“Brace yourself, Morgan,” came from behind me. Morgan had just enough time to ask, “for what” before my knee was raised and I hit him right in the groin.
I shoved him to the ground and went past him and out the door. Crossing the reception floor, I headed toward the elevator and hit the button to call it down. I tried to ignore the sound of my name as Jasmine, Lucas, and Tim all followed me out of the bar. They all got to me as the elevator doors opened up and I let all the people out of it before stepping inside. Hitting our floor and folding my arms over my chest, I stayed silent the whole way up. Walking toward my room door and taking the card from my bra, which earned a chuckle from Jasmine because she knew what I was like when I didn’t have my clutch while was wearing a dress, and swiped my card. Stepping inside the door, I held it open because I knew they would follow even if I didn’t.
Moving to the fridge I took out a bottle of water and took a long drink from it. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to look at them all. “I’m going to ask this once and I want an honest answer. Did you all know?” All three of them nodded and I closed my eyes. “When was it?”
“The night you came to talk to me, after I got here.” I opened my eyes and took another drink of water before I spoke again.
“What happened?”
“Are you sure you really want to know?” Tim asked and I gave him a nod. He came over and took my hand and led me to sit on the couch. “After you and he fought about what happened in the gym, he came to talk to me before going downstairs to organize another room to give you both space. Not long after that, you came to talk to me and finally hit the wall you knew was coming. I put you to bed, then Lucas came and got me. We went down to the bar downstairs and before I could finish my drink, I saw Morgan with his hand up her skirt and I left. He came and asked me not to tell you and I told him where to shove it. He planned for me to be on your date. It was supposed to be Lucas, but he changed the shifts around.” He took a deep breath.
“Is there more?” I asked.
“If you hadn’t been interrupted by Jasmine earlier and had slept with Morgan like he had in his mind, we still would have been leaving tomorrow on the first plane out of here. Morgan thinks all women are someone he can fall in love with until he sleeps with them, then he is gone the next morning. It’s his best line. I knew as soon as I met you he was gonna try and I made sure that Jasmine was close by. We planned for Ghost to be here. I’m sorry, Maddie, but I couldn’t let Morgan do that to you...”
I felt Tim sit beside me and start rubbing my back. “Can you give me a minute, please?”
“Lucas did it because I made him promise to keep you safe. Something didn’t feel right to me.”
I closed my eyes and spoke again. “I appreciate that, Jasmine. Can you give me a minute, please?”
Tim squeezed my hand and stood up to leave with them. Gripping his hand tighter, I opened my eyes and looked up at him.
“Can you stay, please, baby?”
Tim sat back down next to me and wrapped his arms back around me. Closing my eyes again, I laid my head against his chest.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ghost
As soon as Morgan walked into the bar downstairs, I knew it was gonna end in trouble. I’d hoped it would be just for him, but we’d gotten caught up in the crossfire once the bimbo showed up and opened her mouth about as quick as she opened her legs. I knew as soon as Maddie stepped toward him, he was going to end up on the floor. I was surprised she was so calm when we got back to the room, though. Jasmine and I knew just how bad that could have been if she had hit full blown pissed off.
When she asked Jasmine and Lucas to give her a minute, it looked like she just needed to get her head around everything. I was hoping that I could keep her from over thinking shit.
“If I hadn’t been here when you got the call to come out, would you have come and seen me?” Well, fuck. So much for stopping her overthinking it.
“I would have tried to get in contact with you. If you didn’t want to see me, then I wouldn’t have forced you to.” Maddie went quiet again and I rest my cheek against her head. “Snowflake, don’t do this. Yes, we were put in the same place, but we decided the outcome.”
“Why couldn’t they have just told me?”
“For the same reason I couldn’t tell you about downstairs. You wouldn’t have believed us. Some lessons - although they may hurt - we have to learn them the hard way. That doesn’t mean you should think about them any longer then you need too.”
“I hate that you can rationalize everything.” Maddie laughed, and I felt her relax in my arms.
