ADAM
“I don’t think we should invite Dejonae and Sazuki on Saturday.” Nova glances up with a panicked expression. We’re both in my lab. I’m eating lunch like a maniac while she’s looking pretty and polished as always as she picks at chips. “I want it to be just us.”
“Just us?” I blink rapidly.
She nods.
“What’s wrong? I thought we liked them?” I mumble, chomping down on turkey slapped between two pieces of wheat toast. Nova insists that wheat is better for me and although I was staunchly against it at first, I’ve come to love wheat bread more than white.
“We—I do like them. But I was only planning to make you a meal and… just you and me…” She stutters over her words.
I take note of it. Nova doesn’t usually stammer. Well, she doesn’t say much in the first place but, when she does, it’s always smart, illuminating, or cut-throat. Sometimes all three at once.
“If you really want it to be just us, then that’s fine.” I give in with a nod.
The thought of spending the entire day with Nova sounds like a dream. I enjoy being around her.
Maybe a little too much.
And it shows.
Rumors about us are starting to become more aggressive. Although I have no problem with people thinking we’re dating, I’ve seen Nova’s response to the whispers. Her nose scrunch of distaste is enough to let me know she’d rather not encourage such conversation.
To counteract the rumors, I’ve been trying to make sure there’s someone with us at all times.
Not a chaperone per say…
But chaperone adjacent.
And you might say, who the hell cares? People are going to talk either way.
But Nova being upset? That’s a major problem for me.
I can’t have my CEO feeling uncomfortable and thinking of leaving Vision Tech. There are a ton of companies that will snap her up in an instant.
Nova’s our most important asset, and Vision Tech would fall apart without her.
I’d fall apart without her.
“No, you’re right. We should invite other people. It’s your birthday after all. I’ll do what you want.” Her shoulders slump. “I’ll call Dejonae.”
I study her face keenly. Nova’s long braids are up in a ponytail today and she’s wearing a fancy, black checkered skirt and jacket with a yellow blouse underneath that flatters her dark skin. She looks like the sexy librarian every guy in my high school class fantasized of at least once.
As usual, I studiously ignore the stir she causes in my body. There are some lines you back away from slowly and some that you run like hell from.
Nova’s in the second camp.
I need her too much to let something like a raging physical attraction mess up a good thing.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Nova rises to her feet and brushes off her blouse.
Her long legs jut out of the hem of her skirt and my eyes run down their length before I remember to behave and drag my gaze back to her face.
“I’ll make the arrangements. Dejonae and Sazuki will probably not have a problem.”
“Right.”
Wrong.
There’s no way Sazuki will show up without kicking and screaming. The Japanese piano legend ventures out of his house for only two people—his daughter Niko and his girlfriend Dejonae. The rest of the world can burn for all he cares.
However, I thought it would be too pathetic to have no one to invite to my party. When it comes to friends, I value Sazuki’s company the most… outside of Nova.
“It’s going to be a good time.” I grin.
Nova does not.
I fold my arms over my chest and watch her sashay out of the lab. Nova doesn’t shuffle or plod. Whenever she walks, her head is always up, her hips sway slightly and her eyes cut through the distance.
I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve asked if she used to model.
There’s a quality to her, a substance that’s hard to explain. I just know it’s expensive and way out of my league.
I set my sandwich on the table and join her outside. The sun is shining brightly and I’m unprepared for the heat. My lab is air conditioned and dim. My eyesight is so messed up that I can’t handle too much light—at least not when I’m working.
Squinting, I lengthen my stride and catch up to Nova. She’s halfway to her car. Steve is waiting for her, dressed in a white shirt and dark slacks.
I don’t travel with a chauffeur because I don’t need anyone in my driver’s seat, but I made sure that Nova had a driver. When she’s on company business, she represents Vision Tech, the best in the industry. And thus, she deserves the best too.
Nova hears me coming and stops. Turning slowly, she pins those sultry brown eyes on me. I can’t remember the last time I saw her looking this withdrawn.
Something’s going on.
“If it’s too much, we don’t have to do anything at home this weekend,” I tell her. “How about we take a trip instead? We can go to the Maldives or to Paris. Step away from the company and the inventions for a bit and get back to basics.”
