Natalie heaved a dramatic sigh. She stared at a spot on the ceiling, something she’d decided to do for the foreseeable future. “Dunno.”
Tiva rolled her eyes and tossed her discarded shirt right on top of Natalie’s face. “Reeve’s been asking about you a lot, you know.”
The lounging woman paused in removing the offending fabric, pressing her palms tightly over her still-covered eyes. Her time at her apartment had dwindled down to nothing.
“I can’t be there around them. Reeve would guess eventually, and Steven is just so freaking annoying.”
If Natalie was difficult to understand through the shirt, Tiva didn’t let on. She eyed her supine friend with interest, not disagreeing with her reasons for staying away from her roommates. “Has she called you yet today?”
There was a pause in conversation as Natalie remained unmoving, Tiva’s discarded shirt still covering her face. “No.”
The calls always came. Sometimes they were brief, sometimes they lasted long after Tiva got sick of trying not to hear them. Tiva knew Natalie lived for every moment. It had been rather disgusting—next thing she knew, Natalie and Maddie would be using pet names for each other. She shuddered at the thought.
“You know you can’t stay this way forever, it’s not healthy. You can’t avoid your family forever.” Tiva couldn’t fathom why Natalie was being so extreme in her avoidance.
The shirt that had been covering Natalie’s face was finally removed, revealing Natalie’s grouchy expression. “I know.” She sighed and rolled over on the bed to sit up, standing after only a moment’s hesitation. “I’m actually gonna go swing by our place; the guys should both be at work and there’s a few things I need to take care of.”
“You should get something to eat while you’re out.” Tiva’s tone left no room for argument. There was a certain gauntness beginning to show in Natalie’s cheeks, and she wouldn’t have her friend wasting away because she was smitten.
“Sure. Want me to bring anything back for you?”
“No thanks, I grabbed something with my cousin earlier. You know you’re always welcome here but… sleep in your own damn apartment tonight, Natalie. Reeve is close to kidnapping you.” Tiva lightly kicked the frame of her bed in emphasis.
Natalie gave her an embarrassed grin. “Alright. Sorry.”
*****
The drive back to her apartment was relaxing, and Natalie was certain that was because she knew her place would be empty. She’d been managing to keep up with work and school, though it had definitely been a struggle since she was so preoccupied with Maddie. Tiva had helped, kicking her ass when she needed it, which had been somewhat frequently.
Her car glided smoothly into its appointed space, Steven and Reeve’s empty spots confirming that she could do her chores in peace. She tugged her backpack out from the passenger side before locking the car up, her stride easy as she took the stairs up to her floor.
She frowned when she realized her hand didn’t have to wiggle in her pocket for her keys— maybe she had been skipping a few too many meals. Her frown deepened as she looked up at her door, only to stop suddenly. The sound of her keys hitting concrete startled her out of her daze.
“Maddie?”
Maddie turned with a hesitant smile, looking beautiful in a flower-patterned dress, her hair up in a loose knot. She shifted nervously, her heels making a low sound. “I knocked, but no one answered,” she said and gestured to the door with her purse clutched tightly in one hand.
“Ah, yeah, no one’s home,” Natalie replied stupidly, mentally smacking herself on the head for the rather obvious statement. She ducked down to retrieve her keys, nearly making herself fall as the sudden movement made her hefty backpack swing wildly and caused her to lose her balance.
A warm hand steadied her, and again her keys fell, this time accompanied by the thud of her bag as she stood and met Maddie’s lips in a wild kiss. Their bodies instantly drew together, Maddie’s hands roaming over Natalie’s shoulders and back.
Natalie found herself pressed against her apartment door and gasping for breath when they finally parted, Maddie’s face nuzzled up to her cheek as they both inhaled much-needed air.
She tightened her arms around Maddie’s waist. “Would you like to come in?”
