"I thought we'd take it easy today, but still do something...fun." Maddox smiled, standing on my front porch.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "I just woke up. Fun is not on my agenda for a few more hours." It was already after noon, but I'd been up late reading.
"You're going to have to put it on your schedule then, because we need to be there in thirty minutes."
"Where is there?" I whined, blocking the sun from my eyes with my hand.
He snorted. "Did you really think I'd tell you?" Pushing his way inside he waved a hand at me. "Go get ready. You have ten minutes before I come after you and dress you myself."
"You wouldn't." I glared at him as I shut the door.
"I would," he replied with a grin.
"Ugh." I shoved my fingers through my messy hair and stomped back to my room. Thank God I'd showered last night and didn't have to worry about that. I grabbed a pair of shorts, a tank top, and a cardigan with an Aztec design. I tried my best to tame my hair, but it was sort of a lost cause. At least the swelling in my nose was practically gone, and a little bit of concealer and foundation hid the bruise.
Grabbing my bag I darted out into the living room and ran smack into Maddox's hard chest. His hands clasped around my arms to steady me.
"Oh you're ready," he frowned. "How disappointing for me. I was quite looking forward to dressing you myself." He winked, causing my cheeks to heat with color. He held me at arms length, appraising my nose. "Looks good today. Ezra's still torn up about it."
I laughed. "He's not even the one hurt and I feel like I need to get him a Get Well balloon."
"We should," Maddox agreed. "It would only make him feel even sorrier."
I winced. "It was an accident. I really hate that he feels so bad."
Maddox let go of me and started towards the door. "He should feel bad," he mumbled.
I let the subject drop, because I didn't want to deal with the teasing I'd get if I told him the only reason it happened in the first place was because I was gawking at him.
I followed Maddox to the car, which was still running, and busted out laughing when I saw Sonic sitting on the dashboard.
"The hedgehog is coming with us?"
"Of course," Maddox gasped. "He's like our team mascot."
I snorted. "But you don't bring him everywhere with you."
"Well, zip lining was not hedgehog appropriate. Today's activities are."
"Good to know," I nodded, sliding into the car.
Maddox got behind the wheel and placed Sonic in his lap.
He drove through the neighborhood where his house was, so I assumed we were going there.
I was shocked when he pulled into the driveway of a different home. Several other cars were parked in the driveway and on the street.
"Why are we here?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt.
"You'll see," he sing-songed.
I followed him to the front door where he rang the bell. I heard the sounds of several voices on the other side and the door opened to reveal a little old lady standing there. Her gray hair was bushed around her head, and she was hunched over. Her blue eyes were kind and sweet and her smile was blindingly happy.
"Are you here for the knitting party? Karen said one of her sons was coming with his girlfriend."
I smiled, pleased that Karen had called me his girlfriend. I immediately scolded myself for being a lovesick fool, though.
"That would be us," Maddox grinned, and I looked up noticing for the first time that he had Sonic perched on his shoulder. "I'm Maddox, this is Sonic, and—"
"I'm Emma," I interrupted him, holding my hand out to the woman.
She ignored my hand and reached her thin arms out to hug me. She smelled like peppermint.
"I'm Maise," she replied. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the ladies."
She led us through her beautiful home and to a back porch, where five more ladies sat, plus Karen. I smiled at Karen, giving her a small wave.
"You both already know Karen, obviously," Maise spoke, "this is Alice, Margaret, Beth, Jane, and Mary."
Hellos echoed around us, and Maddox and I responded.
"This is Maddox, Karen's son, and his girlfriend Emma." She introduced us to the group.
Maddox and I took a seat on one of the couches and Maise handed each of us a ball of yarn and knitting needles.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Maddox muttered, grabbing Sonic and putting him back on his shoulder—the hedgehog had been trying to climb on his head.
I pointed to the knitting needles. "Just pretend they're drumsticks."
He wrinkled his nose and tapped them against his knees. "Yeah, that isn't working for me."
I laughed. "It was worth a try."