She shakes her head. “We don’t have time to go on a trip. The board meeting is coming up soon and your kinetic batteries are on the line for patent approval.”
“Yes, but—”
“Also, you agreed to receive the Inventor of the Year award and that requires an interview.”
I scowl because I really do hate interviews.
“No cameras,” Nova says. “I made sure they wouldn’t take your pictures. They went out of their way to work with us, so we have to honor it.”
I inhale a deep breath and agree because I’ve never gone wrong listening to her. Nova’s got smarts and spunk. It’s an easy next step to assume that she’s the owner of Vision Tech, and with all the decisions she makes on the day-to-day running of the company, she might as well be.
Nova turns to get into the car.
I chase after her and hold the door open. “Hey.”
She glances up from the back seat, her phone already out and her tablet on her lap, turned to a fancy spreadsheet. There’s someone from the company ringing her phone, as usual. There’s never a moment where she has any peace.
“Thank you,” I say.
Her face is carefully blank. “For what?”
“Holding things down at the company. Planning something for my birthday dinner. All of it.”
“Of course. It’s my job.” She glances down, scrolling through the tablet.
All-business. All the time. It’s a challenge to keep myself from smiling. “You can tell the Inventor of the Year people to come over around one next Tuesday. I’ll meet them in the office.”
“I’ll do that.”
“And I’ll cook on Saturday. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“It’s your birthday, Adam. I can’t let you cook.”
“I got it.” I wink.
Her fingers freeze on the tablet. “Adam…”
“What?”
She clears her throat. “On Saturday, I have something important to tell you.”
“O…kay.”
I think about Nova’s words long after she leaves. What the heck does she have to tell me on Saturday?
Sazuki places his hand on his girlfriend Dejonae’s knee. The two are sitting close together in the couch after clearing their plates. Now, they’re watching me open the presents Nova got me.
We get each other something every Christmas and birthday, but I’m surprised by the number of presents that Nova got this year.
“Another one?” Dejonae asks teasingly. “Nova, you’re putting me to shame. Now Sazuki is getting ideas.”
Sazuki laughs and throws adoring eyes at his college-aged girlfriend. I get the feeling that Dejonae Williams doesn’t have to do anything but show up and it’ll be enough for him.
Nova’s eyes are carefully avoiding mine. She reaches over the couch. “This is the last one.”
It’s an envelope.
Dejonae leans forward.
Sazuki looks on with interest too.
I feel the intrigue in the air and shake the paper twice, smiling. “I wonder what this is?”
I’m thinking it’s a ticket for a cruise, a deed to a car—something, anything other than what Nova says next.
“This is my resignation letter.” Nova’s voice is quiet.
At first, I don’t believe my ears. I stiffen up and stare at her, waiting for her to burst into a smile and tell me it’s a joke.
Honestly, that wouldn’t be Nova’s style, but hell, I’d laugh along and call it the best joke of the year. As long as it’s not true.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Dejonae clutch Sazuki’s hand. He gives her an astonished look in return. But I’m not focusing on what they’re doing because my brain is still struggling to make sense of Nova’s words.
Nova…
Leave…
Me?
No way.
No freaking way.
I stare at her in confusion as a devastating sense of loss barrels into me.
The room falls into tense silence.
“Is this a joke?”
“I’m sorry,” Nova says, her eyes on the ground.
Sorry?
She’s… sorry?
“What the hell is the meaning of this?” I hear my voice tremble, but I can’t help it. If she’d come at me with a hammer to bludgeon my brains out, it would have been less of a shock.
At that moment, the doorbell rings.
I barely hear it.
I’m just waiting.
Waiting on her to look at me.
Waiting to gauge the validity of this ridiculous proposal.
Nova feels me staring and slowly faces me. I meet her eyes and I’m shocked by the resolution I see there. She’s not sad. She’s not angry. She’s not even disappointed.
She’s just… done.
“Why?” I growl out. She’s blindsiding me and it feels especially cruel because I didn’t have any sense of doom. None.
