“Hey, Maddock,” she cooed back at him, and his knees melted.
“Special occasion?” he asked, admiring how she looked in a dress, the soft fabric hugging her figure and exposing long, lean arms and legs.
Maddy shrugged. “Everything else was dirty.”
Maddock had never been so grateful for the need to do laundry.
“Thank you again for giving me all those clothes. They’ve been a lifesaver. And they’re all so pretty and perfect.”
“Don’t thank me. I was just the middle man. It was my friend who donated them.”
“Well, tell her I’m really grateful.”
Maddock paused for a second before asking, “Would you like to tell her yourself?” Maddy raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been meaning to stop by and give her that teddy bear we got at the fair. She’s the one who’s having the baby. You could go with me if you want.”
Maddy was a little nervous to meet his friends, but she did want the chance to say thank you and ask about the money. “Maddock, I found an envelope full of cash in the bottom of the bag today, and I was wondering if they left it there on accident. It was a lot of money.”
Maddock dipped his head, hiding his small smile. “Uh, no, I put that there.”
“Maddock! Why didn’t you tell me? Besides, that’s way too much money. I can’t accept that.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you — I knew you wouldn’t want to take it! Please, Maddy, I want you to have it. I don’t want you to be worried about not having any money.”
Maddy huffed, but there was no sense arguing with him. She needed it, and he wanted to give it. Instead, she reached out impulsively and grabbed his cheeks, planting a kiss on one of them. “Well, thank you very much, Maddock. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
When her soft, warm lips made contact with his skin, Maddock’s head reeled, and stars clouded his vision. He wanted to reach out and pull her back, bury his hands in her hair and join their lips together. He was afraid he’d scare her off, though, so he just squeezed her hands then pulled her close for a quick hug.
“Did you already eat? I’d hate for you to waste such a pretty dress on the soup kitchen.”
“Yeah, but what about you? They stopped serving a while ago.”
“I already ate with my family. We don’t see each other much during the week anymore, so my parents insist on having Sunday dinner together.” Maddock rolled his eyes, but Maddy frowned and shook her head.
“It’s really special that you have a good family, Maddock. Don’t take it for granted. I wish I did.”
Her words made Maddock imagine having her in his family, and the fantasy was too perfect to ignore. He could picture her, sitting at the table between him and his brother. Cheydan would be jealous. Unless the girl he was interested in was there, also. Maddock wondered what she was like, if she was anywhere near as pretty as Maddy. Maddock squeezed Maddy’s hand, making a silent promise to her and himself that he would do everything he could to make that dream a reality.
“You’re right; they are special. I’d like for you to meet them someday. But today, how about we go visit my friends, Zeph and Eve?”
Maddy nodded and followed him out to the car where the giant teddy bear was still riding around in the back seat. Maddy giggled at the sight of it.
“I meant to give it to them at church this morning, but I forgot.” The truth was, he spent the whole service thinking about Maddy, and by the time it let out he had forgotten all about the giant teddy bear and instead rushed right over to see her. This worked out better, anyway. It gave him an excuse to do something with her.
“Tell me about your friends,” Maddy asked as they drove, hoping the answer wouldn’t make her more nervous. Anyone willing to give up such beautiful things to a complete stranger had to be pretty incredible.
“Zeph has been my best friend since we were little kids. He met his wife, Eve, our senior year of high school, and they got married last summer. They’re leaders at my church, and they just found out they’re having their first baby.”
“And they frequently give you things to donate to the shelter?”
Maddock ducked his head. “Well, no, not usually. I kinda asked them if they could find some stuff for you. You’re about the same size as Eve and Zeph’s sister, Risse, so I figured they could help me.”
Maddy wanted to be embarrassed, but instead she was just grateful. “Thank you, Maddock. That was really thoughtful.” She laid a hand on his knee and his leg burst into flames.
“So, they’re expecting us?”
Maddock’s jaw dropped as he realized his faux pas, and he hurried to text Zeph to make sure it was okay if they dropped by. Relief let the blood flow back to his face when Zeph quickly texted back that it was okay.
