Page 91 of As the Years Pass

Adam needs a safe place for those things, and I guess when your safe place dies—his parents—and you get sent into foster care for a short time, then yanked away and sent to live with an aunt and uncle who had only heard about your birth and never met you, it’s difficult to be vulnerable.

I won’t say I know everything about Adam, or any of the other kids in foster care, but I did notice a lot of similarities in them, and I still see some of those characteristics in Adam today. Mostly, they all just want to be loved and accepted for who they are but don’t know how to express that.

I didn’t have a rough life, so I can’t put myself in their shoes. I was always well taken care of and loved by my parents. I saw them love hundreds of other kids too. They had so much love to give, it seemed impossible at time, yet they always did it. For years, that’s what my parents did, and it’s the most admirable thing I’ve ever witnessed.

I pull my phone from my pocket, and Adam asks, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I say softly. “Just texting my dad.”

I send a simple text, asking how he’s doing. I need to text him more, but every time I do, he says he’s fine and I should leave him alone. It makes me feel better for about two seconds, and then I’m worrying again—which is exactly what he doesn’t want.

“How is he?”

“I’ll find out in a minute.” I put my phone on my lap. “I should text him more often.”

“Maybe we should—never mind.”

“Maybe we shouldwhat?” I ask, but he shakes his head.

“Adam?” He turns his head to look at me. “You can say it.”

His face softens, and he gives me a small smile. “I was going to say maybe we should visit. I wouldn’t hate seeing him.”

My heart does a flip in my chest, and it takes everything in me not to kiss him silly right here, right now.

“That is the sweetest thing you ever could have said.”

His cheeks turn a little pink, and his attention goes back to the kids.

Fuck, I really do love this man.

“Okay, kids, don’t forget to take your bingo cards before you leave!”

Adam gets up from his seat, along with some other parents who were sitting around and listening in on the story. I watch Adam as he walks over to Judy and Ian, each of them holding a sheet of paper in their hands now. They look adorable and happy.

And he looks hot as fuck in jeans and a T-shirt.

“What’s this?” I ask when they come over to me.

“Bingo!” Ian says, shaking it near my face.

“Can I see?” He offers it to me, and I take it.

“There are different types of books in the squares. We have to read the book and write the title and author in the box. If we bring it back with a bingo before the date, we get a prize,” Judy explains.

“Wow, Judy, I’m impressed by your listening skills,” I say.

She beams at me, and Adam smiles too.

“You definitely don’t get that from your father,” I say in a mock whisper.

“Hey!” he says, swatting me. “I listen just fine.”

Judy giggles.

“Do you want me to hold this for you so you don’t lose it?” I ask Ian.

“Okay.” He holds his hand up for me to take. I look at Adam, who smiles and nods.