T O D A Y ,

              “See, that’s a lesson you gotta teach her fast. ‘The early bird catches the worm, but there are worms to be caught in the afternoon if the said bird snoozes ‘til eight’,” The two grown men, one spurn of raven and the other gold, were surely entertaining to any flies on the wall: tall, large, and tip-toeing in whispered jest, all in fear of waking a 16 pound 2 ounce angelic baby with the lungs of an opera powerhouse, “Yeah,” Adrian japed back, “Corners are rounded and the sharp stuff’s hidden. Long as I send you back to Si in one piece, my hide’s still intact,” But as much as he joked, Adrian had indeed ‘babyfied’ the place for the time being: softened corners with hand towels and tape, hidden the beautiful decorative pieces Zoe had accented the space with that were too small or too sharp, blocked the loft stairs. Anything, for Mia. He smoothed out the cream coloured duvet of their California Queen as Adam lowered the tot, her cheeks flushed with heat, warm and cozy from her father’s eclipsing body heat, and through the lopsided grin her wore, Adrian couldn’t help the whispered words– “Damn, you make one cute kid–” that left his mouth.

             He lead them back, to the kitchen this time, with hands stuffed in pockets and the sleeve of his short sleeve and tanned skin brushing along exposed brick in their lazy gait. Testament to how attached he was to he and Zoe’s nest it was. The space practically magnetized him to it. “Yeah. I mean…” He shrugged, palms lifting too, the right finding his left bicep, “I lived in that one bedroom for years, but it never felt like home, you know? I’m damn lucky now, that we’ve found a place that does,” Even if ‘home’ has always, simply, been her. “––And you? You’re the one living domestic bliss here, Sterling. Don’t think I can’t see it in those baby blues,” His doted surname bloomed with a grin, Adam’s romantic and paternal pride unmissable to Adrian, and he punctuated the fact with the pass of a Coors to the male before him. “… Hey,” He blinked, vocalizing aloud a thought that had been egging at him since his conversation with Sierra, and the fact that Idris had been getting better, and better, “I was thinking. Me, you, Idris, taking a drive somewhere for a boys weekend. Teach the kid how to camp, and fish, before it gets too cold out,” He rose a brow, grin crooked, “I figure he learn from the best. What do you say?”

                                    “I know, right? Especially now that she actually grasps the concept of some words— there’s a real pressure on me to teach her all the really valuable lessons as fast as possible,” he joked, chuckling under his breath. Truly though, everything was happening so fast when it came to Mia now— she was walking, running around, saying a few words and even attempting sentences too. It was insane to think of how far she had come; how far they had all come, really. Upon further inspection, Adam realized Adrian really hadn’t been joking when he said he’d baby proofed the place, no sharp corners or small items anywhere in sight. “Damn, dude, you really did baby proof? That’s so good of you man, thank you. I guess I’ll be sending Mia over here all the time now then,” he added with a slight chuckle, but truly, if anyone could take good care of his daughter, it was them. Adrian’s comment as soon as Mia was on the bed, clutching her blankey, made him smile instantly, eyes crinkling at the corners in obvious pride. “I know, right? Got lucky with this one I think.” Slapping Adrian on the chest lightly, he wiggled his brows at him as he began to speak. “This making you want to add a nursery to your new home? I mean, I’m all for Mia dating someone younger than herself, but let’s not make her future spouse too young, okay— get going already,” he joked and chuckled as he exited the room again. 

                            Leaned against a wall of exposed brick, Adam grinned up at his friend as he watched what was essentially a new chapter of this man’s life unfolding in front of him. It was good, well deserved more than anything, and Adam truly couldn’t be happier for him and Zoe. “Yeah, you are. It’s not easy to find a home that feels like that, but dude if anyone deserves it, it’s you.” He reached out and patted the man on the shoulder before he kicked off and ventured further into the large, open space. “I know, I know,” he chuckled when the attention was turned back to him and ‘domestic bliss’, as Adrian put it. “I’m living the best life right now, I can’t lie. I’ve never... been this happy before.” That was true. Whatever void his parents’ absence had left, Sierra and Mia had filled for him. The idea of going on a boys weekend with Idris and Adrian though, that was far too good to pass on. “Hell yeah, I’d be down for that? When are you thinking? Next weekend maybe? How is the little guy anyway?”

+ “What do I want? I want to be coked outta my damn mind before doin’ this, and yet…” He says sarcastically with a lazy shrug of the shoulders. “I owe you an apology. Up to you if you wanna hear it.”

“Uh…” Ceci looked at Adam expectantly, raising one brow to challenge his guessing game. She wasn’t a fan of those — Or maybe just not invested enough in them to make qualified guesses. Luckily, Adam was a smart guy and quickly continued, offering up clues telling enough to make it clear who he was talking about. “Well, you can tell him that if he wants to make sure I stay out of trouble—” She said, “Then he can come home and make sure himself.”

