Gone Forever (Adam Gontier #2)

Chapter 6

Lara's POV

"So," I say, suddenly beginning to feel a lot more nervous than I had when I'd first suggested it. "How does this work?"

"You basically just stay still and I'll do the rest. Okay?" Brad replies, and I nod, glancing at Adam, and biting my lip as I notice him trying to hold back a snigger. After trying to suppress the laugh rising from my chest, a glance down at Rhia - giggling at Adam's laugh - forces me to fail miserably. I double up and fall into a fit of laughter, which after a few seconds drags in the rest of the guys, and every single person on the bus is forced into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Brad asks, the only one who isn't laughing. His innocence causes another fit of giggles among everyone.

"Okay, okay," I say, trying to control myself. "Calm down, everyone, before someone tells Rhia what's funny and steals her innocence."

"Better than her virginity," Adam mutters, but not quite quietly enough.

"Adam!"

"Mommy, what does that mean?"

"Er..." I say, biting my lip and furrowing my eyebrows as I try to think of how to explain.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?" Adam replies, his face looking nervous.

"What does it mean? Mommy never tells when she has the face."

"Er...It's like...er...Lara?"

I glare at him. "Rhia. Um, when two people love each other very much, they do something that's like a very special hug."

"Like how Daddy did when he seed me?"

I snort in laughter, then regain my posture. "Er, no, not quite. He hugged you cuz he was very happy to see you, but--"

"If someone was gonna fuck they'd be pretty happy to see each other too."

"NEIL, FOR FUCKS SAKE!" I yell, trying to ignore the smile playing across my face. "I'm trying to give my three year old daughter a simplified version of the sex talk, here."

"Mommy, what's sex?" Rhia asks, innocence still playing across her face.

"It's the special hug, Rhia. I'll explain properly when you're old enough to understand it properly, okay?"

"Okay, mommy."

I sigh, finally relaxing.

"Shall we get this piercing started then?" Brad asks, and I grit my teeth, nodding and looking at him for directions on what to do. "Sit here, I'll start sterilising shit."

"Oh, god. This is gonna hurt, isn't it?" I ask, taking a deep breath. "Don't answer that. Let's just get it over with. Rhia, honey, this next whatever amount of time is gonna be the deal-breaker for your ears. Once it's done though, we're headed straight for the concert. Okay?"

"Yeah, mommy."

"Brad?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sterilising one of my old rings and a needle. Why?"

"How you doing it?"

"Dunking with sterilising liquid that I keep incase I ever get mine infected and then heating thoroughly with Adam's lighter cuz I just found it here. Then dunking again. Then putting them on this plastic dish I just found that I sprinkled with a bit of sterilising liquid. Not entirely professional, but everything's clean and properly sterilised. And...done. You ready?"