Twice the Malone

by Roberts, Laylah

  “You are not supposed to be lifting anything. Try that again and you’re getting your butt reddened. Remember, the doctor said it was fine this early on.”

  “I cannot believe you asked her that. I can’t ever go back there.”

  “Well, you’re gonna have to. If you don’t think Maddox will want to speak to her once he finds out, then you don’t know him.” He sighed. “Actually, I don’t know how this Maddox will react.”

  “I’m scared to tell him.”

  “Scared to tell me what?” Maddox asked.

  “Oh, um, I . . .” Shoot. Just tell him. “I got fired from my job.”

  Maddox gave her a quizzical look. “You told me that already.” He came and sat on the armchair across from where she sat on the sofa with Beau. “Is there something more to it?”

  She let out a breath. “After you told me about how Richard tried to blackmail your friends into selling, well, I started to see him in a new light. I talked with Margo about maybe doing some sneaking around and trying to find any evidence of him doing that with other people.”

  “Fuck,” Maddox muttered. “Just as well you didn’t.”

  “Um, well, that’s the thing. I kind of did.”

  There was silence and she peeked up at him, waiting for him to explode. She noticed his jaw was clenched, and his hands were tightly gripping the arms of his chair. But otherwise, he didn’t say anything.

  “Snow, what did you do?” Beau asked.

  “I overheard this call. I think it was about you, Maddox. Richard was yelling at someone on the phone, saying how he didn’t care how rich his family was, that he wanted dirt on him. How he wanted to make this person pay for crossing him and asking why he even wanted that land.”

  “Is that right?” Maddox said darkly, looking to Beau.

  “You think he had anything to do with some of our cattle going missing?” Beau asked. “And the other things that have been happening?”

  “What things?” she asked.

  Beau shook his head. “Nothing for you to worry about, Snow.”

  “Beau, tell me.”

  “One of our brothers was tailed home by someone who ran him off the road,” Maddox explained.

  She sucked in a breath, feeling faint. “What? Do you think whoever he was talking to did that? I should have done some snooping into him earlier. I should have tried to warn you.”

  “It’s okay, Snow. You tried your best, we’re the idiots that didn’t come chasing after your ass right away.” Beau drew her close, hugging her against him. Maddox didn’t say anything, and she couldn’t help worrying that he still blamed her for Richard’s actions.

  “After that, I decided to do some real snooping around. I waited until I knew he was going away for the weekend and took a look through his office. And I found some stuff. On his computer.”

  “What sort of stuff?” Maddox asked.

  “Evidence that he’s been using these sorts of threatening tactics for a while to ensure that businesses would fail so he could get them for bottom dollar then he’d build them back up and sell them at a huge profit. Also, I think he’s been gathering evidence to use against people or to bribe them.”

  “What sort of evidence?”

  “It might be best if I show you.” She stood and walked over to grab the flash drive that she’d left in the bedside drawer. She handed it to Maddox. “It’s all on here. Crap, I don’t have anything you can look at it on though. My laptop was stolen.”

  “We should have bought you a new one,” Beau said.

  “You’ve bought me enough.” Clothes, underwear, shoes, and a new handbag and wallet were plenty. Not that she had anything to put in her wallet. At least the mugger hadn’t had a chance to use her credit card.

  Beau scoffed. “We bought the bare necessities. We didn’t even get a chance to buy you a snap-crotch teddy.”

  “I don’t need a snap-crotch teddy.”

  “No, but I do.”

  “Hmm.” She looked him up and down. “You would look sexy in a silky red one, I agree.”

  “Hey, brat! Not for me.”

  She giggled as he stood and lunged for her, picking her up and twirling her. Then her head started to spin. “Beau, stop.”

  “Shit, sorry, baby.” He gently put her on her feet and held her against him. “You feel all right?”

  “Yeah, just got a bit dizzy.” She leaned against him, looking around at Maddox who was standing and heading toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I want to go grab a laptop so I can look at this.”