                            Her reaction spurred a chuckle, his lips tugged into a wide smile reaching almost from ear to ear. He knew Diego was busy— that he was working a lot, and even though Adam wished he came home to Lanford more, especially with Cecilia there, he also understood that he was out there, living his best life and all that, and no one deserved it more than him. Him and his sister. “I will definitely tell him that. Isn’t he coming home for Thanksgiving though, or is planning on working right through that too?”

                 “There you are,” Greeted the brunette to the blondes, “––And I feel you, Mia,” Adrian wiped his palms on his jeans as he and Rocky rose from the couch, their favourite daddy-daughter-duo entering the loft with only one half of them lucid; the tiny other, cherubic, fast asleep against her dad’s chest. The dark and rugged male was all ivories, dimple and gum at the sight, “Here, come put her down in the bed,” Adrian spoke quiet, to save waking the flaxen-haired cherub, “But thanks, man. Wait ‘til I show you the rest of it. Not to mention I ‘babyfied’ it–– for your safety, I mean. Not Mia’s” He joked, work-roughened palms stuffed in pockets. Large feet were featherlight on hardwood as he lead Adam through the space, to the bedroom that the sun painted sienna and overlooked the sea, “I don’t think we’ll ever not have something to do, but I like it, fixing it up. I love this place, man,” He smiled, melted and earnest. The fix-me-up status this place was in was part of why he got it for so cheap, and it still felt like a steal; a labour of love, this project was, and he didn’t mind one bit.

                                       “Yeah, it’s a tough life— staying awake for all the exciting things is a real challenge. I’ve tried to tell her, that if maybe she slept in once in a while, instead of waking up at six in the morning, maybe then she wouldn’t miss out on so much during the day,” he joked in a lightly hushed voice, even tough he knew there wasn’t much likely to wake her right now. “Thanks, man— she’s like a small oven, I’m sweating like crazy under here,” he added after Adrian suggested they put her down in the bed. He entered the place and took another look around, putting down the diaper bag by the entrance first before really taking it all in. The two did well; it was a perfect space for them, even Adam could see that clearly. “Oh, you babyfied it for me, huh?” He chuckled, head shaking in amusement. “Now Sierra and Mia can rest soundly, knowing I’m completely safe over here.” Following the dark haired male to the bedroom, he grinned lightly, and even larger after he gently moved Mia from his chest to the middle of the bed, stuffing her blankey into her hold. “That’s better,” he mumbled with a chuckle under his breath, smoothing his shirt back in proper place before he turned to Adrian. I was obvious he was proud of the new home, and honestly— Adam couldn’t blame him. It was amazing, even if they’d had to put in some hours. “Dude,” he said, smiling wide. “I’m so happy for you. This is an awesome place, really— and you look like you’re enjoying the whole process, yeah?”

“Thank you,” June said and smiled warmly. She really would be nothing without her family — That much was certain, even if family no longer, and had never really, consisted of only blood relatives. Hell, her own parents abandoned her and Jake before they were even old enough to truly remember them. What mattered in the end was this… The people who stayed.

Welcoming Mia in her arms, she hugged her close for a moment, her eyes closed and a tender smile in firm place on her lips. What a blessing she was, the little girl who had come into their lives so suddenly. “You’re so cute,” she whispered to Mia and sat her on her lap so she was facing her, able to see her when June talked and smiled in her direction. “And your daddy is a little bit crazy, isn’t he? Way too kind for sure, that’s what he is.”

                                  With her big green eyes and infectious smile, Mia was happy as a clam in June’s lap, arms flailing about and all kinds of babbles emerging from her lips, making little to no sense, other than her being very pleased and happy being right there. “I think she thinks you’re cute too,” Adam chuckled, watching the two interact with a proud smile on his lips. It was swapped for a laugh a second later, his head shaking. “Don’t listen to her, Mia— your dad is very sane, and very right too. Auntie June deserves the world, doesn’t she?” He looked at June with a soft smile and an genuine look in his eyes, truly only wanting his childhood friend to be happy— whatever that meant.

                              “Guess who I ran into the other day in the city?” Adam said, looking up from his slice of pizza, elbow resting against the bar top and Cecilia Torres holed up behind it. “Name start’s with D, and he looks an awful lot like you, only a bit more rugged, you know? Not as delicate features,” he added, chuckling under his breath. “He asked me about you too, wanting to make sure you were staying out of trouble.”

                                  “We tried to stay awake for the grand reveal, but only one of us actually managed to,” Adam said when the elevator doors opened up right in the middle of Adrian and Zoe’s new place— or not so new anymore, but it was the first time Adam had brought Mia with him. She was now fast asleep against his chest, cheek pressed to his collarbone and her chubby hands loosely clinging to his shoulders. “But don’t worry. In two hours or so, she’ll be all over this. Looks amazing, man. Are you guess done with it now, or do you still have something to do?” He asked Adrian, stepping inside slowly, as if not to stir Mia awake.

