"That was amazing! Fantastical! Absolutely magical!" I exclaimed, twirling around in the grass.
"Someone make her shut up," Mathias groaned, puking his guts up.
"You're just jealous, because she didn't get sick and you did," Maddox countered. He came to stand by my side, his fingers grazing my hip. I stood on my tiptoes placing a light, chaste kiss on his cheek.
Mathias wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I can't fucking believe people do that for fun."
Maddox rolled his eyes. "Do you think you could try speaking without using a variation of the word 'fuck' in every sentence?"
Mathias laughed. "I don't fucking think so."
Maddox grumbled and turned to me. "He's ridiculous."
"He's your brother," I countered.
"And if we weren't identical I'd never know we were related," he retorted. Mathias overheard and gave him the finger.
"I fucking love you too, princess," Mathias sneered.
Maddox narrowed his eyes. "Now you're just saying it to spite me."
"Yes I fucking am," Mathias replied, trudging through the grass towards the building.
Maddox turned to me, his expression unreadable. "Be glad you're an only child," he grumbled. "Siblings suck."
I laughed, taking his hand in mine. "You love him."
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Yeah, I know. That makes it worse."
"Are you guys coming?!" Mathias called over his shoulder. Hayes and Ezra were specks in the distance.
"Yeah, yeah," Maddox waved him on.
"You know," I piped in, my voice low enough that Mathias wouldn't hear, "I'm really surprised he said what he did on the plane."
"Me too," Maddox agreed. "But Mathias is really protective of his family," he glanced down at me briefly, "and he considers you a part of our family."
My throat caught at that. "W-what?"
He grinned, drawing me close so he could press his lips to my forehead in a tender kiss. "You're not going anywhere, Emma."
I closed my eyes, reveling in his words. They were nice to hear. I was falling hard for Maddox and now I was starting to think maybe I wasn't the only one that felt that way.
Once in the parking lot we split up from the guys. The other three headed to Ezra's massive Yukon while Maddox and I made our way to his sports car. My poor little Volkswagen had barely been driven any this summer. I'd probably be lucky if it ran by the time school started.
"You know," Maddox started, buckling his seatbelt, "I've realized something."
"What?" I asked.
"We didn't need these adventures...yeah, they were fun, but we don't need them to have a good time. Being with you is enough."
My heart stuttered, skipping a beat in my chest. Since I was the least romantic person on the planet, I said, "Does this mean we don't have to go on that hike now?" If I recalled correctly the hike was the only thing we hadn't done.
He laughed heartily. "We don't have to do the hike."
"Thank God," I breathed a sigh of relief. "I was already dreading the blisters I was going to get from that."
He smiled at me—and that smile alone made my whole body flood with happiness. I'd never known that my feelings could be so in tune with someone else's, but with Maddox we were in sync.
I knew then that I was in love with him.
This wasn't the kind of love that was fleeting.
It was real and true.
It was a forever kind of love.
This realization didn't scare me—not the way it might have a few months ago. Instead, it made me smile. I'd managed to find the one person on the planet that was absolutely perfect for me.
"Where are we going now?" I asked, laying my head on his shoulder watching the world whip by us through the windshield.
"Does it matter?" He asked.
"No," I replied.
As long as I was with him I knew only good things could be headed my way.
***
"I've always wanted to come here," Maddox told me, parking the car along the side of the road.
We were high up on the edge of the mountain and I knew that straight down below us was the river.
Maddox slipped from the car, walking to the edge.
I did the same, sitting down so my legs dangled over the side.
Below us I could see people at the water's edge. It was flowing too fast for swimming or kayaking. It was beautiful though—the way the water lapped against the rocks and the greenery of the trees blanketing the area.
Maddox sat down beside me, looking up towards the sky before speaking. "Sometimes I forget just how beautiful it is here." He closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "For so long all I wanted to do was get away, and now I can't imagine living anywhere else."
I wrapped my hands around his arm and laid my head on his shoulder. "I know what you mean."
"Do you ever think you'll see him again?" He asked suddenly.
"Who?" I replied, confused.
"Your dad," he whispered.
I shrugged. "I doubt it. Yeah, it sucked that he left, but I'm better off with him gone. If he showed up tomorrow and apologized for everything he's done, then maybe I could forgive him and move on...but without an apology, he isn't worth my time. People should own up to their mistakes instead of brushing it under the rug. I can't forget about what he did, but I could forgive him if he asked me to—if he proved to me that he deserved it. But I don't think I'll hear from him ever again. I used to not be okay with that..." I trailed off. Refocusing, I added, "But now I am." I lifted my head to look at him. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged.
"Maddox," I urged.
He glanced out at the water, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "I've been thinking about my mom lately...and wondering if I could ever stomach seeing her again...and I don't think I can. I know the past is the past, but I can't forgive her for everything she did to us. Especially to Mathias. Does that make me a shitty person?" When he looked at me I could see the worry swimming in his silvery gaze. "Does that make me just like her?"
"No, not at all," I said quickly. "You went through a lot and someone like your mom—I'm sorry, but I don't think they change. Some people are just mean."
"You're right." He cupped my cheek, kissing the top of my head. He swallowed thickly, looking down at the water and kicking his feet against the ledge. "I never want to end up like her."
"You won't."
"How can you be so sure?" He asked, his eyes full of pain. I didn't like seeing him hurt like this.
"Because you're already nothing like her. You're a good, kind person."
He winced, like my words had stabbed him. "I'm a liar."
"No, you're not," I shook my head.
"I am." His jaw tightened and when he looked at me I swore there were tears in his eyes, but the moisture disappeared quickly. "But I can't regret my decisions. I won't."
"Maddox, what are you talking about?" I was completely lost. Where was this coming from?
He shook his head rapidly back and forth. He stood up, extending his hand for me. "Now's not the time."
"When will be the time?" I pestered. Something was really bothering him and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.
He looked away from my eyes and once again stared beyond at the breathtaking view.
"Never."