Normally, I can figure out where she is in a room just by following a feeling. I can interpret exactly what she thinks by a quirk of her eyebrow and whether or not that little sparkle enters her eyes.
I don’t know any language other than English and Nova—everything she is and everything she wants to be, I’ve somehow gotten into the habit of studying her.
Damn.
What is this bulldozer running over my heart?
“Adam,” Sazuki calls urgently from the doorway.
I glance up, stunned that Sazuki and Dejonae aren’t sitting around the couch with us. I have a vague recollection of the doorbell ringing earlier, but when did those two get up to answer it?
“You should go,” Nova says quietly.
I want to say something snarky. It doesn’t even have to make sense, it just has to convey my frustration.
But I keep my mouth shut.
Launching to my feet, I stomp to the door.
At first, I don’t see anyone.
Then I look down.
My gaze falls on a little boy wearing a backpack and a baseball cap. His dark hair is smushed on top of his head and he looks expectant.
Poor thing.
I hope he doesn’t hold on to that expectation too long. Someday, he’s going to meet a girl he thought he knew and she’s going to blow up his entire world. He needs to be freaking ready.
“Look, kid,” I snap, “I’m not buying anything.”
“I’m not here to sell anything,” the kid responds.
Then why the hell is he here?
I feel Nova come up to the door too. My entire body strains toward her as if it’s counting down the seconds until she disappears for good.
“What are you here for then, sweetie?” I hear Dejonae using her ‘teacher’ voice. She works at Sazuki’s foundation and has a great way with kids. Or so I’ve heard.
The kid lifts a scrawny arm and points it at me. “I’m here for him.”
“Me?” I balk.
The kid nods with all the seriousness of a criminal getting sworn into court.
“Why are you looking for Adam, hun?” Dejonae asks, bending over and clutching her knees to get on the kid’s level.
“Because,” the kid blurts, “he’s my dad.”
That’s not funny.
I glare at Nova. “Did you set this up?”
She shakes her head no, her eyes wide in surprise.
The kid keeps staring at me like he’s waiting for me to invite him in and show him his bedroom.
My heart is about to burst.
I feel like punching a hole in the wall.
“Look, kid,” I say sternly, “I don’t know who set you up to do this, but you need to call your parents or guardians or whoever and go back home before I call the cops.”
“Adam,” Nova says softly.
It’s a warning.
A caution.
I don’t freaking want to hear it.
A phone starts buzzing.
The kid lifts his cell out of his pocket and shows it to me. “It’s my mom.”
I refuse to accept the phone. I feel like I’m in a horror movie and it’s at the part where the television is showing static, a ghost just moved a curtain in the corner and now the phone is ringing off the hook.
The kid shakes the phone intently.
The name on the screen reads ‘mom’.
“Do you want me to take it?” Dejonae asks, her brown eyes clawing into my face.
I release a shaky breath. “Sazuki, can you do me a favor? Can you take the kid to the station and get to the bottom of this?”
Sazuki dips his head.
I turn away. Since I’ve made a bit of money, I’ve been on the receiving end of a few elaborate scams. Mostly charities that turned out to not actually exist. It’s why I have Nova do the investigations before I give any sum of money…
Not that I’ll have Nova to rely on in the future.
My blood pressure rises again. I close my eyes and try to keep breathing.
“I don’t need to go to the station,” the kid says. “You’re my dad.”
I whirl around, my temper spiking. “Listen you little—”
A calming hand appears in front of me. It’s Nova. She places a gentle touch on the middle of my stomach and gives me a ‘don’t dive off the deep end’ glance.
My nostrils flare, but listening to her is a habit and I can’t kick it that fast. I curl my anger back, wrap some self-restraint around it, and pin my lips shut.
“Who told you that he’s your dad?” Nova asks the kid in a quiet voice.
“My mom.”
“What’s your mom’s name?”
“Alexa Vaughn,” he says smartly.
A bell starts ringing in my head and it’s not a pleasant sound.
Nova twists her neck and looks up at me. She reads my face in an instant. “You know her.”
“She was my college girlfriend. Well, not really a girlfriend. We had a fling…” My eyes drop to the kid because I’m not sure I should be talking about flings and friends-with-benefits in front of a minor.
