“Did I have a nightmare?” he asked, putting the rest of the bacon in his mouth.
“You don’t remember?”
He shook his head and swallowed. “I generally don’t unless I wake up right in the middle of one. But normally I can’t fall back to sleep afterwards.”
He moved his fork around the syrup on his French toast. Although he didn’t quite remember his nightmare, he suspected it was about his mom since he and Olivia had talked about her. He instinctively brought his fingertips to his chest, moving them slowly over his scar. He then turned to Madison, who was watching him intently.
“Remember when I told you my mom was crazy?”
“Yes, I remember you mentioned it briefly.”
He nodded. “I told you before that my parents used a lot of drugs. I think I said that they would try pretty much any type of amphetamine.” Madison nodded again. “Well, at the time, I didn’t know what they were doing but when I got older I realized it had been Meth. My mom already had some...” he paused and chewed on his lip before blowing out a loud breath. “My mom had mental problems and the drugs made it worse,” he said and looked down at his plate.
“Why don’t you eat, baby, before it gets cold. We can talk about it afterwards, okay?” Madison said compassionately.
He didn’t reply but continued to look at his food before he reluctantly started eating. Of course once he started he realized just how hungry he actually was. He was not looking forward to this conversation but he knew that he should tell her. Madison patiently waited for him to finish and then took the tray to the kitchen and refreshed their coffees. As she handed him his cup back he smiled at her. He turned to his cup, looking into his coffee mug, hoping he could find the courage to actually say what he needed to say. There were many people who knew what happened to him but he had never told anyone the details, not even Jayden. He had told him his mother had hurt him but nothing else. He reasoned if he was going to tell someone everything that happened to him it would be Madison.
“I was supposed to be watching out for the police.” He took a deep breath. “But I was really hungry. I hadn’t eaten in probably 3 or 4 days and my dad had been inside the building a long time.”
Madison reached her hand up and gently stroked along his cheek. He turned to her, a sad and forlorn look on his face. He hated to have to tell her something like this but he also knew that she wanted to know everything about him.
“I left the car and went looking for food. While this was happening the cops raided the building and it just so happened that at that moment my dad was arguing with whomever he was getting the drugs from and um, well, he killed him. I was hiding under the sink so I didn’t see any of it but when I finally left the building and got to my house my mom was pretty messed up.” His breath started to hitch as his heart rate accelerated.
“It’s okay, baby. You don’t have to say anything else,” Madison said reassuringly, seeing the panic that was starting to rise within him.
He shook his head and continued, “My mom was real upset that my dad was picked up, she was, um, jonesing really bad and just talking crazy. I eventually fell asleep and when I woke up she was on top of me, straddling my waist.” He looked down again and took a deep breath. “She was staring at me, holding a piece of glass.”
He set his coffee down and demonstrated with his hands how big the piece of glass was. Andrew started breathing real fast and closed his eyes as he slouched forward. Madison quickly started running her hands up and down his back. She didn’t like where this was leading, and looking at Andrew, who was on the verge of breaking down, was making her heart ache. He sat that way for several minutes before he finally sat back up and took her hand in his. He brought her fingers to his chest and moved them along the scar above his heart.
“My mom did this. She stabbed me and herself five times before she collapsed on top of me. And even when I crawled across the floor to the door to get help all she could think about was my father. She didn’t care that she hurt me. She just kept crying that my father was gone. That was all that mattered to her,” he said, raising his voice. “She was treated for her injuries and then put in the psych ward where she killed herself a day later. Since my father was in prison and my mother was dead, I was put into the foster care system,” he finished, removing her hand from his chest.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” She ran her hand through her hair. “How come you didn’t go with Olivia and Aaron?”
“I wondered that myself but I guess my mom had said during her intake that she didn’t have any family and my dad said the same thing. Social services never confirmed that, they just shoved me into the system.”
“I guess they didn’t really have ways to track that kind of thing back then, did they?”
