The Broken Ones: Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: Way Too Close

(Sarah)
It was a surprise, when Adam kissed me...but I liked it! I regretted hitting him straight away! I had no idea why I did it, shock maybe? But as I sat on his lap, so close to him, smelling him, it just felt right. He was so upset, I wanted to comfort him! He buried his head in my shoulder and I tingled all over. We didn't speak...

...we just sat there, in an intimate embrace that at that moment I never wanted to end! After our silence, Adam started to talk about Holly, his ex, and Billy betraying him. He wept a little when he talked about the baby, told me that in no way did he want to be the father, but that it could be possible that he was. "Adam, what are you going to do?" I asked him.
"The right thing!" Was all he replied. I knew he was a good man, I knew that he would only ever do what was best...

...and I admired him for that! I looked into those big blue eyes and I melted, like I usually did when we connected like that. "And what is that?" I pressed him more, knowing what his answer was going to be.
"If this child is mine, I will be a father! I will provide for it and I will help raise it. I can't allow Holly to do this alone, even after what she did, she doesn't deserve this! Billy may be a weasel who ran out on her, but I'm not!" I knew he wasn't, he was beautiful!

"I admire your loyalty, even when she had none for you, you're still going to stand by her. And that is why you are a good man Adam Masters!" He looked startled by my statement, as if he didn't think himself worthy of such praise, but he was...more than worthy and then some!
"I'm sorry I kissed you, I..." Before he could finish, I gave him a meaningful smile and talked over him,
"I'm not!"

(Adam)
My afternoon with Sarah was intense! Her initial anger over my indiscretion changed into warmth and intimacy. Not like that, but just to have her in my arms, being understanding and comforting me...it felt good! She kept calling me a good man, and it made me feel uneasy, especially with everything I had done...and was doing now!

I'd decided to meet up with the head detective who was assigned to John's case, under the same ruse I wormed my way into Ali's home with. Detective Roy Harper wasn't the original guy assigned to it, apparently Mark Caldwell had the previous one fired, interesting! Harper seemed friendly and open enough, as we chatted about how tragic it was, then got into the big stuff. I started on the vehicle, which to my surprise, Harper looked genuinely puzzled by my questioning. "No mate, there were no descriptions of the car!"
"So, you didn't have witnesses who stated that John was killed by a red Nissan Juke?" He shook his head and said again,
"No mate!"

"All I have from the witness reports is that they heard a car approach at speed, and by the time they saw it, John Wallace was lying in the road and it was long gone."
"Oh, I see. I spoke with John's sister, Alison Payne? And she was certain that a Nissan Juke, red, was stolen from a honeymooning couple in San Myshuno, that the police surmised that it had been joy riders, and that the car in question was later found on derelict ground burnt out..." He looked even more confused.

"Yeah, it's true we pursued the line of enquiry suggesting it was a joy ride gone wrong but...that's about it! I can show you the files if you like but just don't tell anyone or I'll be up shit creek, you know what I mean?" As I leafed through the file, Harper was right, no sign of any such witness statements. So I boldly mentioned his predecessor.

"The last detective on the case, why was he removed?" Harper shrugged,
"Ask Caldy!" No fucking way, not yet anyway! "He felt that Jim's integrity had been compromised, he was getting too close to the widow, Caldy's sister?"
"And was he?" I felt like someone had stuck a knife in my heart, I'd grown so fond of Sarah, I didn't want anyone getting close to her.
"Nah man, he's in his late fifties, about to retire! If anything he saw Sarah Wallace as a daughter figure, nothing more!" Also, about to retire? Perhaps he had misplaced some files? Maybe these witness statements had been filed in the wrong place? Whatever happened, something wasn't right.

I thanked detective Harper and headed back to Brindleton Bay. I was going to find this Jim, the previous detective on the case, and I was going to dig a little more. But before I could do that, I had to make a phone call, one I was dreading!

The phone picked up on the tenth ring, hesitantly the voice said "Adam?"
"Yeah Billy it's me, don't panic I just wanna talk!" I sighed, as he let out a loud breath.
"Look I'm sorry Ads! I really am!"
"Yeah sure, listen Billy, Holly came to see me! She's really upset...oh yeah and pregnant?"

"I fucked up man! I reacted badly and she ran off, that was three whole months ago when she took the test! I couldn't find her and her phone is off! Is she with you now? Is she okay?" He sounded genuinely distressed.
"She seems fine, apart from being heavily pregnant!"
"Yeah! She'll be at least six months now!" He mumbled, SIX MONTHS? No way this kid could be mine! "I should've been more supportive! I love her man! I'm so sorry for what I did to you but...I couldn't help myself, I've loved her from the first moment I laid eyes on her...but she chose you!" Yeah, for how long?

"Billy, you need to tell her all of this!"
"You mean...you two aren't...y'know?"
"No Billy, we're long done! I've...got someone...there's someone in my life right now and I've moved on from Holly, you have no reason to worry." Why was I being so reasonable? Because seven months can change a lot! Because I would never be able to trust either of them ever again, they were made for each other!
"I want this kid Ads, I know that now! She just threw me that's all! But I'm ready to be a dad, I want her back man!" And the weeping started, so I arranged for him to come to Brindleton Bay and win her back...yeah I was a sap!

I sent a text to Holly, hoping she would get it at some point, asking her to come by my house. Within an hour she had appeared, and I kept her busy while I waited for Billy to arrive from San Myshuno.

When he did arrive, Holly looked surprised to see him. "Hey baby!" He mumbled, standing awkwardly in the doorway of my living room.
"Billy wants to talk, you guys...need to talk!" I said and left them to it. I sat in my kitchen waiting, I wanted them to sort this out for the sake of their unborn baby.

When Billy finally called me through, he looked at Holly and said "Holly has something she wants to say!"
"Yeah!" She cleared her throat, "I'm sorry I told you the baby might be yours, it's Billy's, it always was I...just didn't want to be alone raising a child so..."

"So you thought you'd use me!" I finished for her, she looked guiltily at me then replied,
"No, not intentionally. I never meant to hurt you Adam, and I did love you..."
"Just..." I interrupted her again, "...you guys be happy!"

After saying my goodbyes to my ex friend and ex fiancee, I headed over to Sarah's to tell her what went down. I was so relieved that I broke down, and she was as comforting as ever! "Shhh, Adam it's over!" She soothed me.

I looked into her eyes, she smiled sweetly, and I kissed her again! An act that now felt as natural as blinking or yawning.  She looked deeply into my eyes and took hold of my hand, leading me upstairs...

...we lay entangled in each other, breathless and exhausted. I held her in my arms, and felt the most overwhelming peace of mind, for all of five minutes...holy shit what had I just done???

(Sarah)
Before, during and after Adam made love to me...an amazing feeling washed over me, it was like a veil had been lifted. Adam was only the second man I had ever had sex with, and it was so very different to John! I never knew it could feel so good, or that two people could connect on such a deep and meaningful level! 

Not only that, post coital intimacy, cuddling and lying close to one another, was an alien concept to me! Usually when John had finished he'd either get up and leave the room, go and watch the television, or roll over and go to sleep...but Adam...he held me and he told me I was beautiful, with sweat dripping down my face and my hair sticking to it. And for the first time since John died, I could see myself with someone else...and being content!

(Adam)
I was racked with guilt over what I had just done with Sarah, although it was amazing, there was still the small detail of me possibly mowing down her husband and leaving him dead in the road! How the hell was I going to break it to her when the time came, after this? And even worse than that...

...how was I going to come to terms with the fact that...I might be in love with her!

To Be Continued...

Previous Chapters:
The Broken Ones