by Dani Wade
She glanced up and down the hallway, but it too was empty. The faces at the nurses station were now unfamiliar, as Tamika had left to answer the call.
Madison stood in confusion for long moments. Where had Blake gone? Why didn’t he let her know?
Of course, he hadn’t wanted her here in the first place. Maybe taking her with him was more information than he wanted to let her in on. This was definitely a new one, and only magnified her impression from earlier that he’d been holding parts of himself back. Possibly hiding his true self on purpose.
What reason could he have for doing that? No good ones that she could think of.
She’d never heard of being dumped at the hospital. Then again, she’d served her purpose, hadn’t she? She glanced at her phone. Sure enough, no reception.
So calling him was out. She could stand around and wait for him to get back, but did he want her here? Somehow the thought of sitting here for hours on end while Tamika was working and knew she’d been dumped was just more than she could handle. She’d be more productive at home, where she knew her place and had things to do.
So she headed downstairs. As she stood in the lobby, she called for a cab.
The debate raged within her as she waited. Should she tell him? Should she not tell him? Should she let him make the next move? In the end, she couldn’t not say something. Just disappearing without a word wasn’t a responsible action on her part. So she typed out a text letting him know she’d gone home.
By the time she’d pulled into the driveway, the screen of her phone was still empty. Just as empty as she was.
* * *
Madison put a little extra effort behind her sandpapering. Normally she would have used an electric sander, but she’d chosen to do the manual work on the details simply to keep herself from thinking. It had been twenty-four hours since she’d walked out of the hospital, and Blake had still not contacted her.
She’d gone to work and kept herself busy with files, calls and orders. No one had been hanging around, so she didn’t see the point in baking. She’d be tempted to just eat all the cookie dough herself. So by midafternoon, she’d come home and tried to keep herself busy on a new antique dresser that she’d gotten from one of the specialty stores in town. Unfortunately, it wasn’t wearing her out as much as she’d like.
But she was too wound up to settle into reading her mother’s journals, and nothing on TV interested her. So she’d rather get her hands roughed up and be productive at the same time, instead of spending her time pining over someone who couldn’t care less about her.
She did recognize the selfishness in her thoughts. Blake was really concerned about his sister, and she hoped that the little girl was okay. She hoped that his not contacting her didn’t mean that something terrible had happened to the child. But how long did it take to send a simple text?
Caring about someone meant you let them know you were okay. She could take the hint.
So she scratched and scraped, going with the grain to preserve the wood underneath the tacky finish and layer of old paint. She knew in the end she would create something that was really beautiful, and that kept her going.
She just wished she could shut off her brain for a few minutes.
Just then her phone dinged. Madison glanced over at it for a moment, not sure if she really wanted to see what was on it. All this time she’d been mentally complaining that he hadn’t contacted her, and now she wasn’t even sure she wanted to see if it was him, or what he had to say.
Finally, she dropped the piece of sandpaper, and wiped the dust from her arms. Then she took the few steps to pick up her phone and read the screen.
I’m at the gate.
Well, at least Blake was being considerate. The lock on the gate was so old he probably could’ve pushed it open without even worrying about letting her know. Instead he’d at least given her a heads-up.
Madison wasn’t sure what she wanted. This whole relationship had been like a roller coaster. Did she want to let him in? She knew she cared, or else she wouldn’t have spent the last twenty-four hours obsessing over him not contacting her. But was this a matter of too little too late?
Curiosity finally got the better of her, and she stepped outside to unlock the gate. They’d never been able to afford a fancy electronic version, so she had to manually pop the lock to let him in.
By the time he drove through, parked the car and got out, she’d closed the gate behind him and was standing at the entrance to the kitchen. The heat outside caused sweat to bead along her hairline. But she wasn’t about to let him in this house without a really good reason.
“Hey, Maddie. How’s it going?”
For a moment she simply stared at him. Did he really think he could leave her hanging for twenty-four hours and just waltz back in with a hearty how-you-doin’?
“You don’t get to call me Maddie anymore.”
That wasn’t what she’d expected to come out of her mouth, and apparently he hadn’t, either. The surprise on his face was clear, and for a moment she felt ashamed. What she’d said hadn’t been polite, but then she realized at least it was true. Maddie was a nickname that came with intimacy. Intimacy meant relationship. Relationship meant including someone in your life.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and it actually seemed true. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Then why would you completely blank me out for twenty-four hours? Why wouldn’t you at least send a text letting me know if you were okay, if your sister was okay?”
For a moment, his entire expression shut down. His body stiffened as if he would pull away from her. This is it. We’re done.
Then he took a deep breath and said, “Maddie, um Madison.” He shook his head. “You’re right. I’m going to go out on a limb and be honest here and say it didn’t occur to me that you would want me to hear from me with an update.”