The kid just looks up at me unflinchingly. “I don’t know what else to tell you, mister. You’re my dad.”
My world tilts off axis. I reach a hand out to the wall, glad that I have something nearby that I can use to steady myself.
“No, I’m not,” I argue.
I know I’m being ridiculous arguing with a kid, but I can’t help it. I’m desperately grasping on to any sense of normalcy I can find.
“Why are you here?” Nova asks calmly.
“Mom said it’s his turn to take care of me now,” the kid informs us.
“Where is your mother?”
The kid shrugs.
“You don’t know?” Sazuki asks with a hint of concern.
“Mom disappeared.” His eyes land on me. “She said you might try to send me back, but there’s no ‘back’ to return to.”
The kid’s phone keeps ringing.
Nova reaches for it and answers. “Hello?”
I pin my eyes on her, watching every expression that flits across her face.
“I’m Adam Harrison’s executive assistant,” Nova says in a calm, crisp voice. “Are you…” She pauses and glances at the kid. “What’s your name?”
“Rowan.”
“Are you Rowan’s mother?”
I hold my breath.
Nova’s eyes slice sharply to me and then she hands over the phone. “You should talk to her.”
The last thing I want to do is take that phone.
This can’t be happening. Someone’s playing a cruel joke. As long as I pretend it’s just a dream, maybe it’ll all go away.
Nova lifts my hand, smacks the phone in my palm and gives me a look that says ‘answer it’.
I put the phone to my ear and step away from the audience of Dejonae, Sazuki, and Rowan.
“Alexa?”
“I should have told you years ago.” A voice I haven’t heard for over a decade blasts in my ear. “But he’s really yours, Adam. I put his birth certificate in his backpack. You also have my permission to take him for a paternity test, but it won’t change the truth. He’s your kid.”
“MY…” I realize I’m shouting and lower my voice to a hiss. “My kid? Alexa, you can’t just dump a human being on my doorstep without warning and expect—what the hell do you expect?”
“Let him stay with you for a bit.”
“No.” I’m resolute.
“Why not? I dealt with him for eleven years without your help and support. It’s your turn now.”
“My turn?”
“I heard you’re a famous inventor now. You can afford it. Just feed him, clothe him, and keep an eye on him. There’s nothing to be afraid of, Adam.”
My heart is pounding. “Alexa.”
“I’ll be a little hard to reach for a while, but don’t worry. Rowan’s a smart kid. He can teach you the ropes.”
“The ropes?”
“Of being a father.”
I let out a frantic laugh. I’m supposed to learn how to be a father from an eleven-year-old?
“Take care of our boy, Adam. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Wait! Alexa—”
The line goes dead.
I stare at the phone desperately, as if glaring at the screen can bring her back on the line. The cell goes dark and my powers of intensely wishing for things to be different fail me once again.
“Are you going to let him in?” Dejonae asks from the doorway.
I glance over my shoulder and find everyone staring at me. I guess I don’t have a choice.
“Come in,” I croak.
The kid bounds into my living room like he owns it and throws his backpack on the ground.
“Chips. Cool.” He dunks a germ-filled hand into the bowl, scoops up a bunch of chips and shoves them into his mouth. Crumbs go flying everywhere.
My chest rises and falls on a short breath.
That is mine?
My kid?
Hell no.
No way.
Footsteps patter toward me. It’s Sazuki. His eyes are narrowed to concerned slits. He places a hand on my shoulder. “Adam, would you like us to take him?”
It’s a big offer, especially coming from someone like Sazuki.
I must really look like I’m about to keel over.
“Dejonae suggested,” Sazuki adds.
Which makes a hell of a lot more sense.
I shake my head. “No, he’s… the kid… um, I’m going to sort this out.”
“Okay.” Sazuki steps back.
Dejonae approaches me next. Her expression is hesitant. She’s wringing her dark hands in front of her as if she’s afraid I’m going to explode and leave splatters of guts and blood on her face.
“Adam,” she croaks, “I have no idea what you must be feeling right now…”
Try horrified.
Mind blown.
Totally lost.
