"Find the hotel okay?" Her dad asked casually as he led them through the house.
When Elijah didn't answer, Madeline noticed his eyes scouring every inch of the house he hadn't set foot in for twelve years, taking every detail in one at a time.
"Yeah," Madeline answered for the two of them. "Where is everyone?"
"We decided to go out to dinner tonight, rather than stay in. Right now, it's just your mother and I. Everyone else went out shopping. We decided to just do a simple family Christmas celebration on Friday instead of spending Christmas Day with everyone. As far as the four of us goes... your mother and I have rented a house for a few days in Charleston. Thought it might be easier on Elijah that way.
"Like I told Maddie on the phone, there wasn't much I could do about this one. Everyone was already invited by the time you showed in our lives, but we understand that this might be a little heavy for you. It's a lot to take in for someone who's used to spending their life more or less alone.
"Anyhow, we figured we'd get the house cleared out for a little while so you can find your bearings, and we'll all meet at the restaurant later on."
Elijah gave her father a nod, still focused on the house.
The carpet was torn out years ago and replaced with hardwood, the new living room furniture mom and dad purchased last year instead of Christmas presents for each other. The kitchen remodel. The fresh paint.
Her mom walked into the room from the den, her brown and grey curls dancing wildly across her face, with a warm smile on her lips. "You're here! Welcome home, sweetheart."
Elijah seemed released from his trance and walked over to her mom to give her a tight hug. "Hey, mom. Sorry it took so long for us to get here. I got caught at a friend's place last night after picking him up in the storm and got stuck there. Didn't make it back to Maddie until almost five. We slept in later than I meant to."
"You're here now, and that's what matters," her mom assured him. "I hope the roads were all cleared up by the time you left. When I saw the news last night, I worried the two of you wouldn't make it at all."
Elijah let out a warm laugh, gave her mom a quick squeeze, then released her small body.
"Do you mind..." Elijah finished by pointing above him.
Both parents shook their heads, but her dad was the one who spoke up. "Go for it. We'll give you a few minutes."
Madeline wasn't certain if she followed, but when he looked back at her once he reached the steps, she figured it out and walked behind him up to the second floor.
The door to her bedroom was open, her aunt's things spread across the bed and pouring out of her open suitcase in the corner.
"Jesus," Elijah muttered, "it doesn't even look like the same room."
"I grew up," Madeline reminded him. "It would have been weird if I'd kept everything the same. Are you okay?"
Elijah noticed the open curtain, and walked over to close it, seeming to avoid looking toward the other house in view. "I'm better. Not great, but not terrible. Kind of relieved your aunt crashed the party. I don't think I would have been able to sleep in here with that house right outside."
Madeline gave him a slow nod. "Honestly, outside, I was expecting a hell of a lot worse."
"It would have if you hadn't been there," Elijah told her, his voice quiet. "When I pulled up, and saw that house there, I was thinking about how if you weren't in the truck, I just would have slammed on the gas and driven right through it. That anger's going to come out eventually, M&M. It needs to. But like I said before, I don't want you around when it does. I don't want you seeing me like that."
No matter what Elijah did, short of causing her or her parents physical violence, nothing would scare her away from him. His anger was a small piece that'd survived after the escape, and she understood the need to confront it before it boiled over. "When that time comes, let me know, and I'll give you the space you need."
A tired smile took over Elijah's face, while the rest of his body seemed to relax. "Come here."
Madeline did as he asked, her skin tingling as he kept a watchful gaze on her.
Once she stood in front of him, Elijah lowered his head and nudged her nose with his own. "I'd say, 'what would I do without you'..."
"But we already know the answer to that one," Madeline finished for him, before closing the distance.
What began as an easy, almost delicate kiss, continued with Madeline's back pressed against the wall of her childhood bedroom, a gasp being pushed from her lungs.
Elijah sucked it in as his own, a smile playing on his mouth before he kissed her harder. His tongue danced in a perfect rhythm against her own, his teeth nibbling her bottom lip.
Madeline's hips arched forward until she felt his erection against her stomach, wishing there was a way for her to grow a few inches so it could hit a spot that craved his touch.
Seeming to sense her frustration, Elijah's knees bent and his erection dragged upward against her.
"I need you," Madeline groaned against his mouth.
Elijah nibbled at her bottom lip once more, his erection firm against her heated core. "Like I told you before, there are plenty of other things I can do to your body besides sex, and plan on doing at least one of them as soon as we get back to the hotel."