Rekindled (8 page)

After dropping Gemma off at his sister's house, Adam took off into
the woods with Bear. The rushed morning repeated in his head. A sexy reunion ending
in a screeching halt of a break up. So much worse than the first time around.

A couple walked hand-in-hand along the trail in front of him. Too
much like Gemma and him. All thoughts of clearing his mind evaporated. He
trekked back to his house.

An hour later, he strode into the office. Bear trotted by his
side. His father's car was in the parking lot. Thankfully, Jocelyn's wasn't.
After seeing her expression that morning when Gemma exited his truck, he could
only imagine what his sister would have to say.

His father looked up from his desk. "That dog is huge."

Adam grunted in agreement and poured a cup of coffee as black as
his mood, then sat behind his desk. Bear settled on the floor at his feet. He
hadn't left Adam's side since they'd driven away from Gemma.

"Where's the girl?"

"On her way to Seattle. She got a movie role."

"Good for her. Jocelyn told me about her troubles
there."

Adam grunted again and reached for a pen. He'd bury himself in
work until he stopped thinking about her.

"You don't sound very happy."

He tossed his pen down. "I am happy for her. Why is everyone
so chatty today?"

His father raised a brow, then pushed away from the desk and
walked to the window. "You've done a lot of good for this company since
you took over."

He nodded and swallowed a mouthful of coffee. Bitter and cold. He
grimaced and set the cup on his desk. "I did the best I could."

"You kept everything running smoothly. I didn't have to worry
about a thing."

Adam leaned back in his chair. He studied his father for signs of
fatigue or sickness. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling fine. Do I have to be sick or in a hospital bed
to tell you I'm proud of you?"

"I did what any son would do."

"No, you didn't. Not every son would give up his dream for
his old man."

"It wasn't hard to give up when I couldn't pitch worth a
damn."

"You can now. I saw you the other day, pitching balls to the
Trappers. You have your swagger again. You're ready to get back to
baseball." With a nod, he turned toward the coffee pot.

Adam picked up the baseball he'd brought in to keep Bear
entertained. Without Gemma by his side, would he be a success? "Whether
I'll carry it out to the mound in a real game is still up in the air."

"You will. I have no doubt. Neither did Gemma. She cares
about you."

He couldn't stop the low growl emitting from his throat. "We
need to talk about the business. If I'm going back to baseball, we need someone
here to take my place. I'm thinking Connor would do a good job. I've talked to
him and he's interested."

"No one could take your place." His dad clapped his hand
on Adam's shoulder in a brief pat. "But I agree with Connor taking on more
work. He has a good head on his shoulders, and he's content to work here
throughout the year. I'll hire some more help to ease his schedule once
baseball season begins."

The door burst open and crashed into the wall. Bear jumped to his
feet, placed himself in front of Adam, and tensed, ready to attack.

"You idiot. She loves you." Jocelyn stormed into the
room and straight to Adam's desk. Eyes shooting daggers, she slammed her hands
down on the surface. Coffee sloshed over the rim of his cup. "She 
loves
 you.
And you let her go."

"Stay out of it." The snarled warning would have been enough
for most people to heed, but not his sister.

"How could you let her go? You're so perfect for each
other."

His muscles tightened. "This isn't your fight."

"You should have gone with her. If you loved her, you'd find
a way to make it work." She turned to their father. "Don't you
agree?"

Dad rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. "When your mom
died, I felt like a piece of me died with her. I've missed her every day for
the past fifteen years."

Adam shook his head. What was Jocelyn doing? They were supposed to
keep him stress-free, not make him upset thinking about their mother.
"Dad, you don't have to talk about this."

"I want to. It's important. If you're lucky enough to find
someone who makes you feel complete, you should fight like hell to keep them."
Pinning Adam with a stare, he walked back to his desk. "All I want for
both of you is to be happy."

Adam glared at the spot of spilled coffee surrounding his cup.
Happy. That was all he wanted, too. He’d ruined his chances when he'd lashed
out at Gemma, all because he was afraid of losing her. But short of cloning
himself or making time stand still, how could he solve the problem of distance
and mismatched schedules?

