2. Tessa

I tried, I really did, not to look at Adam when we were at Jack and McKenna’s housewarming potluck. His words played on a loop in my mind. You’re cute.

Every time I thought about it, I got hot all over. I wasn’t supposed to notice McKenna’s brother. I hadn’t noticed any guy in what seemed like forever. To be specific, not since I started dating my ex-husband. What started off as a mad dash into love turned into possessiveness, jealousy, controlling behavior, and abuse.

I still counted myself lucky that I found a way to get out of that marriage. Even though my ex had ruined me for other men, and not in a good way, I would do it all over again just for my son.

I didn’t know if anybody could be more disappointed in me than me, though.

“Tessa?” McKenna prompted.

I glanced over. “Oh! I didn’t see you there.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I noticed you staring at Adam.”

“No, I wasn’t,” I said quickly. Maybe too quickly.

She grinned. “It’s okay if you were.”

“Hey, you’re the one that broke the pact,” I pointed out.

McKenna and I used to have a pact. She wasn’t ever going to have a relationship for some reason, and I wasn’t because of a really good reason. My aforementioned ex.

She studied me for a moment before she nodded. “I did. So if you change your mind, I’ll totally understand. But if it’s one of my brothers, say Adam, just spare me the details,” she said dryly.

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. Jack appeared at McKenna’s side, sliding his arm around her waist. He bent low and dusted a kiss on her cheek.

It was just a kiss on her cheek, yet my heart literally ached for a minute. There was a sweetness and an intimacy to the way they were together. Jack was this brawny hotshot firefighter, yet he was so protective and caring with McKenna. He seriously had it bad for her.

I was happy for her, just like I was happy for all my friends falling in love with great guys.

I would never tell them that I secretly worried that maybe they were covering up that things weren’t great. That was another shitty thing on the list of shitty things about marrying an abusive man. I had lied to everyone and pretended my life was fine. Even now, nobody really knew how bad it had been.

“What pact?” Jack asked, glancing back and forth between us.

“Tessa and I had a pact. Neither one of us was ever going to have a relationship. I told you I wasn’t into that idea when we met. Remember? No romance, no kids. That was the deal.”

Jack’s smile was warm as he looked down at her. “I thought the same thing.”

“Hey, I am in support of kids,” I offered.

McKenna and Jack burst out laughing at that. “We still don’t want kids,” they said in unison.

“I respect the hell out of that. The world puts a lot of pressure on people to have kids.”

“We are going to be the aunts and uncles for anyone who needs one,” McKenna explained.

Jack’s niece Hannah appeared at his side. “You are the best uncle ever,” she said, sliding her hand through his elbow and squeezing.

He grinned down at her, giving her a side hug. “I try.”

Derek, Hannah’s father, approached. By some freaking miracle, he was still hanging in there. He’d been in cancer treatment for the past year. Even though he was weak, the odds were looking up for him.

“He’s a pretty good uncle,” Derek said, his tone dry.

“I’m better than pretty good,” Jack teased.

Hannah squeezed his elbow again. “You’re the best, Uncle Jack.”

I was still smiling a few minutes later when I slipped down the hallway to go to the bathroom off McKenna’s study.

That door was closed, so I leaned against the wall and waited. A moment later, it opened, and Adam stepped out. The second I saw him, my pulse shot off like a rocket.

Adam stopped in front of me. We studied each other. Objectively speaking, Adam was handsome. He had dark hair paired with blue-gray eyes. He was tall with broad shoulders.

My pulse raced along, and wave after wave of heat rolled through me.

“I stand by my observation,” he finally said, his voice all low and rumbly.

“What?” My voice sounded breathy, which was ridiculous. I literally couldn’t think. I didn’t even know what he was talking about.

“You’re cute,” he said, his voice dropping an octave lower. “You’re also sexy.”

My pussy actually clenched. Suddenly, I wanted to kiss him. But there were no kisses in my life.

He lifted a hand, and his knuckles brushed along my cheek.

The air felt lit with a charge. “I want to kiss you.”

I was about to open my mouth and say, “Please do,” but then he said, “I’m not going to because I think I know what happened.”

“What do you mean?”

Adam was quiet for several beats. I didn’t know where this feeling came from, but I felt an intense sense of protectiveness emanating from him. “When I saw you earlier, I wondered why you’re kind of prickly. But then I remembered you were married to Rich. I knew him in high school before you dated him. He was a controlling asshole to his girlfriend back then.”

I blinked. My heart raced, and not in a good way. I swallowed nervously because I remembered Rich talking about his high school girlfriend. He’d said she was a “fucking bitch” and that she’d cheated on him.

As if he could read my mind, Adam said, “She never cheated on him. He was just a controlling jerk. I imagine he was with you too. Guys like that don’t usually change.”

All I could do was stare at Adam.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” he added, his tone laced with a gentleness that cracked the edges of my hardened heart.

I shrugged. “It’s okay.” My voice was barely above a whisper.

His fingers trailed down my neck, and I still wasn’t afraid. “Maybe another time. If you want to kiss me, let me know.”

I felt bereft when Adam stepped back from me. He pressed two fingers against his lips and blew me a kiss before walking out of the room.

My knees were liquid. I had no idea how I walked into the bathroom, but I did. It was all I could do not to chase him.

Late that night, long after I went home, I texted McKenna. Do you happen to have Adam’s number?