Callum was not usually one to skimp on the nightlife - he’d rather roll into work on three hours sleep than be holed up like a kept animal. But the case he’d been working on was an important one, and exceptions had to be made. “Three weeks with my head spent buried in depositions… What did I miss?” 

“It’s okay,” June said and forced herself to perk up a bit, her usual smile flourishing on her life and easily made genuine when Mia smiled back at her. “I mean, I have you guys, right? That’s all that matters.” She reached out her hand and extended a finger for Mia to grab, her little fingers strong and steady when they closed around June’s, making her heart swell. She was so cute, it was almost unbearable — But only almost.

“Oh, you’re so welcome. I’ll always have ice cream for her. And for you too of course, my grandma made sure of that,” she said and laughed. Once Mia was all cleaned up, June extended her arms out, looking from Mia to Adam. “Can I?” She asked, missing the weight of the little girl in her arms. His comment made her roll her eyes for a moment though, good natured and spiked with a chuckle, “What makes you think that? If they were related to you, then it’s a lot more likely I wouldn’t deserve them.”

                                     “Yeah,” Adam said and nodded his head softly, watching as June and Mia interacted. It was a tender moment, and for any devoted dad, it was impossible not to smile. “You definitely have all of us, we’re not going anywhere,” he promised. June might have been a wanderer, and Adam knew what that was like, but he needed her here in Lanford just as much as she needed her friends.

                              “That’s why you’re now officially our favorite people,” Adam chuckled, a wide smile reaching his eyes easily when around the blonde. When she asked if she could hold Mia, he was quick to let her. “Yes! Of course you can,” he said and handed her over, watching how the little girl extended her arms all on her own, clearly excited to be held by someone other than her dad for once. “That’s not true,” Adam said a moment later, shaking his head at June. “You deserve the best, okay? Don’t forget it.”

                   It was funny how her own forbidden thoughts had become their reality, teenage dreams and adult denial coming around full circle; over the years they had watched each other fall in love, then picked the pieces up when their hearts were broken, a soft spot always remaining for the other. Finally it was their turn, luck and circumstance falling into line and now, there wasn’t a vision of her future that didn’t feature Adam and his daughter. Every morning she felt the weight of his arm draped around her, chest pressed against her back, a position that Sierra had never enjoyed… It was always too hot or too intimate, but with Adam? That had changed almost instantly. The feel of him close to her had become a drug, something she no longer hoped for but craved day in, day out. She wasn’t afraid to admit how much she needed him in this way, sheltered and safe between his arms. Dragging a hand through the top of his messy hair, Sierra laughed and thought about for a moment… On one hand Mia had been getting better with sleeping, but the problem had never been her. It was Sierra, her own restless nature struggling to calm enough to granted a sleep deep enough to feel refreshed the next morning. “OK, she’s getting better—” The brunette agreed, tracing the edge of his jaw one of her fingers. “But still not enough…” A smirk pinched the edge of her mouth, not one ounce of validity in her complaints, “And you talk in your sleep.” Sierra paused and looked away in interest, thinking many years in advance. “Do you think we’ll be complaining about her sleeping too much one day?” Experience had suggested that would be the case, especially if she followed in her father’s teenage footsteps.

                   Talking about their parents filled Sierra up with a warmth that made her feel at home, but for every happy memory she could feel their pain too… Not only her own demons, but Adam’s as well, even though the conversation made her smile. His mom was an incredible woman, “And she thought I knew all the gossip? We were pretty boring teenagers—” Sierra scoffed, thinking back to the hours they spent wondering around the forest pretending like nobody else existed. “I mean, I was anyway. At least people liked you, everyone thought I was some woodland creature you felt sorry for.” The comment elicited a laugh, echoes from hallway gossip no longer reminding her of the pain they caused her. It was funny now, more amusing than she ever thought possible. “I’ll have to start giving you some cop training, that’ll make you more alert…” She mused with a half-smile, thumb brushing along the bridge of his cheekbone. “Mm, I don’t know….” And with that, he had melted her body into him even more, another tangled mess of kisses and laughter. Only now did she appreciate his athleticism properly, large biceps and a stomach made of steel, the ease at which he lifted her unlike anyone before. Girls had always fawned over him, jealous and confused by their friendship as teenagers, but Sierra only understood in a private setting. One unique to her own mind as he went off on dates, leaving her with a fake smile that always turned into a glare… A decade later, she was the one who was able to claim him as her very own. “Oh my god, shut up about the damn waffle iron—” The brunette laughed, eyes rolling to the back of her head. “You can have it, but you have to find it. That’s the deal.” She groaned with a smile, unwilling to help him on the quest to finding anything else that required opening more boxes. “I’m starting to think you’re more in love with the iron, than you are me…” Not that she would be offended, food was an important part of daily life. Adam kissed her again and she laid back, enjoying the peace for as long as his daughter would grant them, “What do you mean?” Sierra mumbled against his collarbone, eyes opening to search for meaning in his…