Bear padded to his side and rested his snout on Adam's knee. The
dog's sad eyes were likely a reflection of his own. His rubbed his hand over
the fur head. He and Gemma had promised to take care of Bear, and each other,
all those years ago. He didn't want anyone else but her by his side.

His phone signaled a text message alert. Adam yanked it out of his
pocket. Not from Gemma. Disappointment hitched onto annoyance. He didn't want
to spend his life holding his breath, waiting for her next text or phone call,
or going months without touching her. He wanted her, in the flesh, with him
every day.

He read Domingo's text.

Leaving for Arizona soon. Call me when you know where you're
playing. Let me know if you need anything or if I can do anything.

His hand hovered over the keys. He needed Gemma. Domingo couldn't
help with that.

Setting the phone aside, he opened his desk drawer. The retirement
papers, wrinkled from her hands, lay on top of the jumbled mess of office
supplies.

She'd gone out of her way to help him fix his game.

Giving up Bear was too much for her because she loved the animal.
But did she love him? She’d said she’d wanted to be together. Despite what he’d
said to her, he knew she hadn’t faked her emotions.

He loved her. That was the bottom line. She completed him. She
made him whole.

The solution came to him, crystal clear. He grabbed his phone and
his fingers typed a rapid response to Domingo. Adrenaline coursed through his
system. He pushed to his feet. His chair shot out and hit the wall behind him,
startling Bear.

Jocelyn stared at him as he moved closer to her desk. "What's
wrong?"

"I'm calling in the favor you owe me."

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Bring it on."

"I'm not sure when I'll be back, maybe a few days, maybe a
week. Cover for me while I'm gone. And take care of Bear."

"Where are you going?"

"Dad's right. I can't lose Gemma." He grabbed his coat
off the hook and strode out of the building.

The game of his life was on the line. It was up to him to make the
save.

One week after she'd said goodbye to Adam, Gemma sat in her
trailer, on the set of 
Starlight
, studying her lines. Her
experience so far had been an actor's dream. The cast had good chemistry with
each other and had welcomed her with open arms. The writing was witty and
compelling, and there was enough action and romance in the plot to satisfy most
viewers. All signs pointed to her career sky-rocketing. Finally, she had
everything she wanted.

And she was miserable.

She glanced at the page. She'd been staring at the same two lines
for over an hour. Rain pounded on the roof in persistent taps. The tiny window
over her shoulder gave her a glimpse of gray skies. The same gray as the day
she watched Adam pitch balls to the Trappers. Filming had stopped for two days
because of the weather. Some of the crew had invited her to tour the city, but
she’d begged off, feigning exhaustion. Only, it wasn’t so feigned. Emotionally,
she was a wreck.

If she'd made the right choice, why did it hurt so much?

She missed Adam and Bear.

Tears filled her eyes, blurring the words. They spilled over and
splotched onto the page. Her stomach ached, her head hurt, she was tired of
crying, tired of checking her phone to see if he called, and tired of being
disappointed that he hadn't.

She couldn't blame him. They'd said all there was to say. Except
 I
love you
. Neither of them had said that. But she did love him, and loving
him meant wanting what was best for him, and what was best for him was
baseball.

What was best for her was…him.

Nothing made sense without him. She couldn't lose him again. There
had to be a way to make their situation work. If he earned a spot on a big
league roster, she'd go anywhere he did. She’d find a way to fit acting and
Hollywood into her life with him. As long as she had Adam, everything else
would fall into place.

Tossing the script aside, she stood, then grabbed her jacket and
purse. She needed to be with him, to feel his arms around her, to tell him that
being together was all that mattered. They’d find a solution. If she caught the
next flight out, she'd arrive in Hunter's Peak by midnight. They could spend
the weekend together and she'd arrive back on the set in time for her five a.m.
call on Monday morning.

If he'd still have her.

She paused.

No
. He had to listen. She couldn't be too late.

