by Daya Daniels
“I know.”
He checked his watch and then gave me an apologetic look. “I have to go but I will see you around,” he said giving me a hug.
“Okay.”
Ty
I’d been back in my apartment for a month now. It was near the end of April. The weather was warmer and the snow was gone. The Kentucky Derby was coming up soon next month, so that was all Malcolm talked about. Diana came by here nearly every day. I told her yesterday to please give me some space for a few weeks.
I worked from home. I didn’t leave the house much. I tried to make sure I shaved but I didn’t usually. Nearly every day, I lounged around watching TV and stuffing my face full of Cheetos and drinking beer.
I hadn’t had any contact with Madison but when I got home, my voicemail was full of messages from Dylan. He left one nearly every single day that I was in the hospital. I replayed one from the day I was shot.
“Hey, Ty. It’s Dylan.” He sniffled. “I can’t talk to you. I don’t know if I will ever get to talk to you again,” Dylan mumbled. “Don’t fucking die on us. I hate Dominic,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I hate him. Everything he touches, he messes up. Just don’t die on us. My mom needs you. We need you.”
I missed all of them but I didn’t know how to feel about the exit Madison made from my life when she knew there was no way I could stop her.
Dominic was in jail and would be there for a while for attempted murder. He’d planned to kill me that morning. The brush with death put everything in perspective for me. If I hadn’t ducked away from the two shots, they would have hit my heart and everything me would’ve ended right there on Madison’s bright yellow welcome mat.
The longer I was away from Madison, I knew she was all I wanted. She was teaching at the Philadelphia Dance Academy days and home at night with the children. Patrick kept a close eye on her. I asked him where the ring was and he told me that Ramona had given it to Madison when I was in the hospital. I didn’t know how to feel, since Madison knew my intentions, yet she still made no effort to contact me.
The longer Madison waited to come and see me the more pissed off and depressed I became.
Slamming some bread, turkey, and cheese together, I put it in the panini press and listened to it sizzle. Patrick suddenly appeared behind me.
“You okay, man?”
“Yeah,” I said running a hand over my hair that desperately needed to be cut.
Patrick pulled something out of his pocket and rested it on the edge of the center island.
“She gave it back,” he whispered when I noticed it was the Tiffany box that I hadn’t seen since that fucked-up morning.
I scoffed and pulled another Heineken out of the fridge, taking a long guzzle of the cold liquid.
Patrick eyed me over suspiciously. “Maybe we could go out later. We could go and watch a game or something.”
“No, thanks, man.”
“Ty,” Patrick breathed out. “You’ve been stuck inside for over a month. You’ve got to try to get your life back to normal. I can’t sit and watch this.”
I laughed. “Patrick, I’m fine.”
“Call me if you want to go somewhere, Ty.”
“I will,” I said saluting him with the beer in my hand.
When the door shut, I leaned against the counter, staring at a picture of Madison and me stuck to the fridge. I took it that first weekend we spent together at the lake. She’s smiling and pressing her nose into my neck while I look down at her.
I picked up my phone and stared at it. Then I sent her a text, trying to not crush my phone when I typed in the letters.
Madison
“You don’t love me anymore?”—read the text that appeared on my phone, with a dinging alert.
I peered at it again while I hovered over the toilet, wiping my mouth. I wasn’t going to UArts anytime soon...
I stood and looked at the message again from Ty, unsure of whether I should respond. When I didn’t, another showed up.
“Because I still love you.”
“Sometimes, love isn’t enough, Ty.”—I tapped out, setting the phone back down on the vanity.
“You’re the judge and jury now, Madison? Why do you get to make all the decisions?”
“I don’t, Ty. The decision was made when you were almost killed.”
“Let’s talk.”
“No.”—I typed back.
“You owe me at least that, Madison, since you broke up with me when I was f’n unconscious.”
I only sighed at the last text. Of course, Ty would see it that way. He didn’t understand.
“Let’s talk.”—the next message said when I didn’t respond. “I am home today.”
“Somewhere public.”—I suggested.
“NO.”—Ty wrote in all caps. “Come here, Madison.”
I ran a hand through my hair, looking at my sweaty face in the mirror. I had dance to teach this afternoon and I was in no mood. I scrubbed my face with my hands and then put my hair up in a messy bun.
I promised Diana I would stay away. I should stay away.
“I can’t today.”
“Nora has the children later and Zita is here in the city. Of course you can come here, Madison. Don’t play games with me.”
How did he know that?
I was nearly in tears, reading the last line. When Ty couldn’t have his way, this is what he did. The first few messages were cordial, but I knew eventually the rest would morph into kind words laced with venom.
“I promised Diana I would leave you alone, Ty.”
“Since when do I give a shit about what Diana wants? Come HERE, Madison.”
I smiled at his words, placing my phone back down on the edge of the counter. I washed my face with soap and water and dabbed some clear gloss on my lips.
“Okay.”
“Don’t stand me up.”