“I’ve missed being the one who calmed you down.”
“What about Jas?!”
“Maddie, baby, I love Jas to death, but she could never calm you down. She would always rile you up more.” Maddie laughed again and pulled back a little to look at me.
“Yeah, I guess you are right.”
“I know I’m right.” Maddie slapped my arm and moved again. Putting her legs across my lap, I slipped her flats off and began to massage her feet.
“So, I’m sure Jas has filled you in about what you missed. What have I missed?” She was trying to get Morgan and downstairs out of her head, and I was happy to help her try but, did we have to start with THAT question? I let out a breath and thought about the last ten years.
“After we left Australia, the parents took us back to the States. Gracie was allowed to stay with them, but Matthew and I were sent to Military Academies. He was sent to a different one to me because of the difference in ages. He still had a few years before he could legally enlist, but my eighteenth was right around the corner. After the letter came back, I put my head down and did what I had to until I could get out of there. We were talked into enlisting and were sent over to Afghanistan.”
“Then what happened?”
“Are you sure you want to hear this? You may not like the answer…” I said.
Maddison moved to my lap and cupped my face in her hands. “Nothing you say is going to change the way I feel about you, Tim. If you want to tell me than I am all ears. If you don’t then I will respect that.”
I sat forward a little and brushed my lips over hers. “I will tell you because it’s something you need to know. Please, don’t let this change the way you see me. I’m still the same man as I was when I was seventeen...in a way.”
She gave me a nod and relaxed against me. Wrapping my arms around her, I went on.
“We were making rounds in the assigned area when we came under fire. While we were scrambling to try and get to safety, they blew up a jeep not far from where I was. The blast from the explosion sent me flying into the wall behind me and I hit my head hard. It knocked me unconscious. I came to in the hospital tent and was given the all clear the next day. A couple of days later, though, I was sent back there when I started feeling like I was going to faint. When I got there, I blacked out and didn’t remember anything until I came to again. I was sent home so they could do some tests. As they suspected, the head injury I had sustained had caused a seizure. Once they diagnosed it as epilepsy, I was discharged from the Army and put on medication to try and correct it. Dad was disappointed that I had gotten myself discharged. Ma of course went along with it, so I couldn’t go back home. In the end I set up my security company with two of the guys from my unit. One of them sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder, while the other got hit in the knee.”
“How did Grace and Matthew take it?”
I shrugged my shoulders and looked down. “I haven’t seen nor spoken to either of them since we were all sent in different directions. Matt would have taken Dad’s side, though.”
Looking back at Maddie, I met her eyes when she fell silent. Instead of talking she kissed me. In that kiss, she said more than her words could ever say.
Nothing had changed her love for me. God, did I love her for that.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Maddie
When I asked Tim what I’
d missed while we’d been apart, I wasn’t expecting that. Well, not all of it anyway. It was no surprise that he wasn't talking to his father, or his brother. His Ma shocked me, though. She had always been a good mother to her kids and never told them they had to be something if they didn’t want to be. Tim never wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps, and she’d always been supportive of that. I didn’t get what changed. His spawn of a brother had always been trying to get daddy's attention. He resented Tim, because he always got his attention. Not that it was by choice. Tim would have preferred Matt to get it, then his dad wouldn’t notice the time he spent with me.
It had been no secret that his dad, Thomas, didn’t like me. I was never rude to him or disrespectful in any way, but he formed an opinion of me and nothing could change that. It was more reason to never be there. Michael worked nights for a hotel in Tamworth, so I had the house to myself. Jasmine, Tim and I would always try and hang out there. If we weren’t there, then we were with Hannah and Allen at their house.
Taking a deep breath, I thought about Tim going through everything that he went through on his own. I’d been quiet while I sat curled into his side, so he left me to my thoughts while we attempted to watch some movie that was on the TV. I pulled back to look at him. “How are you okay with all of this?”
Tim raised a brow and met my eyes. “Okay with all of what, Snowflake?”