“Why?”
Blake wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I know this doesn’t reflect well on me but frankly, I’ve never been in a relationship before. I’ve never been involved with a woman who would want to know those things. And even if she did, I wouldn’t have a clue how to give them to her.” He took a step back. “And I also haven’t been involved with my family in many years. Dealing with a crisis like this is out of my realm of experience, and it never occurred to me that you would want to be involved, either.”
Well, at least he’d been honest. As the seconds ticked by, Maddie just stood there, numb as she tried to understand what living like that could possibly be like. How could you go through life with no one around who cared anything about you? How could you not have contact with your family? Blake seemed to care a lot about his little sister. How had that happened?
One thing at a time. “Blake, it wouldn’t matter if we weren’t involved. I would still want to help you. I would still care about what happened to your sister. I would still want to help support you. I thought I’d made that clear.”
“That’s because you’re a much better person than me.”
“I’m not an angel. I’m just human.”
“Then we’ll agree to disagree.”
“So I don’t know what to do here. What is it that you want me to do? Back off?”
Because that really was not in her wheelhouse. Thankfully, he was already shaking his head.
“Do you want me to not ask questions?”
“I’m guessing that might be impossible for you.” His grin had a touch of smirk.
Time to bring her fears to the fore. “Well, I don’t really think it’s fair that you get to pry into my life and I don’t get to pry into yours.”
The widening of his eyes told her she’d hit a nerve. Then he gave a short nod. “I’m gonna try, Madison.”
“Would you rather walk away now?” Because he obviously wasn’t comfortable with this.
As if something insi
de him was unleashed, Blake sprung forward to wrap her in his arms. He buried his face into her neck. “No. No. No,” he murmured against her skin.
Madison’s resistance melted away. Blake was different than anyone she’d known, and she just had to work with that. Not accept it. But figure out what that meant for both of them.
She pulled him into the semi-cool house, which was a bit of a relief after the heat of the Louisiana sun outside. He closed the door behind him, then sank to his knees in front of her. He buried his face against her belly. Madison wrapped her arms around his shoulders, the weight of her heart telling her she was seeing him in this moment like no one else ever had.
“I thought I was going to lose her,” he said. He didn’t look up. He didn’t say anything more. And she knew he was admitting something he might not have to anyone else.
“Is she going to be okay?”
He nodded against her. “I never thought I’d get this attached to a child. But she’s so small, so fragile. Seeing her in that hospital bed...”
She felt the tremor that shook him and rubbed his back. “How long has she been sick?”
“From what I understand, she was diagnosed several months ago with the epilepsy. Her mother never said anything about it before.”
So she had a mother and father, but the housekeeper took her to the hospital? “Where were her parents?”
“My father was in New York. He and my mother divorced long ago. Abigail’s mother is who knows where in Europe. How she could leave a seven-year-old like that is beyond even me.”
Madison clutched him a little closer, disbelief sweeping over her. How in the world could they do that? Blake’s horror made a little more sense now. Wait—
“Blake, is this the family business that brought you home?”
He nodded but didn’t say more. Madison imagined this little conversation was the most Blake had shared with anyone, ever. While she should probably be nervous about that, she couldn’t help but be grateful that she was someone he felt comfortable sharing this burden with.
After a few long moments, Blake stood and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. “Madison?” he murmured.
She knew what he was asking, without him having to say the words. And she knew what she wanted, without needing any promises.
So she once more took his hand in hers and led him up the stairs to her room. There she pulled her dusty T-shirt over her head and unsnapped her bra so it could fall away. She peeled off her khaki work pants and the plain pair of panties underneath. The whole time Blake watched her, his gaze ravenously devouring every new inch of bare skin she revealed. His fingers played over her, as if using his fingertips to memorize every curve and valley. Her breath caught as he lingered at the tips of her breasts, at the curve of her hips, at the apex of her thighs.
He tore his own clothes off with more haste than decorum, slid on protection and covered her body with his. As he slipped inside her, Madison squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to hide the sheen of tears caused by the emotions welling inside her. Somehow she knew she’d made a choice tonight. There were no guarantees for how it would turn out. But with every thrust he made her his. There was no turning back, only going forward. She didn’t know how to do that. But she guessed she’d take it one day at a time.
As he took them both over the edge, she squeezed her arms around him, hugging him close, and silently accepted that despite all the craziness, this was the man for her.
Still she couldn’t stop herself from asking, as they lay entwined on her bed, “Blake, is there anything else I need to know?”
Why didn’t the shake of his head make her feel any better?
Ten
Blake was surprised when Abigail let him lift her from the car and into his arms. Sherry stood nearby as he carried her to the door. It was amazing how light she felt against him, how fragile. The doctor had said that she wasn’t in any more danger, but that didn’t take away the fear.
