“Probably. He was running late with a project, but that should be him.”
At Liam’s words, Aaron turned and opened the door to find his future brother-in-law standing there, a glower on his face. “I see they haven’t kicked your ass yet, so you must still be explaining what you were thinking doing what you’re doing with Lincoln’s precious baby cousin.” He stormed past, and Aaron let out a sigh.
It seemed today would be the day when Aaron finally got what was coming to him. They had been threatening it for years, and here it was.
“What did I miss?” Marcus asked, taking a seat next to Lincoln.
“Apparently, Madison’s mom, Maeve, was being her normal self, and Aaron stepped in to save the day.”
Aaron didn’t like Ethan’s tone and narrowed his eyes. “She was trying to marry her off to a random guy named Guy.”
“His name is Guy?” Liam asked.
Ethan held up his hands. “There are nice Guys out there. Guy Fieri constantly raises money for people in need and is always one of the first to help during the forest fires with food and other helpful stuff.”
“Okay, okay, Ethan,” Liam said. “Guy Fieri is amazing. But Madison’s mom wants her to marry a guy named Guy? A guy we don’t know. That seems a little too maniacal even for Maeve.”
“Tell me about it,” Aaron grumbled. “And it wasn’t just that, it was that she said horrible things I’m not going to repeat. Things that I wanted to slap the woman for even uttering. And I’ve never hit a woman.”
“I’ve wanted to hit my aunt a few times, too,” Lincoln said, shrugging. “I don’t know if that makes me a bad person or someone with restraint for the fact that I haven’t done it yet. Madison’s parents are horrible. Not just her mom. Her dad is neglectful and lets his wife run all over him and their daughter. He routinely puts Madison in front of him, so he doesn’t have to deal with the wrath. I don’t know why they’re still together, other than the money. I don’t know. But that’s them. Madison, however, loves her parents. I don’t think she likes them all that much, but she loves them. For some reason, she’s always felt that she has to be perfect in order to appease them. To make them love her back. I hate that she constantly lowers herself to prove to them that she’s worth their affection.”
Aaron let his hands fall to his sides. “She opened her café against their wishes. She called it Sin in a Cup. That’s standing up.”
Lincoln met Aaron’s gaze, a look of understanding in them—and a bit of curiosity, too. “You’re right. She did do all of that. She stands up to them in subtle ways. But she always wants them to love her back. To be the way things used to be.”
“What do you mean?” Marcus asked.
“My aunt and uncle used to be better. I don’t know what happened, maybe just time or bitterness. But they used to be good. Or at least, not as shitty. My parents used to hang out with them every weekend. That’s how Madison and I became so close while growing up. We’re like brother and sister instead of cousins.”
Aaron heard the warning in that but ignored it, mostly because he had to.
“I think something happened. Or maybe it didn’t, and they just turned into who they are now. But Maeve and Mark McClard hate themselves, and they hate their daughter because of it. They tell themselves and Madison and the rest of us that they only want what’s best for her, but they put her in situations where she has to hate herself to appease them. And when she fights back, her mother fights harder. I stand up for her, and her mom hurts her even more. And then things get fine, nice even for a while. And so, Madison goes about her day, pretending that everything’s okay because, frankly, I think it’s easier to do that. And then, Maeve comes back with shit like this.”
“I knew it was bad. I heard it. And I know I can’t fix it. But maybe I can be a distraction so she can figure out how to walk away. Or her mom can get off her back for a minute so Madison can breathe. She just needs to breathe, you know?”
Lincoln met Aaron’s gaze and nodded. “I know. But don’t you fucking hurt her.”
Aaron swallowed hard and nodded. “I won’t. I’m not. It’s not like that.”
His dick thought otherwise, as it did in most cases when it came to Madison. He had wanted her from day one. But he wasn’t going to act on anything. He wasn’t going to hurt her like everyone else had. He would be good. Or at least he would try to be.
“I’m not going to hurt her,” he vowed.
“Good. Now, I could use a beer. What do you say?” Lincoln asked. The others smiled, nodding.
“I guess you’re inviting yourself over for a beer.”
“And you know he’s got French onion dip. This fool always has French onion dip,” Ethan said, jumping to his feet and heading to the kitchen.
Aaron stood, frowning. “That’s my French onion dip.”
“Score. He also has sour cream and onion!” Ethan called from the kitchen.
“Looks like we’re eating here, too,” Liam said, making his way over to Aaron. “You doing okay?” he asked.
Aaron frowned. “Of course, I’m doing okay. This is only to get her mom off her back.”
“That’s a lie. And you hate lying.”
“True,” Aaron said, rolling his shoulders back, an uncomfortable sensation cascading through him. “But it’s for a good cause.”
“You’re right. Madison is a good cause. And we’re all worried that she’s going to get hurt, mostly by her family. Not you. You’re just an easy person to shout at right now.” He paused while Aaron frowned. “But I’ve seen you look at her.” He whispered the words, and Aaron was grateful.
“I was never going to do anything about it.” He hadn’t let himself even really imagine it. She’d always been off-limits.
