by Celya Bowers
“Sounds awesome. Just call my office and we can get started.”
“Good. Tell Sean I’ll talk to him later.” He rose from the sofa and headed to the front door. He left without another word.
Before Maddie could decide to follow the mature gentleman to the door, she heard the unmistakable voice of her man.
“Dad? What’s going on with the front door?” Sean stumped down the stairs. “You’re worse than a kid.” He walked into the living room and stopped cold. “Maddie, what are you doing here?” He tucked a t-shirt into his blue jeans showcasing his athletic build. “Where’s Dad?”
She stared at him. Not knowing exactly where to begin. “He had to leave.”
“We were going out,” he said coldly.
She nodded. “You were supposed to come to my house when everything was over the other night,” she said softly.
“My head was not in a good place after I found those girls. I wasn’t sure you still wanted to see me. Especially, after DJ was arrested.”
“DJ is not my problem. Not anymore. He made those choices, not me. This is about you and me.”
He grinned. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Look, I’m not going to apologize about saying the truth about your brother. Yes, he was there when those thugs beat up Rachel. He gave her up to them, so they wouldn’t beat him. He had taken their money and sold their drugs. The only reason he’s not sitting in a jail cell right now is because he turned over on the whole gang and he gave up the details about the human trafficking.”
“I know, Daddy said he would have to do some time at a group home, but after that he needed to leave Arlington. He’s going to go live with some cousins in the country, outside of Austin. My uncle has a dairy farm.”
“Some hard work might do him good.”
Maddie cleared her throat. Their little talk wasn’t going like she had planned. They had danced around the obvious long enough. “Sean?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.” She could not keep the tears out of her eyes. “I feel the same way you do. I love how your brain works, how you stay calm when I am about to lose my mind, and your support me emotionally, when I need it the most.”
He digested her confession. His green eyes searching hers, hoping to see the truth. He reached for her hand and caressed it. “You know I kept wishing that you felt something for me. It took you so long to say it, so it has to mean something.” He kissed her with an urgency of a man in love.
She wrapped her arms around him and returned his fiery kisses with her own. He was right. You cannot control love. You just have to deal with it. She gave up the fight, realizing what everyone was telling her the whole time. She was happy. Hot tears squeezed out of her eyes.
“Hey, what’s this?” He swiped a tear with his fingers.
“Just happy,” she whispered. “So happy.” Her lips touched his as she began the kiss again.
“Me too.” Sean said, pulling her onto his lap. “I think it’s time we celebrate.”
She smiled up at him, seeing him for the first time and instantly loving him. “On that note,” she reached up and kissed him, “Let the celebrations begin.”
And they did.
Epilogue
Three months later
“It’s a good day for a wedding,” Sean said as he nuzzled Maddie’s neck. They were lying in his king-sized bed on a Saturday morning. “I can’t believe you pull it off in less than three months.”
Maddie sighed in contentment. The last 90 days had been one rollercoaster ride after another. She was happy to see it finally come to an end. She was able to plan Sean’s parents’ wedding without a hitch. This was definitely a wish list kind of wedding.
Once Sean’s siblings found out what their father had planned, they all insisted on giving their parents a dream wedding. Maddie felt blessed to be part of their family. “Your mom has been floating on air since we started planning this.”
“I think she’s more excited about the honeymoon. She’s always dreamed of going to Greece.” He kissed her tenderly. “Thank you.”
Maddie stared at him. “For what?”
“This has been such a humbling experience. I get to stand with my Dad as he marries my mother.” He pulled her on top of him. “You make me feel like there’s not anything I can’t do.”
“Says the man with a huge contract with the Arlington Police Department and the DEA as a consultant.”
“It was because of you,” he said caressing her naked thigh as she straddled his body. “If you hadn’t come to me initially when you thought DJ was missing, none of this would have happened.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe all the trouble he caused. I am so glad Rachel and I are at a better place now. At least something good came out of that mess. Actually, everyone in our family is doing so much better as a whole.”
He nodded. “You know I was thinking, actually the best thing that came out of this was me meeting you.” He moved on top of her and kissed her. “Nothing can compare to what I’m feeling right now.”
“And what are you feeling right now?” She kissed him again.
“That I want to marry you.” His lips met hers and he rolled her over so that she could straddle his body. “I want to wake up every morning just like this.”
She couldn’t think of a better way to start the day. “Me too.”
THE END
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