“… But you’re not in this alone, okay? Sazuki and I are here to help and Nova,” Dejonae freezes, “I mean, Nova will probably help until she has to leave—”
“Thanks.” I cut her off a little sharply. The only thing worse than finding out I have a kid is finding out that Nova is leaving me… I mean, the company.
“Dejonae,” Sazuki calls.
Dejonae nods at her boyfriend and then offers me an encouraging smile. “We’re going to leave now. Give you some privacy to work out your problems as a family. Without an audience.” She pats my back kindly. “I mean it, Adam. Sazuki and I are here for you. Whatever you need.”
I dip my chin.
Dejonae passes Nova, gives her a nod, and then joins Sazuki at the door. He places his hand on the small of her back and leads her down the porch steps.
Nova closes the door behind them. Her eyes meet mine and all traces of shock are swiped clean. Now, she looks as polished and put-together as usual.
“What would you like me to do, Adam?” Nova asks.
What do I want her to do?
Freaking stay.
At the company.
At Vision Tech.
In my life.
But it’s not exactly the best time to try and convince her when I have a whole new human being who suddenly depends on me.
“I…” I shake my head, not sure what to say.
She takes a long look at my face and then nods as if she heard me loud and clear.
“Rowan, are you hungry? We have more food in the kitchen.”
“These chips are good enough for now,” Rowan drawls, kicking up his feet. He’s wearing worn sneakers with markers covering the edges and the toe. The ends of his jeans are frayed and he’s got a bandage around his left thumb.
“I’ll still get you a plate,” Nova says calmly. Turning, she walks into the kitchen.
I give the sofa a wide berth and hustle after her.
Nova’s in the fridge pulling out the potato salad when I get there. She glances up calmly.
“Breathe, Adam.”
“I can’t do this.” I lean toward her, my voice quiet but urgent.
The open floor plan means that there aren’t any walls between us and the living room. Voices carry and I’ve got a feeling the kid is listening to everything we’re saying.
But I can’t stop.
It feels like my heart is bursting and I’ll explode if I don’t point out how crazy this all is.
“I haven’t seen Alexa in over a decade. I’d completely forgotten she existed before now and all of a sudden, she has my kid?”
Nova spoons out a dollop of potato salad. “Until you can verify his parentage, you’re going to have to accept that it’s true.”
“What’s true?”
She stops and gives me a frank look. “You’re a father.”
If she’d speared me in the heart, I would have preferred that.
“Father?” I’m right behind her as she goes to the oven, pulls on the handle and takes out the roast I made this morning.
I enjoy cooking, especially if I get to change things up. It’s all one big lab experiment to me. But now, just the sight of the roast makes me want to upchuck in my mouth.
“Most of the time, I barely remember to make my own meals. Now I have to worry if some kid has eaten and if he’s studying… hell, school. Does he go to school? Am I supposed to enroll him in something?”
“Adam.” She pins me with a hard look. “The first thing you have to do is breathe.”
I suck in a deep breath through my mouth.
“The second thing,” Nova says calmly, “is to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Calling him ‘some kid’. I told you. Until we can verify his parentage, he’s not ‘some kid’. He’s yours.”
I feel a knot at the back of my neck that not even the best massage could smooth out.
Nova finishes dishing out the food and takes it into the living room. I watch her offer it to Rowan, whose eyes glitter with happiness when he sees how neatly she filled his plate. Then he pins those glittering eyes on her and I know she’s locked in his adoration for life.
Same, kid.
Nova’s phone rings.
She gets that tight look on her face and pockets the phone without answering. I’ve noticed her doing that a lot lately and it nags me.
Even though we spend most of our time together, she keeps a few cards close to the chest—things like her past, her family, her love life, it’s all been off the table.
I’m a lot more transparent with her than she is with me.
Most of the time, it’s not a concern.
But now that she’s suddenly decided she’s leaving Vision Tech, I’m starting to wonder if I should do my own investigation.
Nova disappears into one of the backrooms and returns ten minutes later. Keeping her distance, she looks at me with her sober brown eyes. “I changed the sheets in the guestroom and set fresh towels in the guest bath. He can stay in there for the time being.”
