by Elle Kennedy
But most men weren’t Henry Bishop’s son.
Owen let out a groan, tired of thinking in circles. Might as well meet his brothers for lunch. Hopefully they wouldn’t bring up the subject of Maddie. He hadn’t told his family about the breakup, and he was pretty sure they’d yell at him when they found out. All his brothers loved Maddie, as did his mother.
And so did he.
When she’d pleaded with him to tell her how he felt about her, he’d almost blurted out the truth. Told her that he loved her so damn much his heart squeezed at the mere thought of her. But he’d held his tongue. Loving Maddie was one thing—staying faithful to her was another. Maybe it was a silly fear, as she’d said, but it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. Maybe hurting Maddie now was better than hurting her later.
Jake and Austin had their heads bent together in discussion when Owen strode into Betty’s diner. They were in a corner booth in the back, talking in hushed whispers, and both looked up guiltily at his approach.
“What’s going on?” he asked warily as he slid into the booth.
“Nothing,” they said unison.
Flagging down a passing waitress, Owen ordered a cup of coffee and a BLT, then fixed a suspicious look on his brothers. “You two are terrible liars. So what the fuck is going on?”
“Uh…” Jake leaned back against the vinyl padding, splaying his hands on the checkered tablecloth. “We were…”
“Trying to figure out which side we should take,” Austin finished, his green eyes flickering with resignation.
Owen was distracted for a second, floored as usual by the sight of his younger brother’s eyes, which were the darkest green he’d ever seen. Along with his brothers, Austin had inherited their father’s dark hair, but not Henry’s gray eyes or Della’s brown ones. Their mom blamed the green eyes on some maternal grandmother on the family tree, but Owen and the other boys used to cruelly tell Austin he was adopted. Since his face was all Bishop, nobody actually believed it, but it was fun to tease him about it.
Realizing he’d gotten lost in thought, he focused on Austin’s comment, wrinkling his brow. “What are you taking sides on?”
Jake and Austin exchanged a look. “Jim Wilson was just here,” Jake finally admitted.
Owen gulped. “Maddie’s brother?”
“Yeah. He asked us if we’d be able to help with the move tomorrow,” Jake added, reaching for his coffee and taking a long sip. “Apparently Mr. Wilson and the other two brothers are out of town this weekend, so Jim needs some extra hands.”
He shot Jake a blank look. “What move?”
His brothers glanced at one another again, both wearing matching expressions of discomfort. “Maddie’s leaving Paradise,” Austin revealed. “At least that’s what Jim said.”
His heart dropped right down to the floor. Maddie was leaving Paradise?
“No,” he said roughly. “She can’t be leaving town.”
Austin softened his tone. “Jim says she is. Apparently she’s going to stay at Josh’s place in Denver until she finds a job.”
He started to reach for his coffee cup but stopped. He ended up laying his trembling hands flat on the table, knowing he’d spill his damn drink if he tried to hold it. His twin immediately noticed Owen’s shaky condition, frowning deeply.
“What exactly happened with you two?” Jake demanded. “You haven’t mentioned her all week, and now she’s leaving town?”
“We broke up,” he said flatly.
Jake shook his head. “What’d you do?”
His nostrils flared. “Why do you assume I did something?”
“Because you always do,” Jake said, rolling his eyes. “You haven’t had a relationship that’s lasted more than a week. You always screw things up.”
“Mom says he’s scared of love,” Austin piped up. He rolled his eyes. “Pansy.”
Owen scowled. “Why were you and Mom talking about my love life?”
“What love life?” Austin countered.
Jake sighed and put down his cup. “O, you know normally I’d take a bullet for you, but this time, I think I’d step aside. You’re a real idiot, you know that?”
“Gee, thanks.” His jaw was so tense he could barely open it to get the words out.
“Maddie is an amazing girl,” Jake went on, his voice gruff. “Why would you ever let her get away?”
“How am I getting love advice from the two most commitment-phobic dudes on the planet?” he grumbled. “You, Jake, spend all your time crawling through jungles with a bunch of sweaty men, and you—” he hooked a thumb at Austin, “—haven’t had a date in years.”
“I am serving my country,” his twin answered stiffly. “Settling down is something I’ll do later.”
“And I am shedding light on the injustices of the world with my camera,” Austin said smugly. “And I’ll have you know, I went out with a really sexy reporter when I was in South Africa.”
“And I’m just a lowly construction worker, right?” he said bitterly, though in all honesty, he wasn’t really angry with his brothers. They were right—the two of them had busy lives, and who was he to judge them if they were too caught up in their wanderlust to settle down? At least they had things they were passionate about. What did he have? A construction business he enjoyed, sure, but what else? The only other thing he cared about was leaving town.
So don’t let her.
The irritated voice in his head was like a slap in the face.
Don’t let her.
It was so damn simple, but then again, why shouldn’t it be? He didn’t want Maddie to go. Fuck, just the thought of never seeing her again made his chest clench with pain.
