Maddox

by Lisa Helen Gray

  I lick my lips, glancing up at one of the menus, finding it hard to choose. There is nowhere free for us to sit and eat, so I have to order only what I can carry. It’s a challenge our family has conquered over the years.

  “No,” Sunday snaps, covering the food in her lap when her dad goes to take some.

  Bailey chuckles, handing the little girl her juice. “Here you go, sweetie.”

  “Did you teach her not to share?” Aiden argues, frowning at his girlfriend.

  Bailey, used to his behaviour, snorts. “No. It runs in the family.”

  “I bet she gives me some,” I tease, bending down so I’m eye level with my niece. “Can Uncle Maddox try some of your burger?”

  Her cute face scrunches up into a lethal frown. She mimics her dad so well, it’s uncanny. “No.”

  I put on my best puppy dog face. “Please.”

  “Mine,” she cries out, and I flinch, falling back on my arse.

  Sheesh, she has a temper when it comes to food.

  “Does she know any other words?” I ask.

  Bailey sighs. “We’ve got her to say ‘food’ and ‘pop’, but ‘mine’ and ‘no’ are her favourites.”

  Aiden chuckles, wiping the sauce off her mouth. “Lucky we didn’t bet anything, right?”

  “F-off,” I grumble, getting up and wiping the dirt off my arse.

  “Aren’t you meant to be doing some crazy gesture to win your girl back today?”

  I narrow my gaze on Aiden. “How do you know that?”

  He grins, shrugging. “I have my sources.”

  “Have you seen her?”

  “Dude, we arrived with you thirty minutes ago; don’t you think if I had seen her, I would have said something?”

  He has a point.

  “Do you know what you are going to do?” Bailey asks.

  “No. Not a clue. Dad said I need to tell her with words what I’m feeling,” I explain.

  She nods. “You should. Have you ever watched a romantic movie? They always do something big, something the girl can’t ignore.”

  Interested, I step a little closer. “What did they do?”

  She shrugs, finishing off her chip. “Some do things in front of an audience; the bigger the better. It’s so they can’t run away or say no. And sometimes it can prove the person means what they are saying if they are willing to let everyone know how they are feeling.”

  My brows pull together. “But isn’t that forcing them to be okay. I mean, if someone were to propose in a room full of people, how could the woman say no then?”

  Bailey laughs at my reply. “Are you planning on proposing?”

  I rear back. “No, I just want her to be my girlfriend.”

  “My girlfriend,” Aiden mimics, teasing me.

  I shove his shoulder. “You’re a dick, do you know that?”

  “I tell him at least twice a day,” Bailey jokes.

  “Oh look, Lily is here with her neighbours’ kids,” Aiden comments.

  Seeing Lily laugh at something Star says brings a calmness to my chest. I hadn’t realised how tensed up I was until I laid eyes on her. She always has a way of calming me down when I’m stressed.

  So what if I haven’t seen Amelia? It doesn’t mean she isn’t coming. It just means she’s somewhere hidden in the sea of people.

  Any other explanation isn’t acceptable.

  As we walk towards their little huddle, thoughts of Amelia are pushed to the side when one guy walks past with a beer can in his hand. His mates, drunk, push him to the side, nearly colliding with Lily and Jaxon. I tense, ready to go to Lily, but pause when she doesn’t react the way she normally does. There’s no black out, no going into herself, nothing. Instead, she steps closer to Jaxon, trusting him to shield her.

  And I get it then.

  I get why she kept him a secret. I get why she loves him and why she was so broken up about what we did.

  I get it all.

  I get what love truly means.

  What Amelia truly means to me.

  Jaxon watches me closely, confusion written all over his face. The silent question hangs in the air, and I give a subtle shake of my head. I’m not going to draw attention to what happened. Lily needs to come to terms with that by herself. I’m just happy she was able to slay some of her demons or at least trust Jaxon enough for him to do it.

  “Maddox,” Lily greets, beaming up at me. “Did you try the Balti from the vendor up there? It smelled amazing.”

  “I haven’t had a chance yet,” I answer, grinning at her enthusiasm. “Hey, kids.”