                   That’s when she remembered, his disappearances and need to get away after something bad happened; his dad’s death, the breakup with Toni, any excuse to run and return when he felt ready, turning his back on everyone in Lanford, her included. It was a pain that she had been reminded of countless times, years passing since his last escape, but in the back of her head she wondered… Would he do it again? For a moment she felt her eyes glaze over as everything beneath her skin cried out in pain, the thought of waking up to someone else just gone a little too close for comfort. The brunette swallowed hard and felt her face fall into something serious, eyes begging with him not to do that to her. “Please don’t run away again…” She whispered gently, hand still caressing the side of his face. “Not without me.” If he wanted to run she would go with them, wherever he wanted… But the thought of him leaving her now? It had the power to completely ruin everything she had worked through. “Don’t do it again—” Her voice strained itself for a few seconds, hand dropping to rest on the side of his neck. “I won’t let you mess this up…” Because she was stubborn and selfish, blunt and scalding, traits that didn’t sit well with having things ruined. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Sierra leaned down and put hers against his as he spoke, arms returning to wrap around the bottom of his neck, “You think I would have let you treat me like crap?” The woman smirked, a small laugh escaping her throat. “Oh boy, I would have kicked you to the curb…” 

                 But it wasn’t just he who had changed, so had Sierra. A string of years spent with other men, two opposites that softened the walls around her and gave Sierra the chance to fall in love. Opening herself up was hard, but being alone was even harder — With Adam, she didn’t need to release her inner most secrets. He knew them all, long before anyone else, experiencing them with her. “Someone has to believe in you…” And that someone would be her, because he needed it. A reminder that he was a good person, the best father and an incredible boyfriend. She was lucky, she didn’t deserve someone like him. It’s why she didn’t struggle beneath his weight, back pressed into the cushions as he trapped her on the couch, a smile plastered across her mouth as he leaned in for yet another kiss. “On one condition?” Sierra pulled herself away briefly, an index finger pressed against his mouth. “We do this more—”

                                             Keeping track of Mia’s sleep schedule and patterns, wasn’t really something he did anymore. In the beginning, he tried to do everything by the book, even when it didn’t work, and when a baby clearly can’t be fitted into an average, no two the same, and now all of it was down to impulse, to gut feelings, and as far as he gathered, Mia was in a steady phase, sleeping through the night despite still waking up early. “Not nearly enough,” he agreed, a chuckle escaping his lips. He opened his mouth to try and catch her finger when she traced his jawline, a playful growl leaving him in the attempt, though with little success. He laughed instead, pulling her closer to make up for any space possibly created between them in the last twenty seconds. “I talk in my sleep, huh? Do I at least say interesting stuff?” He asked. He knew he mumbled a few things here and there in his sleep, but as far as he knew, it was harmless stuff, barely decipherable. “Right now I can’t imagine ever thinking she’ll sleep too much. I mean, if she ends up sleeping until noon when she’s a teenager, we’ll technically have most of the house to ourselves until noon too, you know? I like the sound of that,” he smirked, a boyish grin tugging at his lips when he glanced down at Sierra by his side. There was no doubt that he loved and adored Mia, but he sure as hell didn’t mind more alone time with Sierra either.

                                    His teen years seemed a lifetime ago by now, but thinking about it did prod at some sort of sentimentality inside his chest, memories pouring back— a time where things had been easier at some point, and then much, much harder the next. Losing his mom at sixteen had been life changing, but having caring friends and family had held him together, and Sierra, even back then, had a lot to do with his survival. “Yeah, she definitely thought you knew everything— well, everything that had anything to do with me, which, you know, you kind of did.” No secrets had ever lived long among the two of them, not even back then, maybe with the exception of suppressed ones, like him having feelings for her, but he supposed it didn’t matter that much now; everything worked out in the end, after all. “Cop training? Sounds really hard, don’t know if I can do it,” he joked and turned his head, placing a kiss on her fingers, barely focused on the conversation—- not compared to how focused he was on Sierra instead, gazing down at face, every feature etched into his brain, and yet still as breathtakingly beautiful as if he’d only just seen her now for the first time. He could kiss her like this, like there was no tomorrow, for the rest of time, and not be bothered, not even realize time was ticking, and the outside world was still there. Maybe if he didn’t love Mia so much, he’d never move from this couch ever again. “More in love with the waffle iron?” He said and managed a faux gasp, leaning his head back to look at her with mock horror on his face, but only for a second. “Yeah, you’re right, I only have eyes for the waffle iron. If it was here right now, I mean, god, you could get naked right in front of me and I wouldn’t even notice,” he teased, hooking a thumb through one of her belt loops to pull her closer to him with a boyish grin— oh, he’d definitely notice.

