Saved (Tempted #2)

by Heather Doltrice

  “You can’t tell him, please,” I begged.

  “See, Maddie. That’s where you’re wrong. I can tell him and more than likely I will,” he told me with a smug look on his face.

  I was convinced. Luca Davis was the devil with platinum hair and a Balmain leather jacket.

  “Please, he’ll be devastated. I need to be the one to tell him.”

  “Yeah, about that. Why haven’t you told him?”

  “Because I didn’t want to push him farther away. I’m terrified that if I tell him I’ll lose him for good and I’m scared that he’ll blame himself,” I answered honestly.

  “I don’t think he’d blame himself,” he told me, seeming like a good person for once in life.

  “Really?”

  I never thought Luca could make me feel better but maybe there’s a heart under his built up chest. Go figure.

  “Yeah, if I were him I’d blame you,” he said, smiling slyly.

  Stunned, it took me a few minutes to fully register what he just said.

  “Blame me? For what?”

  “Everything.”

  He turned to leave and I let out a sigh of relief. He must have heard it because he stopped dead in his tracks.

  “And Maddie?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’d tell him soon if I were you.”

  And with that he was gone. Standing, I watched the glass door swing shut as he left.

  The tears broke free from my eyes. Sobbing into my hands, I fell to my knees. I had to tell him. I didn’t want to but it seemed like I had no choice.

  I’d tell him.

  Soon.

  Hearing the bell ring, I looked up and saw Roman walking in.

  “Hey, I was across the street and I saw Luca leaving. Did he bother you? Why are you crying?”

  “It’s nothing,” I told him, wiping down the counter.

  “Mads, if you won’t talk to me then I’ll call West,” he said, pulling the phone from his pocket.

  “No! Don’t call him. I’ll tell you what happened but I can’t tell you everything.”

  “I can live with that. Come on, let’s go sit down,” he said, taking my hand.

  Gripping his hand, I let him walk me to the nearest table. I knew I could trust Roman with my life. But I knew better than to think that if I told Roman what I was hiding that he wouldn’t run and tell West.

  Roman was like a brother to Ethan.

  “The night of my wreck something big happened that only my parents know about or so I thought. West deserves to know but I’m afraid of how he’ll take it. Luca came in here and told me he always gets what he wants. And then he told me he knew what happened that night,” I told him, feeling more tears fighting to escape my eyes, “I begged him not to tell West and told him I should be the one to tell him. He asked me why I hadn’t told West yet.”

  I had to stop to gather my thought because at that moment they were running a marathon. And they were kicking ass.

  “Why haven’t you told him?”

  “Because I can’t help but wonder that if I tell him he’s going to push me away. And I told Luca that. I also told him that I hadn’t told him because I didn’t want him to blame himself. Luca informed me that if he were West he wouldn’t blame himself.”

  “I think that’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard him say. And the nicest too,” Roman said, looking completely shocked.

  “Don’t praise him just yet. He told me he would blame me. And maybe he’s right, maybe it is my fault,” I said just as the realization sought in.

  Was West really to blame or was I? It could just as easily have been blamed on me. Sure, West was wrong but if I hadn’t reached for that phone it would have never happened.

  “Hey, I see the crazy working behind your eyes. I don’t know the whole story but it wasn’t your fault. Do you hear me? Luca is an asshole. He always has been. He’s always wanted you and you choosing West over him bruised his ego,” he told me, looking at me like he wanted to kill Luca.

  “It’s about time someone did,” a voice said behind me.

  Turning, I saw West staring down at me. He didn’t look too happy. Oh goodness, how much had he heard?

  “Hey, Babe. How long have you been here?” I asked, trying my hardest not to seem suspicious.

  “Just long enough to hear Roman call Luca an asshole. What did he do? I swear I’ll kill him,” he said, balling his fist at his side.

  “He wanted me to know that he always gets what he wants,” I told him, anxiously waiting on his reaction.

  Hearing something crash against the table, I squeezed my eyes shut. West had a volatile temper. I’d seen his fist strike a ton of objects. He had never lost his temper with me, so I don’t know why I was so scared.

  “He can’t have you! Just because he has money he thinks he entitled to everything. You’re all I have, Maddie. But that worked out for me because you’re all I need,” he told me, rubbing his hand roughly down his face.

  “Don’t do that to your face, Babe.”

  “Do you want him?”

  “What? No! Why would you even ask me that?” I asked him, gaping at him in disbelief.

  “Because he can give you everything, okay? What do I have to offer? I have nothing to offer you.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  “You have nothing to offer me? Is that what you think? You have everything to offer that he doesn’t. You make me feel safe. You make me feel loved. Without you I would have never known how it feels to love somebody with every fiber of your being. Because I do I love you way more than I could ever love him and all his money. Money can’t buy everything,” I told him, feeling good about finally dropping those three words, “it can’t buy the butterflies I feel every time I see you. It can’t buy all the inside jokes and the amazing chemistry we have. Money can’t buy the flush of my cheeks when someone says your name. And it can’t buy the giddiness I feel when you text me a new song to let me know how you feel. No amount of money in the world could make him you.”

