Chapter 26

Adam.

A couple of days passed without further incident. Adam was glad that no new poisonings had been reported. Something seemed off though, like the calm before a storm. He sensed there was something bigger on the horizon, but he couldn’t figure what.

He had a day planned out for Aaron and Emme. He couldn’t be bogged down with baseless worries. Adam shook his head to clear it and finished getting dressed.

Today, he was going to take Aaron and Emme to his treehouse to redecorate it. He wanted them to feel at home there, to make it their own. Adam remembered the many days he went to his treehouse to escape; he wanted it to be a safe haven for his children as well.

He gathered up the supplies and tools and hefted them out to his car, placing them in his trunk. He set the car to reverse and backed out of the driveway, looking back through the rearview mirror to the back seat where he had installed two booster seats he had picked up from the store. He wanted to make sure his car was equipped for the safe transportation of the twins.

Adam smiled as he thought about what would happen that day. There’s no way today could go poorly. He had planned out everything and he had enough supplies to transform the treehouse into anything the twins wanted.

He drove over to Everett’s house and parked in the driveway. Adam walked over to the door, but before he could knock, the door opened, and out burst Aaron and Emme. They tackled his legs and Adam barely managed to stay upright. He laughed and patted them on the back. Ella trailed behind them, a small smile on her face. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, stifling a laugh.

“Are you two ready?” Adam asked them, ruffling their hair.

The twins giggled.

“Heck, ya!” Aaron exclaimed.

“I am!” Emme yelled, hopping up and down in excitement.

“Alrighty then, let’s go!”

Adam led them toward his car and opened the door for them. Aaron scrambled in first while Adam opened the other door for Emme. Adam buckled in Emme as Ella bent over to buckle in Aaron. Adam quickly moved around the car to open Ella’s door for her before she could grab the handle herself.

“Thank you,” she said as she sat in the passenger seat.

“You’re very welcome,” Adam answered with a grin.

He quickly moved to the driver’s side and hopped in. Adam drove them over to his old house, backing up into the driveway so the tools and supplies could be more easily accessible. Once unbuckled, Aaron and Emme excitedly ran to the back of Adam’s car, eagerly awaiting.

Adam opened the trunk and asked the twins what they wanted to do first. They looked at each other, sharing a conspiring look.

“We want a lookout bench and a steering wheel!”

Ella laughed. “A what?”

“For our pirate ship!” Aaron announced.

“So we can see enemies and steer our ship!” Emme expounded.

“I’ve got two pirates, have I?” Adam asked with a typical pirate accent. He had one eye closed as his forefinger curved into a hook.

The twins laughed and squealed in delight, hopping up and down with their hands balled up into fists. Adam chuckled and grabbed some supplies, handing them to Ella, before grabbing his tool belt. He strapped it on and closed the trunk.

“Let’s go spruce up this ship, shall we?” he asked with a wink.

The twins cheered and raced to the backyard. Ella handed Adam some of the supplies back and walked with him to the yard. They placed them on the ground next to the tree trunk. Aaron tugged at the rope ladder and placed his foot on the bottom rung. He pulled himself all the way up, Emme right behind him.

At the top, they peered over the edge, looking down at their parents.

“Are you guys coming?” Aaron called down.

Adam and Ella looked up, chuckling.

“We’ll be right there,” Adam told them. He turned to Ella. “I’ll climb up and you can hand me up the boards of wood, okay?”

She nodded and turned to the pile of wood, picking one out that would work perfectly for a bench. Ella waited for Adam to reach the top before lifting the board up toward him. He grabbed it and laid it next to him.

“Now I need some small planks for the legs,” he called down to her.

She looked through the pile and found four short pieces, precut to equal lengths. She placed her foot on the bottom rung, hoisting herself closer to the gap. Ella handed the four smaller pieces up to Adam and then hopped down from the rung.

“I’m going to have to grab some more supplies for the wheel after I install this bench,” Adam called down. “I didn’t bring anything circular.”

“That’s okay,” Ella yelled up. “I can go get them if you want.”

“You sure?” Adam asked.

“Ya, it’s no problem,” Ella answered.

“Alright then,” Adam replied, dropping his car keys down to Ella, who caught them smoothly.

After a pause, Adam called down again, “Actually, I think I might have an old decorative ship wheel in my house that would be perfect! It’s in the study on the stack of boxes in the corner.”

“Okay,” Ella replied, turning back toward the house.

***

Ella.

Ella drove to Adam’s house, loving the way his car purred. He had always had style and his car matched him perfectly - dangerous but reliable, strong, sleek, and good-looking. She pulled into the driveway and noticed a woman standing at his door, about to knock.

Ella climbed out of the car, shutting the door loud enough to attract the woman’s attention. When the woman turned, Ella noticed it was the same woman who had been with Adam in the hospital.

What was her name again? Leah? Lilly? Lena?

“Can I help you –?” Ella asked, approaching the front steps.

The woman gave Ella s small smile with her perfectly-shaped cherry-red lips, somehow conveying she thought Ella beneath her, but still keeping up the guise of being nice.

“Lia,” the woman answered, filling in the missing name. “I’m looking for Adam. Is he here?”

“No,” Ella answered. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Oh, darling, no. I was just here to see Adam.” She gave a small giggle that didn’t match her demeanor at all. “We’ve been seeing each other for a while now. Adam and I often go on runs through the stream. And we’re actually celebrating our six-month anniversary at the end of this week.”

“Uh huh,” Ella replied unenthusiastically. “Well, like I said, he’s not home. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get inside to grab something for him.”

Ella walked past the woman, pulling out the key to his house from the key ring and fitting it into the lock.

“I’ll let him know you came by,” Ella answered as she entered, shutting the door behind her.

Ella smiled to herself as she heard the woman scoff and walk away.

Adam was seeing someone and he hadn’t told her?

Ella moved to the study to look for the wheel for the treehouse. She immediately spotted the stack of boxes Adam mentioned. She walked over and lifted some papers that were on top, revealing the blue and white wheel. She picked it up with a smile. It sure was the perfect size for a child’s pirate ship.

She brought it back out with her, locking Adam’s front door behind her.