Ty
The doorbell rang once. When I opened it, Madison stood in the doorway, looking up at me with those beautiful hazel eyes. I could hear her breathing from where she stood, which only confirmed how anxious I knew she was. Without speaking, I stepped out of the way, letting her walk in. When she brushed by me, I inhaled the warm scent of her that I missed so much over the time we’d been apart.
Madison looked around the apartment but made no attempt to take her light jacket off. So, I stood behind her and gently but forcibly slipped it off her shoulders. She stepped away from me, which only inflamed me even more and looked around. I got a good look at her sad eyes again when she turned towards me. Her dark hair was longer but her skin was sallow, almost drained of all color as if she’d been sick. I wasn’t used to seeing her like this.
“How are you?” she asked softly, backing away from me.
“Take your shoes off,” I demanded, without answering her question.
She removed her flats slowly. I gestured towards the sofa in the den, where she took a seat. I sat on the coffee table in front of her, looking her over, noticing that something was different about the woman in front of me. Then I smiled. Madison avoided my eyes, until I took her hand in mine.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Yeah, me too,” I said looking at the goose bumps that broke out along her forearm.
I pressed her palm to my face, pulling her forward to sit on the edge.
“Thank you for coming.”
She nodded, turning her glassy eyes away from mine.
“I miss you, Mads,” I said when a single tear slipped from her eye. “None of this has to be this way.”
“It has to, Ty.”
“It doesn’t.
“I don’t want to be apart from you, Madison...ever or the children.”
I pulled Madison closer, feeling her warmth, nuzzling my face into her neck while she shivered. I kissed her cheek, making my way to her soft, pouty lips. I kept her hand in mine, holding it firmly. Madison let out a shaky exhale when I ran my fingers through her hair, feeling how soft the strands were.
&nbs
p; “I’m pissed at you,” I whispered, kissing the shell of her ear. “But I love you, Madison, and I know you love me. Don’t you love me?”
“Yes,” she whimpered, right before I crushed my mouth to hers, pulling her small body into my lap.
“Since I’ve been back here, I thought you’d have come to see me.”
She grimaced and sniffled while I wiped a few of my own tears away.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled out again when my tongue tangled with hers. “I knew if I came here, this would happen. I just wanted you to get on with your life...without me.”
I gave her a long look and smiled, touching her face again.
“But you are my life. Don’t you understand that yet?”
She gave me a small nod and dropped her head.
“It’s okay, baby. You know it will always be okay,” I rasped out, standing to pick her up.
“Will it be, Ty?” she asked looking up at me, with pleading eyes.
“Of course it will be, Mads. As long as we have each other, it will be okay.”
Madison
I allowed Ty to take off everything, except for my thin sweater. He didn’t make a fuss, since he was more anxious to pull his cock out than anything else. He was a bit heavier now but no less handsome. He needed a haircut and at least three days’ worth of brown stubble covered his jawline. He nudged me forward. I placed my palms on the mattress while he shoved his face between my legs licking and sucking on my pussy, until I was whimpering.
He stood and hooked an arm around my waist, driving into me with one thrust.
“Fuck,” I moaned when I felt my flesh open for him.
Ty settled into a rhythm quickly, letting out deep breaths laced with long moans against my ear. Then he pushed my sweater up squeezing my breasts, letting his hands drift further down. I kissed him hungrily while he pummeled into me. The room was quiet, except for the sounds of us. The low cries from my mouth and Ty’s groans mixed in with the distant sound of honking horns from the traffic outside.
“God, I’ve missed you, Mads,” he growled against my neck.
I felt my pussy clench around his length and I knew I was coming.
I hissed and moaned, feeling the powerful orgasm flood through me in waves, taking my breath with each strong contraction. A hoarse moan escaped Ty’s throat when he pulled out quickly, coming against my asshole. Then pushed back inside of me, beating into my pussy, until I was breathless again. I rubbed my clit, feeling myself throbbing around the length of him, as he slid in and out of me. I shut my eyes, sinking into the feeling while he kissed the top of my shoulder softly.
“I love you,” I mumbled out.
“I love you, Madison. You know that,” he said with a smile in his voice.
I nodded vigorously, feeling the sweat drip down the line of my spine while I steadied myself. He shifted again, slipping his hands under my sweater, running his fingers over my stomach.
“You look beautiful carrying my baby, Madison,” he whispered pressing his lips into the shell of my ear.
I came again nearly screaming when he fucked me harder, coming deep inside of me. I gasped for air, taking in the words that he just muttered against my skin, feeling the tears soak my cheeks.
He spun me around to face him, kissing my hand and then slipped into bed, pulling me against him. I placed my hand in the center of his chest, touching the two scars that were now there, wishing I could take the pain away. He kissed me and ran a hand over my stomach.
“When you wrote me that letter did you know?”
“No,” I said. “But I suspected.”
“You weren’t going to tell me?”
“No.” I let out a long sigh.
He stiffened and then nodded. “You would've had to tell me at some point.”
I shrugged, knowing I’d given myself little time to think about that.