  I prayed that he would say those three words back. I needed to hear them from him. It was crazy to think three little words could mean so much. The phrase “I love you” held so much power.

  I saw his face go pale white and he turned to look at Roman. I had forgotten he was there.

  “Well, I’m going to go. I have to check on Emma. I’ll see you guys later,” he said, sending us a quick wave and walking out of the door.

  We sat in silence for what seemed like forever. It had turned out to be a slow morning at the bakery and for that I was very thankful. West and I needed that time to ourselves.

  “Don’t you love me?” I asked, feeling my lip start to quiver.

  “You know I do. Is there any question?”

  “Why can’t you tell me?”

  “Because it scares me. I’m not used to having to express how I feel in words. My parents royally screwed me up, okay? They told me they loved me and I said it back. But you know how that ended, they left. They walked away from me. And I want to tell you those three words because the feeling I have you couldn’t be anything but love. But I can’t say them, Maddie. I wish I could,” He said, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

  Watching him get up from the table, I followed him. I thought to myself that I had messed up dropping the three forbidden words. He went from telling me he needed me to not even looking at me. He literally couldn’t look at me.

  “Are you going to come get me later?” I asked, remembering I was supposed to go with him for his new piercing.

  “Yeah, I’ll be by when you get back from work,” he said still facing the door.

  “Okay,” I told him as he walked out of the door.

  I had the strange feeling we had just broken up. Or we were on the verge of a break up. I hadn’t planned on telling him I loved him but I couldn’t hold it back anymore. There were too many things left unsaid between us and I had things I needed to say. Things he needed to know. Replayi
ng the conversation in my head, one thing in particular stood out to me.

  He hadn’t called me Angel.

  Not once.

  Chapter 10

  I had been home for four hours. West told me he would be by after I got off from work. But instead of moping around I told Grace to get ready for a night out on the town. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait on him to show up. I wasn’t one of those girls.

  I put on tight blue jeans and a short sleeved crop top. I slipped my leather jacket over it before quickly rushing over to curl my hair. My make up with subtle except for deep red lip. Looking in the mirror, I thought I looked great. But I knew it was a lie, I felt like shit.

  Sitting on my bed, I slid my feet into my black ankle boots. I thought about trying to call his phone but I wasn’t in the mood to be ignored again. I had literally called him forty seven times. And send him twenty texts. For real. So, I decided make him face me in person. Whether he wanted to or not.

  “Where are we going?” Grace asked, looking at herself in the mirror.

  Bless her heart, she was always ready for a party. And she liked Ethan Charles, the calmest person I had ever known. Well, besides Emma.

  Go figure.

  “We’re going to the race track,” I told her, slipping my phone in my back pocket.

  “Hot guys in fast cars? Yeah, let’s go,” she said, pointing to the door.

  I was only interested in one hot guy and I didn’t want to just watch him race. I wanted to be the one who got his heart racing tonight. I wanted to know why he stood me up and I wanted to hear the words I needed to hear from him.

  Tonight he was going to meet a Maddie he had never met before. In fact, I hadn’t met her either. But I knew I was going to like her.

  “We’re going to the race track to meet West, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”

  “How do you know he’ll be there?”

  “Because I know him.”

  I knew him inside out. Right now he was lost and I knew I was the only person that could find him.

  Walking past Grace into the living room, I grabbed my keys from the counter and headed for the door.

  “Hey, slow down. Wait for me!” I heard Grace yell from behind me.

  Turning around, I saw her wobbling toward me.

  “You shouldn’t have worn heels,” I mumbled under my breath.

  Walking down the black wrought iron, I looked at the clock on the wall. It was a little after nine. The crowds would just be arriving at the race track. But I would have bet anything I owned that West was already there. Leaning against a car, cracking a joke trying to hide the pain that lived inside of him.

  But as much as he wanted to hide it, it was there.

  Opening the door, I felt the cold winter air hit my face. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Grace doing her best to run after me in her stripper boots. Unlocking my jeep, I opened the door and jumped inside. Turning up the heat, I watch her struggle across the parking lot. She had on a tight red sweater dress and knee high boots.

  When she finally made it to the jeep, I hopped out and got in the passenger side.

  “What are you doing?” Grace asked, leaning against the vehicle for support.

  “I need to get there fast and you drive like an escaped convict,” I told her, cracking my door open.

  ‘I do not! Don’t hate on me because you drive like my grandma,” She said, sliding in the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel.

  Chuckling, I put on my seatbelt and prayed that she got me there alive.

  “So, are you guys over?” Graced asked, speeding down the road.

  “No. I mean I don’t know. That’s why I need to see him,” I told her, holding on to my necklace.

  “And why are you dressed so sexy?”

  “Because if he did break up with me, I want to show him what he’ll never have again.”

  She must have liked my answer because she nodded her head and kept her mouth shut the whole way to the race track.

  With the silence I started thinking, maybe he wasn’t meant for me. Was the fact that he couldn’t tell me a sign that we weren’t right for each other? I hoped not but just because I wanted him to be the one didn’t make it happen.