“Yes,” came the immediate, slightly breathless response.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Steven and Reeve shouldn’t be back for a few hours,” Natalie said as she led Maddie to the living room. She stood in front of the couch, gesturing with her hand to indicate her lover should take a seat.
Maddie did so with a small smile, crossing her legs and smoothing a hand over the skirt of her dress. Natalie remained standing, trying to pretend like she didn’t want to slide down to her knees, push Maddie’s skirt up and—
“Hey,” Maddie’s voice gently interrupted. “Come here.”
Natalie braced herself and decided to tamp down her arousal. So what if it had been a week since they’d gotten to see each other? She could control herself. The way Maddie’s hand found hers immediately put her at ease. She relaxed back into the cushions and offered her lover a full smile.
“Hey,” she finally said back. “What brings you here?”
Maddie raised her eyebrows. “Hmm, I don’t know. Why do you suppose I risked the drive during lunch traffic?”
Natalie pretended to puzzle it over, propping her head on her hand. She straightened and snapped her fingers. “You missed my fabulous cooking.”
“You’ve got me all figured out.” Maddie’s grin was devilishly distracting. “I hope you won’t start to lose interest now that the mystery is gone.”
“Not a chance.” Natalie’s voice was hoarse—Maddie had absently begun to play with the tips of her hair, sliding the straight strands deftly between her fingers. Natalie was glad she’d been too lazy to pull her hair up.
“Good.”
Maddie’s eyes were soft and intense, nearly as distracting as the intimate way the simple word had been uttered.
“I love your smile,” Maddie confessed as she moved her elbow to rest on the raised back of the couch. She leaned her head against her hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you that. Tell me something I don't know about you.”
Natalie grinned. “I love you.” Her grin faded when she realized what she’d said. She began to panic but forced herself to calm down. “Sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to say that because I don’t want to pressure you. It just kind of slipped out.”
Maddie remained silent, though she didn’t move away from Natalie. “Natalie I really like you, and you are quickly becoming one of the most important people in my life, b—”
“It’s okay, Maddie.” Natalie stared at her intently, trying to both convey the sincerity of her words and ignore the tiny voice at the back of her mind that insisted that everything was ruined. “I know you care about me. It means a lot that you were willing to give this a shot in the first place.”
Though she couldn’t deny part of her had genuinely hoped that Maddie felt the same, she would rather have Maddie’s honesty than a lie meant to make her feel better.
Natalie knew that Maddie could face all sorts of difficult repercussions for choosing to be with her, so she was content in knowing that Maddie’s actions spoke enough about her feelings.
“You’re an amazing woman,” Maddie murmured. “I just need a little more time.”
Desperate to change the subject, Natalie forced herself to act casual. “Hm. Something you don’t know about me. I’m not fluent in Spanish but I remember speaking it a lot when I was little. I also know a bit of conversational Tagalog.”
Maddie tilted her head, looking curious. “Tagalog?”
Relieved her attempt seemed to be working, Natalie nodded. “Yeah. Reeve and Victoria are actually half Filipino. Before he got deported, Reeve’s dad taught him a lot.”
“Reeve’s dad was deported?” Maddie straightened, looking upset on Reeve’s behalf.
“That’s awful.” Maddie’s eyes shimmered with emotion as she struggled with the new information.
“Sorry,” Natalie said with a frown, “I didn’t mean to make things so depressing.”
Maddie’s head settled on her shoulder. She could feel it shake slightly from side to side. “No, not at all. I want to know everything about you and your family, Natalie.”
Affection welling at the admission, Natalie cupped Maddie’s cheek to tilt her face upward. They shared a smile, and then Natalie pressed a delicate kiss to Maddie’s forehead.
Maddie closed her eyes and cradled the back of Natalie’s hand, leaning into it and sighing. When she opened her eyes again, they met Natalie’s in a long, ardent stare.
Her head angled up to meet Natalie’s second kiss, this time not anywhere near her forehead. She panted softly against Natalie’s lips. “How much time do we have?”
“Enough,” Natalie whispered as she kissed Maddie again.