“With your family being jerks?”
He shrugged his shoulders and hit mute on the TV. “Because it doesn’t surprise me. They have always been that way. Ma was always the most supportive when Dad wasn’t around. As soon as he was, she was back to saying, “yes, dear” just to keep on his good side. I was the only one who stood my ground and told him exactly what I thought. He always thought that was your influence.”
I snorted and sat back against the arm of the couch. “He always did have it out for me. Is that why he moved you all?”
Tim nodded. “Part of it. He couldn’t control me here. He had to break me so that he could. Plus, he wanted us in the Army, and didn’t have the power here that he did in the States. He tried, and they wouldn’t change their stance. The Academy that I attended was run by Dad’s old Army unit. I was going no matter what.”
I nodded and chewed on my lip as I went back to my thoughts. “Do you think he would have talked to Michael and tried to convince him to make sure we didn’t have contact after you left?”
“What do you mean?”
“The letters. Hannah swore, according to Jas, that she would make sure that I got them. Michael sent them all back before she could get them to me.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him, but Maddie? Someone still has a letter…”
I frowned at his words. “What makes you think that?”
“I don’t think, baby, I know. I numbered my letters and I never got my first letter back. All the others, yes, but not that first one. It’s why I thought it was you sending them back.”
I shook my head. “I never saw them or even knew about them, till now.”
“Then I think you need to have a chat with Michael, gorgeous, because if it was Hannah, Jasmine would have given it to you a long time ago.” I nodded softly and sighed. Guess it was time to find out where Michael was.
I felt Tim put his hand on my cheek and I turned my attention back to him. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his. “I’m so glad you came back.” I said.
“I am too, Snowflake. So fucking glad.” I kissed him again and shifted against him. He let out a low groan as my ass pressed against his crotch. “Careful, Maddie…”
I bit my lip and tried to hide my amusement. “Sorry, baby.”
He snorted and laid his head back against the couch. “Looks it.”
I giggled and laid my head against his chest. His hand rubbed small circles on my back and he went back to the movie. I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to bring more stuff up from his past. Did he have medication he had to take for his seizures? Had he taken it recently? What did I need to watch out for? What did I do if he has a seizure? What type did he have? Tim’s hand moved up to rest on the back of my neck.
“Just relax, baby,” he whispered in my ear. I hadn’t realized that I had tensed up. “What’s going on inside that pretty head of yours?”
“I have questions, but I don’t want to drag up things from the past and make you feel like you have to answer them.”
Tim shifted me so that he could see my face better. “If you want to ask me something, Maddie, then please ask me. If I can tell you, then I will. You need to know it all. I’m not starting our relationship on anything but honesty.” I nodded softly and he ran his thumb over my lip as he waited for the questions.
“Are you on medication?”
He nodded. “Daily doses, which I take every night. Initially it was three times a day, but it’s now just the one.”
“When was your last seizure?”
“A year. Maybe more.”
“Do you know when you’re about to have one?”
“Depends which type I have.”
“What types?” I asked, a little confused.
“I have had two different types since they first started. Tonic-clonic, which is when my body seizes up and starts jerking. I feel faint when I am about to have one of those, so I can usually get myself to a safe area where there is nothing around that will cause me harm. The other one is an absentee seizure, where I lose consciousness for a few seconds. I can be sitting here talking to you and zone out for a few seconds and come out of it like nothing happened. Those I can’t see coming. If I have more than one of those then I take Valium to counteract the clusters.”
“Does Lucas know all of this?” I asked.
He nodded again. “I’m upfront with anyone I do jobs for. Normally I don’t do field work, but I was requested on this one. It was a special case.” He winked at me and ran his fingers through my hair.
“What do I do if you have one?”
“With Absentee there is nothing you can do. It’s over as quick as it starts. If I tell you that I feel I am about to faint though, just make sure there is nothing around me. Some nurses talked to me through it, telling me that I was going to be okay, that it was just a seizure, I was safe and I was okay and coached me out of it. I can come out of it disorientated, though, so the less people around me the better. I can’t be around strangers or I can potentially do damage when I flip the fuck out.”
