Sweet Treats for My Love

Chapter 24

TORI'S POINT OF VIEW

"YOU'RE MINE"

Hearing Adam say those words said with such conviction made my heart pound loudly against my chest. This is the first time I've had someone confess love for me so openly that it trumps all shadows of doubt that typically clouds my brain. There's also an undeniable manliness to the way he said it that made me feel even more attracted to him. I need to pull myself together!

I giggled and looked towards the floor to break the intensity of the moment.

"You sound like a possessive male lead on those popular erotic movies." I teased him.

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in a hug. He moves his mouth towards my ear.

"I can't help it, my girlfriend is too popular. I need to make sure everyone knows that she's mine."

I feel goosebumps forming on my neck upon hearing his words and feeling the heat of his breath on my ear. I pulled away and nervously chuckled.

"C'mon let's have dinner. I tried to make a balanced meal for us tonight."

I served the stir fry vegetables into a bowl and sat across Adam. He complimented my cooking and we ate in peace. A few minutes into dinner, Adam held my hand and cleared his throat.

"Victoria, I know tonight's been quite a rollercoaster of emotions already but I think I owe you an explanation about my relationship with my brother. We've never really got along since we were kids. We started living together three months after my mother died when my father moved in with his mother. In a few months time, my father married his mother so we became step brothers. We competed for my father's attention and our personalities were just too different so we fought often. The last time we fought was about 2 weeks before I moved here. It had something to do with my father's car. My father interrupted us. We got into a heated argument as well. In the height of his anger, he told me that I had no right to mistreat John, my stepbrother. He revealed that John was actually my half brother. John is only a year younger than me which means my father had an affair with his mother. I've always wondered why my mother was often sad when we weren't working at the farm. My father was cheating on her and had a son with another woman. She was heartbroken by my father. She supported him through law school! My mother worked hard to earn money, support my father's studies and raise me. She sacrificed so much but he betrayed her. She did not just die of an accident, she died with a broken heart. I was completely useless, unable to protect her and help her"

As he told the story, I could sense the pain and guilt that overtook him as he talked. I squeezed his hand.

"It's not your fault. You were just a kid. Your mother was a strong woman for being able to bear so many burdens. I'm sure you have inherited her strength as well. Despite everything that has happened, you haven't given up. I know I've said this before, but I really do think she's proud of the man you've become. You're not perfect but your determination to be better is a feat in itself."

He smiled at me and squeezed my hand back.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better. I love you."

I chuckled and sighed. "Wow, you really like saying that huh? I've never met anyone who says it as nonchalantly as you do."

"I mean it every time you know. Last time I said it was for my mother while standing in front of her grave. I never thought I'd be able to say it again so easily until I met you." He smiled.

It's heartwarming when someone trusts you so much that they allow themselves to unravel even the most painful memories and share them with you. Adam showed me that he trusts me completely and loves me wholeheartedly. I also want to show him that I trust him.

After dinner, I sat next to him on the couch. We talked about moving in together once the month ends so I can cancel my lease appropriately. It's my first time living with a lover but I couldn't be more excited. We watched a family movie about forgiveness and healing. The theme of the movie was overwhelmingly close to heart and I couldn't help shedding a few tears towards the end.

Adam kissed my cheeks for every teardrop that fell. He was sweet and annoying at the same time. After the movie, I decided that I should also trust him with my past the way he has been so open to me all this time.

I told Adam about my parents' volatile relationship that often erupted to violence. I talked to him about my father's absence and my mother's alcoholism. It was my grandmother who took care of me for most of my life. When she passed while I was in college, I lost all hope. My mother and I had a rocky relationship as well and with my grandma gone, she wanted me gone as well. Unable to support myself through college and unable to live with my mother and her new partner. I left town and never looked back.

It was like a heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders. Having Adam with me to listen and comfort me as I shared my dark past, was better than I could have imagined. He held me as I laid against his chest. Little by little two broken people healed. The complications and pains of the past seem so distant when we have each other to hold on to.

After that night, I've become ever more determined to ensure that nothing comes between Adam and I. I won't let Sam and Trevor do anything to hurt Adam.