  I tried to make myself believe that. But it was no use, I wanted West and only West.

  Pulling up to the race track, Grace parked. And by parking I meant slammed on the breaks.

  “You’re lethal,” I told her, hopping out of the jeep.

  “Shut up,” she said, slamming the door.

  “Emma is a better wing woman. She wouldn’t have dressed like a hooker,” I told her, rushing to into the already huge crowd.

  “You look liked you should be twerking on top of some car in some cheeisy eighties video.”

  Looking at each other, we smiled. That was our thing. We insulted each other. Weird, right?

  “Do you see his car anywhere?” I asked, scanning the countless cars.

  Grace didn’t answer me, instead she stared straight ahead. Following her gaze, I saw him sitting on the hood of his car with one leg propped up on the grill. It should have been a sin to look that good without trying.

  Like always he was surrounded by a group of girls. And no matter how many times I had seen a flock of skanks around him, I still ended up being jealous. Tonight was not his lucky night, not only was I jealous.

  I was pissed.

  He stood me up for a group of bleach blonde bimbos. I waited hours on my boyfriend and there he was laughing like he was innocent. I should have known better than to let him fool me again.

  Storming his way, I silently celebrated the fact that I had worn my jeans that hugged me in all the right ways.

  “Maddie, what are you doing here?” he asked, looking me up and down.

  “I waited four hours for you, West! Four hours! Do you know how stupid that makes me look?” I yelled, making a scene.

  “I need time to think about everything. And could you please keep your voice down? Everyone doesn’t need to know our business,” he asked, looking down at the Georgia dirt.

  “What? You don’t want everyone to know what a sucky boyfriend you are?” I yelled louder, hoping everyone within hearing distance could hear me, “Oh, that’s right I’m still your dirty little secret. I’m the girl you can’t say three little words to. I’m your Angel but only when you want me. Hey everybody, West and I are dating! Did you know that?”

  I wanted to hit something, more specifically him. Trying to control myself was hard. Being burned one time is bad enough but twice by the same man? That was tragic.

  He walked closer to me and stared into my soul.

  I felt the butterflies prance around in the pit of my stomach. And as mad as I was in that moment, all I could think about was him throwing me against his car and making love to me.

  “Not anymore, Maddie. It’s over for good this time. I didn’t come by to get you because I come to a decision after our talk this morning,” he told me, not backing away.

  He was trying to intimidate me but I wouldn’t let him see me sweat. Even though all I wanted to do was run away and cry because the love of my life had broken my heart for the second time. But I was going to stand there and take it like I was completely unscathed by the whole thing.

  “Oh yeah? And what did you deicide?”

  “That if I can’t tell you I love you then maybe I shouldn’t be in a relationship with you. Or with anyone for that matter. Maybe I should have a ton of one night stands. I think I’m wired better for that.”

  I take back what I said, he didn’t break my heart again.

  He shattered it into a million little pieces. And just when I thought he was going to put it back together again.

  My feet felt like they were stuck in quick sand. I couldn’t get them to move and I couldn’t get my face to turn away from his.

  “Well, what do we have here? Romeo and Juliet having trouble?”

  Luca.
/>
  “What’s your problem?” West yelled, looking over my shoulder.

  “My problem is you have no idea how to treat your girlfriend.”

  I thought to myself that Luca was bipolar. He was like a sour patch kid. I mean seriously wasn’t he just threating me?

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  It stung to hear him say that.

  I winced as if he had physically hurt me. I wish it would have been physical pain because wounds heal easier than a broken heart.

  Trust me.

  “That’s good for me because I need a shotgun rider tonight. Maddie? What do you say?”

  I looked at West silently begging him to change his mind. To tell Luca that he couldn’t have me but he didn’t do either of those things.

  “Take her,” he said, before walking back to sit on the hood of his car.

  I wanted to hate him. I wanted to not care that he let me walk away again but I couldn’t change the way my heart felt. And my heart still belonged to him.

  If he wanted it or not.

  Pulling out my phone, I did something I hadn’t done in years. I texted him a song to let him know just how I felt.

  Me- Cassadee Pope- Wish I Could Break Your Heart.

  Chapter 11

  I had barely seen West since the night at the race track. I didn’t want to talk to him and he kept avoiding me. So, it seemed like we were on the same page.

  Emma called this morning and asked if after church I could meet her at the diner for breakfast. I told her I would.

  Grace’s parents came by to take her to church, so I was flying solo. Driving through downtown, I stopped at the red light.

  Have you ever had that feeling like someone was watching you? Well, that’s exactly what I felt like. Looking over, I saw West in his car.

  I didn’t know what to do so I turned my head quickly. It had been two weeks since we had seen each other. But it still hurt to look at him. And it was weird not to know how to act around him.

  The light turned green and I let out my inner Grace. Pushing my foot down on the gas, I drove as fast as I could to the church. Hearing the Camaro engine purr behind me. Checking my rearview, I saw him speeding up to get beside me.