Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1)

by Tawa M. Witko

Andrew stared at her, unsure what a Greyhound was. He was not a drinker and generally only had beer, aside from the wine that he drank with Jayden’s family. She turned to him and rolled her eyes.

  “It’s a shot of Vodka with Grapefruit juice. I know she has both. Can you manage that?”

  “Uhh, yeah,” he replied quietly.

  He washed his hands over his face as he tried to control his emotions. He couldn’t fathom how this woman could have raised his Madison. He opened the refrigerator, looking for the vodka but didn’t see it. He then started rummaging through cupboards, praying that it would magically materialize as he could feel her lethal gaze upon him. He heard her huff again and reluctantly he glanced her way.

  “In the freezer.”

  There was no denying the irritation in her tone. He closed his eyes and opened the freezer, pulling out a bottle of Grey Goose and dropping a few ice cubes in a glass before pouring the vodka and the grapefruit juice into it. He hesitantly walked into the living room, handing her the glass, hoping it was adequate for her. He took a seat and watched her sip her drink.

  “So do you have a job or are you planning on living off of my daughter?”

  “I have a job,” Andrew replied proudly.

  “You’re not what I expected,” she continued. “Tell me about yourself, Andrew?”

  “What would you like to know?” he asked, concerned, unsure what Madison had actually told her about him and his past.

  “Don’t be coy, Andrew. It’s not amusing. Why are you here with my daughter? What can you possibly contribute to the relationship?”

  “I love Madison.”

  She rolled her eyes yet again and took another sip of her drink. “Andrew, love isn’t everything.” She leaned forward and eyed him. “My daughter has worked extremely hard.” She waved her free hand around the apartment. “All of this is not cheap, she has a plan for her future and I don’t want her to throw all of that away because of her... fascination with you.”

  “I won’t let her do that,” Andrew said with conviction.

  She leaned back and narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, we shall see about that.”

  She sipped her drink and Andrew breathed in deeply. Andrew was beginning to panic as he hated being alone with her mom. His mom was crazy but there was something else going on with Madison’s mom. She hated him and she didn’t know him at all. When the door jiggled and opened, his heart leapt.

  “Andrew, sorry, baby, I got a call right when I was about to leave and...” Madison stopped mid-sentence when she saw her mom on the couch and the distraught look on Andrew’s face.

  “Mom,” Madison said, walking in and kissing her on the cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  Madison turned and smiled at Andrew before taking a seat in her other chair.

  “Well, you didn’t return my call.” She smiled and turned back to Andrew. “But Andrew and I were getting to know one another, weren’t we?”

  Madison narrowed her eyes. She knew her mother well enough to know that she probably brought out her full-fledged ice queen persona just for the special occasion of meeting the man she deemed unworthy of her daughter. Madison turned to Andrew.

  “Andrew, can you give my mother and I a minute.”

  Andrew jumped out of the hot seat. “I’ll just be in the bedroom.”

  Madison watched him walk away and then turned to her mom. “What did you say to him?

  Jacqueline laughed. “Oh don’t be dramatic, Madison. Now, why didn’t you tell me you were bringing back something from California?” she said with a grin.

  “He’s not a 'something', he’s a 'someone', and he’s very important to me.”

  “For now, Madison, but... what could he actually offer you that would be of value?”

  “He loves me,” Madison answered firmly.

  Jacqueline chuckled. “Yes, that’s what he said when I asked him. Madison, you are wasting your time with this... relationship. You need to be with someone that will advance you in some way. What about that man at your office? He had promise.”

  Madison was seething, so much so she wasn’t able to respond, afraid she would explode.

  “I hate to see you sell yourself short,” her mother continued, seeming unaware of the powder keg before her.

  “Promise me that you will try to get along better with your mother. She wasn’t always like she is now. She was once in love, as much as you are with Andrew. Your father’s death destroyed her. She was never the same afterwards. How would you be if something happened to Andrew?”