  “Hey, man,” Miah grumbles.

  Jaxon, taking pity on the teenager, hands him a twenty. “Go do your own thing.”

  His eyes light up as he takes the cash. “Really? Thanks.”

  “But weren’t we going to go on the bumper cars?” Lily asks, pouting.

  “Babe, he has mates to meet up with. He doesn’t want to be seen hanging out with us,” Jaxon explains, chuckling.

  “Not that you aren’t cool or anything,” Miah rushes to add.

  “Go on then. We will pick you up at five to take you home.”

  “Babe,” Jaxon teases.

  She lets out a sigh. “Okay, but call me if you do need picking up,” she tells him, before reaching into her purse. “Here’s some extra money, in case you need it.”

  “You don’t need to—”

  “I want to,” she tells him softly.

  Once he’s gone, she cuddles into Jaxon’s side and stares up at me. “Have you seen her yet?”

  “No,” I tell her, losing hope that she’s coming. “I don’t think she’s coming.”

  “We’ve just seen her,” she tells me, and I straighten. “Yeah, there she is.”

  I follow the direction she’s pointing to, and my pulse begins to beat rapidly. She’s with her mum and the kids, sitting near the stage where a live band is playing.

  She’s here.

  Although she looks a little tired, I have never seen her look so beautiful. I was a fool not to see this before. It’s one thing knowing a woman is hot, but it’s another to see past that and see the person they truly are.

  And I’m seeing her.

  Fuck am I seeing her.

  “What do I do?” I rush out, straightening my jacket. “I need a big gesture.”

  I scan the area, my gaze going back to the stage. My brows pull together when Bailey’s words come to mind.

  ‘Some do things in front of an audience; the bigger the better.’

  You can’t get much bigger than the fair in Coldenshire. It’s the biggest event, apart from the family day they do in the summer.

  “You could just go over—”

  “I’ve got an idea,” I tell them.

  “Twenty says he fucks up,” Aiden states.

  “Fifty says he makes himself look like a dickhead,” Jaxon puts in.

  “Guys,” Lily murmurs. “Maddox?”

  I startle, pulling my gaze away from Amelia. “I’m going to sing.”

  “What?” she asks, her eyes wide. “You can’t—”

  “Be back,” I tell them, before racing around the crowd so she can’t spot me. I get near the stage and don’t stop, leaping up onto it.

  “Hey,” the drummer snaps. “You can’t be up here.”

  “I need to sing,” I explain breathlessly.

  “Every year,” the guitarist yells. “Why don’t you fuckers come up with a different dare and leave us the fuck alone?”

  “This isn’t a dare. I need to win my girl back,” I tell them, stomping over to the singer and pulling the mic out of his hand.

  “Hey,” he snaps, trying to reach for the mic.

  “Sorry for the interruption, guys, but there’s something I need to do,” I tell them, still dodging the singer.

  He chases after me, still going for the mic. “Mate, you need to give me the fucking mic back. We have a set.”

  “No,” I snap as he reaches me. He grips the mic, pulling it towards hi
m, but I don’t let go. “I’ve got something I need to do.”

  “Don’t make me knock you out.”

  I snort, “Like that could happen,” I tell him. “This is important. Are you really going to deny me my moment of making the big gesture?”

  “Give it back,” he orders.

  “No.”

  “Now!”

  “No!”

  He pauses from trying to free the mic when the crowd begins to laugh. We both turn towards it, and my throat tightens when I find them all staring at us.

  “Man, just let him make a twat of himself,” the drummer calls out.

  The singer lets go of the mic with a growl. “You’ve got five fucking minutes.”

  I wink. “I only need three.”

  I meet Amelia’s gaze in the crowd. I let go of the mask and open myself up to her. I let her see I mean this, that I’m here, making myself vulnerable for her.

  She closes her eyes as pain washes over her expression.

  “Whoohooo, take it off,” I hear hollered from the crowd.

  I narrow my gaze. “I’m not a stripper. Now shush, I’ve got something important to do,” I argue.

  In the distance, I see my dad slap his hand over his forehead, shaking his head. I grin, giving him a wave before clearing my throat and turning back to Amelia.