Maise cleared her throat, and we both looked up.
She guided us through instructions on how to fix the yarn around the needle and make our first stitches. It seemed easy enough.
A little while later Maddox cursed, "Fuck."
The room had been filled with the quiet chatter of the ladies voices but everyone shut up at Maddox's exclamation. He looked up, his eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.
"Oops." He mumbled. "It fell off." He pointed to the crumpled pile of yarn in his lap.
Masie sighed. "Then start again and try to keep the cursing to a minimum."
"Sorry," he bowed his head, looking truly ashamed of himself. It was cute.
He started again, going slower this time.
I smiled proudly at my neat rows of stitches. I might actually manage to make a scarf.
"It's too quiet in here," Maddox mumbled, from beside me. His face brightened. "I know..." He set his scarf—or whatever the lopsided thing was that he was attempting to make—aside. He steadied Sonic with one hand and grabbed his phone and some earbuds from his pocket. He handed me one and put the other in his ear, turning on the music.
"Ah!" I cried, when it blasted.
"Sorry," he mumbled, quickly lowering the volume.
He picked the knitting needles back up and went to work once more.
I knew it sounded crazy, but Maddox made knitting look hot.
A few minutes later he poked my shoulder and I turned to look. He had Sonic in his lap with the small piece of fabric he'd knit lying across the hedgehog's back. "Look, Emma, I made him a cape! He's Super Sonic!"
I snorted, slapping a hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter. It was no use, though. Pretty soon the both of us had dissolved into laughter and tears ran down my cheeks.
"Super Sonic? You couldn't come up with something better?" I wiped the tears from beneath my eyes.
He shrugged, his grin huge. "It was the first thing that popped into my head."
I shook my head at him, fighting a smile. "Maybe you can start a trend of hedgehog capes."
Maddox picked up Sonic, cradling him to his chest. "What do you think Sonic? Do you want to be my model?"
The hedgehog wiggled his nose. I wasn't sure if that was meant to be a yes or no.
"Sonic says he'll be my model." He returned the hedgehog to his shoulder once more.
I looked up to find all the old ladies watching us and staring at Sonic like he was some kind of rodent.
"What is that creature?" One of the ladies asked. I was pretty sure it was Alice.
"He's a hedgehog," Maddox replied.
"Huh," she muttered, and returned to knitting.
I looked up at Maddox and smiled.
Only Maddox Wade would sit in a room with a bunch of old ladies and knit a scarf with a hedgehog on his shoulder for me.
He went out of his way to make me happy—to make me feel special.
He was remarkable, and I might've been young, but I knew enough to know that most guys weren't like him.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and looked down at the colorful yarn in my lap.
What was he doing to me?
I breathed deeply, fighting the panic that threatened to choke me.
I knew what I felt for him was too much, too soon. I was turning into one of those girls I made fun of for claiming they loved a guy after one date.
"Emma," Maddox's voice sounded concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little thirsty." My voice came out sounding breathless.
"I'll go get you some water, dear." Maise smiled, tapping my knee kindly as she left the room.
"Are you sure that's it?" Maddox asked, his silvery eyes radiating with concern.
"Positive," I assured him.
He still looked at me doubtfully, but let it drop.
My panic was beginning to ebb when Maise returned with a bottle of water. I took it from her and drank it greedily.
"Better?" Maddox asked.
"Yes," I replied, sitting the bottle on the floor.
He stared at me a moment longer before turning his attention to Maise. "What do I do if I want to end this here?" He asked, holding up the small piece of fabric.
"Why would you want to do that?" She asked. "That's nowhere near being a scarf, sweetheart."
"I know, but I want it to be a hedgehog cape."
Maise turned her gaze towards Karen, as if to say she couldn't believe Maddox would dare ask such a thing. Karen shrugged with a small smile.
"Alright," Maise sighed, coming over to show him how to finish it off.
Once it was done Maddox stuck it to Sonic's quills and smiled proudly.