Maddy was charmed by the tiny bungalow and followed Maddock eagerly up the porch steps. She felt a little awkward wearing the dress they had given her, but they probably knew about her situation if Maddock had talked to them. Besides, she was there to tell them how much she appreciated it. Might as well show them how much.
A lovely redhead with rosy cheeks and a similar dress on opened the door and smiled at them. “Hi Maddock! Glad you came.” She reached up to hug him, ignoring the huge teddy bear he was holding.
“Hi, Eve, this is my friend, Madison. Maddy, this is Eve.”
“Hi Maddy! It’s so nice to meet you! Maddock can’t stop talking about you.” Eve grabbed her in a hug as well, but Maddy was so stunned by her comment she barely noticed. “Come on in, guys.”
Eve led them in to her living room where Zeph was lounging in an armchair. He pulled himself up to welcome them, patting Maddock on the back and shaking hands with Maddy. Eve slipped off to the kitchen and returned with a platter of cookies and a pitcher of iced tea. Maddock oohed and grabbed a handful.
“Eve, I wanted to meet you so I could thank you in person for all the lovely things you gave me. Everything was perfect.”
Eve beamed, grateful for the appreciation. “That dress looks great on you — better than it ever looked on me. I’m too pale for it.”
“Thanks. I really love it. Maddock tells me you’re having a baby — congratulations.” Maddy poured herself a glass of tea and picked up a cookie.
“Yeah, I brought a gift for it!” Maddock jumped up and grabbed the teddy bear from beside him. “I won it at the carnival for Maddy, but she suggested we give it to the baby.”
“That will be perfect — if our baby turns out to be a giant!” Zeph teased, and Eve elbowed him.
“It’s great. I’m sure the baby will love climbing on it eventually. Thank you, Maddock, Maddy. We started working on the nursery; would you like to see it?” Eve slung the bear over her shoulder and headed towards one of the bedrooms. The others followed her.
The walls were plain white, but a dark mahogany crib sat in the middle of the room with a matching dresser and changing table on either side. “We’re going to paint as soon as we know what we’re having. Zeph thinks it’s a girl, but we won’t know for a few more weeks.”
“You put these together yourself, Zeph?” Maddock asked. “I didn’t think you were that handy.”
“Believe me, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into that stupid furniture.” Zeph rolled his eyes, and Eve giggled.
Maddy fingered the silky wooden furniture, imagining what it would be like to be married and pregnant. She wanted that someday, but right now her future seemed like a looming mystery, all the plans she had made too far away to even contemplate.
Eve stuck the bear in the corner and smiled when it immediately made the space seem more kid-friendly. “Our baby’s first present. Thanks again, guys. That was thoughtful of you to offer it to us.”
They went back to the living room and chatted a bit more, but their lives were so different they didn’t have much to talk about. Maddock felt a little sad that he and Zeph couldn’t connect like they used to, but he was happy his friend was doing so well. After a few more minutes,
Maddock shoved one more cookie in his mouth and stood up.
“Well, I’m sure you two have got other things to do today. Are you ready to go, Maddy?”
She nodded and patted Eve on the knee. “Thanks for having us. It was really nice to meet you. And thanks again for all the nice things.”
“You’re welcome.” Eve smiled kindly and gave Maddy another quick hug before leading them to the door. Zeph and Maddock pounded each other on the shoulder and made promises to get together again soon, but they both knew it would probably be awhile.
“Do you get the feeling we’ll be doing a ceremony for those two eventually?” Zeph asked Eve as soon as their guests were out of earshot.
Eve winked at him and smiled. “I hope so.”
Chapter 20
Lissy was blowing him off, Cheydan admitted to himself as he stared at the string of unanswered calls and text messages. At first, she’d responded to his check-in texts with short but kind replies. She’d assured him she was all right, that she just needed some time to get over her disappointment. It was hard to judge tone in a text message, but Cheydan had a feeling she was pretty depressed. He wanted to help her, even if all he could do was take her mind off things, but all his offers had been rejected. He was willing to wait, though. He could handle being patient. Eventually, she stopped responding at all. It had been a week since he’d heard from her.