Andrew shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think about her often?”
He shook his head. “No, not really. Not like when I was younger.” He traced his fingers around his tattoo. “This was my first design.” He paused and had a puzzled look on his face.
“What’s the matter?”
“I got this when I was fourteen and, at the time, I just wanted to cover up the scar. But now that I think about it, the design made perfect sense.”
“How so?”
“My mom used to call me her sun when she wasn’t messed up. At the time I got this I just wanted to cover up the sun with darkness and thought of an eclipse, but in hindsight it’s sort of weird that I did it.”
“Why?” Madison asked confused.
“Well, because my mom always called my dad her moon.” He glanced down and Madison could see the beginning of a smile forming. “She was really poetic at times. When things were good and she and my dad were happy, we were sort of like a normal family.” He glanced at her. “I remember that she would take both of our hands and say she was the earth and then she would make us walk around her, like a game, saying that we were orbiting around her.” Andrew smiled, remembering them doing this until they couldn’t stop laughing. “We would do it until we would get dizzy and then dad would pull her down laughing and she would grab me.” He looked down, suddenly forlorn. “She would hold me close to her and then my dad would wrap his arms around the two of us. I would feel so safe and think that things were going to be different but...” he sighed. “It never lasted, and a few days later they would be using again.”
“At least you had some good memories of them,” Madison said, trying to find a bright side.
“I guess.” He ran his fingers along the outline of the moon on his chest. “In a way though, I put the truth on my chest,” he said taking a deep breath.
“Why’s that?”
“The moon always eclipsed the sun in my home. I think she hurt me because she blamed me for taking my dad away from her. I think she wanted to kill us both because she couldn’t imagine her life without my dad.”
“Oh baby,” Madison said running her fingers into his hair. “She was sick, baby, and I’m sure they both loved you.” He shrugged. “What made you think about all of this?”
“When I talked to my aunt and uncle, my aunt was really upset and later she talked to me about my mom.” He rested his head against the wall. “I should have had you with me. That was really hard to do. I don’t want to tell anyone else without you.”
Madison sighed. “Yes, I agree. My grans was supportive but I could see the hurt in her eyes. We can tell Callie and Jayden this weekend and I guess his parents as well.”
He glanced at her. “What do you know about this thing we’re doing? I don’t really have anything dressy,” he said with a worried expression.
“I don’t think the festival is actually fancy. I looked online at previous years and people were in shorts and stuff.”
“That’s good. What about the hotel?”
She frowned. “Ya know, I keep forgetting how wealthy Jay’s parents really are. They’re just so laid back and their home is very nice but it isn’t over the top or anything, but, damn, the
hotel we will be staying at is something else.”
Andrew sighed and frowned. “Great!”
“I’m with you on that one but...” Madison said, giving him a playful kiss. “It’s right on the beach.”
He grinned as he turned his face so he could kiss her more thoroughly. He took her coffee and set it next to his on the nightstand as she straddled his lap, bringing her hands into his hair. She kissed him passionately as he ran his hands up and down her back. Andrew felt as if a tremendous burden had been lifted off of him. Someone knew, and not just someone, but his Madison knew. He pulled away from her slightly.
“I’ve never told anyone what happened to me,” he said sincerely.
Madison’s eyes watered with his admission. “I love you so much, Andrew, and am so honored you felt comfortable enough to tell me.”
He wiped her tear streaked cheeks. “Now, you know everything.”
She nodded and kissed him again. She knew that it had been a great risk for him to be so forthcoming about his mother. Madison couldn’t fathom a mother hurting her child. She didn’t get along with her own mother but she knew inherently that she was loved, albeit somewhat conditionally. Knowing that he had survived such a horrifying life, she had an even greater desire to make sure that she put him first, always. It was time he knew just how special he was.