While I finished my scarf Maddox stayed beside me with Sonic sleeping in his lap, humming along to the song he was listening to. I'd long ago tuned the music out.
Maise helped me finish my scarf, like she had Maddox. I knew my scarf was hardly the prettiest thing anyone had ever made, but I was quite proud of it. I knew I'd always cherish it, and this day. And it was all thanks to Maddox.
As we walked outside to his car, I stood on my tiptoes and quickly kissed his stubbled cheek.
"What was that for?" He asked.
"For being you."
He grinned at my words and started to say something, but was interrupted by Karen coming outside and calling for us. We paused, waiting for her.
She came hurrying towards us. "I'm glad I caught you. I was afraid you were already gone."
"What do you need, mom?" Maddox asked. He didn't say the words rudely, he sounded genuinely concerned.
"I was wondering if Emma would like to come to dinner?" She looked at me, smiling kindly as she waited for my reply.
"I'd love to," I answered honestly.
"Great," she clapped her hands together. "I'll see you for dinner then."
She waved goodbye and headed to her own car.
"You okay to hang out at the guesthouse?" Maddox asked.
"Yeah, of course," I replied.
It didn't take us long to get to his house.
He placed Sonic in his cage—and the hedgehog immediately burrowed his way under his igloo to sleep.
"I have something I want you to take a look at," Maddox said, bowing his head. He seemed unusually shy.
"Okay," I replied, following him over to the desk that was always covered in paper. I'd never inspected them before, but now that I was up close I could see that they were covered in song lyrics and music.
He grabbed a few papers up and nodded for me to follow him to the piano.
He lined up the papers and looked at me rather bashfully. "Will you play it while I sing?"
I started. "Of course...you wrote this, didn't you?" I asked.
He nodded. "I've been working on a few different songs for a while, but I got the idea for this one a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. I think I finally have it right, though. If you hate it, tell me. I trust your opinion."
"I'm not going to hate it." I looked at him like he was crazy.
He shrugged. "It's possible."
He then waved his hand for me to start playing. It didn't take me long to recognize the song—he'd been playing the same one on the drums yesterday.
He sang softly at first and I could taste his fear in the air. He truly thought I was going to hate the song. But it was beautiful, absolutely amazing, and in my (un)biased opinion the greatest thing I had ever heard.
His voice, just like the song, grew with more strength.
Unable to help myself I started to sing with him—a song about love, hope, and forgiveness.
My voice was quiet and high compared to his low gravel, but somehow our voices blended beautifully together.
I wanted so desperately to look at him, but I kept my eyes on the sheets of music in front of me. I could feel his eyes on my face though, and it was nerve-wracking.
The song ended, the last note still lingering in the air.
I turned to look at him and found passion burning in his eyes. I wasn't prepared when he grasped my face and tugged me impossibly closer.
He slanted his mouth over mine, kissing me deeply—with his heart and soul.
I kissed him back, grasping the collar of his white t-shirt.
Our lips moved together to a song of our own making.
One of his hands lowered to the nape of my neck and he hummed happily in the back of his throat. I pressed my chest against him and let out a small sound when his other hand grabbed me by the hip, pulling me onto his lap. I rocked against him—kissing him with all the passion I possessed.
He pushed against me and my elbow hit several of the keys on the piano. Neither of us was bothered by the clamor.
He pulled back, just a breath, and whispered, "What are you doing to me?"
He didn't give me a chance to respond. His kiss was electrifying. It burned me straight down to the core—branding me forever.
I grasped his stubbled cheeks in my hands and from this position I hovered above him.
The piano stool teetered and I squealed when we lost our balance. We fell, and Maddox wrapped his arms around me. He tucked me against his chest so he took the brunt of the short fall.
We looked at each other for a brief second before bursting out in laughter.
"That was some kiss," he chuckled, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. I was still lying on his chest and had no intention of moving.
"Who said it was over?" I said boldly, closing the short distance between us.
Our lips connected once more and my body flooded with electricity. One spark could set me on fire.