Her actions confirmed his earlier fears, that she was just using him for access to information, but he couldn’t get his heart to stop caring about her anyway. He couldn’t go an hour without thinking about her, and he couldn’t decide if that meant he should keep pursuing her or figure out a way to get over her. He wished someone could tell him what he was supposed to do.
He was at his parents’ restaurant, moping into a bowl of minestrone, when he saw Charisse and her boyfriend, Jake, enter. Jake’s father, James Henley, was behind them, and so was his high school Spanish teacher, Amora Sophia Santino. They waved at him, and Cheydan perked up a bit at the sight of friendly faces. Abandoning his soup, Cheydan went to go say hello.
Risse stood and gave Cheydan a big hug, and he and Jake exchanged a terse nod. Cheydan offered a handshake to Mr. Henley and a quick side hug to Señorita Santino.
“Is this like a parent-teacher conference or something?” Cheydan asked.
Amora Sophia blushed, and Cheydan cocked an eyebrow. “James and I knew each other a long time ago, and we’ve been… reconnecting.”
“That’s code for dating, in case you didn’t know.” Jake smirked at Cheydan.
Cheydan rolled his eyes at Jake then turned to offer them a smile. “I’m happy for you.”
“Hey Risse, how’s Dominion doing?” Cheydan asked, suddenly remembering that Risse took care of the one person who could possibly help him with his dilemma. Dominion Connan, the leader of their Celestia Divisa congregation, was convalescing in the nursing home where Jake and Risse volunteered.
“Not too well.” Risse puckered her brow and pulled on her long braid nervously. “They moved him to the hospital. I don’t think he has much time left.”
“Oh, wow. I didn’t realize it was that serious.” Cheydan dropped into an empty chair at their table. Dominion Connan had been their leader for over 80 years, and even though he had prepared them for his eventual departure, it was still hard for Cheydan to imagine a world without him. “I have to go visit him, say goodbye.”
Risse nodded. “He’s in room 320.”
Cheydan glanced at his phone; it was just past 6. “Do you think it’s too late to go tonight?”
“Visiting hours are till 8 pm. I think you can make it.”
Cheydan jumped up, feeling the sudden need to go visit the Dominion before it was too late. “Thanks for the info, Risse. It was nice to see you all again… Try the minestrone — it’s delicious!” Cheydan waved goodbye and dashed out of the restaurant.
Harsh fluorescent lighting and echoing floors made the hospital seem cold and uninviting, and Cheydan shivered at the sense of death and sickness all around him. He checked in at the front desk and made his way down the long, lifeless hallways towards Dominion Connan’s room.
He peeked his head in and saw the ancient leader lying in the bed, tubes and monitors plugged in all over him. The room was dark except for a small lamp above the bed, but Cheydan could see a field of flowers in different vases covering every flat surface. The floral scent was overwhelming. Cheydan rapped on the door frame, and Dominion turned his head towards it.
“Hi Dominion, it’s Cheydan. You up for a little company? If not, I can come by later.”
“Come in, boy. It’s good to see a familiar face.” His voice was weak and raspy but still cheerful. He didn’t try to sit up, so Cheydan pulled the chair as close to the bed as possible.
“What brings you here, Son?” He coughed, and his wiry body convulsed, turning his face red. Cheydan offered him a glass of water, and he scooted up far enough to take a sip.
“I saw Risse at the restaurant, and she told me you were in here. I hadn’t seen you in a while, so I thought I’d come check on you.”
“Yup, I’m about done for, but I’m ready. You’ve got something else on your mind, though.”
Cheydan shook his head. He had wanted to ask for advice, but he couldn’t bother Dominion with his silly problems when the leader was knocking on death’s doorstep.
“It’s nothing important. Besides, I’ve got an in with the new Dominion,” Cheydan teased, winking.
