other, and there was always more to do than there was time to do it. I guess if I hadn’t loved them so much, themarriage probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did.” He paused again. “And in all those months, it never occurred to me once to ask if the boy was mine.”
Angela winced. “Oh, Adam…how awful.” She had considered possible endings to his story, but this hadn’t been one of them.
He nodded and laughed harshly. “Yes, it was awful. I didn’t believe her at first. I hoped she was lying to try to get out of our marriage. But after the blood tests, I knew it was true. Brandon was the son of a co-worker of hers that she’d apparently been involved with off and on for a couple of years. His wife found out about Patty and divorced him. Since he was free, Patty wanted to marry him.”
“And you let Brandon go,” she said, knowing his answer before hearing it.
He nodded again. “There wasn’t much I could do to prevent it. I wanted to make the marriage work, and I tried to convince Patty to stay with me. I wanted to adopt Brandon and be a family…be the family I had thought we were all along. But she wasn’t interested, and Brandon’s biological father wanted him. The law was on their side. Brandon wasn’t my son—at least, not in any legal way. The court deals with facts, not feelings.”
“I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how you felt.” Angela spoke softly. “Do you ever see him?”
“No. I haven’t seen him since he was eight months old,” he replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “It wouldn’t do either of us any good.” He lookedup and met Angela’s sorrowful gaze. “It’s in the past and that’s where it belongs.”
“But how can you trust anyone again after what happened to you?”
“It took a long time to recover from that. I did a lot of stupid, reckless things I’m not proud of, but one night I was watching television when a preacher came on and began talking about hope…forgiveness…starting life over again. Something gripped my heart in a way I can’t begin to explain. I got down on my knees right there in that apartment, and prayed—something I’d never done before in my life.”
Angela raised a hand to touch the corner of the smile that had begun to curve Adam’s mouth. Then her fingers moved down to his shoulder. “You trusted God.”
“Yes, and I knew He’d forgiven me and that He wouldn’t give up on me from that day on.” Adam’s smile widened and he leaned forward to brush Angela’s forehead with a kiss. “And because of that, I’m here with you.”
“Trusting me,” she whispered.
“You have to learn to do that, Angela, even though it’s not easy when you’ve been hurt.”
“It’s more me I can’t trust than you,” she explained. “My judgment of things—”
“Men?” he asked.
She nodded in agreement. “My marriage was not a good one, Adam. Not even in the best of times. Dan finally left me for someone else.”
“You’re afraid of that happening again? With me?” he asked quietly, carefully.
“I don’t know specifically what I’m afraid of. I just know that what I’m feeling for you now—what I’ve felt since that night at the Open House—frightens me. I didn’t want another relationship. I wasn’t looking for one.”
“Neither was I, but here we are, knee-deep in something that looks suspiciously like a relationship,” Adam said quietly. “Funny how things like that sneak up on you, isn’t it?”
Angela smiled, alleviating some of that worried look that had creased her brow. “Funny? Maybe. Frightening? Definitely.”
“It doesn’t have to be, not with us.” Adam’s warm hand touched the softness of her cheek. “We’re not kids, Angie. We won’t make promises we can’t keep. We’ll go slow, get to know each other, be open and honest…” His smokey gray eyes lowered to her mouth as he spoke.
“Honest, huh?” Angela remarked almost without thinking. Honesty would require her
Angela winced. “Oh, Adam…how awful.” She had considered possible endings to his story, but this hadn’t been one of them.
He nodded and laughed harshly. “Yes, it was awful. I didn’t believe her at first. I hoped she was lying to try to get out of our marriage. But after the blood tests, I knew it was true. Brandon was the son of a co-worker of hers that she’d apparently been involved with off and on for a couple of years. His wife found out about Patty and divorced him. Since he was free, Patty wanted to marry him.”
“And you let Brandon go,” she said, knowing his answer before hearing it.
He nodded again. “There wasn’t much I could do to prevent it. I wanted to make the marriage work, and I tried to convince Patty to stay with me. I wanted to adopt Brandon and be a family…be the family I had thought we were all along. But she wasn’t interested, and Brandon’s biological father wanted him. The law was on their side. Brandon wasn’t my son—at least, not in any legal way. The court deals with facts, not feelings.”
“I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how you felt.” Angela spoke softly. “Do you ever see him?”
“No. I haven’t seen him since he was eight months old,” he replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “It wouldn’t do either of us any good.” He lookedup and met Angela’s sorrowful gaze. “It’s in the past and that’s where it belongs.”
“But how can you trust anyone again after what happened to you?”
“It took a long time to recover from that. I did a lot of stupid, reckless things I’m not proud of, but one night I was watching television when a preacher came on and began talking about hope…forgiveness…starting life over again. Something gripped my heart in a way I can’t begin to explain. I got down on my knees right there in that apartment, and prayed—something I’d never done before in my life.”
Angela raised a hand to touch the corner of the smile that had begun to curve Adam’s mouth. Then her fingers moved down to his shoulder. “You trusted God.”
“Yes, and I knew He’d forgiven me and that He wouldn’t give up on me from that day on.” Adam’s smile widened and he leaned forward to brush Angela’s forehead with a kiss. “And because of that, I’m here with you.”
“Trusting me,” she whispered.
“You have to learn to do that, Angela, even though it’s not easy when you’ve been hurt.”
“It’s more me I can’t trust than you,” she explained. “My judgment of things—”
“Men?” he asked.
She nodded in agreement. “My marriage was not a good one, Adam. Not even in the best of times. Dan finally left me for someone else.”
“You’re afraid of that happening again? With me?” he asked quietly, carefully.
“I don’t know specifically what I’m afraid of. I just know that what I’m feeling for you now—what I’ve felt since that night at the Open House—frightens me. I didn’t want another relationship. I wasn’t looking for one.”
“Neither was I, but here we are, knee-deep in something that looks suspiciously like a relationship,” Adam said quietly. “Funny how things like that sneak up on you, isn’t it?”
Angela smiled, alleviating some of that worried look that had creased her brow. “Funny? Maybe. Frightening? Definitely.”
“It doesn’t have to be, not with us.” Adam’s warm hand touched the softness of her cheek. “We’re not kids, Angie. We won’t make promises we can’t keep. We’ll go slow, get to know each other, be open and honest…” His smokey gray eyes lowered to her mouth as he spoke.
“Honest, huh?” Angela remarked almost without thinking. Honesty would require her
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