He rolled us over so he was now on top with my back against the floor. His strong arms caged me in and my legs wound around his waist. I tugged his hips down to mine and we both let out soft moan.
I'd never experienced these types of feelings before, and it was scary how intense they were with Maddox.
"Emma," he murmured against our lips.
I panted, unable to respond.
His tongue ghosted against mine and I tugged at the short strands of dark hair near his neck, urging him on.
"What the fuck?" The door slammed. "Thank God your fucking clothes are on. I live here you know and I don't need to see this stuff."
Maddox's lips left mine and he rolled off me. His chest rose and fell in soft pants. He reached a hand down to me and pulled me up.
"Good to see you too, Mathias." Maddox groaned, clearly irritated by his brother interrupting us.
"Whatever," Mathias mumbled, walking to the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of orange juice. He poured himself a glass and stared at us. "Neither of you are even sorry, are you?"
We both shook our heads.
"Don't act like you weren't the same way with Remy," Maddox challenged.
Mathias' face morphed from mildly irritated to full on livid. His face turned red and a vein threatened to burst on his forehead. He threw the glass of orange juice and it shattered on the floor near our feet. I let out a small scream and grasped tightly onto Maddox's arm.
"Do not fucking say her name ever again!" Mathias roared, pointing an accusing finger at Maddox. "She is none of your fucking business!"
He grasped the countertop so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
With another roar he stormed up the steps and I jumped when the door to his bedroom slammed.
Maddox and I both stood silently, neither of us knowing what to make of the what went down.
When a minute passed I finally had to do something. "I'll get a rag to clean this up," I mumbled, skirting around the broken glass.
My words seemed to get Maddox moving. "I'll get the dustpan," he muttered.
Together we managed to clean up the mess. Both of us were quiet, lost in our thoughts.
When the last of the orange juice was wiped away I looked at Maddox. "What was that about?"
He sighed, dumping some of the glass he'd brushed up into a trashcan. "That's Mathias."
"He's quite explosive, isn't he?" I asked hesitantly.
Maddox nodded. "He doesn't handle much well." His jaw clenched and he looked away. I wanted so desperately to ask him to elaborate, but I kept my mouth shut. When he was ready to tell me he would.
"What do you want me to do with this?" I asked, holding up the soiled rag.
He took it from my hand, holding the small trashcan in his other. "I'll take it inside and put it in the washer. What time is it?" He asked me.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. "Four."
He nodded. "Mom will have dinner ready soon. She likes for us to eat early."
He started towards the door and I said, "Is Mathias coming?"
He looked towards the stairs. "Not likely."
"Oh," I frowned.
"Don't worry about him," Maddox mumbled. "Trust me, he doesn't deserve your sympathy."
"But he's your brother," I said, confused.
"And he's also an asshole," he replied. "I might love the guy, but even I know better than to go near him when he's like this."
I sighed, following him out of the guesthouse.
We entered the main house through a set of French doors that opened into a cozy living room. Maddox turned down a hall and I followed him. He opened the door to a laundry room that was larger than the bathrooms in my house. I couldn't believe that people lived in homes this large—and I knew this home wasn't even as large as some.
He tossed the soiled rag in the washer and headed to the kitchen, getting rid of the trash bag full of glass and fixing a new one in place.
Karen was cooking away, but didn't question anything. To her it just looked like he was changing the trash. She had no idea why, and I wondered what she'd think of Mathias' outburst if she'd been there. I got the impression that she wouldn't put up with that kind of behavior.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked her. I hated standing around feeling useless.
She smiled at me over her shoulder. "It would be wonderful if the two of you could set the table."
"No problem, mom," Maddox chimed.
He showed me the silverware drawer while he gathered the plates.
Despite the fact that he said Mathias wouldn't bother joining us I noticed he still set a place for him.
Ezra came sauntering into the kitchen just as we finished with the table.
"Hey," he greeted me, slinging his arm around my shoulders, "I didn't know you were joining us for dinner."
"Your mom invited me," I told him.
