Page 112 of Saving Soul

A rascally smile covered his face. “ThatI know from experience.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, not in a sexual way…in aI-can’t-even-watch-the-news-without-bawlingway.”

“That’s a flaw?” he asked as we approached the grand gates of Harlow Manor.

“To some it is.”

Adam entered the passcode into the keypad. “I think I know a better one.”

“Okay. Hit me. I can handle it.”

He turned to me while the gates opened. “You rarely do anything for yourself.”

“That’s not true. I…I read.”

“You read to relax.” He accelerated down the winding driveway toward the huge garage behind the mansion.

“And relaxing is fun.”

“Fun is jumping out of a plane, or going scuba diving, or spending a wild weekend in Vegas.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

He sighed. “I guess not.”

“But reading is fun and therapy rolled into one. With the work I do and the trauma I’ve been through, reading romance is the only thing that settles my soul. Knowing there’s going to be a happy ending guarantees no heartbreaking surprises or disturbing twists…just love conquering all. It’s what my heart needs, and it brings me peace, if only for a moment.”

Adam maneuvered through the impressive collection of classic cars before parking in the only empty space.

“I know it’s silly,” I continued, unbuckling my seatbelt.

He took my hand. “It’s not.” He waited until I lifted my eyes to his. “Why do you think I work so much?”

“Because you like money.”

“Because it’s the only aspect of my life I can control.”

My heart ached as his thumb ran over my knuckles. It was the first time Adam had opened up, and the glimpse of his gentle soul was blinding.

“But I’m fucking that up now, too.” He released my hand to take the keys out of the ignition.

“How?” I asked, barely recovering from the loss of his touch. “You’re the most successful man in America.”

“Not in my father’s eyes.” He grabbed the door handle with more force than necessary and climbed out of the car.

I watched in a daze as he ambled around the car to open my door. “Maybe Harlow Corp. was his crutch, too,” I said, stepping into an icy showroom of priceless automobiles.

“I guess.” Adam closed the door behind me and tucked his hands into his pockets. “I’ve never really wondered why he is the way he is. I assumed he was born like that.”

I wandered out of the garage beside him. “Maybe there are things from his past you don’t know.”His little brother, for one.

“He grew up with my grandparents. His childhood couldn’t have been that bad.” Adam closed the garage door and met me on the pebbled path to the house.

“But their dynamic is different to yours,” I said, admiring the fairy-lit hedges as we walked side by side. “Do you think Harrison will feel the same angst against your parents that you and Grayson have?”

“Well, no. They adore him…” He lowered his head as he exhaled. “I see your point.”

“My Grams was my best friend, but my mother hated her. She had her reasons, but they wereherreasons. Not mine.”