Blake knew the minute they stepped through the front door that his father was home. Yes, it could’ve just been the cold feel of the house after decades of being possessed by his father, but somehow he knew the concentration of his father’s essence when he was around. It was an awareness he’d never get rid of.
Blake ignored the movement in his peripheral vision as he crossed the foyer, and continued toward the stairs. Abigail deserved to be at home, in her own bed, happy and safe. At least he could provide that.
He settled her into her bed and covered her with a comforter. The trusting expression in her brown eyes reached into his chest and squeezed. “It’s going to be okay, Abigail.” He hoped he sounded more confident than he was. Either way, Abigail got the short end of the stick.
“Thank you, Blake.”
“Sleep well, sweetheart.” Blake tucked the blanket in around her again, not sure if that was actually how this was done. Then he left the housekeeper to supervise bedtime.
He came back down the stairs with a feeling of dread. But this time it wasn’t just about seeing his father. It was the knowledge that he couldn’t keep either of the girls in his life safe from Armand. And he had no idea what to do about that.
“Blake, I see you found your way home again.”
For a split second, Blake considered walking straight out the door. Not pausing. Not acknowledging his father in any way. But the memory of that little girl in his arms stayed his steps.
“Well, for now I don’t have any choice, do I?”
His father inclined his head as he stepped farther into the foyer. “So how much did this hospital visit cost me?”
Even for his father, that seemed like a crass question. So Blake didn’t bother to suppress his sarcasm. “Don’t worry, Dad. I took care of it for you.”
“I’m amazed they let you, considering they didn’t want to give you access to her at all.”
That gave Blake a little jolt but he said, “They’ll take money under any circumstances.”
His father nodded; obviously Blake had finally learned to speak his language. He took a few steps toward the front door.
“At least it wasn’t an inconvenience to you,” Blake said, looking back over his shoulder at his father.
“That’s right.”
That smirk made Blake want to wipe it off his face. But his father was ready to move on to new sport.
“So you finally bagged her, did you?”
Blake stopped dead in his tracks, struggling to keep his face completely blank as rage swept over him. To hear Madison spoken about in the same way teenagers would talk about a girl in a locker room was infuriating. What they had shared had nothing to do with bagging and everything to do with discovering who they each were. Blake couldn’t even believe he thought about it in those terms, but it was true.
Then he realized the implications of what his father had just said, and swung around to face him head on. “What do you mean? What have you heard?”
Blake knew that his father had no friends who were close to Madison or her family or the charity. So who would be gossiping about them with him? Especially since his father had been in New York. “What did you do, Father?”
“The same thing any father does when his son cuts him out of his life. I hired a private detective.”
“What the hell? Who spies on their child? What happened to ‘show me proof’? Like my last visit.”
Armand shook his head. “Your proof is not very reliable. And I know the closer you get to the girl, it will be even less so. Or the closer you get to Abigail. So I went with an unbiased source.”
“Hell, if you’re going to go to those lengths, why don’t you just have someone break into her house and steal the diamond?”
Blake quickly bit his tongue, even though it had to have been an idea that his father thought of long ago. But the thought of Maddie being subjected to someone breaking into her house freaked him o
ut.
“Stealing is illegal,” his father said matter-of-factly, as if every machination he’d imposed since Blake had returned home wasn’t in some way evil. But it was legal, and thus acceptable. Then Armand went on, “If the diamond is obtained through illegal means that can be tracked back to me, it will be difficult to sell.”
“So you want me to steal it instead?”
“Actually, I figure she’ll just hand it over to you. Or, if you take something she never knew she had, then is it really stealing?”
Blake shoved the completely insane reasoning behind his father’s words away, and focused on the most pressing issue. “I can’t believe you had someone spying on me.”
And that person had been spying on Madison, too. The sheer weight of that understanding hit him hard. The things he was bringing into Maddie’s life weren’t just unfair to her. This was an invasion of massive proportions. He just hoped he could live with the results.
“You will stay away from Maddie,” he insisted. “Do you understand me?”
His father only answered with another smirk. In that moment, a large part of the old Blake reappeared. The urgent need to run, to escape, just as he had when he was seventeen, was overwhelming. The only thing that kept his feet planted right where he was was a little girl upstairs and a woman across town, neither of whom he could abandon. When he’d walked out of here as a teenager, he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about anybody else. There was no one to care about. Every person in his life had disappeared, just like they had out of Abigail’s life. But now he refused to run out on her like others had.
But he just wasn’t sure how to help her.
“Don’t worry, you bastard. You’ll get what you want.”
But as he walked out, Blake knew he was biding time. He had to find a way out of the situation and quick. And that way out couldn’t involve stealing a diamond, even one Madison didn’t know she had.