"Mom's thrilled to have a girl hanging around the house," Ezra joked.
"Stop it." She scolded her son.
He chuckled and took a seat. "Dad called and said he'd be a little late."
Her brows furrowed together. "He didn't call me."
Ezra propped his elbow on the table and his head in his hand. "He said he did. You know how you get absorbed in cooking. You probably just didn't hear it."
She reached into the front pocket on her apron and pulled out a sleek phone that looked identical to the one Maddox had gotten me. "Oh, you're right," she laughed.
Ezra shook his head. To me he said, "I don't know why she doubts me."
"Maybe because when you were ten you lied about everything," Maddox chuckled, pulling out a chair for me. I sat down and he took the spot beside me.
"That was nine years ago," Ezra defended. "She should have restored her faith in me."
"She is standing right here," his mom scolded, placing a dish filled with some sort of casserole on the table.
"Sorry." Ezra bowed his head. Even though he was nineteen, he clearly respected his mom and still acted very much like a little boy in her presence.
She finished placing the various dishes on the table and by the time she sat down a man's booming voice called through the house, "I'm sorry I'm late!"
I looked over to see a tall, handsome man enter the room. He wore a nice suit—and when I said nice, I meant nice. His dark hair was trimmed short, sprinkled with a few gray hairs, and his face was clean-shaven.
The man startled when he saw me, placing his briefcase on the floor by the archway. Loosening his tie he smiled. "I didn't know we had company. I'm Paul," he held a hand out for me to shake.
"Emma," I replied, taking his offered hand.
He smiled kindly and his eyes turned to Maddox.
Maddox squirmed in his chair, but didn't say anything.
"I'm assuming she didn't just wander in off the streets..." Paul paused, waiting for Maddox to elaborate.
I swore there was a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks, but as quickly as I saw it, it was gone. "She's my girlfriend."
"And here I thought you told us everything." Paul tapped Maddox on the shoulder as he strolled towards his wife who sat at one of the heads of the table. He lowered and kissed her cheek, whispering something in her ear. Heading to the empty seat across from her, he said to Maddox, "I always knew you'd be the first to go down."
Ezra snorted.
And Maddox tried to fight a smile.
I felt like I was missing something.
"Excuse me?" I asked, looking between Paul, Ezra, and Maddox.
"I always knew Maddox would be the first to fall in love," Paul answered simply.
If there had been water in my mouth I would've spit it out. "What?" I gasped.
Paul shrugged. "Just callin' it like I see it."
I'm pretty sure I turned as pale as Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Love?
Maddox didn't love me.
It wasn't possible.
We'd only known each other a month. That was not enough time to fall in love.
I sat there, shaking my head. My appetite was suddenly gone.
Maddox groaned beside me and growled, "Thanks dad, now you've gone and scared her to death." To me he said, "Breathe, Emma."
Breathe? What was breathing?
Oh, right, that thing where you inhaled oxygen.
"She's not going to pass out, is she?" Ezra voiced. "Should we splash water on her? I think that's what they always do in the movies with these sorts of situations."
"Shut up," Maddox snapped. "Emma," he took me by the shoulders and turned me towards him. "Please, stop freaking out."
"Freaking out?" I panted. "I'm not freaking out."
He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Okay, fine," I relented. "I'm freaking out."
"Here," he grabbed my water glass, "drink some of this. It'll help."
I really didn't see how it would, but I was willing to try anything to calm my racing heart. I took slow sips of the cold liquid and it did somehow manage to help alleviate my nerves.
Once I was calmed down, Karen cleared her throat and asked, "Where's Mathias? Is he not joining us?" She eyed the empty place setting beside Ezra.
Maddox grumbled, "He's in one of his moods sulking in his room."
"Oh." Karen mumbled. "I'll save him a plate then." Changing the subject once more, she asked me, "So, Emma, will you be attending college in the fall?"
"No," I shook my head, "I'll be a senior in high school."