                                  Strong arms wrapping around her held her in place against him, his lips brushing against her hairline as he peppered her skin with featherlight kisses in their embrace. It was hard to focus on any kind of conversation with her when she was this close, but he was getting better at it; and this one in particular was important enough to rope and hold at least enough of his attention to make every word genuine when it formed on his tongue, and left a second later. He leaned his head back, blue hues taking in her contrasting ones as they held his gaze, a sea of trapped emotion to drown in in auburn shades and golden undertones— he loved those eyes, so expressive and earnest, nothing even remotely insincere about them, and maybe especially now, begging him not to do what he’d done to her too many times already. “How could I?” He whispered and loosened his hold on her, only to bring a free hand to her face, fingertips brushing back stray locks of umber hair to pin them behind her ear. “—when you’re here?” He gave a small shake of his head, his brows furrowed now in the same serious manner her features had found, fingers pushing to the nape of her neck as he cupped her face in his hand. “You and Mia, you’re everything I need, you know that, right?” He looked at her, eye to eye, willing her to try and look for any signs of dishonesty, knowing she’d never find even the sliver of it. He loved her—- he’d always loved her, and just the thought of ever leaving her behind for any reason at all, well, it didn’t even exist to him; it was as impossible as bringing the dead back to life was. “No you won’t let me,” he agreed and closed his eyes when she pressed a kiss to his forehead, his thumb sweeping along her malar as his heart skipped a beat. This was all he’d ever wanted, and with it, everything else fell into place— every little thing he might have wanted to run from in the past, it no longer existed to him, swept away with that first kiss, with her ‘I love you’, as if life suddenly made sense. “No,” he said. “Hopefully you wouldn’t have, but love makes people crazy, right?” At least he knew that, and that was why, in a way, he was glad Sierra didn’t have to love him when he’d gone through his dad’s death for instance.

                                   Those memories were particularly dark, but they didn’t get their foot in the door this time, his mind preoccupied with Sierra as he trapped her under his weight, thankful for the size of their couch maybe right now more than ever. “Couldn’t be happier that that someone is you,” he said against her skin and looked up at her, a boyish grin tugging at his lips, only momentarily faltering when her finger came to it too. “On one condition?” He repeated against it, arching a brow in curiosity. It could’ve been anything, but the one she chose was pretty damn easy to go along with, a laugh escaping him and a small shake of his head offered. “Oh, you mean, making out on the couch like teenagers? I guess, if you really want that, I could go along with it,” he said and kissed her again, fervent, persuasive, in love.

+ “Yo, Sterling. You got a second?”

@adam-sterling

“The wisest of them all,” she laughed and nodded, a smile as bright as the sun parting her lips when she looked over at Adam and then down at Mia in his lap, the little girl still working on the ice cream with great vigour, even as most of it ran down her little hands. She was a little miracle, a bright spot in an otherwise confusing and at times very cruel world, and even though she didn’t say anything, she put things in perspective, especially along with her dad’s wisdom. “Very frustrating,” she said quietly and looked up again, shrugging then, “Maybe I’ll grow out of it.” It was a half joke, but a hopeful one at least. Maybe things would’ve been easier if Rafe and June had been friends first like Sierra and Adam, but they hadn’t — Not even a little bit. In fact, they hated each other first, and then one day she woke up and was in love with him, like a flick of a switch. That made all the difference maybe: they should have been friends first. “No,” she said soberly, “That won’t work for us, being friends.” She knew she couldn’t do that.

Talking about Rafe was helpful in a lot of ways, but at a certain point it just got depressive, and June was pretty sure she had reached it about now, latching onto everything Adam said about Sierra and him instead, letting the warmth and adoration fill her. “You’re welcome,” she said sweetly and smiled, a light laugh parting from her lips when he spoke again, “Yeah, thank you. You don’t happen to have a bunch of brothers you could set me up with, do you?”

                                       “There’s always that chance,” Adam said when June suggested she might grow out of this phase, of feeling like this when it came to Rafe. He wasn’t so sure himself, but he knew there was a possibility. From his own experience though, some people just stuck forever, even after you’d moved on. It was frustrating, but sometimes— just sometimes, it was all worth it in the end. “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment of silence, her conclusion that Rafe and her would never work as friends not a surprising one to him, unfortunately, but sad nevertheless.

                              Pulling a pack of baby wipes from the bag by his chair, he wiped Mia’s face clean from the sticky ice cream, and then her fingers, switching out what was left of the melting ice cream with a toy from the bag to keep her busy instead, before wiping his own fingers. “Thanks for the ice cream,” he said and chuckled, letting it linger and morph into laughter when June asked if he had any brothers to set her up with. “Unfortunately not, and honestly if I did? They’d probably not deserve someone like you, June.” And he clearly meant that as a compliment.

