by Bella Emy
“What? First it’s Mom telling me I need to be there, then Rick, and now you two? Ugh…”
“Well, shouldn’t that tell you something then?” Mason asks.
I shake my head. “I can’t do it. I can’t go see him!”
“Why not?” Maverick steps in closer to me.
Mason takes a deep breath. Calmly, he says, “Maddox, we’re all telling you the same thing because it’s the right thing to do. I know deep down inside you know this, too.”
I breathe in deeply, but say nothing else. Instead, I look over to the door and begin walking over.
“Mad, where are you going?” Mason asks.
As I reach the front door and place my hand on the knob, I turn around and look at him dead in the eyes. “You know what? You’re right. I need a drink after all.”
Chapter Sixteen
All I see is red.
Red flaming rage.
This is total and utter bullshit, and I’m sick of it.
I storm out of Mason’s house and speed my car over to the bar three blocks away from my apartment. It’s perfect because once I’m done getting nice and hammered in this place, I can just walk home. I don’t plan on even being able to stand after a few drinks.
How dare they? How dare all of them, telling me what I should be and shouldn’t be doing? Well, screw them. Screw them all.
I enter the bar and storm right over to the counter, ordering their strongest specialty, a house classic, Bulls Rage. It’s the perfect drink for my furious ass right about now.
Two or twenty drinks in—because I’ve lost count and you couldn’t pay me enough to care—I hear a familiar voice. “Hey, Officer Martinelli. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
I flip my head around and spot strawberry-blonde haired Emily walking toward me with a drink in her hand.
“Aren’t you a little young to be in here?” I ask.
She takes a seat beside me. “Actually, no. See those funny people back there?” She points behind her to the left.
I follow her finger slowly. The alcohol is already kicking in, which is good and exactly what I wanted. I take in four people, two girls and two guys, laughing, joking, and throwing a couple back.
“Yeah?” I say.
“They’re here for me… we’re celebrating my twenty-first birthday tonight.” She throws the alcohol to the back of her throat.
I avert my gaze back to her and see her smiling. “Today’s your birthday?”
She nods. “Yes, it is. Officially of age… to drink, anyway.” She giggles.
“Happy Birthday, Emily. Hope you’re ready for all that’s coming because adulthood suuuucks.” I’m beginning to slur my words. Even though I’m feeling buzzed, I’ve got trashed enough times to tell the difference that I’m no longer sober.
Emily chuckles again. “Thank you, Officer Martinelli, but I’ve been an adult for a few years now.”
“Maddox, call me, M-Maddox,” I say.
She chuckles. “Okay, Maddox.” Shaking her head, she looks down and then continues. “Okay, so I know it’s being an adult is not fun and games. But at least now when shitty things happen, I can drown them in liquor.” She raises her glass and takes a final swig of her drink.
I nod. “Right… so I’ve heard.”
She shakes her head. “So, you know I’m here to celebrate my twenty-first, but what are you in for? You don’t seem like you’re here to have fun… more so to forget something, I’m guessing?”
I notice the bartender making his way over and I raise my finger. “One more, please.”
He eyes me dubiously. “I’m gonna have to cut you off soon.”
I nod, but I’m in no mood to entertain the thought of not having another drink after this one he’s making me.
“So?” Emily’s voice comes through again.
I turn to face her and take a deep breath. “Well, you’re right. I’m here to drown out my problems. Life is mis… miserable.”
She leans in forward, placing her empty glass on the table just as the bartender hands me another drink.
“Can I get the birthday girl another?” He asks.
She chuckles. “I’m good for now, Joe. Thank you.”
He winks at her. “Well, all right. You just holler whenever you’re ready.”
“Will do,” she replies.
“J-Joe, huh?” I ask.
She faces me once more. “That’s right. His name is Joe. I take it you don’t come here often?”
I shake my head. “No. I usually just get drunk at home. But since I-I was out of liquor, I de-decided to come in. Beeeer wouldn’t cut it tonight.”
Emily gives me a sidewards glance. “I see. Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you, or do I have to pull your arm, Maddox?”
Well, what do you know? She finally stopped with the Officer Martinelli crap. Tonight, I’m not an officer of the law. Tonight, I’m just plain old Maddox and the only thing I want is for the liquor to make me forget my horrible existence.
I smile at her and respond. “Okay, s-since you want to know so badly, I got sent aw-away for five years to serve in… another state because my te-temper got the best of me when I first got started… out here. I come back to f-find my parents are about to l-lose their store, my father who ha-hates my guts is dying f-from lung cancer, and my best friend is ma-marrying the girl of my dreams.”
Her eyes widen. “Wow…”
I chuckle. “Y-yeah… wow. T-told you you wouldn’t want to he-hear it.”
“Well, technically you didn’t,” she places a finger on my chest, pointing to me.
“Hey, Em! You ready to leave or what?” Some of her friends call out to her.
She laughs as she turns to face them. “I’ll be right there.” Then turning to face me, she adds, “I’d better run… they’re waiting for me so we can get going.”
I nod. “Go on. En-enjoy your birthday. Have a gr-great time. Drink responsibly.”
