Maddox

by Lisa Helen Gray

  She laughs, shaking her head at me. “Darlin’, most of the stuff put into the trolley was from him. He’s sneaky when it comes to food.”

  We reach the exit when we hear him. “Where’s my damn food?” Max yells. “Where’s that wife gone?”

  I begin to laugh, staring at her in amazement. “You are a queen for putting up with his antics.”

  She laughs along with me. “He makes life interesting, that’s for sure.”

  “There she is,” is snapped, and I inwardly groan, recognising the voice.

  “Are you following me?” I ask, staring into the hard eyes of Cameron’s mum.

  Glancing to her left, I spot someone I’ve not seen in years, long before Cameron and I broke up. Nessa, shortened from Vanessa, is fifteen and one of his youngest siblings, and unlike Cameron and Devon, who tried to stay on the straight and narrow, Nessa isn’t one of them. At the age of ten, she was getting into fights, got caught stealing more than once, and was always skipping school.

  And by the looks of things, her behaviour hasn’t improved. Her rounded stomach is on show, her top having risen above her pregnant belly. Her ginger roots are showing, and her skin looks aged yet young.

  “Why the fuck are you keeping Cam’s kid away from my mum, bitch?”

  My cheeks heat, knowing Lake is listening to this. She takes a step closer, coming to my side.

  “I’m not sure how many times I have to tell you this, but Cameron doesn’t have rights to the kids,” I tell them, keeping my voice calm.

  “From what Devon found out, that’s only in effect with Jasmine. You hadn’t had this one yet. So, we can take him with us. He doesn’t need a stuck-up mum like you,” Nessa snaps.

  “No, he has one that loves him and takes care of him. He doesn’t need people who can’t mind their language, don’t have any common sense, and look like they’re out of an episode of The Walking Dead,” Maddox snaps.

  Nessa gapes at Maddox, her cheeks flushing. She tries to pull her top down, showcasing her little bit of cleavage. A smile lights up her face, showing a row of yellow-stained teeth. “This is between us.”

  “No,” he tells her, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Stop harassing her.”

  Carol steps forward, glaring. “We want to see our grandchild,” she demands.

  He leans forward, getting in her face. “That sounds like a you problem.”

  “It’s going to be her problem.”

  “No, it’s not,” Max pipes in.

  “You again,” Carol hisses.

  Max grimaces. “Let’s not announce we’ve met each other before. I’ve got a reputation.”

  “You’re married,” Lake mutters dryly.

  He grins. “And you, my darlin’ wife, are all I need.” He turns back to the unwanted guests, narrowing his gaze. “You go near Amelia or any of her kids again, and you’ll have the Carter’s to deal with.”

  “The Carter’s?” Nessa breathes out, her eyes wide before they go hard, turning to me. “They got my brother sent to prison, didn’t they? They set it up.”

  “Little girl, go back home and finish playing with Barbies. We have nothing to do with your sick brother. Now run along.”

  “You can’t speak to me like—”

  Her mum grabs her arm, pulling her back. “Let’s go,” she demands, before glancing at me. “We will be speaking to our lawyer.”

  “Like you can afford it,” Maddox mutters. When they are gone, Maddox turns to me, taking me in. “You okay?”

  I shakily lift my hand to my mouth. “She’s right. Asher wasn’t born then. It only ever mentioned Jasmine.”

  “It won’t matter,” Max assures me. “Talk to my brother, Myles. He’s a social worker.”

  “What if they—”

  “No social worker in their right mind would give them any kind of access. Hell, she shouldn’t have custody of her own kids. How young was that girl?”

  “Fifteen,” I tell him. “I hope what they said isn’t true.”

  “Come on. Let’s go get Jaz from Paisley’s, then you can work out your anger by baking and cooking for me.”

  A smirk teases my lips. “Shouldn’t you be cooking for me to cheer me up?”

  He wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me against his chest. “No, because my cooking would only make you miserable. My company, however, will cheer you right up.”