“I figured. Because you’re honorable. And there was always that sticky situation of Lincoln being in love with Ethan, complicating anything that you might have wanted with her.”
“I just want to be a friend. I want to help out.” That wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t sure it was the whole truth either. Not anymore—not that he could really talk about it.
“We’re all going to worry about Madison. And we will all help you with this scheme because we love her. But we love you, too. And I don’t want to see you hurt. None of us do. You know Bristol would have been here in a second, too. Hell, so would have Arden and her friends. All of us want to make sure that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” Aaron said, his face heating. “You know me. I always bounce back.”
“You do. I’m just worried about the one day you don’t.” And with that cryptic comment, Liam walked into the kitchen where the guys were pulling out beer and chips and whatever other snacks Aaron had in the fridge.
Aaron swallowed hard and listened to their laughter, their deep voices piling on top of one another. He knew he was making the right decision with Madison.
Aaron had to do this. He couldn’t back out now. It would only make Madison hurt more.
He just had to deal with the attraction he felt for her. And he had to ignore that kiss.
He needed to forget that he ever wanted something more.
Because if he was going to live this lie, he might as well keep lying to himself, too.
Chapter 5
Sin in a Cup was Madison’s baby. Despite her mother’s insistence that she go in another direction more suited to the family, it was her only baby. She hadn’t yet fulfilled her destiny of becoming a mother and wife to someone important. But she always had Sin in a Cup. Her bakery and café, the place where she used up so much of her creative energy and brainpower.
She absolutely loved the job. Adored the fact that she put her blood, sweat, and tears into every ounce and inch of the place.
She had picked the wallpaper—yes, she had wallpaper in some parts. She had selected the paint colors. Had picked the counters and every piece of industrial-strength equipment.
It was all hers.
She loved her little place, even if it wasn’t
hustling and bustling like some of the companies her friends owned. Hers was a small little niche café where she served fancy coffees and not-so-fancy coffees, but she guaranteed that everything was unique and subtle and crafted for the customer. None of her mugs matched, but she had done that on purpose. She had a few sets of each kind that she wanted, and mixed and matched them depending on size and use. But all of the colors and shapes worked with the aesthetic of the place.
She had to-go cups, but most of the people came and sat for a bit to drink their coffee as if they needed the respite from their days. And she loved it.
Students came from the universities to study, drinking chai after chai or espresso after espresso. She didn’t mind because the students that found her place tipped well and always ordered something. She didn’t allow people to come in and sit for long periods without ordering, even to use the WiFi. She had put that rule in place immediately, even though she hated being that person. But she needed to eat.
The place was set up almost like a loft apartment with split-levels so people could sit in different areas of the café, sipping coffee or eating some of her cupcakes. She had a few other bakery delights, but cupcakes were sort of her thing. She always had at least five different kinds, one of them being her favorite, a lemon buttercream frosting on a chocolate fudge cupcake. That was the one that was on every day, but the other four rotated to fit the theme of the week. People ordered them by the dozens at times, too, so she kept busy. The cupcakes had been a joke at first, something that she just liked to make on the side. Coffee and having a place for people to talk if they wanted to had been her main goal.
But then she had made cupcakes to make herself happy, and suddenly, everybody wanted some.
She didn’t mind. She was quite happy with it.
When people started tasting her cupcakes over time, though, the demand had increased, and she had sort of become known as having coffee in a cup, and then cupcakes in a cup. Hence the name of her café: Sin in a Cup. It was perfect for her.
She had come into it by luck, even though she had good enough business sense to keep it going. Plus, she loved her job. Even if her parents didn’t understand why she was happy being part of the working class.
She shuddered at the thought, not wanting to think about them. Her focus needed to be on her cupcakes and finishing up the frosting for the next batch going into the display case.
Today was all about the strawberry cheesecake cupcake with a lemon cream cheese frosting. It was light and airy despite being cheesecake. And so yummy.
Thankfully, she didn’t taste her wares every day or she’d have to roll out in a sugar coma. But she was fine with that.
Her family came from old money. On both sides. Hence why her parents had even gotten married. She hadn’t realized that arranged marriages were so prevalent these days. Still, apparently, they came out of nowhere and slapped you in the face. Her parents had been one of those, and now her mother wanted Madison to follow tradition and marry a man named Guy.
Well, that just wasn’t happening. For many reasons. The main one being that, for now, Aaron had put himself in the crossfire as her fake fiancé.
She shook her head, wondering how she had gotten herself into this situation.
Maybe if she were able to stand up for herself, this wouldn’t have happened.
Only she had tried. Every time, her mother just railroaded her. At one point, Madison had even tried cutting her family out of her life completely, but then her dad had gotten sick, and she ran right back to them, needing to be close.
She hated that she still loved her family.
What an odd thing to think: that she hated that she loved.
But that was the situation they had put her in, and there was no coming back from that.
Not really.