“You mean, you would deny an old man the pleasure of sharing his decades of wisdom?”
Cheydan chuckled. That was typical of Dominion. “I’m just having girl problems, that’s all. Nothing major.”
“When it comes to girls, it’s always major,” Dominion said with a serious look that morphed into a grin. “You having trouble finding one, or keeping one?”
“Both.” Cheydan sighed, then briefly explained what had been going on with Lissy. Dominion listened quietly till Cheydan stopped talking, making only an occasional grunt to indicate he was listening.
“So let me get this straight, you were drawn to this girl the minute you saw her, and you were willing to take a huge risk to help her.”
Cheydan nodded.
“And you can’t quit thinking about this girl even though she’s clearly been avoiding you?”
Cheydan nodded.
“And you’re willing to be with her even though she’s sick and will probably stay that way.”
Cheydan gulped and nodded again. It was true. A relationship with Lissy flew in the face of all his perfectly-made plans, but when he thought about being with her, none of that seemed to matter anymore.
“So why aren’t you knocking on her door, demanding to be with her?”
Cheydan sighed and stood up to pace around the room. “If she doesn’t want to be with me, what good will it do?”
“Who said she doesn’t want to be with you?”
“Well, she’s made it kind of obvious,” Cheydan retorted.
“Listen here, Son.” Dominion pushed a button to raise the top of the bed and made an effort to sit up, wheezing and straining, and Cheydan rushed to help him. It took Dominion a minute to catch his breath before he could continue, the frantically-beeping heart monitor finally slowing to a normal rhythm.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about women, it’s that men have no idea what they’re really thinking. Don’t ever assume you know what going on in a woman’s head, because more than likely, you’re wrong. Unless that woman tells you to go away because she never wants to see you again, you still have a chance with her. Sometimes even then — depends on how bad you screwed up.”
Cheydan stared at him, digesting what he’d said, and slowly a smile cracked his somber expression. “What are we gonna do without you, Dominion?”
Cheydan left Dominion’s room a few minutes later, feeling better about his prospects with Lissy. He would do like Dominion suggested and knock on her door, demanding to see her.
Then, he’d tell her how he felt about her and find out if she could ever feel the same.
He dug his keys from his pocket and tossed them in the air a few times as he made his way back to the front entrance, throwing them higher and higher each time, his mood lifting. When they slipped from his fingers, he bent to pick them up, and he caught a glimpse of the person lying in the bed in the room beside him.
He scooped up the keys as he stumbled into the room. “Lissy?”
She lay on the bed, her eyes closed and her face swollen, dark circles haunting her eyes. The room was dark, and she was so still Cheydan questioned whether she was still alive. Only when he crept closer and leaned his head down to her chest did he notice the shallow breathing barely tickling his ear with warm air.
He grabbed a chair and pulled it closer, leaning over her, his hands hovering uselessly above her, searching for some way to help her. He could feel his heart pounding out his anxiety in his chest, the blood rushing through his ears, drowning out every sound but his own worried thoughts. Was this why she hadn’t contacted him? She was too ill? But she hadn’t mentioned a thing about her condition worsening. Surely she knew she was declining. Couldn’t she have at least told him that? He’d only known her for a short time, but he felt like his whole world revolved around her now. Clearly, he hadn’t made as big of an impact on her world.
He smoothed the blankets around her and ran his finger down her cheek, moving a stray lock of hair from her face. Finally, he laid a hand on top of hers, desperate to do something to comfort her. She stirred at the gentle contact, her hand flexing under his. Cheydan wrapped his fingers around hers and whispered. “It’s Cheydan, Lissy. I’m here for you.”
Her eyelids fluttered, and she murmured as she tried to rouse herself.
“Shhh, it’s okay. You don’t have to wake up.” He ran another finger along her cheek and squeezed the hand he held in his.
She turned her head and opened her eyes, and Cheydan’s heart launched itself from his body like a rocket ship when she said his name. “Cheydan? What… how… why are you here?”
Date with Destiny Collection: Angel Romance Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 39