*****
Time passed quickly for both women, though their time apart during the week always seemed to pass just a little slower than average.
The court date for Maddie’s divorce proceedings came and went, and Natalie had driven to Sage Falls the night it was finalized.
It had been hard for Maddie to let go of twenty years of commitment, and even Natalie felt a little depressed with what both Adam and Maddie had lost. Though Natalie was happy to be with Maddie, she could never forget what the Garrets used to be.
As the semester dragged on, Natalie found herself feeling worn and ragged. It was difficult juggling school, work, and taking time away to visit Maddie—but she felt the lack of energy was worth getting to spend time with the woman she loved. Summer break was close. She could hang on until then.
“What do you think, a little bit higher?”
Maddie’s voice broke through her thoughts, and it still took her several moments to focus. She stepped back to scrutinize their handy work.
The banner embossed with a jubilant ‘Happy Birthday’ was a little skewed, and she nodded. “Just a little more on my side, I think.”
Maddie moved from her side of the banner, bringing the small stepladder with her as she took a place next to Natalie. She frowned at the uneven side, sparing a glance to inspect Natalie’s face.
Natalie watched her silently, her eyes blinking slowly as they took in Maddie’s now common jeans and snug red blouse.
“Honey, maybe you should have just stayed home this weekend. You look exhausted.” When Natalie didn’t immediately respond, Maddie set the stepladder down. She glanced at her watch before tugging Natalie in for a loose embrace.
Natalie smiled against Maddie’s neck, deeply inhaling and reveling in Maddie’s scent. As if by magic, she found the energy to respond. “No way. Brittney actually invited me to her birthday party, and I want to keep things cool between us for as long as possible.”
Maddie looked like she wanted to argue. Instead, she sighed and brought a hand up to Natalie’s cheek, her thumb brushing the bruise-like bags under Natalie’s eyes. “Natalie, I understand that you want to be with me but you’ve really been neglecting yourself.”
“I’ll be fine, college students do this all the time.” Natalie forced herself to sound more energetic than she felt. Maddie’s expression remained unchanged.
“You’re going to burn out or worse. I just want you to be healthy,” Maddie gently insisted.
Annoyance sprouted in Natalie, a stubborn weed that had been cropping up more and more. Yeah, she was tired. Didn’t Maddie understand? She was pushing herself for them. Maddie had a full life in Sage Falls, though maybe most of it did revolve around the clinic. If Natalie didn’t carve out time for them, they’d hardly get to see one another.
Her irritation lingered despite her efforts to will it away. Her exhaustion was impeding her in more ways than one.
Natalie’s phone began to vibrate. Glad for the distraction, she offered Maddie an apologetic smile.
“Tiva sent me a text to remind me that everyone should start arriving in about an hour.” She glanced at Maddie through her lashes. “She wanted to make sure you and I weren’t getting, um, distracted.”
“How thoughtful of her,” Maddie said flatly. She picked up the stepladder and maneuvered it until it was under the lower side of the birthday banner.
She ignored Natalie’s protests as she adjusted the sign, only asking for guidance in making the banner hang evenly.
The sound of a vehicle’s tires crunching down the driveway drew Natalie’s attention just as she said, “There is fine.” She ambled to the window, curious who had arrived so early. She blanched. “Maddie, Adam’s here.”
Maddie stiffened, only to hurriedly fold up the ladder and return it to the closet. “Adam?”
“Yeah.” Natalie watched the truck park behind her car with a sense of dread. “I’m guessing you didn’t know he was coming early?”
“No.” Maddie crossed her arms and began to pace, her hands massaging her elbows. She blew out a rough breath. “There’s nothing to do about it now.”
There was a knock at the door. She and Natalie shared a look, and then Natalie ducked away to the kitchen to continue setting up for the party.
It was hard not to feel nervous as she approached the door, but Maddie did her best to suppress the feeling. She offered Adam a stiff smile as she opened the door.