  Madison closed her eyes as her grandmother’s words echoed in her head. Madison tried to find it somewhere deep inside of her not to unleash the fiery bitch that always seemed to come out whenever her mother was around. She opened her eyes to see her mom watching her with a confused look on her face, obviously anticipating the retort that hadn’t come yet.

  “I understand why you feel that way mom but...” Madison took a deep breath. “But, I’m not you and he’s not dad.”

  Her mother rose quickly. “How...” Her face twisted as if she was in pain and then Madison saw her expression change. “You know nothing about my relationship with your father,” she huffed angrily “So go right ahead, Madison. Throw your life away, but when he leaves you, or worse, when he stays and destroys everything you have worked so hard to achieve; I don’t want to hear about it,” she said, raising her voice.

  “You know nothing about him.” Madison stood as well. “You are judging him based on what, exactly?” she asked, raising her voice another octave. “Can’t you just be happy for me, happy that I found someone to love and who loves me too?”

  “Madison, you’re being ridiculous. Of course I want you happy, but at what cost?” She glared at her. “At the cost of your career, your future. How much are you willing to sacrifice for him?”

  “Everything,” Madison whispered.

  “I see. Well, I hope he is worth it then,” she said, shaking her head.

  Her mother turned and started walking to the door. Madison wanted to fight with her, to scream at the top of her lungs that Andrew was everything to her and that a life without him would be pointless, but she wasn’t able to say or do anything. She was breathing hard, her heart racing uncontrollably. Her mother stopped at the door and turned around.

  “I’m glad you’re home, Madison. I know you think I’m being a bitch but I only have your best interests at heart,” she said with a sigh before walking out.

  Madison dropped back in the chair, bringing her head into her hands. She felt the sting of her tears and was flustered that she was allowing her mother to get to her so much. She didn’t understand why everyone in New York was acting as if Andrew wasn’t good enough for her. She couldn’t comprehend how someone who made her unbelievably happy could be considered a bad fit for her. She felt his hands move into her hair.

  “Madison,” Andrew said softly. “Are you okay?”

  She looked up at him. His eyes were soft and caring, full of love and devotion and it made her cry, uncontrollable sobs. She didn’t understand why people couldn’t see him like she did. He immediately pulled her close to him, letting his embrace comfort her weary heart. He laid several light kisses atop her head, letting his hands move up and down her back.

  “Was she mean to you?” Madison mumbled against his chest.

  “She was a mom worried about her daughter. I can’t fault her for that.”

  “Did you hear what she said?” Madison asked, looking up at him.

  He nodded slowly. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter. How she treats you absolutely matters,” Madison said with tears flowing again.

  He ran his hands through her hair and held her in place. “In time, maybe she will change her mind about me.”

  He kissed her lightly on the lips and pulled her close to him until she stopped crying. He laid a soft kiss on the top of her head and then nuzzled into her hair.

  “I got hired today,” Andrew whispered.
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  Madison smiled, raising her head. “Really?”

  “Yeah, Sonny told me to come back on Monday.”

  “Oh baby, that’s wonderful news.”

  He ran his fingers through her hair again. “How about I fry up those steaks,” he traced his fingers along her face, “and maybe we can throw a salad together.” He smiled as his forehead touched hers. “We can have a couple of beers and hit the bed early.” He licked his lips and smirked. “Since neither of us has to get up early tomorrow we can...” he kissed her lips, gently tugging on her bottom lip, “stay up as long as we like.”

  Madison giggled and smiled. “I like that idea, a lot.”

  “I thought you might.” He kissed her again and then stood up.

  Madison watched him walk into the kitchen and then stood herself, heading to the bedroom to change clothes. Once she slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a loose fitting tee she joined Andrew in the kitchen and started piecing together the salad. It seemed so natural being with him, and, in spite of how her mother felt, or Kurtis for that matter, she loved Andrew and would not give him up. They would make it work.