39 THE RITZ
By the time Thursday came around, Madison and Andrew were back into their normal routine. At the present time, Andrew was outside Madison’s house smoking while Madison was going over instructions for the nurse she had hired. Andrew was a little antsy about the idea of hanging out at a wine festival but Jayden had assured him it would be great. Madison and Andrew were going to meet Jayden, Callie and his parents at their house and carpool to Santa Barbara.
“You ready?” Andrew asked, as Madison exited the house.
She nodded. “Yeah, let’s hit the road.”
He put out his cigarette and they made their way to Jayden’s house. When they arrived, Jayden was tossing his and Callie’s bags inside the trunk of Elias’s Mercedes. Madison grinned as Jayden shouted that they were there and seconds later Callie was bouncing out of the house on her way to Madison’s car.
“Can we ride with you guys?” Callie asked in her typical sing song fashion.
“Of course,” Madison grinned.
“Dad, we’re gonna ride with Andrew and Madison,” Jayden said to his parents as they walked out of the house.
“Sure, son, keep up though,” Elias teased.
Jayden started laughing. “Oh, dad, you have no idea how fast Madison drives. You two should race.”
Elias turned to Madison’s car and grinned. Liam locked the front door and touched Elias lightly on his shoulder, letting his fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Elias glanced at him and smiled. Madison was watching their interaction and realized how unusual it was for her to see either of them in anything but a suit, aside from the time they had arrived just after Liam had returned from a run. Both men were in a pair of Levis; Liam had paired his with a form fitting t-shirt that left little to the imagination while Elias had paired his with a white button down shirt tucked into his pants with the top several buttons undone. Jayden laughed as he walked up to Andrew’s open window and shook his hand.
“My dad doesn’t think you can keep up with him,” Jayden said with a chuckle as he glanced at Madison.
“What, as if,” Madison said, cocking her brow while Andrew shook his head.
“Don’t get her started,” Andrew laughed.
“Hey, Mr. Bennett, Madison said it’s on!” Callie chirped in as she hollered to Elias and Liam.
Liam shook his head as he got in the car while Elias nodded with a big smile on his face. Madison watched as Liam said something and then Elias leaned over and kissed him. She smiled brightly at their interaction. It was the first time she had seen them openly show affection to one another. Jayden followed her eyes and grinned.
“They must feel safe around you two,” Jayden said as he and Callie slid into the back seat. “It doesn’t bother you, does it?”
“Oh hell no,” Madison said as she started to follow them down the street. “Why don’t they do that all the time? I don’t think people would care.”
She saw Jayden’s facial expression change but before she could say anything Andrew touched her thigh. Madison looked over at him, confused, and he shook his head a tiny bit, indicating that this was a subject she should drop.
“Old habits die hard,” Jayden finally said in a casual tone but Madison picked up that there was more to the story.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Madison said apologetically.
“No, it’s alright. Things are a lot better now but they will always be cautious,” Jayden said with a shrug. “The reality is that there’s still a lot of hate out in the world, just look at the debates on gay marriage. Trust me, not everyone is okay with it.”
“People are stupid sometimes, Jay,” Madison said with anger at how anyone as kind and caring as Jayden’s parents could be looked down upon.
“Very true, but ya know what? I’d take my parents over any straight parents.”
“Hell, I’d take your parent’s over my mom any day,” Madison said with a sigh.
“I think we’d all take your parents over our own,” Andrew said glancing out the window. “Although, Aaron and Olivia would be good parents, I think.”
Everyone nodded and uttered their agreement on that sentiment. Santa Barbara was close to three hours away from Bakersfield, depending on traffic and how fast you could drive. Madison did have to chuckle as she struggled to keep up with Elias. It wasn’t that he drove fast per se but more that he bobbed and weaved through traffic like a mad man. No wonder Jayden and Callie wanted to ride with her and Andrew. Elias was one of those drivers that left a slew of people cursing and flipping him the bird as he cut them off.
