this every time the attack was mentioned. He felt Mia squeezing his hand reassuringly again, this time he returned the gesture.

"You're right, as always. Why didn't I find you first?" He smiled down at her, released her hand and pulled her in for a friendly hug.

"Now you're being silly," Mia chided him.

"Maybe, but I bet you're giving Chris a serious run around? Or at least I hope you are. Don't make things too easy on him."

Mia just smiled as he made that statement.

"Why don't you go home now and get some sleep? I'm sure the rest of the story will prove to be even harder. Don't overdo the reading and control your anger. Remember she has dealt with it. The current attack only brought back the memories and she's coping thanks to you. She only has to realize and accept that little fact. You'll have to earn her trust from scratch."

"Yeah, think I'll do that. I'll wait a day or two before reading the next. I have to give myself some time to process all of this too. Just tell me this, did the ones that hurt her ever got caught?" Adam asked.

"I'm afraid not. She didn't even press charges. She packed up everything, sent in her letter of resignation and went off the radar, so to speak. She came back home to us. She looked like a ghost when she arrived, but she refused to open up to any of us. We only found out by accident what happened when one of us glanced over her laptop screen one day.

"We looked it up, read it all and decided to let things be. At the same time we tried to make sure she didn't bury herself in her apartment and when we did go out we always stayed in a group so she was never alone. Just the last six months she really was getting back to her former self. We still kept an eye on her, but over time we were convinced she was starting to manage being alone in a crowd again," Mia told.

"If only I had known," Adam said defeated, "I would never have left her alone. I'm such an idiot!"

"You listen to me! You are not an idiot!" Mia emphasized each word as she poked his bare chest. "You did nothing wrong. You saved her from the assault getting out of hand. You had your revenge on her attackers. We all stopped this from happening again. This attack has got nothing to do with her past, it only brings it back and she'll need time to work it out of her system. 

"Just as you will need time to read her story and come to terms with what has happened to her. I hate to say it, but the best thing you can do right now is back off and let her be. I gave you that link for a reason, not just to read her story, but to give you a back door to her very soul," Mia spoke lively.

"What are you saying then?"

"What she writes are her true feelings. She holds nothing back. She puts it out there on the Net for everybody to read. Reach out to her there, get to know her better. For all I care write a damn story yourself."

Adam laughed at her last words. "Me writing a story, you're joking, right?"

"I was, but now I think of it, maybe that isn't such a bad idea at all. You could tell her your side of the story, bare everything to her with words, not with actions," she pondered as she tapped her chin.

"How am I gonna write anything?" Adam said as he got up. "I can't write for shit."

"She's part of the volunteer editor program. That is your way in."

Turning his back to Mia, he gazed upon the other side of the lake, hoping to find some kind of answer there. Can I write something that would interest her? Or at least make her realize I'd do anything for her? Let her know how I feel about everything, how angry it makes me and how lost I am for failing her? Question after question rolled through his mind. Finally deciding on what to do he turned back to Mia.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asked, more out of politeness as he was well aware that she just had to teleport to be back at her home in a heartbeat.

"I'd like that. Make it a long one, the little one is craving ice cream and Chris refuses to drive me to town to get some," she answered with a smile on her face and gently rubbing her slightly protruding belly. 

"That's the least I can do. Come on, I'm parked close by, I'm sure you can manage a five minute walk?" he teased as he reached out his hand to help her up.

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid!" she said with mock anger.

After a quiet drive into town, Adam decided to treat her to some ice cream instead of dropping her off at the store. 

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Just let Chris know and tell him I'll drop you off right on his front step. I don't want him going all loony on me for dropping of his pregnant mate in a store with no ride home," he said stopping her protests well in advance.

"Fine, fine. You owe me a big ice cream then!"

"You take the biggest you can handle," he said while he parked his car.

Getting out, he rushed to the other side, opening the door for her. Mia rolled her eyes at his gentleman-like behavior and giggled when he stood next to her presenting her his arm. Looping hers around it they went to the nearest ice cream shop. 

Later that evening he dropped her off at her house, just like he promised Chris, who stood waiting on the porch of their newly built house. 

"Remember what I've said. Use this backdoor to her soul," Mia whispered before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, stepping back and walking into Chris' arms.

"Hope you had a good run?" Chris asked.

"So, so, until Mia showed up. She's a wise one, you better hold on to her," Adam said as he winked at Chris.

"I'm planning on that, rest assured," came Chris' amused reply.

"Guess I'll see you around, it's time for bed now," Adam said while he turned around to go back to his truck.

"See you later mate," Chris said.

+ + + + 

Back at home, Adam stripped of his clothes and took another shower. Everything Mia had said was whirling in his mind. His temper threatened to resurface but he managed to reel it in every time. Sitting on his bed in just a pair of sweatpants, he looked down at the empty notepad in his lap. Then his eyes traveled towards the many crumpled up pieces of paper, all filled with failed attempts of writing down his feelings.

With a grunt he tossed everything on the ground and crawled under the sheets, hoping to get some sleep.