“Like you?” She asks, laughing.
I shrug. “Hey, at least I’m not driving.”
She nods. “Right. Later, Martinelli.” She hops off the barstool and makes her way over to her friends. Hell, at least Martinelli is better than having her call me Officer Martinelli every time.
“Maddox, we’re closing up. You’ve gotta go.”
I squint my eyes open and a blurry Joe comes into view.
“H-huh? How d-do you kn-know my naaame?”
He furrows his brows. “Yeah, you’ve definitely had more than your share. Anyway, you told me about an hour ago… but it’s time to pack it up and get going. Can you get a ride? You’re in no shape to drive.”
I point my index finger at him. “Hey. I’m a po-police officer… I d-don’t drink and driiiiive.”
He nods. “Right, well, okay Officer Maddox… it’s time to get going. Got someone I can call for you?”
I squint my eyes again and somehow manage to pull my phone out of my pocket. And that’s when the lights go out.
Chapter Seventeen
I slowly open my eyes to the sound of humming. It’s a beautiful, melodic sound that makes me want to close my eyes again and just stay like this forever. It’s so relaxing, like the soft pitter patter of the rain falling down from the sky or a flowing river or stream.
Giggling causes me to open my eyes up again. I didn’t even realize I had closed them, and then I notice soft brown eyes that I would know anywhere without questioning. I snap my head up and immediately curse myself; that was a bad idea. Terrible, even.
“Whoa, easy tiger... you may want to take it easy before you hurt yourself.”
I blink a few times. “A-Adelyn?”
She giggles once more. “Hey, Maddox.”
I scan the room and realize I’m home. In my living room, on my couch. What the hell is she doing here, sitting on my hard-wooden floor like it’s no big deal? Mmm, she smells like cinnamon.
Cinnamon and sugar…
“What are you doing here?” I ask, trying
to avert my thoughts.
“Gee, is that any way to thank the woman who rescued you last night?” She pushes off the floor and stands up straight.
“Huh? Rescued me?” I lift my hand up, hoping she’ll take it and help me sit up.
She does, and I’m so thankful for it. I grab the back of my neck and rub it a few times. What the hell happened last night, and why is she the one who rescued me out of all the people I know?
She picks up her bag from one chair to her right and adjusts it on her left shoulder. “Yeah, that’s right. Rescued you. But I wouldn’t have come if you hadn’t called me. Do you not remember?”
I shake my head slowly because I learned my lesson from a few minutes ago. The last thing I need is to give myself more unnecessary pain. “Care to fill me in?”
She chuckles once more and pulls her keys out of her purse. “You were drunk off your ass at Joe’s last night. I got a call from Joe himself at closing time, and apparently, I was the person you asked him to call when he asked who could give you a ride home because you were too wasted to move. Then you demanded for me to leave you on the couch because your bedroom was off limits.”
“Off limits?”
She shrugs. “No idea. I didn’t bother asking, nor did I go snooping.”
Oh, my God. Parts of last night start coming into view in my mind, but me telling Joe to call and ask her to leave me on the couch is not one of them.
“You’ve been here all night?” I question.
She nods. “Mhmm. Slept a few hours over there.” She points to the recliner over to the left.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Ad. What time is it?” I scan the room for the time and my eyes land on the DVR box. It’s just after one in the afternoon. “Fuck, I slept the whole morning and into the afternoon. I’m sorry.”
She chuckles. “Stop apologizing. It’s no problem, really.”
And then it hits me. If she was here with me, that means she wasn’t at home with Rick… which means he probably knows she came to give me a ride home. But then why didn’t he come with her or do it himself?
“I guess Rick knows you’re here?”
Adelyn shakes her head and takes a seat beside me. “No, he actually doesn’t.”
I furrow my brows and wait for her to elaborate. If she was my girlfriend—fiancée—I sure as hell would want to know where she spent the night. I wouldn’t want to let her out of my sight, but then again, there’s so much I want to do to her. So much that shall remain unnamed because it’s all inappropriate and I don’t need to be nursing a woody right now while she sits beside me.
“I’ve been spending the last two nights at my mom’s.”
Trouble in paradise?
“Everything okay with you and Rick?” I ask.
She laughs. “Yeah, of course, we’re great. It’s just that my sisters came into town for wedding planning galore. They’re going to try on bridesmaids’ dresses tonight, and I have one last dress fitting before the final one in a few weeks.”
I nod. “I see. Well, that’s great. You must be excited.”
She smiles, and fuck, she’s gorgeous.
And there goes my woody, standing up at attention. I adjust my position on the couch. I can’t let her see this.
“It is pretty exciting. I can’t believe almost a year of planning, and we’re getting ready to tie the knot. I’m nervous too, though.”
Phew, she didn’t notice my cock standing at attention. That would have been one conversation I would not want to have.
She moves a strand of her dark brown hair out of her eyes. She’s got a messy ponytail with pieces of it coming out, but she still looks like a damn supermodel.
“Don’t be nervous, I’m sure everything will be great.” I stretch out my arms before me. I feel kind of crippled. It must have been the way I slept crouched up on the couch.
