Finally Found

Adam decided to kick back in the study and enjoy the fire that Neville had started as the sun began to go down. It was another gray dreary November day where the seasons in New York City kept switching back and forth. One moment he would swear it was winter, with the frost on the ground, the flakes falling from the sky. The next moment it was a bit warmer and the last of the leaves was falling. He couldn’t think of any place that he would rather be. Haley had made this house a home.

Sighing, he called Sam’s cell. It was the fifth time he had attempted to reach him since he woke up. And still his brother had yet to answer. They should be home with him. And if they weren’t here, since they seemed to be here less and less, maybe he should find a place to spend the evening and someone warm and inviting to spend the evening with.

He began scrolling through his contacts and soon one thing became abundantly clear. He had no real friends. How was that possible? How could he be thirty years old and have no real friends? Adam sat up straighter in his seat, and then leaned on his legs as he looked through them more slowly. Nope. Not a one. He had friends from school that he had hung around, and friends from clubs, and friends that were really nothing more than acquaintances. There were people that he would call to party with, find out what the current meeting place was, but he really had no relationships of substance save that of the one with his brother. And now his brother was practically married. There was no way that they could be buddy-buddy like he needed.

Well, there was no time like the present to make the change. He could make sure that thirty was his best year yet, if he could just figure out how. And he leaned back and plopped his feet on the coffee table to think about it.

Sam and Haley walked into the study just before six that evening. Haley plopped down on the couch in front of Adam. Her eyes were sparkling and he could read excitement all over her face. Doing a quick scan, he realized that she still wasn’t wearing the Davenport Diamonds, so Sam hadn’t popped the question.

“What has you so happy, sunshine?” He asked her with a smile. Haley’s happiness tended to be contagious. She was so vivacious. No wonder his brother couldn’t stand to be away from her.

Sam sat next to her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Like they had been doing it for years instead of months, they melted into each other, one simply becoming an extension of the other. And Adam marveled over it, wondered what that must feel like.

“It’s your birthday!” Haley exclaimed. “I am so excited to celebrate with you. We thought we’d start my taking you out to dinner. Then we have a big surprise for you.”

If Sam hadn’t been holding her, Adam would have sworn that she’d have floated away. “What’s the surprise?” Adam asked with a smile. “I mean, I’m surprised enough that you are here. I thought that you two had forgotten…” His voice trailed off and he shrugged, but the sadness in his voice was evident.

Haley’s smile faltered. She glanced up at Sam, a hint of doubt in her eyes. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and leaned down to kiss her temple. These days, they were hard to be around and they knew it. That was part of the reason why they spent so much time away and on their own. The other part was that Haley felt so much better, so confident, and so ready to face the world with Chase in jail awaiting trial. She wasn’t in hiding any more. And it made a huge difference.

“Adam,” Sam began in his scolding voice, “we would never forget your birthday. So, where would you like to go to dinner?”

But Adam was already morose from spending the bulk of the day alone and discovering that in thirty years, the only meaningful relationship he had was rather built in, since Sam almost didn’t have a choice in the matter. Hanging out with the two lovebirds was just the cherry on top. “Oh, you’re all big on surprises,” Adam said, trying to act happy, “why don’t you surprise me? I’ll put on a suit and meet you down here in fifteen minutes. I would have said ten, but it takes me a little longer. You understand?” And he tapped his bum leg with the cane before limping out of the study and heading to the guest bedroom.

“Well, that didn’t go the way we had hoped,” Haley said quietly.

“Ah, it’s Adam, I rather expected it,” Sam assured her. “He has been milking that leg…” He shook his head. “It will be good for him to go home and get back in a routine, rebuild his life. He hasn’t been there for almost two months. I’m sure it will feel good for him to be back on his own.”

Haley leaned back into Sam knowing that his arms would wrap around her. She pressed her face against his broad chest and inhaled the scent of him, a combination of cologne and fresh clean male. She squeezed him close. “I hope you’re right. Maybe what Adam really needs is to be around family right now. Maybe that’s what will help him heal.”

He sat there in silence and considered what Haley had said. He didn’t want to think that it was for purely selfish reasons that he would send his brother packing. Sure, he longed to be more spontaneous with Haley, have more freedoms, be as demonstrative as he wanted without worrying about interruptions, but he really did have Adam’s well-being in mind…didn’t he?