  “Now?” It was close to bedtime, and she’d been kind of hoping for . . . well, maybe not a repeat of their first night together but some cuddling at least. It felt like they still had fences to mend between them.

  “Yeah, I really want to see what’s on here and I don’t want to use the public computer in the business center. Did you want me to get something?”

  “No, thanks. I’m, um, fine.”

  He nodded and left. She buried her face in Beau’s chest, feeling tears well.

  “Hey, it’s all right. Everything is going to be okay.”

  “Something’s wrong with him. He can’t even look me in the eyes.”

  “Yeah, he’s definitely acting weird,” Beau agreed.

  “I don’t think he wants me anymore,” she whispered her greatest fear.

  “What? No, Snow. That’s not it.” Beau tried to draw her away so he could look down at her, but she kept her face buried in his chest. She didn’t want to see the sympathy on his face, to hear him explain away what Maddox was thinking.

  “How do you know? He’s acting all distant. He’s barely touched me, he won’t really look at me and he doesn’t seem to want to be around me. He took the first excuse he could to leave.” She burst into tears.

  “Aw, baby. Please don’t. You know I can’t take it when you cry. Please stop. Please.”

  She shook her head, and he picked her up in his arms, carrying her to the sofa, where he sat with her on his lap, holding her tightly. “What can I do to make it better? The offer to kick his ass is still on the table.”

  “No, you can’t force him to want me.”

  “Baby, he wants you. The idiot wouldn’t be here if he didn’t. Maddox hates the city. He wouldn’t come here if I was lying on my hospital bed, dying. That’s the truth. He’s here for you. He’s just not himself right now.”

  She continued to cry into his chest.

  “Stop crying,” he begged. “If you don’t want me to kick his ass, what else can I do?”

  “I-I’m f-fine,” she sobbed.

  Why can’t I stop crying?

  “No, you’re not. I know, I’ll buy you a puppy. Will that make you stop crying?”

  “You can’t b-bribe me with a puppy.” The idiot.

  “A kitten?”

  She shook her head.

  “A pony?”

  She had to grin. Argh, this was insane. How could she be crying one moment and nearly laughing the next? She leaned back to look up at him. “Beau Malone, don’t tell me this is how you intend to deal with our kids when they cry? You’ll bribe them?”

  “Hmm, probably need to start smaller though, huh? Or we’ll be overrun with kittens, puppies, and horses.”

  “You cannot bribe our kids.”

  “Why not? If it gets them to stop crying then what’s the harm?”

  “Um, I don’t know . . . they’ll become spoiled?”

  “I was gonna make them pick up the poop. You can’t be spoiled if you’re picking up poop.”

  She shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

  “And you’re beautiful.”

  “Sure I am.” She rolled her eyes.

  “You are. You need to learn how to take a compliment, young lady.”

  “What should I do, Beau? What’s going on with him?”

  “My guess is he thinks he needs to change to keep you or be worthy of you or some such shit. Why is it people can’t just see
their own worth like me? I never have self-esteem issues. I mean, who wouldn’t want a catch like me?”

  She giggled.

  “What’s so funny? I was serious. Brat.” He tickled her until she cried for mercy. She leaned against him tiredly.

  “Time for bed, Snow.”

  “It’s early. I want to wait for Maddox to come back.”

  Beau stood with her in his arms. “Nope. Sleep time. The doctor said to rest when you were tired.”

  “I’m going to have to tell him. Soon. I just . . . I couldn’t today. There was so much going on and I just . . . I wanted to make sure he was interested in me for me and not because I’m having his babies.”

  “I know I can say it until I’m blue in the face, and you won’t believe me. But he’s here for you. I promise. We just need to shock him into remembering who he is. The dark lord, dum-dum-dum.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh at his dramatics.

  * * *

  She woke up in the middle of the night, confused about where she was. Someone was wrapped around her back, keeping her warm and safe.

  Beau.

  She snuggled into him, but she was missing something.

