Harkham's Corner (Harkham's Series Book 3) (16 page)

“Wow. I’m glad you know what the plan is.” He wanted to tell her she was bossier than her mother, but that was a sore subject, so there was no way he’d do that.

“I need a drink. If you’re getting one, can you bring me back one, please?” She smiled.

Her toothy grin made him smile back.

“Sure. How about a juice box?”

She drummed her hands on the coffee table. “Daddy’s been buying those for me a lot.”

“He buys them for him, not for you,” he teased.

“I
know
!” Her face lit up. “He drinks them all, ‘cause they taste so good.”

“You’re no fool. I can see you have brilliant taste buds, and that’ll help you get far.” He left the room, and when he came back with her drink, she was marching aliens across the building, smashing it to bits.

Legos were flying.

Adam was immediately making a beat with his mouth, dancing with his feet, and making her get up and join him.

They wiggled around the mess, laughed and then juice boxes were had.

“Meg!” he called out.

She came flying into the room.

“Daddy! This is messy!” Her mouth dropped open.

“We like it this way.” He motioned for her to join them.

She did, only she stomped on the Legos, then told them they were mean for hurting her feet.

It was a silly game, but they had to play it.

When they were done, he wound up having their sore feet on his lap while he rubbed them.

They watched some silly smurf movie that Zach seemed to like.

It was fine with him. He ate his brother’s chips since Zach had eaten tons of his food over the last few years.

Jill yawned. “Can Meg sleep over?”

“Not tonight, sweetie. She has a gymnastics class tomorrow morning I have to take her to.”

Jill yawned again and curled up on the couch.

How long was her dad gonna be? He should be back by now.

Within minutes, Jill was asleep.

Meg was glued to the ridiculous movie.

Adam was humming a new tune. It was all he could do to keep from turning off this lame movie.

“Hey, what’s this?” Zach walked into the room, frowning, but then he grinned when he saw the two empty chip sacks.

“I was hungry,” Adam said.

“And thirsty as hell, evidently.” Zach pointed at the juice boxes.

“I left your soda alone. That took will power.” Adam jerked his head toward Jill. “And I even put her to sleep for you.” He patted Meg’s head, who was still wide awake. “What took you so long anyway?”

“I met a woman . . .” Zach’s eyes darkened. “She’s amazing.”

“Oh God . . .” Adam groaned. “Not what you want.”

“Why not? I haven’t gotten laid in . . .”

Adam pointed at Meg so Zach would stop with that line of talk.

“So
what
? Do you think this is good timing? I mean, you’re just barely dealing with her walking away.” Adam gave him a look that said this could mean trouble for his little brother.

“And she’s not coming back.” Zach’s fists were behind him, and his chest lifted.

“You don’t know that.”

Zach sighed and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I need a beer.”

“You don’t have any more. I threw them away.” Adam grinned.

“What the hell, man?” Zach popped his knuckles, trying to be menacing, but really it was comical.

“You don’t need it.”

“Like you don’t need soda?”

Adam gulped. “I can stop if I wanted to.”

“Prove it.” Zach’s eyes sparkled with challenge.

“Okay, I will then. No beer for you, and no soda for me.”

“Including un-caffeinated.” Zach really smiled now like he had something hidden behind his teeth.

“I can do this.” Adam sat taller.

“Of course you can. It won’t be a problem at all, will it?”

“Absolutely not. I’m a doctor, and I know how bad that stuff is for me. I’ve been meaning to quit. Was just waiting for school to be over, and I only have a few more weeks to go.” Adam shifted in his seat.

Meg shushed them.

Zach chuckled. “How many juice boxes did you drink tonight?”

“Three. All small.”

“How many sodas?” Zach’s brows inched up.

“Five. All small.”

Zach laughed. “I’ll bet.”

“How many beers have you had?”

“One. All huge.” Zach’s brows lifted even higher and lowered a few times. He was like a puppet, his facial expressions too large.

“You look silly.” Adam pointed at his eyebrows.

“And you look entirely too sober. Let’s get drunk just one more time before we start this healthy living crap.” Zach pulled out his phone and checked his schedule. “Friday night. You. Me. Beers. Good times.”

“No thanks. I spend Friday nights with pizza, Mari and the kids.”

Zach tossed his head back, then let it drop. “Give me a break. You’re such a pansy nowadays. No fun at all.”

“You said I never was any fun even as a teenager just last week, so why would I change now that I have a family? That’s not a smart thing to do. I’m consistent—reliable. My wife knows what to expect.”

Zach snorted. “Yeah, a naked man knocking her up every year—that’s what she can count on.”

“We don’t know that she’s pregnant yet.” Adam growled under his breath, “She’s not with child.”

“Mommy’s gonna have a baby?” Meg perked up.

“Oh, see? See what you did?” Adam groaned. “She didn’t need to hear that.” He glared at his brother. “Thanks a lot!”

“You’re welcome. Have some drinks with me, and you’ll forget all about it.”

Adam settled Meg back down after telling her uncle Zach was only teasing.

“You only want me to go with you so you can hit on this lady again. That’s what this is about, right? She’ll feel sorry for you when she meets your handicapped brother?” Adam’s right brow quirked up, but only the normal amount. He wasn’t going to be a puppet-face like his brother.

“No.” Zach blew out. “She’s super nice, and she’s great to talk to. I won’t need you for that. She won’t care about you, and besides”—he slapped the side of the couch—“you’re not handicapped. You’re eccentric, and a soda addict. All good things.”

“I’m not done with you,” Adam said, standing up. The movie was over. “I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll figure out this soda and beer strike we’re having.”