                 Adam’s theatrics with his fist in a gavel, demanding justice for all of Munchers’ waitresses, had Ava laughing like a little girl; eyes alight, dimples on display, head thrown back with the wind. It was easy to forget the woes of adulthood for something more childlike; guileless and youthful, pure, whenever you were honoured with the golden man’s presence. Ava could help a lot of things, but she couldn’t help that. “It’s never too late to save our souls, Adam,” She laughed, sliding over a caddy of milk, cream, and sugar toward the blonde, “If anyone can do it, you can. It’s only ten more years of schooling and hundreds of thousands of dollars, but at least you’ll be doing the three of us a favour. That’s all that matters, right?” She already felt better, mind and stomach, come Adam’s easy distraction from the Stanley Cup Finals of tongue hockey nearby.

                 By the time Adam started to consider her question, oceanic hues moony, the couple was nearly forgotten all together as she awaited an answer about life and love from the man who knew it the best. “So it’s a subjective type-thing. I figured–– I could never picture you and Sierra being that extra,” A soft laugh parted her lips, but died out come Adam’s earnest question, “Who, me?” She wanted to laugh at that too. She was flattered, sure, but she hadn’t had so much as a boyfriend before, never mind a ‘true love’, “… I think you’re mixing me up,” Ava smiled, waving it off, but a flash of a deep-set emerald gaze flared up in her grey matter before quickly dying out, and she grew a little more earnest; her shoulders lowering a little more too, “Because I, um… I think it’s a really rare thing– ‘true love’, or whatever. I’ve only met a handful of people who’ve found it,” And by handful, she meant those she could count on one hand: Adam and Sierra, Zoe, one of the elderly waitresses who manned the morning shift: Dawn, her name was. Ava didn’t even count her own parents in that list, who had been together for over thirty years. “You’re one of those lucky ones,” She shrugged, not going on in fear she’d poison the mood with the words, ‘I, on the other hand, am not.’

                                     The light laughter was sweet, and easily made it bubble from his own lips as well, halfway surprised that Ava actually found him funny—- he supposed he wasn’t the worst, but he’d somewhat expected his sense of humor to morph into a dad-like one by now; which, come to think of it, it might sort of have. He didn’t mind one bit though. He took pride in being a dad, and if that meant having dad humor he’d take it; especially if nice people like Ava were okay with it. “I vow to do my best; no Munchers soul shall go tainted,” he promised, puffing up his chest for a good three seconds before deflating in a bout of laughter. “Ten more years of schooling and hundreds of thousands of dollars you say? Pfft, easy peasy,” he joked, waving his hand around like she’d say a week of schooling and twenty bucks.

                            Love was strange, and it was never the same thing twice—- not in his experience at least, intense every time maybe, but still, nothing came close to the kind he felt for Sierra today and every day. “I think so. It’s never been the same for me, you know? I’ve loved others before Sierra, but not like this, he said, summing up his thoughts with a tender smile to go with it. “But no,” he chuckled now, he had to. “I don’t think we’d ever be that extra either. I’ll never say never, but in this case, I probably can.” Sierra just wasn’t the type of person to go for that kind of PDA— or whatever it could be called. As for true love though, he knew he was lucky, but that didn’t mean Ava couldn’t be too. “Why would I mix you up, Ava Blake? You’re a great person— if anyone deserves to experience true love and all that, well it’s got to be you. And don’t go thinking it won’t happen just because it hasn’t happened yet, alright? You’re young,” he said, as if he wasn’t. He really was a dad now. “You have plenty of time, and I have a good feeling about you.”

                   Everything had become so simple, the first morning after she had kissed him dawning in a new light; curled up on his couch under a blanket that fit around them perfectly, a cool breeze assaulting her back. Adam was gone and the house quiet as she rubbed weary eyes, checking the time to realise it had only been a couple of hours since Adam had lifted her from the floor and into his arms. Nothing happened, but he settled them down on the sofa and together they fell asleep locked in an embrace that seemed to make the world disappear… Nothing had ever been that straightforward or instinctive, Sierra rarely felt comfortable around anyone. But intimacy hadn’t changed their friendship, only enhanced it. He was the only person she could fully trust, someone who knew every one of her dirty little secrets and still, Adam didn’t run away. “Do you think you could teach her to sleep in a little?” The woman half-teased, referencing their early teenage years where she spent most of her time waiting for him to drag himself downstairs. “I remember your mom telling me that too. She would always invite me in and make juice,” Sierra chuckled and reached out for one of his hands. “A little more, but only a little—” Lacing them together and bringing the knuckles of his fingers to her mouth, Sierra left her mark in the form a kiss. “I still wake up to any slight movement…” She sighed, letting out a small yawn.