  Where was Maddox?

  She reached out an arm, expecting to feel him in front of her. But there was no one there. Carefully, she sat up, moving Beau’s arm. He continued to quietly sleep so she slid from the bed. Where was Maddox? She’d intended to wait up for him to return, but she’d fallen asleep almost as soon as her head had hit the pillow.

  The door to the living area was partially open. She walked through to find him sitting on the sofa. He’d left one of the side lamps on, so there was a soft light. He’d taken off his boots and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt but otherwise he was dressed exactly as he had been yesterday. A laptop was open on the coffee table. He was slumped against the back of the sofa, sleeping.

  Hurt filled her even as she tried to tell herself not to be silly. It didn’t mean anything that he was sleeping on the sofa rather than coming to bed to sleep beside her. Moving to the laptop, she closed it and grabbed a spare blanket from the closet to put over him.

  Then she stood there and stared at him. She’d much rather he was in bed with her and Beau, where he belonged.

  But she couldn’t force him, and she wouldn’t beg.

  You need to talk to him. Tell him about the babies.

  Tomorrow.

  19

  Maddox came awake with a sudden start as something hit his leg.

  He sat up with a gasp, looking around, wondering where the hell he was. He stared up at his brother’s angry face.

  Hotel room. Chicago. Scarlett.

  “What the fuck? What’s going on?” His lower leg was throbbing. “Did you fucking kick me?”

  “Yeah, asshole, I kicked you. What the fuck are you doing sleeping on the sofa?”

  “Can’t believe you kicked me, what’s wrong with you? I fell asleep. That’s not a crime, is it?”

  “You haven’t seen Scarlett in nine weeks! You’ve barely touched her, can hardly look at her. Do you know how it makes her feel? What’s she supposed to think about the fact that you’d rather sleep out here than in bed with her?”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose. I was studying that file on what she found, and I fell asleep. Pretty sure she’ll understand that.”

  “Pretty sure she won’t. In case you somehow didn’t notice, our girl doesn’t know how fantastic she is. She needs us to show her. Sleeping on the couch after nine weeks apart is not showing her how much you need her. Asshole.”

  “Stop calling me an asshole.” He jumped to his feet. He was tired of having Beau ride his ass. What was wrong with him? He never got this uptight over anything.

  “I’ll stop calling you one when you stop acting like one. And, of course, she noticed, idiot. Who the hell do you think put a blanket over you? Newsflash, it wasn’t me. I’d have poured a glass of water over you instead.”

  “And you’re calling me the asshole.”

  “She woke up, came out here, and found you’d rather sit up all night, studying some file on that asshole rather than climb into bed with her and worship her sexy as fuck body.”

  “It was an accident. And I doubt she wants me climbing into bed and pawing her.”

  “Pawing her? Are you listening to yourself? Maddox, whatever shit is going on in your head, you need to stop it. Before you lose her. And just so you know, you do something to alienate her, then I’m not throwing you a life raft. I’m gonna choose her. Every time. Because I love her.”

  “You love her?”

  “Yeah, man. I’m a hundred and fifty percent in. And you need to be too. Now, I’m going to go get some breakfast. Can I trust her with you until I get back?”

  Maddox scowled. “What kind of question is that?”

  “The kind I never thought I’d have to ask, but it seems I now do. Maddox, she forgave you. Now it’s time to forgive yourself.”

  Maddox frowned. “What?”

  “You’re not doing anything you’re supposed to.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I mean, when Scarlett called herself stupid yesterday, you didn’t tell her off. And you just sat there while she chose the cheapest meal at lunch then refused to eat the bread. You can see how tired and stressed she is, and the last thing she needs to be dealing with is her landlord. Why aren’t you putting your giant foot down? You were going to let her carry those boxes from her apartment. Why’d you even let her go there when she clearly needed a nap?”

  Maddox frowned. “You wanted me to stop her?”

  “Of course I did!” Beau threw his hands into the air.

  “Why didn’t you do it then?”