He missed her. He missed having her by his side at work every day. Missed arguing with her. Missed running his hands over her amazing body and kissing her soft, welcoming lips. It was funny—normally when he ended things with a woman, he moved on within days, hours sometimes. He had no trouble finding a warm, willing female to spend time with, but he’d been alone this entire week, with zero interest in hooking up with someone new.
That had to mean something, didn’t it? He could have moved on, could have slept with someone else, but he hadn’t.
Because he only wanted Maddie. She was infuriating and annoying and did insane things like dive off cliffs—and he was going to miss her if she left.
Because he loved her.
With a sudden burst of clarity, Owen practically hurled his body out of the booth, just as the waitress approached with his food order. “You’re leaving?” she said, looking confused.
He was already pulling out his wallet. Dropping a few bills on the table, he shot his brothers a grin and said, “Feel free to split the sandwich. I’ve got somewhere else to be.”
Squaring his shoulders, he strode out of the diner, feeling his brothers’ amused gazes on his back as he marched out the door.
So many empty boxes. Maddie stared at the mess that was her living room, not even sure where to begin. She supposed she could start with the DVDs—she owned far too many action movies, she realized in distress—or maybe she should tackle the kitchen first. She absolutely hated packing, especially since she happened to be a hoarder and therefore possessed way more things than she actually needed. She’d already packed up her bedroom, which was the easy part. Doing the rest of the apartment was much too daunting.
Sighing, she finally walked over to the DVD cabinet and started pulling out the cases. They were organized in alphabetical order and she wanted to store them that way so she wouldn’t have to do any work when she organized her new apartment. Well, when she got a new apartment. Moving to Denver had seemed like her best option, since she could stay with Josh until she found a place of her own. Her older brother had sounded confused when she’d told him about her plans, and she didn’t blame him. More than anyone else in her family, Maddie had always loved Paradise. Both Josh and Luke had stayed in the city after they’d finished college, but she’d come home at the first chance.
/> God, she was going to miss this place.
“No other choice,” she murmured to herself, her voice firm.
Right, she had to go. She couldn’t stay here, not anymore. She couldn’t keep working for Owen after the way things had ended, and even the thought of staying in town, of possibly running into him on Main Street, made her edgy and nervous. If she lived in the same town as Owen, she would never be able to move on. She’d realized that three days ago, when she’d come up with the plan to move to Denver.
She hated to leave, but what other choice did she have? For a few brief weeks, she’d been on top of the world, finally in the arms of the only man she’d ever loved, but now she and Owen were over. She’d meant every word she’d told him last week—she was done fighting for him. He was so caught up in comparing himself to his father that he refused to see what was right in front of his eyes, and she had no intention of being background scenery again. She couldn’t, not after everything they’d shared.
Sighing, Maddie tackled the D section, shoving her Die Hard collector’s set into the cardboard box. She was moving on to the Es when she heard a knock at the door. Probably her brother Jim. He was supposed to come over and help her disassemble some of the furniture, which she was throwing in storage until she found an apartment.
“It’s open,” she called out.
Footsteps sounded from the narrow front hall.
“I’m just packing these DVDs and then we can take apart the bed,” she said without turning around.
“You’re really going.”
The familiar male voice had her spinning around so fast she dropped the DVD cases in her hand. They clattered to the floor, some of them smashing into her bare toes, but the jolt of pain went unnoticed as she stared at Owen’s gorgeous face.
His eyes were awash with dismay as he said, “I didn’t think you were actually going to do it.”
She found her voice. “Well, I am. My flight leaves in two days.” Grudgingly, she added, “I’m sorry I didn’t give you two weeks’ notice. Obviously I won’t ask you for a reference.”
“I wouldn’t give you one.”
Her jaw stiffened. “Good thing I’m not asking then,” she shot back.
“Because you won’t need one,” he clarified, seeing the insult on her face. “I’m not letting you leave, Maddie.”
“Wow,” she said with the raise of her eyebrows. “I didn’t realize you ran my life, Owen.”
His gray eyes swept up and down her body. “You’re not wearing your new clothes.”
The change of subject caught her off guard. She glanced at her ratty denim shorts and the oversized Broncos jersey she wore, both items from her premakeover wardrobe. “I don’t exactly need to dress up in order to pack,” she said dryly.
Owen’s heated gaze continued to roam over her body. “I like seeing you in those. I think I like you better without the tight tops and skirts.”
“Uh-huh,” she said warily. “I’m sure my baggy jersey is a real turn-on.”
“It is.”
She studied his face, beginning to grow annoyed with this exchange. “What are you doing here, Owen? I’m busy.”
“No, you’re not.” He sounded a bit smug. “I told you, you’re not leaving town.”
Okay, now she was really annoyed. Breaking eye contact, she bent down to pick up the fallen DVDs. A shadow loomed over her, and she looked up to see Owen standing right there in front of her. Without a word, he took the movies from her hands, threw them in the box, and tugged on her hands to bring her to her feet.
“You can’t go,” he said in a hoarse voice.
She sighed, trying to take a step back, but he only drew her closer, so that their chests were nearly touching. He cupped her chin with his hands, and an involuntary shiver skittered up her body. “What are you doing?” she whispered, avoiding his eyes.