                   At first she would wake Adam on the rare occasion that his daughter woke up crying, but lately she had been getting up herself. He always looked tired, the same exhausted happiness that most father’s wore on their face, but one that triggered a small amount of guilt. Of course, Sierra had never mentioned it to him because it didn’t need to be… He trusted her with Mia, it made more sense for her to get up and soothe her back to sleep. “Do you think we should both keep one box packed?” Sierra asked as the thought popped into her head, allowing herself to melt into the side of his body. “And then if we get a new place in the future, we can unbox it and see what’s in them?” His smile elicited the same reaction in her, an arm outstretching to rest on his toned stomach. “I also just hate unpacking,” She admitted as their mouths found each other, fleeting and light, but enough of a moment to get her stomach fluttering. Nothing had ever been this easy for Sierra, not when it came to love and relationships… There was always a doubt somewhere, eating away at the confidence she had in the other person, but for the first time she couldn’t feel it. Adam left her with butterflies every time she felt his eyes on her, sparkling in emeralds as she lifted a hand to wipe away a rogue lash from his cheek. “Shut up—” Sierra gasped and went to slap him in the groin, but was stopped by the distraction of his hands and then a kiss that demanded her attention. A sinful brush of his lips meant to tease and steal a moment not just for him, but for them. Rare moments of being alone provoking passion and the reserve of energy she had, just for him… It’s why the burst of movement had a cushion falling to the floor and her phone plunging downwards too, but she didn’t care. The way his lips left a trail of kisses along the edge of her jaw had Sierra at his beckon call, a feverish heat radiating from her skin as he buried himself into her neck.

               It was less about power and more about looking at him from above as she straddled either side of his lap, arms locking behind his neck. He had always been taller than her, so this was only fair. Fingers played with the hair at the bottom of his head as she listened and furrowed her brows, willing them to go back to making out.This wasn’t a tough conversation to have, it was difficult for her to listen to; for so long she had needed support, that sometimes she forgot Adam was human too. He had self-doubts and regret, but Sierra didn’t want him to feel that way…  “What do you mean, how you’ve behaved?” She asked in a quiet voice, mouth falling into a frown as she released one of her hands to rest against his stubbled cheek. “Are you talking about last year?” It had been difficult for them both, but Sierra had only understood how hard it was for him a few months ago. “Because what happened then, happened for a reason—” Or so she believed, no matter how painful those five weeks of ceased communication were on them both. The brunette trailed off and let him finish, a thumb lightly brushing the edge of his jaw as the conversation turned back to the storm and how it changed his life. Forever. Sierra swallowed and gave him a sympathetic smile, head shaking gently as she refused to believe he had the capability to do anything like that. “Hey, don’t…” Sierra whispered. His eyes fell to the palm she had dropped, but hers never left him and after a few moments, they were reconnected once more. “Do you think I would have let you fuck it up?” She asked with a small smile, head tilting to the side as her fingers grasped his jaw to keep him from looking away. 

                   The answer was no, because that wasn’t going to happen. Whether it would have been back then, or in future years, they weren’t going to screw it up. Not just because they loved each other, but because of his daughter. “You’re my best friend, I don’t let you make bad decisions—” She chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. “I went through that with you, remember? And your mom.” At times his parents weighed heavy on his mind, Sierra could feel that. It was a pain like her own but different, the loss of any parent shattering the world around you; if Sierra could make him feel better, or put his mind at ease then she would do so. “You didn’t fuck anything up, not with me…” She reassured with a smile, palm lifting to press against his chest and feel the beat of his heart. For a few moments she sat there still, until his voice carried into her ears once more. “Stupid ass?” The brunette laughed, “I don’t know… I think we’re about right for each other’s stupid asses—” She sniggered, “I’m happy to be stuck here.” It’s all she had ever wanted. 

                                            He tightened his arms around her comfortably, sinking into the couch as they melted into each other like second nature; which it was by now. It might not have been long ago that this wasn’t allowed, not in this sense at least, but Adam could hardly remember what it was like not to be in love with her— to wake up and not think about kissing her lips or sliding his hand up her warm back, fingers tracing each vertebrae as he soaked up her warmth and begged for another five minutes of calm before Mia would inevitably wake and demand attention. He’d steal every moment with Sierra that he could, and luckily Mia didn’t actually make it that hard; maybe because the little girl loved the brunette as much as he did. “Isn’t she getting better though? Or maybe it’s because it’s dark out longer now, or something, at least she doesn’t wake up at the crack of dawn anymore,” he said, chuckling lightly. With the changing seasons, he was hoping for a change in Mia’s sleeping pattern too, hopefully going to sleep faster in the evening, and sleeping a little bit longer in the morning, even if it were only half an hour or in that region. “Yeah,” he chuckled, thinking back to his mom and her orange juice. For years she had a crate of oranges delivered every saturday morning just to make juice for the weekend. “She’d make you that and pray for gossip, you know? Dad told me later that she was frustrated with just how little teenage me shared about my life, which I think is crazy, cause I never shut up,” he said and chuckled, eyes crinkling wistfully at the corners. He was a pretty friendly and outgoing teen, but he supposed he might not have shared all the really interesting stuff with his mom, but what teenager did? “A little more alert, but only a little, huh? Alright, I’ll take it,” he said and watched with a tender expression on his face as Sierra raised his hand to her lips, knuckles grazed by lips of a goddess, kisses that sent a shiver down his spine without her even trying. “You’re unfair,” he whispered against her hair, lips searching for warm skin before he pressed a kiss to the side of her face.