  “I wasn’t sure what the big gesture meant, but I do now. It’s not about doing something for the say so of it. It’s not about pushing boundaries to get what you want. It’s not just words, but actions. It’s about showing the person you’re in love with, how you really feel,” I tell her, taking a deep breath. “I need you to know I’ll help you chase away your fears. I’ll be the person you’ve always known me to be and more. I’m with you one-hundred-percent, and I’m here to prove it to you. So, here goes.”

  I clear my throat before diving into one my nan’s favourite songs. “I love you, baby, and if it’s quite all right, I need you baby,” I sing, my throat rusty. Amelia’s lips part and tears gather in her eyes. Jasmine starts jumping up and down, spotting me for the first time. I send her a wink before continuing.

  I get to the end of the second verse when the band start playing. I grin at the drummer before jumping off the stage, taking the mic with me. I speed up the beat, getting into the rhythm.

  I head towards Amelia, whose cheeks are flaming red. She stands, ready to flee when I reach her, but I jump onto the bench she was sat on, singing louder.

  “Go on, Maddox,” someone yells from the crowd, and I know it’s one of my family members.

  The crowd begins to sing along with me as I get up onto the table, bending down until I’m eye level with Amelia. She sniffles, looking too shocked to do much else.

  I reach down, taking her hand in mine as I sing the last line of the song: “Let me love you.”

  The crowd cheers, hollering and cat calling, and I can do nothing but stare down at the woman I’m in love with.

  “Maddox,” she whispers.

  “I’ll go take Jasmine on the trampoline,” Nita suggests, a smile in her voice. I hear Jasmine protest, but Nita tempts her with two more rides. She leaves, taking both of the kids with her, but not before yelling, “If you see your dad, send him my way.”

  Amelia’s head jerks to her mum for a moment before her attention is pulled back to me. I jump down from the table, coming to stand in front of her.

  Her black hair blows around her face, and I push it aside, wanting to see her face.

  “I love you. I know I’ve not done much to prove that, but I do,” I tell her, keeping my voice low, calm. “Please, Amelia. Please give me a chance. Give us a chance.”

  “I’m scared to,” she admits, her lip trembling.

  I reach for her, taking her hands in mine. “I know you are. But I meant what I said. I’ll chase those fears away. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of when it comes to me. Us Carter’s are like wolves; we only have one mate and it’s for life. I take that shit seriously if I’m going to pick the right one.”

  Her brows pull together. “Isn’t it only the alphas who mate for life?”

  I nod. “I’m all alpha, baby.”

  Her eyes, glistening with tears, sparkle. “I guess you’d have to be stupid to pick the wrong one.”

  “No one else has ever been in the running,” I admit, watching her pupils dilate.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” she pleads.

  I press closer. “The only one who is going to get hurt is me if you don’t say you’ll be mine. Plus, can you honestly say that being with me doesn’t have its benefits?”

  She snorts out a laugh. “And what would those be?” she teases.

  “I’m seriously hot to look at, especially naked. No food goes to waste. You’ve seen the amount Jasmine leaves on her plate,” I tell her. “I’m good at snuggling. I fix things. I—"

  She grins, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Stop,” she chuckles out. “You had me at ‘hot to look at’.”

  I grin, pulling her against me. I lean down, ready to do what I’ve been dying to do since I first met her. She closes her eyes, leaning up…

  And a throat clears.

  I blink one eye open, spotting the singer holding his hand out. “Mic,” he orders.

  I groan, slapping the mic into his hand. “Dickhead.”

  Amelia begins to laugh, resting her head against my chest. “I can’t believe you sang to me.”

  “Just call me Frank,” I tease.

  “You have the worst singing voice ever,” she tells me, her face lighting up.

  “I’ll let you get away with that, since you’re mine now.”

  “Oh really,” she purrs, stepping closer.

  “Amelia! Amelia!” Nita cries, racing over to us, pushing the pushchair. Jasmine races beside her, crying.

  “Mummy,” Jasmine wails, tears streaming down her face.

  Just one look at them and I know something awful has happened. I can feel it in my gut. My spine shoots up straight and alarm bells ring in my ears.

