"You look troubled."
Adam looked up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. His expression softened when he saw her and he grinned, pulled lanie into his lap, and buried his face in her neck. She squealed, laughing as she half-heartedly protested.
"You always manhandle , Adam Collins," she said, squird a little.
"And yet," he said against her skin, "you always try to stop , sweet little lon."
She gave up her resistance, as she seed to always do, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She tilted her head, letting him kiss the side of her neck, her fingers gripping the back of his shir as he continued his exploration..
"lanie Collins... I like you too much. What do I do about that?"
She paused as the smile faded from her face and looked at him with a small frown "Why is liking a problem?"
"Who said it’s a problem?" Adam shrugged still smiling as he moved back and looked at her face.
lanie studied him for a mont, then nodded. "Good. Since it’s not a problem, you don’t have to do anything about it. Just keep liking . As much as I like you."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Is that your roundabout way of saying you like ?"
"I thought it sounded pretty direct," she said. "But if you’re unsure—then yes. I like you, Adam Collins. A little too much. And no, I’m not planning to do anything about it. Except maybe try to make you like even more."
Adam smiled wide. "I’m with you on that plan. We should go on a vacation soon."
lanie nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Sowhere warm. With a beach. And no cell service."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Adam said but he was pretty sure his idea of a beach vacation and lanie’s were quite different. Hmm. He would have to find a way to mix the two in perfect harmony.
"But we can’t do that for now, can we?"
Adam blinked, pulled from his thoughts by lanie’s question. He looked down at her, her head still resting on his shoulder, though her voice had gone quieter.
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she straightened up slightly so she could see his face and asked slowly," Patrick was here to ask you to adopt Adir, wasn’t he?"
Adam stilled. His eyes narrowed just slightly, more out of surprise than anything else. "How did you guess that?"
lanie shrugged, brushing his hair back. "Adir told that his father hasn’t been keeping well. He’s been tired, worn down. And he said sothing about how he doesn’t like that, ever since they’ve co here, he seems to feel more sick and his father hasn’t gotten a chance to rest properly. He didn’t say it directly... but it wasn’t hard to piece together. And with the way you’ve been distracted after they left.." she trailed off.
Adam huffed out a soft laugh. "You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?"
She smiled, and fluttered her eyelashes at him, "So, did you say yes?"
"No," he said simply.
lanie’s smile faded. "Why?"
Adam didn’t answer right away. His gaze held hers. She didn’t look away either. A quiet beat passed between them.
"I don’t know if I want to be responsible for soone else’s kid," he said at last. "Especially not his kid."
lanie studied his face for a mont longer, then asked again, quietly but firmly, "Why?"
Adam exhaled. "Does that really need an answer?"
She shrugged lightly. "Kind of. Because until you found out Adir wasn’t your biological son, you were ready to claim him. You were even talking about dragging Saira to court. You wanted rights. You were furious. But now that you’ve got confirmation you’re not related by DNA, suddenly you think you can’t raise him? That he’s not yours to care for? But you do like him...so what about that?"
Adam didn’t say anything. His jaw tightened and he looked away.
"And if Patrick Collins is really as sick as we think he is," she went on, "then who’s going to take care of Adir? Robert Collins? Saira? Spencer?"
She let the nas hang between them. Adam didn’t flinch at the first two, but his face darkened at the third. Spencer Collins could not be trusted with a plant, let alone a little kid like Adir.
"Co on, Adam. Tell —who do you think is actually capable of raising that boy right?"
Adam’s throat worked, but no sound ca. He looked at her, sothing helpless flickering in his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck, then finally muttered, "I can’t even think—"
He broke off, then looked at her properly again. His expression shifted. He wasn’t just thinking about Adir anymore.
"Would you?" he asked directly, "Would you be willing to help raise him?"
He watched her closely. It wasn’t just a question about a child now. He knew that. Deep down, she would know it too. This wasn’t about guardianship or parenting arrangents—it was about them. About a future. About whether she was willing to step into this chaos and stay there. He hadn’t planned to ask. Hadn’t even realized it until the words left his mouth that this was what was stopping him. But now that he had, he couldn’t take them back. Actually, he didn’t want to take them back as he waited for her reply.
lanie didn’t blink. She didn’t look away. Her face didn’t fill with uncertainty or hesitation like he half-expected it to. She simply smiled.
"Yes."
Adam blinked. "Yes?"
She nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear again. "Yes, Adam Collins. I’ll help you raise Adir. If that’s what you decide. If that’s what you need."
He stared at her, montarily thrown off balance.
"Yes, Adam Collins. I’ll help you raise Adir. If that’s what you decide. If that’s what you need. I was ready to do that when you thought he was yours and I am willing now."
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