Her dad was healthy now, and nobody talked about it. They made it seem as if it had never happened—something she knew her mother wanted to keep going. Madison wasn’t sure she could forget how frail her father had looked when he was ill. And that was why she kept coming back. Because she didn’t want to see him sick. Her mother, either, honestly. Couldn’t even bear to think of it.
But her family didn’t love her like that, not the way she needed. Only Lincoln did, and he couldn’t stand her parents. Had even cut them out of his life as much as he could.
The only reason he still dealt with them at all was because of her. And it was something she wasn’t proud of.
She just wished she was strong enough to walk away. But, occasionally, she got some good glimpses. They weren’t always all bad.
She just had to remember that.
Or maybe she needed to forget.
“Hey, Madison, your mom’s here.”
A feeling of cold water doused her veins, and she swallowed hard.
Oh?” she asked, turning with the frosting bag in hand.
“Yes, and giving us her standard glare since we won’t let her come back.”
“She should know that she can’t come back here. This is a place of business. Plus, it’s not safe for her.”
“We tried to tell her that. But, honestly, we’re a little scared of her. You want to go out front and deal with her?” Brynn asked. Madison nodded, handing over her piping bag after she’d washed her hands.
“Thanks, I’ll do it.”
“You’re a better woman than me,” Brynn said, and Madison shook her head.
“We both know that’s not the case.”
“Hey,” Brynn said. “Don’t be mean to yourself.”
“Sorry, just getting prepared.”
Brynn’s eyes darkened with sympathy, and Madison hated it. So, she smiled and made her way out to the front of the building where people were drinking coffee and ordering cupcakes and even a few of the cookies that Madison sometimes made. Brynn liked making them, so they had more of them than usual. It was good that they weren’t a full bakery. There wasn’t a lot of room in their tiny little shop. Something that her mother mentioned. Often.
Madison checked her reflection in the mirror for any stray traces of frosting or cake. She was grateful that she looked decent, though likely not to perfection like her mother wanted. She didn’t care.
She straightened her apron, something her mother never wanted her to wear. Yet again, she didn’t care. She walked around the corner and saw her mother standing near the bay window, her chin raised, her pearls glistening under the lights.
Her mother was gorgeous. Always had been. When Madison was a little girl, her mother had smiled more. She had thought her mother a fairy princess. One who helped her defeat the dragon until they could ride away on horseback and smile and laugh.
She had never been so wrong about anything in her life.
Her mother must have sensed her approach and turned on her very tall heels, a single brow raised.
Maeve McClard rarely smiled anymore. She only deigned to do so when she needed something from someone lately. And even then, it wasn’t a true smile that reached her eyes, it was more of a sneer. Not that anyone who hadn’t known her for all of their lives would even notice. Madison did.
Mostly because the sneers were usually cast in her direction.
“Madison.”
Madison smiled, aware that no one was paying attention to them, but this was her place of business. “Mother, come to the side over here where there are fewer people.”
“I cannot believe you’re making me come into this establishment.” The way her mother said the word establishment made it sound like she was in a roach-infested hotel with slime on the walls and people being murdered all around her.
Sin in a Cup was cute, very clean, and people enjoyed themselves.
Madison would not let her mother ruin this for her. At least she would do her damndest.
“Come with me if you want to talk. If not, then have a wonderful day. I’m working, I don’t have too much time...”
“Working. Here.” Maeve whispered the words as if aware she didn’t want people
to overhear her acting like she currently was. Her mother did have a reasonable sense of self every once in a while. Mostly, she didn’t like to make a scene if she wouldn’t come out on top.
Her mother lifted her chin and followed Madison towards the back area, which was a little more private and empty. A larger party had left about ten minutes ago, and others were already comfortably seated so they hadn’t ventured to the back yet. The sound of her mother’s high heels against the wood floor echoed in Madison’s head, and she hated what she heard. Disappointment in each step.
Or maybe she was overthinking. That had always been her problem. Or one of them, at least according to her mother.
And that was a known fact.
“So, where’s your ring? Doesn’t an engaged woman need a ring?”
Apparently, they were going to start right away—no dancing around the subject.
“I’m baking. You know I don’t wear jewelry when I bake.”
Not a lie, but Aaron hadn’t gotten her a ring. And they hadn’t talked about it. Crap. Engaged people needed rings to show others that they were engaged.
It was something she would have to mention to Aaron. Something that she’d probably have to worry about herself because she wasn’t going to force him to buy her something. She could find something fake that looked real. She had jewelry, countless rings and earrings and things that her family had given her over the years. Stuff she treasured but didn’t wear that much because it didn’t make sense at her place of employment.
Her mother might recognize it if she chose one of those pieces, or she wouldn’t care either way because she didn’t believe any of this. Even if she wanted Madison to quote, unquote bag a Montgomery.
“That’s a nice excuse. You’re baking.” She sneered the word baking, but again, Madison was used to that. Her mother had never understood the things that Madison loved.
Madison wasn’t even sure her mother really loved her.
“Is there something specific you wanted?”
“You’re not going to talk about it?”
“I don’t know if there’s much to talk about, Mother.”
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