“Thank you.”
She dips her chin and turns as if she’s leaving.
“Are you going home now?” I ask. My voice has a tinge of desperation that, were it not for the strange boy eating food in my sofa, I’d be ashamed to hear.
“Yes. It’s getting late.”
That’s it.
That’s all I’m getting.
She’s a few steps away before I remember that Rowan’s sudden appearance wasn’t the only bomb that was dropped on me today.
“Nova,” I stalk to the door before she can leave, “about your resignation letter—”
“Let’s talk about it on Monday,” she says firmly.
I watch her walk down the stairs.
Steve lifts his hand. He’s waiting in the yard, the dusky evening painting the sky in dark blues behind him.
I return his gesture with a nod and close the door.
As the engine rumbles and then gets softer in the night, I turn to face my new guest.
Rowan stares frankly at me.
“Uh,” I rub the back of my neck, “you good?”
“Yeah.”
“Need anything else?”
“No.”
Awkward silence fills the air.
“Where were you and your mom living before this?”
“Far from here,” he says.
“Was it always just the two of you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Are you in school?”
“I was. It’s summer break now.”
“Okay.”
Another beat of silence.
The kid juts his chin at the door. “Your girlfriend’s pretty.”
“Girlfriend?”
“The tall lady.” A small smile touches his lips. “She’s nice.”
“Nova’s not my girlfriend.”
“Huh.” An eyebrow quirks. He licks his thumb and stares me down. “Guess you’re lamer than I thought.”
Great. He’s a smart mouth.
“You finished with that?” I point to the plate that he inhaled. It’s been three seconds. I have no idea how he packed away so much food in the blink of an eye.
“Yeah.” He plants both feet on the ground, hefts his backpack over one shoulder and glances around. “So where do I sleep?”
“First room down the hall.”
“Thanks, Adam.”
“Adam?”
“That’s what I heard them call you.” The kid tilts his head. “You’d prefer I call you something else?” His lips quirk up in disdain. “I’m not going to call you ‘dad’.”
“Please don’t,” I respond quickly.
His face falls, and I feel a tinge of guilt even though the thought of anyone calling me ‘dad’ makes me break out in hives.
“Uh, you should get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I reach out as if I’ll awkwardly pat him on the head and then I think better of it.
He smirks at me like I’m an idiot and swaggers to the bedroom. I cringe when the door slams shut.
That night, when I go to bed, I can’t sleep.
I know nothing about this kid except the fact that Alexa claims he’s my son. What if she’s lying? Not just about who he is but about his age? What if he’s a baby-faced eighteen-year-old con artist? What if his only job is to trick unsuspecting marks and open the door for his seedy criminal friends while I sleep?
Uneasy, I grab a bat and roll back into bed, staring at the ceiling and listening for any weird noises.
What feels like seconds later, I’m startled awake by the sound of something crashing to the ground. I launch up and notice sunshine on my face.
Is it morning already?
Another loud crash sounds.
My heart beating a mile a minute, I jump out of bed. Sprinting down the hallway to the kitchen, I wield the bat around, swinging like a kid at a piñata.
It takes a few seconds to realize that my kitchen is not over-run with thugs, but it is over-run with dirty pots and pans, milk spilling on the floor and a banana peel hanging from the low-lights.
I blink rapidly. “Rowan.”
“Morning.” The kid slinks toward me. He’s holding two plates of eggs, bacon, and waffles. “I made breakfast.”
I note the flour on his face and on his T-shirt. It looks like he went to an EDM rager.
“Who asked you to do that?” I bite out. I’m trying to be calm, but I can feel my annoyance meter spiking.
“I always make breakfast at home,” he says innocently.
“And who cleans up when you make breakfast?”
“Mom.”
Alexa is a saint.
A burning sensation hits my chest and I glance down to make sure it’s not singeing through to my T-shirt.
“I’m gonna take this into the living room and eat,” Rowan says, casually walking away.
A moment later, I hear the TV strike up with Sunday morning cartoons.
My head aching, I squeeze my eyes shut and let out a tight exhale.
I really hope this kid isn’t mine.
I am not ready to be a father.
