Libby would have to be more alert.
There was no way she would let anyone hurt Kate.
After dinner, they sat down to watch the movie. Halfway through, Kate snorted and Libby turned to see her fast asleep.
"Adrian," she said softly and pointed to Kate.
His face softened and he smiled, the love he had for Kate showing clearly in his expression. "I'll take her to bed."
He lifted Kate up and she barely stirred. Libby stood and went with him to draw back the covers of Kate's bed so he could lay her straight in. Adrian kissed Kate on the forehead and tucked her in. Libby's heart swelled.
She rubbed her hands over her face. This wasn't infatuation.
Libby followed Adrian out of the room.
She was in big trouble.
This was love.
***
Adrian left Kate's door open and moved back to the couch. He was aware of how cozy the situation seemed. He'd seen Daniel and Penny do the same thing with Kate when she had been younger. But he shouldn't be thinking about Libby as a mother. She was Kate's nanny and that was it. He'd made it clear.
These strange feelings must be because it was the first time he'd spent so much time with a woman and Kate.
He settled down on the couch with no interest in watching the rest of the movie. He reached for the remote. "Do you want to watch the end?"
"Not really."
He turned off the television and then stood to put some background music on. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"You don't have any wine?" Libby asked.
"No." He was surprised she should ask now.
"Then yes, please." She hesitated and then asked, "Adrian, I've been meaning to ask, don't you drink?"
He paused before turning the kettle on. He should have known she would question it eventually. This could be the opportunity to tell her. He turned to face her and leaned back against the kitchen bench. "No. I never acquired the taste." Never let himself acquire it.
"I wasn't sure whether it was just in front of Kate. I was going to ask you after we went to the Vietnamese restaurant. I shouldn't have ordered the glass of wine."
He shook his head. "You weren't responsible for Kate that night."
"Oh, good. I was worried." Libby paused. "I've always seen alcohol as a social thing. It seems a little sad to drink by myself, so I only drink if I'm out with friends."
In his experience it was definitely sad and dangerous. The number of times he'd watch his father drink himself into a stupor, hoping he would drink enough to pass out and not just enough to get angry. He clenched the benchtop tightly and then relaxed his grip.
Libby gave him a concerned look. "Is something wrong?"
The kettle boiled and he turned to make the drinks, taking his time. Should he tell her the truth? It was the perfect opportunity, but was there any point?
Their relationship was short-term, but he acknowledged the part of him that wanted her to know. He'd never had that desire before and he could trust Libby with his secret.
It scared him how much he trusted her.
He was uncertain, because he wasn't sure how she would react. Would she think less of him or judge him because of his father? He hoped not.
There was only one way to find out.
When he finished making the tea, he turned to find her sitting patiently watching him. He handed her a mug and sat on the chair opposite her, needing the distance. "My father is an alcoholic." He said it fast, as if it would make it easier, like ripping off a bandaid.
Libby paused with the mug to her lips and then took a sip. "It must be difficult. How long has it been?" Her tone masked the sympathy he didn't want.
Adrian took a sip of his tea, allowing the warm, mellow drink to soothe him. "Since my mother walked out when I was two." Since he could remember.
Libby's eyes didn't leave his as she asked, "Did he drink every day?"
He was unable to look at her. He could still play it down, gloss over the details, and she would never know. But he needed to be truthful for himself.
"He'd have a couple of shots of bourbon before he went to work and then he'd start again the moment he got home. He'd stop when he passed out." He forced himself to see her reaction.
Libby's mouth dropped open. "Who took care of you?"
"My brother Daniel. He was four years older than me. In the early days we'd wait until Dad passed out and then take money from his wallet and stock the freezer full of microwave dinners. Dad never noticed the money was missing."
"What about other family – your mother, aunts, uncles – surely someone noticed what was happening?"
Adrian shrugged. "Mum walked out and didn't look back." He took a breath to calm himself. "Dad blamed me for it. He'd tell me I was so worthless even my own mother hadn't stuck around." He still couldn't understand how she could have walked away so callously. Kate wasn't even his own child, but he would never leave her with someone like his father. "I don't know anything about Mum's family and Dad had been disowned by his. There wasn't anyone to care." When he'd finally got free he hadn't bothered trying to track down his mother. She'd never cared for him.
Libby's eyes were moist.
If she was upset about this much, he wasn't going to tell her the rest.
She pressed her hands to her eyes shut to stop the tears. "What happened later?"
The instinctive defensiveness shot up. "What do you mean?"
"You said, ‘in the early days'. That implies something changed."
He clenched his jaw tight. Trust her to notice his slip.
Daniel had told Penny the truth and their relationship had grown stronger.
But he and Libby didn't have the same relationship. Nor were they likely to.
The twinge of regret surprised him.
"Sometimes Dad would get angry before he passed out."
"Did he hit you?"
"When I wasn't fast enough." His heart rate increased as he remembered those nights when he raced around the sofa, trying to stay out of his father's reach. He had to keep Dad's attention on him so he didn't lash out at Daniel.
"How bad was it?"
His father had made it an art to only hit where the bruises wouldn't show. To hit hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to require a hospital trip. "I survived."
Libby placed her half-full mug on the table.
"And your brother?"
"He did his best to keep Dad calm and to keep him away from us. Some days Dad would lock me in the basement as punishment rather than hit me." He had never decided which punishment was worse. The pain of a beating or the terror of the dark and the noises of the rats slinking around him.
"I don't suppose the basement had been converted into a nice, cozy den?" Libby asked, trying to make him smile.
The slightly hopeful look in her eyes lightened his mood. "It might have been cozy for the rats."
Libby stood and pulled him to his feet, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He rested his cheek on her head and allowed himself to draw comfort from her. She wasn't judging him. She still wanted to be near him.
When she pulled away, she led him to the sofa and pulled him down so they sat side by side.
"How did you escape?"
"It was Daniel. When I was twelve and he was sixteen, he dropped out of school and got an apprenticeship with a builder. Got Dad to sign a consent form one night when he was drunk." Adrian smiled at the memory. They had feared their father might not be drunk enough and would realize what he was signing, but their fear soon turned to jubilation when the form had been signed. "It was George's father who owned the business. They had a flat above the garage they rented to Daniel. We packed up while Dad was at work one day." He'd been terrified his father was going to come home and catch them packing, so he hadn't done much more than throw his clothes in a suitcase. He didn't have much more than that anyway. "They didn't discover I was living with Daniel for several months." Daniel had bought him several textbooks and he'd spent his days doing schoolwork. He hadn't dared go to school in case his father found him there.
"What did they do?"
"They were going to call social services, until Daniel told them everything." It had been a tense few days worrying about whether they were going to be split up. Fearful he would be sent back to his father.
"George's dad, Hank, went to visit Dad and I don't know what happened, but from then on we were made part of the family. I swapped schools and would go to their house when I got home and do my homework with George. When Daniel finished work we'd have dinner with the family and then go back to the flat above the garage."