                                    He sandwiched his hand between her knees, slender legs resting in his lap still, his arm around her shoulders to secure a snug fit against him, as if they were both on a mission to take up as little space on the rather large couch as possible; which could’ve easily been his daily mission whenever it came to Sierra in general; create as little space between us as possible. Not that any man could blame him, and he knew acutely how lucky he was that he got to sit there with her like that—- that every night, he got to brush his teeth next to her brushing her teeth, and that falling asleep was with his arms wrapped around her, or his fingers tangled in her hair, his chest pressed to her naked back, or her head on his shoulder. Once it happened, he couldn’t ever imagine life being different or anything less than this, he just couldn’t. He shot her a teasing glance at her suggestion, undoubtedly liking the idea, but also knowing where it originally stemmed from; it’s motivation. “You know, I was just about to say… I know you hate unpacking, but you’re not alone in that boat, and saving it for another time sounds pretty fun? I mean, unless it’s the one box with your waffle iron in, then I’m totally against it—- I need that waffle iron,” he joked and tangled his fingers through her hair the moment their lips touched again, the silky locks sliding away from him. It didn’t last nearly long enough for his taste though, and he knew she was coming in with payback for his teasing comment, and quickly distracted her with another kiss. He was being selfish, but he was sure she didn’t mind, the arm around her pulling her even closer to him, to his chest, while the hand slipped from her knees and to her lower back in a purposeful embrace.

                                     They stayed like that for a moment, even after their lips had broken apart and his were pulsing subtly against her skin instead, eyes closed and face buried against her neck as he melted into her. Adam could’ve stayed like that forever, but Sierra heard no complaints from him when she shifted and fed a knee to his other side, straddling his lap like a greek mythology siren, him the worshipper, the sailer lost at sea, completely at her mercy. He kissed her fiercely, hands on her hips, his thumbs pressing into her bronzed skin before they loosened and followed his hands under her shirt, finding purchase along her ribs where they stilled, wavering under the conversation that solidified in the wake of the kiss that, like all the others, didn’t last nearly long enough. “Last year? Every year before that? Are you forgetting my track record of selfish decisions?” He asked, his voice lowered but honest from beginning to end. He knew that was his problem; wanting to be there for everyone, and yet losing sight of how to do that, how to be selfless without it being at his own expense, or someone else’s. Every time he failed, and every time he ran away—- realizing every time that he wasn’t selfless, he was selfish more than anything, or childish perhaps, but he was trying. He was doing his best to not be selfish, but not to be selfless either, but to be his best self instead; for Mia, for Sierra— for their family.

                                        “No, you’re right,” he said. “You wouldn’t let me fuck it up.” A prompt chuckle escaped his lips tenderly, eyes alight with adoration as he peered up at Sierra, her voice so clear and confident even he couldn’t doubt her. “It’s different now though,” he said, not just to reassure her, even though he hoped she knew there wasn’t anything to worry about. “I’m different now. I mean, no one’s ever gonna be good enough for you in my opinion, but I’m a hell of a lot better now than two years ago. Do I wish I could’ve had you like this even longer? Hell yeah, but only like this; not like some… insecure teenager who didn’t treat you right, you know?” He wound his arms around her petite waist, his hands reaching all the way around to his own opposite elbows in their lock around her, eyes sharply on hers, earnest and bright. “Your confident in me is insane,” he whispered, but she was right— she had been there through everything with him, thick and thin and she’d never wavered when everything came crashing down around him, when he really needed her. Still, he couldn’t imagine what kind of boyfriend he would’ve been at that time to her, and instead praised the higher powers that at least now, he could love her unconditionally, no fears, no doubts; just love.

                                         Chuckling softly, he scrunched up his nose in light amusement and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “Oh yeah?” He rasped, arching a brow before he kissed her again. “I think we are too.” He’d never actually call her ass stupid, but he knew what she meant, and he couldn’t agree more; after everything, all those years, memories, tragedies and lovers in between, no one were more meant to be than him and her. “And you better be happy being stuck here,” he said, turning her over onto her back on the couch in one quick, smooth motion, his weight bearing down on her. “—because I’m never letting you go now,” he said and placed a kiss on her collarbone.