  “Because I’m not the Dom in this relationship. Her, sub. You, Dom. Me, Beau. Now, do your part. Take charge.”

  Maddox frowned thoughtfully. “I made a mistake.”

  “Yeah, and she’s forgiven you. So, what’s going on?”

  “I’m just thinking that maybe I need to change.”

  “Um, no. That’s just dumb.”

  Okay, that wasn’t what he’d been expecting Beau to say, he thought his brother would agree with him. He was always telling Maddox he was too bossy and controlling. “How is that dumb?”

  “Well, one, because that’s not who you are. You shouldn’t deny your nature.”

  “Maybe I should. Maybe who I am isn’t good enough for her.”

  “Jesus, not you too.” He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “Why can’t the two of you be more like me?”

  “More like you?”

  “Yeah, you don’t see me second-guessing who I am. Going around wondering if I should change. Or thinking I’m not good enough.”

  “Scarlett thinks she’s not good enough?” How could she think that?

  “Maddox, have you taken a good look at her? Like a real look.”

  “Of course.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “That she’s beautiful.”

  “Well, of course she is. She needs you to talk to her, to not jump to nasty conclusions. But that doesn’t mean she needs you to change. She fell for you. All of you. Bossy and protective and a pain in the ass. For some reason, she likes that. She needs you. I need you. So, pull your head out of your ass, okay?”

  Was Beau right? He wasn’t so sure. All he knew was that he didn’t want to fuck this up again. Because he was certain he wouldn’t get a second chance.

  “Scar wants us both. You have got to let this go and move forward. Be the guy she wants. Not this watered-down version of you. Talk to her. You can be amazed what you learn when you talk to someone rather than assume things. You know what they say about assumptions. I swear I’ve already said this to you before.”

  “Fine. You’re right.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Beau asked.

  “I said, you’re right.”

  “Can I get that in writing?”

  “No,” he growled. “Jesus
, you’re annoying.”

  “You know, I’m damn good at this relationship advice stuff. I could be the next Dr. Phil. Maybe I should get a job working for Molly. Of course, I wouldn’t want to show her up.”

  He dove out of the door just as Maddox threw a cushion at his head.

  Maddox sat back, thinking about what Beau had said. Was it possible that she loved him? That she actually needed his more dominant side? That she didn’t want him to rein himself in? But how could she want that when he’d been such an ass?

  She’s forgiven you. Time to forgive yourself.

  Why did he sleep out here when he could have been cuddled up next to his girl?

  Idiot.

  He got to his feet just as he heard a thump from the bedroom. Racing into the room, he noticed she wasn’t in bed.

  Then he heard the vomiting coming from the bathroom.

  “Scarlett? Shit, Scarlett.” He found her in the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet as she violently heaved.

  What’s going on? Did she eat something bad? Did she have a stomach bug? Fuck. Worry flooded him and he remembered that Beau had followed her to the clinic the other day. Was she ill? Why hadn’t they told him?

  Maybe because you’ve had your head up your ass worrying about yourself and how everything impacted you.

  “Here, little one. Let me help you.” Kneeling next to her, he dragged back her hair as she continued to heave. “It’s all right. Sh, you’re okay.”

  She sobbed in between heaves. God, how much longer was she going to vomit? It wasn’t like she had anything left in her tummy, now she was just dry-heaving.

  Finally, her stomach calmed, and he eased her back against the wall. Quickly, he stood and flushed the toilet before grabbing a washcloth and wetting it. He wrung it out and wiped her face gently for her.

  Tears were running down her cheeks, and she looked so pale and worn out. He stared down at her, taking her in. The dark smudges under her eyes, the sunken cheeks, her pallor. Damn, he really had been selfish. He’d been so wrapped up in his own fears and worries he hadn’t even noticed how sick she looked.

  “It’s going to be all right, little one,” he told her. “I’m going to look after you. You’re going to be all right, I won’t let you be anything else. Wait there, I’ll go get you some water.”