“It’s not a strike. It’s a challenge, and I never lose.” Zach rolled his shoulders and stretched a little, then pounded his right fist into his left palm.

“You’re goofy as ever.” Adam waved, picked up Meg and she said goodbye.

Zach hollered at him right before Adam shut the door. “Hey, you didn’t clean up this Lego mess. And just so you know . . . I’m seeing her again.”

“So foolish,” Adam mumbled as he took his little girl back home where their junk food was better, and he could sneak in one last soda.

* * *

“This is about as foolish as Zach dating already.” Adam grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed. His stomach was trying to leap out of him.

“It’s not a bad idea. You said the people in that club loved all your music. I wanna hear them anyway, and my mom’s been asking about them, too. Everyone loves your songs.” Mari beamed at him.

“But Thomas . . .”

“Let’s not tell him. Make an alias. Put it under a new name, and see what happens.” She handed him a soda, but he declined.

“Are you okay?” She felt his brow.

“I’m fine. I’m gonna be healthier for you.” He grimaced as she took the soda away.

“I’m all for that, but is this because of your dad’s cancer?” She put it back in the fridge.

He should tell her to throw it out, but he didn’t have the nerve to do that yet.

“Nothing I do has anything to do with Thomas Matthews.” Adam took his laptop back and pulled up his song he’d made for her that he hadn’t played for her yet.

She returned, set a large glass of ice water before him and then took a seat next to him, smiling. “Good for you—quitting soda all on your own.”

“It’s not on my own. It’s for gain. Zach’s gonna stop drinking beer, and hopefully he’ll stop chasing this woman because he’ll be sober and thinking.”

“Hmm . . . Thinking—but not with his head regardless if he’s completely sober or not.” She flashed him a knowing grin.

“Okay, he’s lost, and he likes women. I get it, but you can listen to this. It’s for you.”

Her eyes lit up. “For me? When did you write this?”

“Right before my last test. It hit me like a typhoon. I needed to get it out of my head, so I did it. Not a big deal.”

“Sweetie, it’s a huge deal to me.” She moved him over and sat on his lap.

He smiled like a lunatic and started the song.

She snuggled into him and made a soft, cooing sound. “I love it already.”

“It’s barely started. Think about what it means while you listen. Form images in your mind.” He stroked her hair. “So soft . . .” He kissed her ear. Why did he want to mount her on the table? This was a nice moment, and all he could think about right now was really rough, pounding sex.

“Adam, this is genius . . .”

“Should I put it on YouTube?”

“No.” She reached back and gripped the nape of his neck. “It’s mine.”

Wow. She was so possessive. It traveled straight through his body and landed in his groin. He had to—he moved her hair away from the side of her neck and bit her.

“Mmm . . .” She squirmed, rubbing on his hardening length. “Love it when you do that.”

“Love it when you move around on top of me like that.” He moaned and bit his way down her neck, landing at the top of the slope of her shoulder. She tipped her head back, resting it on his opposite shoulder.

He hummed the song in her ear along with the music. “It’s about us. It’s about the way you touch me. It always feels good. It’s always right.”

“I’m so spoiled.” She made a happy, humming sound.

“You’re not spoiled nearly enough.”

Meg entered the room. “I need juice, Mommy.”

“We don’t have any.” Mari moved to get up to take care of their daughter.

Adam grabbed his wife tight. “Stay here,” he whispered in her ear. He looked at Meg. “It’s hidden—but if you go clean up your mess in the living room, pick up all those crayons from earlier, then I’ll get you some as soon as this songs ends.” He smiled.

Meg stood there for a moment, her lips smooshed together, her eyes revealing her thinking. Always calculating—always weighing her options. Smart girl.

He waited, knowing what she would choose.

“If I put away crayons, then we can’t dance on them,” Meg told him.

“Good point. Hmm . . . Maybe we can dance on them on the next song?”

“Ad-am!” Mari smacked his leg. “It’ll break all those crayons.”

“We have more.” He shrugged, bubbly feelings taking over his chest. They would dance to his music as Mari loaded them onto YouTube. “But we don’t want to lie, do we?” He directed his comments to Mari. “I’ll take credit for my music. If Thomas bothers me about it, I’ll figure out what to do. My
real
dad will help me out.”

“Good choice.” Mari leaned forward, and he scratched her back.

When the song ended, Meg clapped. “So good! I like it. Can I hum it when I go to sleep tonight?”

“Nope. I’ll hum it for you.” Adam waved her over.

Meg ran the other way, humming it like a little stinker.

“She stole my song,” Adam said, chuckling.

“Yes, she did.” Mari turned in his lap, slung her arms around his shoulders and kissed him, rubbing noses. “I’m so proud of you. Your music is amazing.”

“You really think so? This isn’t just being a nice wife? ‘Cause you don’t have to be the squishy, soft kind right now. You can be mean and hard and tell me it’s bad if it is.”

“Adam.” She gave him a focused look, and her hands slid down to his shoulders. She shook him a little. “Do I ever lie to you?”

“Not that I know of, but you probably should sometimes.” He laughed. “Zach says you’re too nice to me. He says I’m a pain in the ass, and you should tell me that more often.”

“Zach’s a hormonal dick, but he’s our brother, so we have to love him.” She shook her head, smiling. “Don’t listen to him on this. He’s dead wrong.”

“All right, then, I won’t.” He kissed her, helped her stand up and then moved their party into the living room.

Mari put the songs onto YouTube one by one, and he and Meg danced on top of crayons to his wife’s dismay.

She said something about them grinding the crayons into the carpet, or something like that, but he didn’t listen. He was just glad his feet wouldn’t hurt this time like the Lego dance had done.

Crayons were much happier on feet and round, too.