I chewed on my lip again as I let all of that slowly start to sink in. Maybe I should have eased myself into that. Tim leaned in and kissed my neck.
“I have a doctor’s appointment when I get back home. Do you want to come and ask questions to her so you can find out more?” he asked.
I nodded softly. “If that’s okay?”
He smiled and kissed me softly again. “You’ll be okay. I know I just dropped a lot of information in your lap, and if you want to talk please don’t hold it in. I know it’s a lot to take on. I was seeing a psychologist for years before I made peace with it. As long as I sleep well, try and avoid stressful situations and take my medication every night then I can keep them from happening.”
I laid my head against his shoulder. “We should go to bed. We have to say goodbye to Lucas early in the morning before we head back to visit Mama H.”
I decided to let all this information sink in before I filled my head with any more. Without warning, Tim picked me up as he stood up and he carried me into the bedroom. He excused himself for a minute while I got into my pyjamas, to go into his room and get all his stuff and bring it in here. When he came back, he took a tablet before stripping down to his boxers and joined me in bed.
“Bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”
He just laughed. “Hush, woman, and go to sleep.”
I smacked my hand against his chest and rolled onto my side. When Tim cuddled in behind me, I linked my fingers with his and drifted off to sleep, not realizing just how tired I was.
CHAPTER TWENTY
-ONE
Ghost
I’d told Maddie everything last night, and waking up beside her this morning was one of the best feelings in the world. She honestly was the love of my life and being with her made me feel like I was a teenager again. It was a good feeling to be this light and carefree again. We got up this morning and said goodbye to Lucas and Daniel before they left for the airport to catch their flight. Lucas and I made plans to catch up when I got back home and Maddie got settled in. That was something I really needed to talk to her about first, though. After the night before, Morgan had made himself scarce, and I, for one, was glad about that.
After we checked out, we grabbed some breakfast then hit the road, heading back toward Tamworth. We stopped again on the way back for lunch so the girls could stretch their legs and get some fresh air before continuing on. We made sure that Jasmine was either in front of us or behind us the whole time in case she needed to stop or needed to swap drivers. Just because I couldn’t drive didn’t mean that I wouldn’t if Jasmine needed me too. Fortunately, she didn’t need to, and we all got to Tamworth a couple of hours later. Making our way to Jasmine’s, because Maddie had rented her place out, we showered and changed before heading over to Hannah and Allan’s place for dinner.
After she hugged the girls, she saw me standing there. “So, you’re back then.”
I gave her a nod. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Well, what are ya waitin’ for then?” Hannah held her arms open and I moved to hug her. “Welcome home, Kid.”
I squeezed her a little tighter. “Good to be home, Mama H.” Letting her go, I stepped back and wrapped my arm around Maddie’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Does Michael know?”
Maddie shook her head no. “I wanted to talk to you before I call him. I need to clear the air about some things,” she told Hannah. Hannah motioned for us to come inside and we all followed. Jasmine made a beeline for the kitchen, while Maddie and I moved to the back porch. We always made ourselves at home here. I, for one, loved it out on the back porch. You could see the whole of the Evans property. It had a peaceful feel to it. Sitting down on one of the bench seats, Maddie came and sat down beside me and I put my arm back around her. I looked up when I heard the door open and Hannah and Jasmine walked out with drinks. Standing up to help Jas with the tray, I sat it down on the table. I passed Maddie one as Jas handed one to Hannah and took one for herself, I sat back down with mine. Taking a sip of it, I looked at Jas and she winked at me. One taste and I knew it was a ‘Jazzybee Special’. When we were sixteen, she came up with a drink that looked like punch to the average eye, but she added the perfect amount of vodka to it to give it a little kick. Hannah would always pretend not to notice, but we all knew that she knew. We only did it here, so she let it go.
Hell On An Angel (Fated Love Book 2) Page 8
