"You home?"

Lindsay turned around at the voice, smiling as Adam walked in the door. He had his hands behind his back and a grin on his face.

"Yes I'm home. Where else would I be?"

"Out on the town, boot scootin' boogie, whatever."

She smiled as he walked towards her, rinsing the cookie dough off of her hands.

"Whatcha got there?" she asked peeking around him.

"Oh not much. Just some flowers."

He pulled a colorful bouquet from behind his back, full of sunflowers, bluebells, bitterroot, violets and evening stars. He really had been listening when she told him about the flowers that grew wild around her parents house. She inhaled the perfume of the flowers, closing her eyes and transporting herself immediately back to a warm summer night, sitting on the porch, wishing on stars.

"You're nice," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, well I kind of like you a little bit."

She turned and grabbed an old Mason jar out of the cupboard and filled it halfway with water before putting the flowers in.

"They're beautiful, Adam. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

His hands landed on her waist and drew her to him, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. She slid her arms up and wrapped them around his neck as his thumbs caressed circles on her stomach. She was the one who deepened the kiss, backing them up against the counter and rising up on her toes to give him better access.

He broke the kiss reluctantly after a few minutes, sighing and touching his forehead to hers.

"We gotta slow down," he said, removing his hands from her bare skin and tangling them in her hair instead.

"I know," she agreed. "But you don't make it easy."

"Neither do you, Frenchie."

She blushed and giggled and he pulled her into a hug. It was the first time they had been really alone together in two weeks and it took him until this moment to realize how much he had missed her.

"I need to talk to you," he said finally, causing her head to tip to the side and a slightly worried look to come into her eyes.

"Adam…"

"It's not bad, I promise. Couch?"

"Let me put this cookie dough in the fridge."

He nodded and she moved to put the mixing bowl in the fridge before following him out to the couch. They settled in and she pulled her legs up underneath her, searching his face for what he was about to say.

"So, my mom talked to me when I took Hannah to the airport."

"Yeah?"

"She likes you."

"She does?"

"Yeah. I mean, my mom has always tolerated my girlfriends, not that there's been many. But not like I'm a monk either. I don't want you to think that I-"

"Adam."

"Sorry. Anyway, she's tolerated them and even liked some of them, but she always said I could do better. She didn't say that this time. She really likes you Linds. And so does Hannah for that matter. She whined all the way to the airport that she didn't get to see you again."

"I wish I could have gone."

"Thanks for winning them over."

She smiled.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"No," he said with a sigh, his eyes falling to focus on the couch cushions between them. "Linds, there's some things I haven't really told you."

"About what?" she asked softly, her fingers running up and down his arm.

"My father."

She laced her fingers in his and squeezed his hand.

"He used to beat me. I know I told you that, but I kind of glossed over it a bit. He did beat me, badly and a lot, but those scars faded. What hurt worse and what still hurts now is the things he would say. He told me that I was worthless, that he wished I'd never been born, that I would never amount to anything and I could never make him proud. Those things he said, they ring in my ears every day. He used to say that he didn't love me, that no one ever would. And as much as I know in my head that the things he said weren't true, they're still right there. Every time you tell me you love me, I hear him again, telling me it's not true. And I don't want to hear it, Linds. Cuz I know that you do love me, but sometimes I just don't know why. And that's not what I'm getting at here. I just need you to know."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. It's in the past, but it's still a part of me, and I don't want to keep that from you."

She nodded and gave him a half smile while he twisted a lock of her hair around his finger.

"So, wanna play Mario Kart?"

"Of course. You get it out and I'm going to go throw those cookies in the oven."

"I'm gonna be first player," he said as she stood up from the couch.

"You can be first player, but I got dibs on D.K."

"I hate when you call dibs."

"That's why I do it!" she tossed over her shoulder.

She got the first batch of cookies into the oven and a few minutes later they were situated on the floor, both gripping controllers and watching the screen intently.

"Holy bananas!" Lindsay shouted, dodging three or four of the yellow triangley blobs on the screen. "Did you do that?"

"I only dropped one so far, I swear."

"Well whoever did it, very strategic. But not strategic enough bucko!"

"You are a bad winner."

"And you're a sore second placer."

"You just wait Lindsay. You just wait."

She grinned as the next race started. They hadn't hunkered down with video games in a while. It was funny how competitive they were over a stupid game, but she loved how they could tease each other mercilessly and still kiss goodnight.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she said as the screen flashed with a cartoon lightning strike.

"Sure, what?"

"Does my dust taste good?"

She sped her character past the mini-version of his, and he elbowed her.

"Your dust tastes like exhaust fumes, haughtiness and bad sportsmanship, with a pinch of self promotion."

"So tasty is what you're saying."

He chuckled as the race ended and the cookie timer went off.

"Be right back," she said, hopping up from the floor and heading into the kitchen.

"Going to bring me some milk and cookies?"

"You have to earn it first, and so far you ain't done nothin' deservin' of a cookie."

"Geez, you drive a hard bargain. What do you want me to do, take out the trash?"

"Actually, if you don't mind…"

"Lady, you're asking for trouble."

"What are you gonna do there, Wyatt Earp?"

"Probably nothing," he said, tying off the garbage bag. "But then again, maybe luring you into a false sense of security is all a part of my evil plan. Either way, you can't wait to find out."

Her giggle followed him out the door, and by the time he came back she had three cookies on a plate and a glass of milk for each of them. He sat down at the table and pulled her into his lap, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for telling me all that before. It means a lot to me that you can."

He just nodded.

"I've never told anyone else before."

She sighed, her mind full of things she needed to tell him, things that she held so close to her heart, to say them could backfire in the worst possible way. Maybe someday. But not tonight. Tonight, it was too heavy.

"I hope you never have to tell anyone else," she said finally, a whisper grazing his skin. He understood her meaning and smiled, tightening his grip on her.

"I love you, Lindsay."

"I love you too."