  I laugh despite what just happened. “Okay then.”

  “We’ll catch you in the week,” Lake tells him, and when her gaze lands on me, I find myself blushing and turning away. It’s that knowing look again.

  She’s wrong though. There is no way Maddox will push everything he believes in aside to settle down with a single mum of two.

  No chance.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  MADDOX

  Sweat pours down my back as I heave the last bag of plaster into the spa. Landon drops his bag down on top, not breaking a sweat. I guess all those extra hours at the gym are paying off, that and the fact he wasn’t here at six this morning like I was.

  I glance up when I hear Landon’s name called by our cousin Jacob. “Please don’t tell me he and Trent have gotten into trouble again,” I grumble under my breath.

  “In here,” Landon calls out.

  He strolls in, his eyes tight and worried. “I’ve met him,” he rushes out, panting for breath.

  “Who?” Landon and I ask, sharing a glance with each other. The only time I’ve seen Jacob like this was when he thought his mum and dad caught him sneaking out to a house party.

  “That Scott guy.”

  Landon’s posture tenses. “You did?”

  “He’s a fucking suit,” he rushes out. “But something is definitely off. He was all nice, too nice, acting slimy. I knew something was up. No one is ever that nice.”

  “Calm down and tell me right fucking now what’s happened,” Landon grits out.

  “I went to Charlotte’s house to get an A-level textbook for my Geography class, and he was there. She didn’t once ask me if I wanted something to eat or drink—”

  “We already know she’s not herself,” I tell him.

  “You don’t understand,” he yells, pulling at the ends of his hair. “She always mothers me. Always. Even as a kid Mum said she would pretend I was her baby, always keeping me occupied. She’s not just acting differently, something is different.”

  “Jacob, mate, calm down,” Landon demands. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  He breathes out heavily, leaning against the plasterboard. “She went to get changed because the book was at the library and she was going to get it for me. She wore normal day clothes.”

  “And? It’s a library, not a bank. She can wear what the fuck she wants.”

  “It was her favourite ‘World’s Best Cat Mum’ jumper. She walked out, and he pulled her into the kitchen. I followed, and that fucker asked her if she was really going to wear it out of the house.”

  “He did fucking what?” Landon grits out.

  “Is he still there?” I bark out.

  “No, he left, but she got changed. You should have seen her face. And when I told him where to go, she said it was fine, that it was a childish jumper.”

  “I’m going,” Landon declares, taking his work belt off.

  I follow, nodding. “Jacob, can you go tell Mark he’s in charge. Don’t tell him why because he’ll want to come, and she doesn’t need everyone there. I’ll drop you back home after.”

  “Is he hurting her?” Jacob whispers. “Did I not protect her?”

  I grip him around the neck, bringing his forehead to mine. “You did the right thing coming to us. We know nothing about him or what he’s capable of. Let us go see what’s going on. Okay?”

  He nods. “Yeah, and, um, don’t tell her I got all emotional and that.”

  Landon chuckles, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “She knows you care.”

  We leave Jacob to look for Mark as we head for my truck. “We need to pick som
eone up first,” I tell him.

  Someone I haven’t seen for a few days. I’m being paranoid, I know it, but it feels like she’s avoiding me.

  “Who?”

  “Amelia.”

  I dial her number on my Bluetooth, and listen to it ring… and ring. I flick a glance to Landon, forcing a smile. “She’s always playing these kinds of games with me.”

  “She’s funny,” he mutters sarcastically.

  I hit redial, before tapping my fingers on the steering wheel. Please, answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s me, Maddox.”

  “I know,” she tells me, chuckling. “Everything okay?”

  “No. I need to ask a huge favour.”

  “What is it?”

  “Charlotte’s brother just came to the site I’m working on, upset. He met Charlotte’s boyfriend, and what he said has raised a red flag. We want to talk to her, but it will be too obvious if we go in guns blazing. We thought she might open up to you with the kids there.”

  “Jasmine is at school.”