He angled her head so that she had no choice but to look at him. “I’m telling you how I feel.”
Her heart did a little flip, which she ignored. “Really? Because it sounds like you’re just telling me what I can’t do.”
He let out a groan. “I’m totally fucking this up, aren’t I?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Fucking what up? I still don’t know what’s happening.”
“I’m an idiot,” he burst out.
Her smile widened. “That’s what’s happening? I thought we already established that you’re an idiot.”
“Would you just shut up?” he ground out. “You’re not helping.”
Though it went against her very nature, she closed her mouth and waited for him to continue.
“I messed up,” he said roughly. “You were right—I pushed you away because I was scared. See, I got a hard-on at the wedding when I was talking to one of Charlotte’s friends—”
“What?”
“I know, it’s awful,” he mumbled, looking utterly miserable. “She was really hot, and…it just happened…I reacted. And afterwards, I felt so damn guilty, and then I got all panicked about it and…” He trailed off with a helpless shrug.
Maddie stared at him for a moment. Unable to stop herself, she began to laugh. “Wow. You really are an idiot.”
He frowned. “I—”
“You saw a hot chick and reacted. Big deal.” She shook her head in amazement. “You’re human, Owen. You’re bound to find other women attractive—hell, I find other men attractive. It happens all the time, and it means nothing.”
“I was scared I might hurt you one day,” he confessed. “Meet someone I found attractive and do something stupid, like give in to temptation.”
She sighed. “When you were talking with that woman, did you want to carry her off and fuck her brains out?”
“Well, no, but—”
“But nothing.” She studied his face, then shook her head in resolve. “No matter what you think, you’re an honorable man. You wouldn’t cheat on someone you cared about.”
“You sound so sure of that.”
“Because I know you. You’re nothing like your father.”
He swallowed. “The other day, you asked me how I felt about you.”
“And you didn’t answer,” she said, pain slicing into her heart.
“I was being stupid.” His hands moved down to her waist, and he drew her close again. “I smartened up, though.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. So ask me again.”
Emotion clogged her throat, but she managed to get out the words. “How do you feel about me, Owen?”
“I love you,” he said simply.
Their gazes locked, and Maddie was overwhelmed by what she saw on his face. No fear, no panic, just love and sincerity.
“You mean it, don’t you?” she breathed.
“I mean it.” His voice cracked. “When I heard that you were leaving town, I wanted to die. I couldn’t imagine living here, working here, without seeing you every day. And I realized that if you really did go, you’d be taking my heart with you.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A part of her was still plagued with doubt, refusing to accept that he actually meant any of this, but there was no mistaking the tenderness in his eyes.
“You drive me crazy sometimes,” he said with a deep laugh. “You can be really annoying, you’re a know-it-all, you take risks that make me want to throttle you—and I love you for it. I love everything about you, Maddie, the good and the bad.” He slanted his head in the most adorable way. “Do you think you can love me again? I know my bad sometimes outweighs the good, but—”
“Love you again?” she cut in, her throat so tight it burned. “I never stopped loving you.”
He blinked. “But…you were going to leave town.”
“Because I couldn’t bear to stay here, feeling the way I did about you and knowing that you didn’t feel the same way.”
He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I do feel the same way. I think I always have, I’ve just been too damn scared to admit it. But I’m not sca
red anymore. And I don’t want to be with anyone else. Just you, Maddie.”
She leaned into his touch, the warmth of his fingers seeping into her skin and heating her entire body. She knew she ought to be angry with him, outraged by his stupidity and the way he’d pushed her away, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel anything negative. Maybe she was a fool, but she’d loved Owen Bishop from the moment she’d met him. Despite all his flaws—and he had a good deal of them—she knew without a doubt that this was the man she wanted to be with. She’d always known.
“I want you too,” she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to brush a kiss on his mouth.
He pulled back, urgently searching her face. “You do? Even after the way I acted?”
“I do.”
He had the nerve to look surprised. “Why?”
“Because I love you too, idiot.”
His face broke out in a grin as he bent his head to kiss her, so passionately they were both gasping for air when they pulled apart again. Owen reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly, then glanced at the boxes littering the room with a look of concentration on his face.
“Let’s get to packing,” he said briskly.
She hissed out a breath. No, he hadn’t just said that, had he? He’d just declared his love for her and now he was going to pack up her stuff and ship her off to—
“Yes, you’re still moving,” he said, interrupting her angry thoughts.
She glared daggers at him. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Nope.” He grinned again. “If we’re going to be married, we can’t be living in separate houses, baby.”
Maddie was stunned speechless. Didn’t happen often, but there was no other way to react to this.
“You’re moving in with me,” he said in his typical and grating commanding tone.
“I am?” she sputtered.
He faltered. “Well, yeah.”
She slowly regained her composure. “And I’m going to marry you?”
Owen’s forehead crinkled. “Of course you are.”
Maddie choked down a laugh. “Do I get a say in any of this?”
“Nope.” There was a playful twinkle in his eyes, which told her he knew exactly how arrogant he was being. “We can argue about it for a while, if you want, but we both know I’ll win. Actually, we’ll both win.”