Adelyn pats her knees. “Yeah, I’m sure it will, too. I just wish—”
The ringing of her cell phone cuts her off, and she searches for it inside of her purse.
“It’s Rick,” she smiles, showing me his face illuminating her screen.
Of course it is.
I smile back and nod. Rick always has immaculate timing.
“Hey, baby. Yeah… yeah. Oh, okay. Sure thing, I’ll be right over.” She hangs up the phone and pushes off the couch to stand on her feet. “I have to get going… Rick wants me to meet him for lunch, and I need to stop home first to get changed… and fix my hair,” she ruffles her hands through it.
“I’ll walk you out,” I say, then remember the offending member that’s sitting in my pants. I adjust myself once she’s turned around and walks toward the door.
I open it for her and she stands in my doorway, staring at me with the same beautiful smile she always wears. For a moment, I don’t know what to say. Somehow “Don’t leave,” and “Stay with me,” don’t seem like plausible requests.
And then it comes to me. “Hey, Ad. Thanks again for coming to my rescue.” I chuckle.
She joins me, giggling along. “No problem, you know me, I’m your knight in shining armor.”
The sparkle in her eye even in broad daylight kills me. It’s as if she wants to say something more, but she doesn’t.
Until she does.
“I’ll see you soon, Mad.”
Okay, so maybe not what I was hoping for, but still. But what was I hoping for? That she’d tell me she’s canceling the wedding? That she’s not going to marry Rick? That she secretly loves me and wants to be with me.
I mentally shake my head and remove the thoughts from my mind. I have issues. Lots of them.
“Later, Ad.”
I see her suck in a deep breath before saying, “I know this is hard for you, but honestly, Maddox, go see your father today.”
I swallow thickly. How the hell does she even know about today? Did Rick tell her? Had I even told Rick about it? I can’t even remember right now because I’m too shellshocked by her statement.
“B-but…”
She shakes her head. “You kind of blurted out a bunch of things last night.”
Oh, fuck. What else did I tell her in my drunken state?
She must realize the scared expression on my face because she continues with, “Don’t worry. You didn’t tell me anything too humiliating.”
Her words should relieve me, but they don’t. What if she doesn’t think what I told her was humiliating, but in reality it is to me?
“Okay…” is all I utter.
She smiles again at me. “I know it’s really none of my business, but I would hate for you to regret not being there should something go wrong today. Think about it. If you can find it in your heart to forgive him and go, I know your mom will appreciate it so much.”
I nod. “Yeah…”
She pushes forward. “Okay, I really have to go now. I’ll see you around, Maddox.”
And with that, she spins around on her heels and walks away from me.
Now, I just have to deal with what the rest of this day has in store for me and try to decide what I’m going to do. Do I go to the hospital and be there to support my family, including the one man who can no longer stand to be in the same room as me, or do I turn my back on them and hit the gym to let my anger out?
Chapter Eighteen
I don’t know how I even made it out of my apartment. After Adelyn left, I shut the door and plopped my ass right back on the couch. I was planning on passing out again, but once I closed my eyes, her words resonated in my ears.
“I would hate for you to regret not being there should something go wrong today.”
Meaning if he dies.
Would I really regret if the man who has been treating me worse than a piece of crap underneath his shoe dies from the surgery he’s getting today? Am I going to regret not being there for him?
Maybe.
Probably.
Yeah, I think so. Even though the last few years with my father have been rough, there used to be a time when we had a great
relationship and he was proud of me, proud of the things I did.
I have memories from way back when I was a kid with all the times we used to spend together playing basketball in the driveway. Taking fishing trips out on the lake. Going to pick out the family’s Christmas tree a couple of weeks before the holiday.
Those are some of the times with him I cherish and I’ll never forget. Even though things between us are rough right now, he’s still my father, and I don’t want to wake up one day and say, “I should have been there…”
I’m going to be there.
I park my car in the hospital’s parking lot and find my way inside. It’s crowded and there are more people in the waiting area than I had expected, but I make my way through until I hit the front desk.
A lady in her mid to upper forties with short blonde hair pulled back into a bun and rosy cheeks greets me from behind the desk. She stands up. “May I help you?”
“Yeah, hi. I’m here to see Michael Martinelli. I’m his son.”
Yeah, I know how that sounds… Michael, Maddox, Mason, and Maverick. My mother had a thing for making our names all start with the letter M like our father’s. You can imagine how many times she called one name when she really meant the other growing up.
“May I see some I.D. please?” The lady behind the desk asks.
I fish through my wallet and then pull out my driver’s license. I place it on top of her desk, and she picks it up. She checks it over and then takes a seat. Why do I get nervous every time someone looks over my I.D? It’s not like I’m a criminal or something. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’m part of the law. I watch her as she types something on her computer.
She writes something on a little white card and rises from her seat. She motions for me to step forward and as I do, she sticks the visitor’s pass on my shirt. “Keep that on you at all times. Take the elevator to your left and head up to the third floor. Your father is currently in surgery, but you can go wait in the lobby upstairs.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
Once I make it up to the third floor, I follow the signs on the walls pointing to the waiting area. I make a left and then head right until I reach the wide opening.