She smiled. "That's wonderful. Senior year was the only year of school I actually liked. It was also the year I met Paul." She pointed her fork at her husband.
"Really?" I asked, suppressing the urge to laugh as Maddox piled food on both of our plates. "So, you're high school sweethearts?"
"Yes," she smiled wistfully.
I looked between the two. You could see how in love they were, even this many years later. It gave me hope that some loves could last.
Shaking her head, Karen addressed me once more, "What do your parent's do?"
"Oh, uh, my mom's an artist," I stuttered. "She mostly does pottery and things like that. And my dad is gone."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," she frowned. "Dealing with the death of a parent at such a young age is a difficult thing. My mom died of breast cancer when I was a sophomore in college and it was devastating."
I winced. "He didn't die," I frowned, huffing out a breath, "he left us. He chose to leave us." I looked down at the table when I felt the familiar burn of tears prick my eyes.
Karen let out a startled gasp, floundering for something to say.
"Would you mind if I used your bathroom?" I asked, not meeting anyone's eyes. I might've told Maddox about my dad leaving, but it was something I hated talking about.
"Not at all," Paul replied, clearing his throat. "It's just down the hall. Second door on your right."
I pushed away from the table and scurried into the bathroom.
I closed and locked the door behind me, leaning my back against its surface.
I breathed in and out deeply for a moment.
Sometimes the fact that my dad was gone hit me hard. I liked to pretend I didn't care, but deep down I did. What girl didn't need her father in her life? And mine was just gone. Not because he was dead and had no choice in leaving, but because he couldn't stand my mother or me. I knew we were better off without him. He wasn't a good man, but he was still my dad. Fuck, my feelings were so messed up. One minute I hated him, and the next I missed him. It was all so stupid.
I moved over to the sink, running some cool water. I splashed some on my face to refresh me. It helped, but I was still upset.
I took a deep breath, focusing on the silvery damask design of the wallpaper.
"Emma," a fist rapped against the door, "can I come in, please?"
"I'm fine," I muttered, hoping he'd go away.
"Emma," he pleaded again. "Let me in."
For some reason I felt his words of let me in were referring to much more than just letting him into the bathroom.
"Fine," I sighed, turning the lock and opening the door.
He slipped inside and the door closed.
The bathroom was one of those small powder rooms and much too tiny to contain the two of us. His chest pressed against mine and his hands came up to cup my cheeks.
He swiped his thumbs underneath my eyes, his normally silver eyes nearly black. "I hate seeing you cry."
"I didn't know I was." But he was right, silent tears fell down my cheeks.
He swallowed thickly. "Your dad is an asshole for leaving you. You're wonderful and so is your mom. Some people don't know how to cherish what they have, so instead they destroy it." His tongue flicked out to wet his lips and he looked at me with a serious expression. Normally Maddox was all carefree smiles, so this was a new side of him. "Sometimes I'm thankful that I had such a rough start to life, because it makes me appreciate every good thing I have in my life. Like getting to have dinner with my family, and you, I didn't have that growing up. Please," he begged, "don't let that man make you bitter. Don't let him win, Em. You deserve to be happy and you can't do that if you don't let him go."
My face crumpled and I began to sob. "I hate him so much, Maddox. I hate how mean he was to my mom and me. But I think I hate him even more because I love him and that makes me angry. It's this vicious cycle that never stops."
"Shh," he hushed, wrapping his arms around me. "Let it out, Em. Let it all out."
"He chose to leave me," I cried against his chest, soaking his shirt with my tears. "I wasn't good enough for him."
"That's not true." He shook his head, his chin brushing against the top of my head as I clung to him. "He wasn't good enough for you."
He smoothed his fingers through my hair as I clung to him like he was a life preserver and the only thing keeping me afloat.
I felt his lips press lightly against the top of my head.
"You know," I choked, "it's like that day at the fair you knew I needed you to save me." I whispered the last part, like I was scared to breathe life into the words.
"No, Emma, it was me that needed you. Never forget that."
And then he just held me, and I knew thateverything was going to be okay.