Back to You (The Road Back Home Series Book 1)
Page 14
“I went to talk to Kayleigh.”
Shane's eyes narrow and darken. “Why?”
“Thought maybe I could talk her into talking to Maddie.”
He takes another slow drink from the bottle. “Guessing that didn’t go over well.”
I point to his lip. “Better than your little chat. You ever going to tell Maddie about you two?”
“Nope. There's nothing to tell. You and Maddie are happy, Logan. Trust me, there’s no reason to stir shit up.”
“I don't like hiding shit from Maddie.”
He rises from the bench. “You don't know anything, so you’re not hiding anything. And there's nothing to tell. I’m done with that shit.”
“What the hell happened between you two?”
He starts toward the front door. “See, if I tell you, that fucks up your willful ignorance. You’re happy, man, just sit back and let yourself feel it.”
He goes inside, and I take a seat on the bench.
He's not wrong. I haven't been this happy since before Maddie left.
Life can change quickly. It didn’t take long to forgive Maddie.
I never hated her, no matter how much I wanted to.
She's been the love of my life since I can remember, and there is no way I’m letting her go again.
Thirty-Seven
Maddie
Thanksgiving was a few days ago and it was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
Kayleigh and Carrie hate me without a doubt, and I’m not sure I will ever be able to fix it with them. And Megan is still missing, although Silas is working on it.
On the bright side, Claire not only claimed me as her mother, but she also told me she loved me. My heart is still soaring. I love her more than words can express, and I make sure to tell her every day.
“What about this one?” I look to where Logan and Shane stand with Claire in the crowded Christmas tree lot.
Logan is asking Claire about a massive tree that towers over him. I join them, looking way up to the top. “Will that even fit in our living room?”
Wow. Our living room. It has such a nice ring to it. Our living room in our house that I just moved into permanently. It feels like home to me already.
Shane grins as he, too, looks up at tree. “It sure is a big fucker.”
Logan nudges his shoulder. “Language.”
He's half joking, and Claire rolls her eyes at him, smiling, as she steps over to the next tree. It’s a pristine seven-foot tree that’s filled out beautifully, with no large gaps between the branches and a dark green color. “This one.”
We all nod our heads simultaneously, looking at the tree Claire picked.
I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her to me. I’m now completely unafraid to hug her. She's my daughter, and I’m her mom.
“I can't wait to decorate it with you, Claire.”
Her eyes light up with excitement. “Can we buy a star for the stop? A gold one?”
I nod my head. “Of course, anything you want.”
She smiles, and we admire the tree together while the guys begin cutting it down so we can take it home. “Thank you. We always had a gold star on top of our tree, but during my first Christmas in foster care, my foster parents didn't have a tree.” I listen intently, saddened to hear about her time in foster care, but at the same time, thrilled she is sharing with me. “Then the next year, my foster family put up a silver tree, but the topper was an angel. My foster mother said it was blasphemous to have anything but an angel on top.”
I smile and hold her closer. “We’ll have a gold star every year, Claire. I promise, the holidays and every day will be full of love and laughter. I’ll make up for the years we were apart.”
“You already have.” She rests her head against my shoulder. “I’m so happy, I have a family now.”
The tree falls to the ground, and Logan stands up, wrapping his arm around us both. “You’re damn right, you do.”
Shane starts to bind the tree and looks up at us, grinning and shaking his head. “You all are just too fucking cute.”
“Language!” We all shout in annoyingly sweet, teasing unison.
We are definitely a family.
Epilogue
Maddie
Logan and I lay in the back of his truck parked out in our old spot, down a random country road. It’s early December, so it’s freezing, but we thought ahead. We're wrapped in a heavy blanket, have a thermos of hot chocolate, and are all bundled up in our coats as we look up at the meteor shower. It happens around the same time every year, and we used to sit in this very spot when we were teenagers and watch.
Now we get to witness it with our daughter, who is sitting tucked into the heated cab with Shane.
“God, it’s so beautiful.” I stare in awe of the shower of light above us.
Logan holds me a little closer as he looks up, the same amazement in his eyes I remember from our younger years.
“So, what's next in our little adventure, Maddie?”
I think about it while we look upward together, his face nuzzled into my neck. “Hmmm . . . Maybe more kids? Like two or three. Possibly a small, outdoor, country wedding with Claire and Misty as my maids of honor.”
He pulls back, and his fingers guide my chin to look at him. “Are you proposing to me, Maddie?”
Oh shit. I’m going to scare him off. That was such a stupid thing to say. My mind runs away with me, and of course, I’ve thought a lot about my future with Logan. “No, of course not. That would be crazy.”
His eyes search mine intensely, brushing my hair out of my eyes and holding my face in his hands. “So, you aren’t?”
“No.”
He nods his head and drops one of his hands. “Good.” My stomach drops slightly, feeling a sense of ridiculous disappointment. “Because I wouldn't want you to fuck up my proposal.”
Wait. What did he just say? “What?” He lifts his right hand, and I look down to see a beautiful, sparkling ring in his hand.
“Marry me, Maddison James.”
“Oh my God.” I stare at the ring and then into the eyes of the love of my life. “Of course, I will.”
He slips the ring on my finger and kisses me, his hands on the side of my face. “Good. I’m ready to start our life.”
“Me too, Logan. You’re my adventure, whether it be here or Paris or the Grand Canyon. I don’t care as long as you’re with me.”
He kisses me again and then holds me as we look up at the stunning sky.
The road here was long and turbulent, but every single step was worth it because it brought me back where I belong.
THE END
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Maddie and Logan’s story! I hope you enjoyed it. This book is very close to my heart. I’m from a place much like their hometown. I couldn’t wait to get out of there, but now that I’m thirty-one and married with two babies, I couldn’t wait to get back home.
I’m moving on to the next story now, jumping back to my Adamson family series, which, if you haven’t checked out before, the link is below.
Want more Maddie and Logan? Loved Shane? Hated Kayleigh and Carrie? Want to know more about Officer Hottie, AKA Silas Cole? No worries! They’ll all get their own books, and Maddie and Logan will most definitely be back in all of them! When I first started this one, I really did plan for it to be a standalone. But then like always, I fell in love with the side characters and realize they each have a story to tell!
Until then . . .
Other Books By Nicole Dykes
Unsocial
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Unbridled
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Untangled
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Unbreakable
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Unbroken
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And don’t forget about my newest series!!! The Monroes make an appearance in my Adamson Family Series!
Mistaken
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Mischief
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About the Author
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