26. Adam

One month later

Tessa:Please.

My lips curled as I read her one-word reply to my question about whether I could stop by tonight.

I was deeply in love with Tessa and wanted to see her every night. As it was, I saw her almost every night. On the nights Eric was with his father, I spent those entirely with her. Usually, she came to my place.

I hadn’t spoken of love since the time I told her I thought I was falling in love with her. But I knew I loved her. Kenan had taken to teasing me about it on the regular.

Case in point, he came walking into my office at that moment.

“How’s Mr. In Love?” he asked when he plunked down in the chair across from my desk.

A chuckle rustled in my throat. “You sound pretty confident about that,” I quipped.

He considered me for a few beats, his smile fading. “I am. The more important question is, are you?”

My heart gave a hard thump, almost as if to answer. “I am.”

“So what are you gonna do about it?”

I let out a short sigh. “Isn’t that the kicker? I’m not sure how Tessa feels, and I don’t know what to do about Rich. She’s afraid if he knows we’re involved that he’ll make things hell for Eric. For obvious reasons, I don’t want that.”

“Of course not,” Kenan returned. “Maybe you should talk to Colin.”

I leaned back in my chair, rocking a pen between my fingers. “I don’t think Tessa would appreciate that. I don’t think she would mind me asking him something, but I don’t want to be overbearing and act like I know what’s best.”

“Here’s an idea: tell her you love her, tell her you want this to be a real deal, and walk through that fire together.”

I looked at him for a long moment before a wondering laugh followed. “You make a good point. That’s probably what I should do.”

“It is what you should do. I’m not saying Rich can’t make her life hell. But Colin is a damn good attorney. If shit goes sideways, the town loves you. Every now and then, it’s good to be a member of the Cannon family.”

Before I could reply, he added, “And people like us even more because fucked-up shit has happened in our family, so they don’t think we have it easy. Plus, you’re everybody’s favorite.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

My brother shrugged. “There’s me?—”

“And me,” Blake called as he walked into my office, followed by Rhys.

“What’s happening? Family meeting?” I asked.

“Well, we’re missing McKenna, Wyatt, and Griffin, so no,” Rhys teased.

“What are we talking about?” Blake asked, gesturing between Kenan and me.

“Tessa.” That was Kenan’s one-word response.

“Oh wait, are you finally going to admit you’re seeing Tessa?” Blake asked.

My eyes narrowed at Kenan.

He held his hands up. “Dude, I haven’t said anything to anybody. I’m a vault.” He tapped two fingers on his temple.

Blake rolled his eyes while Rhys cast me a knowing grin. “Dude, I drive past your house on the way home. I’ve seen Tessa’s car there a few times.”

“Do you think McKenna knows?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Course she does,” Blake piped up. “She and I were going to bet on when you two might fess up.”

I let out a laugh on the heels of a sigh. “So what were you talking about when you said, ‘there’s me’?”

“Just that you’re everybody’s favorite in town,” Kenan explained.

My brothers nodded in unison. “What?” I sputtered.

“Yeah, I’m the oldest, so people have opinions about everything I do,” Rhys chimed in. “And they are the two jokers.” Rhys gestured back and forth between Kenan and Blake.

“People like us, but you’re the steady, quiet guy,” Blake offered. “You give off the good-guy vibe like you’re there for anyone. And you are.”

“It’s genuine,” Kenan added.

Bemused, I shrugged.

“What’s this all about anyway?’ Rhys asked.

“I told Adam he needs to tell Tessa he loves her and be there with her through whatever bullshit her ex tries to pull,” Kenan said flatly.

“Damn straight,” Blake chimed in.

“The whole family has your back,” Rhys added.

My heart felt squeezed tight. Sometimes it drove me nuts to have a big family, but we had been through some shit together, and we took care of each other.

“Thanks,” I said simply.

“Do we have to keep pretending we don’t know about you and Tessa?” Blake asked.

I rolled my eyes. “Not with me. But let me talk to Tessa. She’s pretty stressed about how Rich might react. Not for herself, but for Eric.”

“Rich is a fucking asshole,” Rhys pointed out.

“No shit,” I agreed.