"I promised to marry you long before Spencer even ca into the picture."
lanie frowned at that and shook her head. "How is that possible? Are you saying you agreed to marry when Grandmother wrote the will? But then... you never ca to see ." lanie frowned a bit," I know you were willing to go to great lengths to go against Spencer, but did you really agree blindly? I an, is your head okay? Even arranged marriages, people tend to et first..."
Adam looked at lanie’s widened eyes and let out a low chuckle and shook his head, the kind of gesture that said he was exasperated but also amused. Then, without warning, he picked her up from where she sat on the kitchen island. She let out a startled squeal, her arms instinctively wrapping around his shoulders. But the mont her body t his, she buried her face in his neck, no longer protesting. If her recent bout of jealousy had taught her anything, it was this-whenever she had the chance, she should hold onto him. Tightly.
As if reading her thoughts, he gave her bottom a light pinch and whispered into her ear, "Seems like I’ll have to work harder at making you jealous in the future."
lanie gasped and hit him lightly on the back. "Don’t you dare," she warned but of course the words were all muffled against his skin and he could only laugh at her protests
Still grinning, Adam walked over and settled onto the couch with her cradled in his lap. "Hmm. Now that we’re sitting comfortably, we can talk."
lanie shifted, trying to slide off his lap to sit beside him, but his hands caught her hips firmly. His eyes t hers with a look that was part threat, part challenge.
Go ahead and move. Just try it.
She almost shuddered at the unspoken promise in his gaze, but she didn’t test it. Instead, she stayed exactly where she was, her hands resting on his chest, heartbeat a little too fast and placed her head on his shoulder.
"We are childhood sweethearts."
lanie frowned and moved to look up at him but his hand ca to press down on her neck, making her stay there.
She finally lifted her head and looked up at him, deep lines on her forehead as she stared at him, "Who are you childhood sweethearts with?"
Adam chuckled, clearly enjoying her confusion. "You’re really cute when you’re jealous, you know that?" he teased, and before she could swat at him again, he guided her head back to his shoulder. "Relax. I’ll tell you a story."
lanie stayed still, arms loosely wrapped around him, but her brows remained slightly furrowed. Still, she listened.
"I was a ss after my father died," he began, voice quieter now. "I didn’t know what to do with myself. For a while, I didn’t even want to think. Grandmother found when I was barely holding it together. She didn’t take back here imdiately- no, first, she let rest. We stayed at her friend’s place for a bit, a big old house near the hills."
"There was this girl there," he continued. "Maybe four or five years old. She was loud. Bossy. Had this ridiculous ribbon in her hair that kept slipping into her eyes. And for so reason, she decided I was hers. Followed around all day. Tried to give nas for her dolls. Made braid her hair even though I had no clue how. She was cute and curious. Wanted to know why I was sad."
Adam sighed then and lanie frowned at his words wondering where this story was leading. But she didn’t look up at him and let him continue, "She wouldn’t let it go. Kept asking and asking. So finally, I told her... I was sad because my father had passed away. I didn’t expect her to understand. But she just looked at for a second, really looked at , like she was thinking hard. And then she climbed into my lap and hugged . Tight. Just like that. Just like you are sitting on top of .
lanie’s throat tightened, but she didn’t move.
"She said she would steal away all my sadness. That if I let her hug long enough, it would all go away. She told her parents were gone too. And that sadness hated hugs, that it always ran away when soone held on."
Adam let out a breath, and his hand moved slowly up her back, resting between her shoulder blades.
"She made laugh that day. First ti I had in weeks. And for the few days we were there, she stayed close. Always tugging on my sleeve, always chattering. She couldn’t even say her na well. Always called herself..."
"lon." lanie finished the word as she looked at him with shiny eyes.
He smiled down at her and said," Hmm. I promised her then, that Adam would only ever belong to lon."
lanie grinned at that, the long ago buried mories suddenly coming to light."You disappeared after that. It was so long ago... I’d even forgotten. You rembered all these years..."
"Of course I did," Adam replied. "I promised you I’d marry you. You made pinky swear. Said I had no choice."
lanie let out a laugh that broke midway into a sob and buried her face in his neck again.
Adam wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Told you. You were mine long before Spencer even knew you. And that is also the reason, Grandma wrote you into the will. It was always rigged in my favour. She knew I would always have my eye on you. If it had been any other woman, I would never have married and taken everything like I planned. Even if it had taken longer. But with you in the picture, I was willing to stay away longer, even if that ant stealing you."
"So, you’re saying that if Spencer had not been an a** and had sincerely loved back..."
"I would have stolen you still, my sweet little lon." Adam said quietly.
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