Separately Together

Chapter Nineteen: Introductions 1/2

"Harley?" She says curiously but a look of relief passed through her features. Her auburn locks twirling over her shoulder making her look like an unearthly being. Her green eyes a similar color to mine filled with joy at seeing me. Her small chin moving back and forth as she bites her plump lips and I almost forgot why I'm here.

Until I see the burly man sitting there staring at me with a fixed face. His hair jet black like mine, his eyes blue like Killian's. Accompanied by his wife, who had light brown short hair that barely reached her shoulders. She looked half of my father's size with a lighthearted smile on her face. She was smalling between the two of us and I'm struck again by the thought of these two making the oddest match I've ever seen. Even odder than Mr. and Mrs. Ivory.

"Oh, Harley. What a nice surprise." She smiles knowingly, she knows that I asked them not to bring Maddie into any of this, but she encouraged my father here, she has good intentions, Haily isn't conniving like Ben. She was the one that tried to talk him out of making me follow in his footsteps. Killian looked more like his mother then he did Ben, with her hair color and shorter stature.

I slide in beside Maddie and place my hand on her thigh encouraging her that everything would be alright no matter what was discussed before I got here. "We were just talking about grandkids." Haily teased and Maddie blushes a deeper shade of red and I don't even have time to enjoy the site because of his glooming presence in the corner.

"She said she does want kids one day. So, it gives me luck that I might get some one day." She was referring the Killian's bachelor days never ending. The boy wasn't but eighteen, but he had been around town several times, claiming he was never getting married or claiming a woman. Haily had given up hope of ever getting a daughter in law through him, so I guess she's trying to get the experience through me.

"She's very shy." Ben interjects rather abruptly; Haily swats his forearm and Maddie clutches my knee under the table. I shoot him daggers but decide to see what else he planned on saying. Ben didn't talk much when he did it always had purpose. "I think it's a good quality. Suits you." He takes a bite of his piece of pie, and I'm left floored.

He actually approves of Maddie. Oh, this is bad.

I thought him disapproving of her would be bad but now that he is here, and I hear for myself what he is thinking I realize I couldn't have been further from the truth.

Claiming a woman isn't something that can just be casted aside, it was as good as vows to The Voiceless, and he was accepting the arrangement. Pulling her even deeper into this pile of shit that I've got us into. My plan completely crumbling before my eyes. If he approved and wanted this to happen, then there wouldn't be no way of getting her out of this.

"She'll have to come out of it to take care of the business side, but we can handle that." He says between bites of food, and I feel everything spinning. Maybe Finnic was right, maybe I should have left this up to him, maybe Maddie would have been better off with him. She wouldn't be stuck to me, to The Voiceless, to Ben.

I refuse to give up on the plan, Maddie would have a normal life, she would get to live her life the way she wanted and then she would find her a man and she would settle down.

And what will you be doing? Stalking her still? Looking after her from the sidelines?

My irrational thoughts peaks through and I shove them back down because I knew as long as she was okay and thriving, I would be alright. I failed Dixon, I wasn't going to fail Maddie too.

"Enough of the business, Ben. So, how did you two meets?" Maddie looks to me knowing that I better at lying or fibbing because I was going to stick as close to the truth as possible.

Haily sat with her head propped in her head ready for all of the juicy details.

"Her brother and I grew up together, playing football." I say and Haily motions for me to continue talking, she wanted more details, and I slung my arm over her shoulder pulling her closer into me. I could lie to myself and say that I was doing it to make the story more convincing but honestly, I felt her shivering from nervousness, and I wanted to comfort her the best that I could.

After all this was all my fault.

"I was the best man, and she was the maid of honor. We rekindled our friendship, then it turned into more." I explain and turn my head letting my lips capture her temple. I felt her relaxing against me and I smiled a genuine smile knowing that I still made her feel safe and comforted even though I was the cause of this stressful situation.

"That is so romantic." She gushes and rest her head on Ben's shoulder. Her eyes dreamy, thinking about mine and Maddie's faux relationship.

"Friendship, before marriage in always important." Ben comments causing Maddie to giggle nervously.

"My break is about to end." Maddie says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin gently, only I notice her hands shaking.

"Of course, dear, I'm sorry we held you up." Haily says as she smiles at Maddie with love already in her eyes. How could you not love Maddie, I should have known better then to think Ben wouldn't approve.

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