“How pregnant?” he asked, pressing his lips to mine.
“I don’t know.”
He reached into the nightstand, taking the Tiffany box out. He held the ring in between his thick fingers, looking it over. “I wanted this to be special, Madison, so fucking bad, but it was all ruined.”
I smiled looking up at him, trying not to cry.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes, of course.”
My eyes caught the edge of some lettering on the inside of the ring that I hadn’t noticed before. I took it from his fingers, staring at the words etched into the platinum.
“For Mads, my midnight special.”
Then we kissed softly.
I wiped my tears, allowing him to slip the ring on my finger. We rested there for a while, not saying anything at all. I only listened to his light breaths, sinking into the feeling of his warm body against mine.
“I want to go home, Mads,” Ty whispered sleepily.
“Okay,” I said feeling my eyes closing. “I want to go home, too.”
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
Madison
It was April and the Philadelphia weather was warmer.
Ty and I married in a small ceremony a year ago, at Christ Church on American Street. It was a place I admired since I was a child. It was where Benjamin Franklin was laid to rest. My father walked me down the aisle on a beautiful April evening, handing me over to Ty.
I was officially Madison Elise Westwood. I was a full-time performing arts student now, working towards a bachelor’s degree in dance at UArts. I planned to use it to eventually teach at university level. I’d waited what felt like my entire life to get to do what I loved.
We were finally able to take the kids to Disneyland a year ago. It was a week worth of fun and laughter and a trip none of us would ever forget, especially Kacey.
The fraternal twins I’d given birth to, were now six months old. We decided to name them Jesse and Aleena. Ty adored them and Kacey was over the moon to finally have a sister. We were a large family.
Nora was a huge help with the children and eventually moved into an apartment attached to the house we’d built on, so she wouldn’t have to drive back and forth to get home.
Dylan was doing well and preparing to attend prep school in a year, which was something that Malcolm insisted. Dylan was still close with Ty and just as close with Malcolm. Mason, Sam, Carter, and Kacey were doing good in school and they all had friends of their own.
Kacey stopped asking about Dominic all together, after he’d hurt Ty, but it always made me sad to know that she would never get the opportunity to really know her father—not that he was worth knowing.
Diana and Kacey were considerably close. All five of the children called her Grandma, which she didn’t seem to mind. She was good with them and usually spoiled the kids rotten. Diana and I got along but I knew we would never be friends. Ty had a lot of respect for his mother but he never allowed her to run his life or ours, which only made me love him even more.
We kept Ty’s apartment for lazy Monday afternoon fucking.
Dominic was still rotting in jail in the next state. Patrick and Ramona married two months ago. Zita had settled in Maryland permanently and was engaged to her ex-husband again, which was the funniest thing.
Tonight, we sat in the After Hours diner, staring at each other. Ty had the silliest grin on his face.
Linda walked over and gave us a charming smile. It was nine at night on a Friday. When we left here, we would spend some time at Ty’s apartment.
“The couple is back. Can you believe it? A year ago, you were both complete strangers. All it took was Ty offering you a piece of apple pie and now you’re married with children.”
“If it had only been that simple,” I muttered under my breath.
Ty flicked me with a finger scolding me while giving me a handsome smile at the same time. I looked over the platinum ring on his left hand that now made him officially mine.
“I should charge for my matchmaking capabilities.” Linda laughed. “What’ll it be tonight for you wonderful folks?”
“The special,” Ty and I both said in unison, meeting each other’s eyes.
“Coming right up!” Linda said loudly, giving us both a mischievous smile.
-THE END-
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lover of words. Poetry glutton. Cynic. Idealist. Art collector. Lip gloss addict. Wife. Mommy. Music fan. Book whore. Beach bum. Water rat. Wine drinker. Bermudian. Las Vegas resident-wannabe. Hopeless romantic.
I'm an independent author who had this crazy idea during one very, very hot summer to start writing books and I haven't stopped. I'm loving the ride and I appreciate all the readers who take the time to enjoy my stories.
I live on the small sub-tropical island of Bermuda in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with my husband and two children. If you can't find me here on the beach, you can bet your G-strings that I'm in Las Vegas!
Love is what keeps the world spinning! XOXO
Follow me on Instagram @ authordayadaniels
Email: [email protected]
OTHER BOOKS BY DAYA DANIELS
Finders Keepers Series
Part I
Part II
Stand Alone Novels
An Education in Calcutta {A Period Novel}
The Space Between Rachel and Evie
COLOR-BLIND
Mouthful {A Novella}
Once Upon a Time {A Dark Romance}
In the Eyes of Adeline {A Period Novel}
If Only {An LGBT Romance}
Murphy’s Bedfellow
Stripped {A Novella}
Words Left Unspoken {A Novella}
For Her {An LGBT Novelette}
Crocodile Tears {A New Adult Romance}
In Loving Memory of Isobel
Blue
Non-Fiction
It Could Be Arranged
Coming Soon!
Stand Alone Novels