She rushed out of trailer. Drizzling rain spritzed her face.
Ducking her head down, she increased her pace toward the parking lot. Raised
voices carried in from her left. She glanced over to the security station and
skidded to a stop.

Adam stood toe to toe with the head of security. The burly guard
crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, pal, you can't come on set without
a pass."

"Call her." Adam growled, his hair disheveled, clothes
wrinkled and shadows under his eyes.

Flutters with the strength of a thousand butterflies danced in her
stomach. On jittery limbs, Gemma broke into a run. "Adam."

Both men looked over at her. Adam's scowl faded and he stared at
her with the most intense expression she'd ever seen. He dropped his duffel bag
and strode toward her. She threw herself into his arms and held on tight. Her
fingers curled into the back of his jacket. His arms banded around her and his
fingers tangled in her hair. His familiar scent brought tears to her eyes and a
lump in a throat. She clasped him as hard as she could and it still wasn't
enough. With a gentle tug on her hair, he angled her head back and then his
lips descended and covered hers. Warm, firm, real. She opened for him and
poured her feelings into the kiss.

The security guard cleared his throat. "I guess you know this
guy."

 She broke the kiss and smiled into Adam's eyes. "He's a
friend of mine."

"I hope I'm more than that." He raised a brow at the
guard, who stepped aside and allowed him entrance, then picked up his bag.
"We need to talk."

"My trailer is close." She kept her voice as even as
possible so she wouldn't break down. By the time they reached the trailer, rain
had soaked their clothes and hair. Handing him a towel, she used another to
squeeze water out of her hair.

His gaze wandered over the small space. "How do you like
filming?"

"The role is perfect for me and the cast is amazing."

"You're happy?" He stood, posture straight, perfectly
still, and waited for her answer.

She couldn't answer the question without her throat thickening
with tears. Arms crossed over her chest, she leaned against her chair.
"Why are you here?"

"Bear misses you."

Her chin quivered. She shook her head to hold her tears at bay.
"I miss him, too."

"More than that, I'm here because I wasn't happy."

"Oh, Adam." She moved to his side.

"Wait. Hear me out." He held up his hand.
"Please."

"All right." Gripping the towel, she waited.

He raked his fingers through his hair. "I need to apologize.
The things I said to you were awful.”

"We both said things we regretted." She tossed the towel
onto a chair and laid her hand on his arm.

His hand covered hers, competent, strong, and warm. He laced their
fingers together. "Connor's taking over my place in my dad's company. My
dad will stay on as a consultant, but Connor will handle the everyday details."

"That's great. He's a good guy." If he’d settled his
obligation at the company, then… She tightened her hold on his hand. "Does
that mean what I think it means?"

He nodded. "You're looking at the number four starting
pitcher for the Glendale Riptide."

Elation surged and propelled her off her feet. With a shriek, she
grabbed him in a hug. "Congratulations, that's amazing."

"I'm glad you think so." His arms came around her and
locked at her back.

His words sunk in. She leaned back to study his face.
"Glendale? But what happened to the East Coast teams?"

"They weren't where you are. I met with the Riptide's
managing staff and convinced them to give me a shot." A muscle jumped in
his jaw. "Glendale is an easy drive from L.A."

Hot tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. "You did this
for me."

"I did it for us. I love you."

Her heart swelled to bursting. "I love you, too."

His eyes closed for a moment and his arms tightened their hold.

She cupped his cheek and searched his face. "You'll be happy
there?"

"God, Gemma. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."

"Are you sure? Because I don't have to be an actor in L.A. All
I want is to be with you."

"There's no reason we both can't have our dreams." Adam
reached into his pocket and drew out a ring. Two diamond hearts, linked
together, on a platinum band.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. For a moment, she forgot
to breathe.

He clasped her hand. "I was an idiot to lose you the first
time. I won't lose you again. Marry me. Let's make a life together."

She nodded and he slipped the ring on her finger. The gems gleamed
and sparkled in the lights. She slid her hands up into his hair and brought his
mouth down to hers. "With you, here, now, I have everything I ever
wanted."