  Amelia tenses, her body jerking. “Mum?”

  Her mum stops near us, panting heavily as tears rush down her pale face. “It’s Asher. He’s gone.”

  My heart pummels and I nearly collapse to the floor. The only thing stopping me is my need to find him.

  I inwardly cry out.

  Asher.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  AMELIA

  My chuckle is forced, and my feet feel like they are welded to the ground. “That’s not funny, Mum. Where is he?”

  Mum hiccups, clutching her chest. “I’m not joking. I was watching Jasmine on the trampoline, and when I went to check on him, he was gone. He was gone. No one saw anything.”

  “No,” I whisper. “No.”

  “Dad, come over to the stage area where you saw me last. We have a situation,” Maddox barks into his phone.

  I begin to look around the fair, taking in all the pushchairs, every baby in the arms of a parent, not seeing Asher anywhere. My heart races, and my skin begins to clam up.

  “No one just takes a baby,” I whisper.

  Mum sniffles, her knuckles white as she grips the handlebars of the pushchair. “I’m so sorry, baby. So sorry,” she cries out. “The lady at the trampoline is calling security for us. We should get back there.”

  This isn’t a joke.

  My baby boy is gone.

  My feet come unglued, and I race away from Mum and Maddox, pushing through the crowd, towards the trampolines. I bump into hard bodies, not seeing the people pass by as I race to find Asher.

  I cry out, nearly falling on my face as I push through a small family. “I’m sorry,” I cry out, sobs raking through my body.

  I begin to search the area in the hope of seeing him, my vision blurred through the tears. Adrenaline surges through my body as I keep going, scanning as I do. “Asher,” I scream.

  A woman grabs my arm. “Have you lost your son?”

  I stop at her words, panting heavily. “My baby was
snatched out of his pushchair. He’s only a few months old. He has on blue jeans, and a navy-blue coat with a star logo on. He has dark hair. And he has a star and moon blue blanket with him.”

  “Oh my God,” she breathes out. “I’ll help you look.”

  “Thank you,” I choke out, moving along to a guy with a little girl. “Excuse me, have you seen anyone with a baby with a star and moons blue blanket around him?”

  “I’m sorry, I haven’t,” he tells me.

  “Amelia!” Maddox yells, and I stop, watching him racing towards me.

  A sob breaks free as I turn to him, seeing the same haunted look in his eyes as I have in my heart.

  “Where is my baby?” I ask him, almost begging him to know.

  “My uncle Myles has blocked the car park and he has other members of the family blocking the exits. Hopefully we aren’t too late,” he explains, and my heart stops.

  He could be anywhere.

  “We are going to search the car park now,” Malik tells me, his gaze soft.

  “Why would someone take him?” I ask, feeling my chest tighten even more.

  “I don’t know,” Maddox grits out. “I want you to stay with your mum. She’s on the phone to your dad,” he orders, coming close. “Jasmine is with my sister.”

  I clutch at his arms. “I can’t breathe. He’s just a tiny baby.”

  “We’ll find him, I promise,” he declares.

  “I’m such a terrible mother,” I cry out.

  “No, you aren’t,” he states fiercely. “This has nothing to do with your mothering skills. Your mum even said she only turned her back for a minute. No one could predict that would happen.”

  “We have to find him,” I tell him, my voice breaking. “He’s going to be so scared. He cries with strangers.”

  Maddox jerks, and tension radiates from his body. When I look at him, his jaw is clenched, and his eyes are watering. He looks to his dad, the determination and loss there, clear to see.

  It’s then that I know he doesn’t just love me.

  He loves my kids.

  “We’ll find him, son. I swear it to you,” Malik assures him, squeezing his shoulder.

  “I’ll find him. I will,” he rambles, before turning to me, his gaze fierce and ready for war. “I’ll find him.”

  Asher.

  “I can’t breathe,” I tell him, my heart racing. Whereas most kids will have a distinct description, Asher is a baby, still growing into his personality. Although he looks like Asher to me, to others, he is just another baby. He could be anywhere, with anyone, and the only ones who will notice someone has him, are very few.