  “That’s okay. Asher’s cute too,” I tell her.

  “Thanks,” she replies sarcastically. “I’ll let him know.”

  “He knows,” I assure her.

  She lets out a sigh. “She’s not going to appreciate a stranger getting in her business.”

  “We’ll be there,” I tell her.

  “Please,” Landon pleads. “I’ve tried but she just pushes me away.”

  “All right. I’ll get Asher ready. Where do you want me to meet you?”

  “We’ll be at yours in fifteen minutes,” I tell her, before ending the call.

  “Rude much,” Landon comments.

  I take my attention off the road for a second, seeing him smirking at me. “What?”

  “You didn’t even say goodbye.”

  My brows pinch together. “Why? I’ll be seeing her soon.”

  “Jesus, there is no talking to you,” he mutters, kicking back in the chair.

  Whatever.

  *** *** ***

  “I hope this doesn’t upset her,” Amelia murmurs as she pulls up outside the library.

  “She’ll be fine. We just need to get her to see reason,” Landon explains from the back.

  Amelia turns to me. “Are you seriously in a mood because I wouldn’t let you drive?”

  I huff out a breath. “I don’t get in moods. I just think I should have driven.”

  “Why? Because you’re a man?”

  I open my mouth to answer but my brain suddenly connects to what she said. Landon slaps his hand down hard on my shoulder. “Wise man. Wise man.”

  I roll my eyes and shove open the door. “Whatever.”

  I grab the pushchair out of the back, making quick work of putting it together. Amelia pauses near the back of the car, watching me with her lips parted. “When did you learn that?”

  I rub the back of my neck. “I, um, kind of practiced.”

  “Practiced? When?” she asks dubiously.

  “This should be good,” Landon comments.

  I send him a glare before turning back to Amelia. “I, um, kind of borrowed your car keys to get the pushchair and took it to mine. I spent the night figuring it out then timing myself,” I explain, puffing my chest out. “I got down to five seconds.”

  She glances from me, to the pushchair, then back to me. “I don’t know whether to be pissed you stole my keys and pushchair or impressed.”

  I swing my arm around her shoulders, causing her to clutch the car seat tighter. “Always impressed.”

  She pushes out of my arms, clipping the car seat to the pushchair before stopping to watch me. “Why? Why would you even go to that trouble to learn? You don’t have a baby.”

  I have Asher.

  I don’t voice that. I don’t even know where that came from. He isn’t mine. He isn’t anything to me. He’s just a kid I delivered who belongs to my hot neighbour. “I guess I just wanted to know,” I tell her absently, wondering where my earlier train of thoughts came from.

  “Let’s go in.”

  “This place is huge,” Amelia comments as she pushes the pushchair onto the pavement.

  There are two entrances to the library. One through the small café set on Main Street and then this one.

  This place would have been knocked down like the rest of the old factories, but it held sentimental value to some guy thirty years ago. He decided to sell to Charlotte when he saw the passion she had for the building.

  I push open the heavy door, holding it open for Amelia to get through with the pushchair. “She runs this by herself?”

  “She has a few sponsors, but other than that, yes,” I tell her.

  “She gets custom through doing parties, letting people hold meetings, and has a selection of books from indie authors,” Landon adds, unable to keep how proud he is from his voice.

  “I have got to browse these shelves,” Amelia whispers.

  “You don’t have time for that,” I tell her, and she turns to glare at me.

  “Shush. Did no one ever tell you it’s disrespectful to speak loudly in a library?”

  I rear back. “Huh? I thought it was a rule at school ‘cause of people studying.”

  Her gaze hardens a tad. “It’s principle. Just shush.”

  I hold my hands up, stepping away from her. “Okay then.”

  We walk up to the reception area, finding a girl with purple-streaked hair blowing chewing gum from her mouth. She stops flicking through her magazine to look up, looking put out by us being here.

  “Is Charlotte around?”

  “Charlotte?” she asks, sounding bored.