Adam’s hands were buried in his pockets, a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry, I know the doorbell’s been busted for a while. I should have fixed that before,” he shrugged instead of finishing his sentence.
Maddie bit the inside of her cheek. Natalie had fixed the doorbell, but she wouldn’t say that. “I wasn’t expecting you this early.”
Adam rocked back on his heels and cleared his throat. “I came to help set up, but I see Natalie’s already here.”
Though Maddie was uneasy about having both Adam and Natalie in the house, she couldn’t just turn the father of her daughter away. They’d finally begun to reach a sort of detente after a prolonged awkwardness, courtesy of their mutual love for Brittney.
“It doesn’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands,” she said. He smiled as she stepped back to let him in.
*****
Natalie chuckled at something Reeve said. Mid-chuckle, her hand tightened on her bottle of beer. Adam was leaning into Maddie’s personal space. Again. He said something that made Maddie laugh, and Natalie tried to ignore the knot of anxiety that formed in her stomach.
She hadn’t directly interacted with Adam much since his early arrival but he didn’t seem to mind. His attention was only for Maddie and Brittney. She gritted her teeth and wished the backyard was crowded enough to block her view.
“Natalie?” Reeve asked. When she swiveled to face him, she knew he’d probably said her name more than once. He looked worried, so she faked a smile.
“Yeah?” She hiked her eyebrows up as she waited, her lips pursing in hopes that he wouldn’t comment.
“Is everything alright?”
The crease between his brows deepened when she didn’t answer immediately.
“Everything’s fine.” The assurance was for herself as much as Reeve. She wasn’t sure it worked for either. “I’ll be right back.”
She bumped into Brittney on her way back inside. Brittney began to say something about a car, but Natalie only offered her a brief smile and an excuse about the bathroom.
The interior of the house was relatively quiet, and her mind went blank as she looked around the very familiar home. Her feet moved automatically, and before she knew it she was all the way upstairs. The guest room—the room she shared with Maddie when she visited—brought her comfort.
Air filled her lungs for what seemed like the first time i
n ages as she looked around the room. Maddie was in here probably more than she was, as was evidenced by the little things left littering the room; there was a hairbrush on the nightstand as well as a few familiar dresses draped haphazardly over the lone armchair in the furthest corner.
She smiled at the heels neatly arranged in the open closet, just visible from where she stood, and let herself fully relax. Adam might have shared this house with Maddie for years, but this room belonged to her and Maddie. Most of her unease dissipated, although a tendril of disquiet remained.
The door opened behind her, her heart leaping at the unexpected company. She pinched the bridge of her nose in relief when she realized it was Maddie.
“Is everything alright? You can take a nap if you need to.” Maddie’s expression was gentle, and Natalie was overcome with emotion.
Her fingertips tingled, and a moment later she’d swept forward to press a demanding kiss to Maddie’s wine-stained lips. Her hands pulled at Maddie’s hips desperately, and almost instantly she could feel Maddie’s palms pushing forcefully at her shoulders.
Despondent, she immediately retreated. Maddie seemed upset.
“Natalie,” Maddie cautioned with a frown, “There’s something you should know.”
“Adam wants you back,” she replied flatly. Maddie’s eyes widened, and Natalie could see the pulse at her throat increase its tempo. She’d guessed correctly.
Maddie looked flabbergasted, so Natalie decided that prolonging the moment was unnecessary. “I think I should go.”
The world spun around Natalie and she was suddenly in front of her car, fumbling in her pockets. Her hands, clumsier than normal, just couldn’t seem to find her keys.
Something jingled, and a moment later the keys were dangling in front of her face. The hand was one she knew intimately. She closed her eyes to accept the keys.
Her fingers curled around the cool metal, but a light tug proved inefficient at getting Maddie to release them. She opened her eyes.
“Just wait a minute,” Maddie softly insisted. “It’s not what you think.”
Meeting Mrs Garret Page 30