"What do you mean moving in together?" Mac hollered over the phone when Samantha had called him later that night. Adam took the phone from her and stepped out onto the balcony.
"Mac" he said.
He heard a huge sigh from the other end.
"Look, Adam, I like you but that's my sister. My baby sister. Yesterday she was in pigtails being a pain in my ass. She just surprised me that's all.
"Mac, I get it. It's fast but I need to look after her. I need her with me"
Hearing the sincerity in the other man's voice Mac rubbed his hand over his face.
"She's special Adam. If you hurt her" he let that hang between them.
"I love her, man. It hit me hard and I can't stop it. I don't want to"
He looked out over the dark back yard at the lights shining through the windows of the neighbouring houses. He could hear muted television, a game show, he thought, and caught the scent of the rose bushes that Mrs. Connor had so carefully pruned.
"Does she know?" Mac asked
"I'm hoping that she does but I haven't told her in so many words yet. I'm planning to. Soon, and I realize that you shouldn't be the first one to hear this. It should be Samantha"
"Okay, man. Put her back on, please. You and I can talk more tomorrow"
Adam stepped back inside and handed a nervous Samantha the telephone. Emma Kate might be her best friend but she and Mac were extremely close and he knew that she wanted his approval. He ran his hand down her hair and kissed her gently on the temple before walking into the bedroom to give the two siblings some privacy.
When he got to the bedroom he picked up his own phone and noticed that he had missed text messages from both Andrew and Greg. "BRO – your girl is HOT!!!" was what he got from Greg. Andrew was a little classier. "Nice. I mean really nice. Can't wait to meet her ;)" Patrick had obviously sent them both the picture he took of himself and Sam as soon as he hit his car. What an ass. He responded to both of them with the flexing-arm and head-wrapped-in-a-bandage emojis so they would know what was coming for them, before sitting down on the bed and dialing a number he'd know by heart since he was six years old.
"Hey mom" he said tenderly when his call was picked up on the other end.
"Samantha's going to be able to make next Sunday dinner with me after all and I have a new address for you"
YOU ARE READING
A Rose in Shadow
ChickLitUniversity student, Samantha Kincaid, finds herself in a situation that she could never have imagined. She is close to graduating and pursuing her dream career, she has a family and friends who love her unconditionally and she has finally met the m...