  Landon gives me a ‘what the fuck’ look before turning to her. “Your boss. The chick who runs the place.”

  “Wow, I’ve been calling her Farley,” she tells me, before tilting her head further up. “Charlotte! Charlotte! You have guests here.”

  We turn to the main room, rows and rows of books lining the bottom level. Charlotte comes running out of the stacks on the upper level, breathing hard. “I told you not to yell in the library. It’s disrespectful.”

  “To who?” the chick yells back. “There’s no one here.”

  “To the books,” Charlotte and Amelia argue.

  “Landon, Maddox, Amelia, what a pleasant surprise,” she greets, beaming at us. She’s wearing a white blouse with cream slacks, something I’m sure she’s only ever worn once.

  When she reaches us, Amelia wastes no time in stepping forward. “Why didn’t you tell me about this place? It’s incredible. And you do kids parties?”

  “Did I not mention it? It is an awesome place. You should check out the audio selection. With the baby, you can listen to it whilst doing what you’ve got to do.”

  “That would be amazing,” Amelia breathes.

  “We aren’t here to talk about books,” Landon growls.

  Amelia rolls her eyes and pushes the pushchair towards me. “Watch Asher for a moment. We’re going to check out the audio selection,” she tells me, before grimacing, turning to Charlotte. “If that’s okay with you?”

  Charlotte bounces on the balls of her feet. “Of course it is. Oh my God, you have to see the new selection we have in.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Amelia gushes, and Landon and I slowly follow them to the back.

  “So, Landon said you do parties and such. I guess that includes school outings?”

  Charlotte looks impressed. “It does. Most of the kids will borrow a book. The more we get, the more chance we have of sponsors sticking around.”

  “So, would you consider letting some OAPs visit from the care home I work at? Some won’t be able to, but I think an idea one of the workers had would really work. We could play Audiobooks for those who are limited with movement.”

  Charlotte stops, her eyes tearing up. “I have some old historical romance audio I can lend to you. They’re normally between three-ninety-nine or nine-ninety-nine. But there are some that are
old that we took off the shelf to put into the sale bin. But I’ll get them out for you.”

  “We can work up a payment plan after,” Amelia assures her. “Now, where are these audio books.”

  “You should read this book by Amy something. It’s not a new one but it’s so good. It’s about this guy who was an assassin, and he—”

  “Oh my God, the one with the corrupt step-sister? She turns on him?”

  Charlotte’s face lights up. “Yes! Isn’t he hot?”

  “Oh my God, when he—”

  Landon steps forward. “We didn’t come to talk about books.”

  I grin, slapping him on the chest. “No, no. Don’t stop. What were you going to say, Amelia?”

  Her face goes beet-red and she glances away. “It doesn’t matter.”

  Charlotte’s smile drops. “It does matter. Why don’t you two go get something to eat in the café?”

  “Yeah, we can talk about books,” Amelia adds, glancing at me funny.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  She rolls her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. “Yes, Maddox, now go get some food and a drink. Leave us alone.”

  “You want me to go?” Landon asks, shocked.

  Charlotte bites her lip. “I didn’t ask you to go, go. I just never get to speak to someone who is into books as much as me.”

  Landon can’t argue. It’s written all over his face. He wants her to have everything she’s ever wanted. His friendship with her is like mine and Lily’s. She balances him, like Lily balances me. Or at least she used to. Now I’m not so sure anymore. I glance at Amelia, narrowing my gaze on her. Is it her who had made the change? Since I met her, I don’t crave attention in other aspects of my life; I don’t smother Lily and demand she spend time with me. I’m content with just her.

  “What?” she mouths.

  I jolt, not releasing I was staring. “Nothing,” I mouth back.

  “We’ll be in the café then, when you’re finished,” he tells her, his shoulders slumping.

  We begin our way to the café, and once the girls are out of sight, Landon pushes me, nearly causing me to fall into the bookshelf.

  “What was that for, dickhead?”

  “You brought a chick who talks books. How can we speak to her now? It will kill her mood.”