Madison glanced at Andrew, wondering if they should bring up the New York issue since they had them alone. Sensing what she wanted, he nodded. She took a deep breath and glanced at their friends through the rearview mirror.
“Since we have you both alone we wanted to talk to you guys about something,” Madison started.
“It’s alright, Madison,” Callie said, touching her shoulder.
Andrew turned almost all the way around. “What do you mean it’s alright? We haven’t even said anything,” Andrew asked confused.
“I had a dream that Madison was in New York a while back and then Sunday morning I had another dream except you were both there,” Callie replied.
Andrew stared at her with his mouth agape.
“We are going to miss you two a lot,” Jayden said as he touched Andrew’s arm. “But I ain’t gonna lie. When Callie told me about her dream on Sunday I had a fit. I mean a full on pacing the floor straight temper tantrum.” He glanced at Callie and smiled shyly, she had been so very understanding of his hurt and fear. He turned back to Andrew. “But I’ve had some time to process it and I understand, man. I mean if it were my Callie that needed to go away I would follow her as well.” He then looked down, a strained expression on his face and mumbled. “It’s probably the only way I’d ever leave my dads anyway.”
“Oh, Jay, stop,” she said kissing him lightly.
“I’ve never had a real friend, Jay, so I don’t know the protocol here but I can’t thank you enough for being there for me and I’m really happy you understand. I’m going to miss you.”
Jayden got a serious look in his eyes as they stared at each other. He had no words to express how much Andrew meant to him. He had always shut people out, not trusting anyone enough, but with Andrew it was instant. He was saddened that his friend was leaving but he knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t try to stop him.
“God, I remember when I arrived, I couldn’t wait to leave and now I want to beat the shit out of the clock so time will stand still,” Madison said, frowning as she broke the silence in the car. “
This really sucks.”
“Well, we will just have to keep in touch,” Callie said happily, ever the optimist.
Madison nodded and tapped the wheel excitedly. “Hey, you guys should come up on New Year’s, spend the weekend. It would be great. There’s nothing like New Year’s in Time Square. I mean, its pure madness but so cool.”
Callie and Jayden looked at each other and smiled.
“We could do that, we are going to Dublin for Christmas but we could leave the Friday after Christmas and fly straight to New York, then to LA on the second,” Jayden said, excited at the prospect.
“You’re going to Dublin?” Madison asked.
“Yeah, we go every year. Thanksgiving we go to Texas for the weekend to see my grandma and my family there and then we spend Christmas in Ireland with my other family. We’ve been doing it since I was kid. Of course Callie usually comes with us now.”
“Wow, that’s so cool!” Madison mused.
“I can’t go every year or my mom would have a cow so I alternate and one year I go with them to Ireland and the other year to Texas. It keeps the peace,” Callie said with a giggle.
Andrew was grinning and nodding, fully excited now that he knew that he would still be able to keep his friendship with Jayden once he left for New York. They all continued to laugh as Callie and Jayden told stories about some of their wild adventures in both Texas and Ireland. Then Madison started telling stories about New York and some of the crazy things she had seen over the years. Andrew was enjoying their tall tales but was also a little disheartened that he had nothing to contribute. He had no fun stories to tell about Chicago or Detroit or even Los Angeles. Madison noticed Andrew’s worrisome expression but he quickly smiled and before Madison could inquire further Elias made a quick lane change and Madison shook her head as she followed suit.
“Oh my God, Jay, your dad is NUTS!” Madison exclaimed.
Everyone laughed and before they knew it they were pulling into the valet parking of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Laguna Nigel. As they drove up, Andrew and Madison looked at each other and sighed, neither comfortable with the posh setting or exorbitant amount of money that the Bennett’s were obviously paying just so that they could attend this function with them. Andrew stepped out of the car and shook his head at the valet who was approaching the door. Andrew remembered how he had acted at Lake Arrowhead and was going to try his best to rein in his jealousy this weekend but he was not having some other man opening her door.
Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Page 37
