I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, doctor.” He patted my leg and got up and left the room. I turned to look at Tim. “Do you still see your psychologist?”
He gave me a nod and tucked me safely back into his side. “Every week. If I don’t turn up, he blows up my phone to make sure that I am okay. He knew I was coming over here, so he hasn’t started harassing me yet. I am surprised he hasn’t. He is a pain in my ass, but he’s good at what he does.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and curled into him. “And you really want me to come back with you?”
“Yes, Snowflake, I do. I am never letting you go, so just deal with that, love.” I giggled and he kissed my nose.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed and waited to get the hell out of here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ghost
Once Maddie was released from the hospital, we met up with Jasmine. She’d brought the rest of her stuff so we could just go. I had checked us out of the hotel while Maddie was seeing the hospital therapist and booked our flights. When I went back to collect Maddie, I gave the doctor Xavier’s contact details and also gave him a heads up about what was coming. Yeah, now I had to go and see him when I got back and explain what the fuck happened. I didn’t care though. I was getting my girl home. Anything else I could deal with. I looked up when the captain announced that we would be landing soon and let out a breath. Once we landed in New York, we would do a bit of sightseeing for Maddie before getting on another plane and heading down to North Carolina. Then we could relax while Maddie adjusted and we could do whatever she wanted to do.
Once we landed, we collected our bags. “Tim?” I turned to look at Maddie when she said my name.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“Is there an earlier flight to Carolina? I just really want to get home.”
I frowned. “Are you okay?” Maddie gave me a small smile. “I’m just not sure I am ready for New York yet. I just want to find my feet first.”
“Sure, let me see what I can do.”
Maddie gave me a quick kiss and I went to see if I could get us home quicker. I was completely okay with this plan. After getting our tickets changed, we headed to the gate to wait out our flight. To be completely honest, my idea of fun wasn’t being in New York with all those people. I didn’t think my anxiety could handle it. I had just managed to get through that flight. I stopped a minute when it dawned on me, “Maddie?”
“Hmm?”
“You aren’t doing this because of me are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“My panic attack in Sydney, that isn’t why you don’t want to go to New York is it?” She shook her head no and pulled my hand and kept walking.
“I always promised Jas that we would do New York together. I want to keep that. Plus, I am not really ready to be in that mess when I not long ago got out of hospital, love.”
Heading to the gate of our next flight, I had my arm wrapped around Maddie’s shoulders. I could see she was starting to struggle, and just hoped that we made it back in time for her to crawl into bed before she hit that wall. We stopped for coffee before taking a seat at the gate.
“Is there someone getting us from the airport, or is your car there?”
“One of my guys is coming to get us. Shit!” I didn’t say anything else but instead pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Blake and asked him to make sure that Mario didn’t come to the airport. He didn’t have a filter at the best of times and I didn’t want to put Maddie through that before she’d slept.
Everything okay?”
I put my phone away and pressed my lips to her head. “Just fine, Snowflake.”
“Okay…” I ran my hand down her arm.
“I just had to make sure the right person came and got us. As much as I love him, Mario doesn’t have a filter at the best of the times.”
“So?”
“So, I think you need to sleep before I introduce you to him. Although it might be fun to see what happens if I did.” I let out a grunt when she elbowed me and I laughed. “Point proven, Snowflake.” I took a drink from my coffee.
“I am guessing Blake is safe then?”
“Safer.” Maddie raised her brow at me. “Blake knows when to keep his mouth shut but they can both find that line and fly right over it.” She laughed and took a drink of her coffee. “They are gonna have a field day with you, though.” Her head turned and she looked at me.
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t had a girlfriend since they’ve known me. I think they think I’m gay.” I probably should have waited for her to finish that mouth full of coffee she’d just had because she started coughing and trying to stop it from going through her nose. “Shit! Sorry, Maddie. I really should have waited till you’ve swallowed before I make you laugh.” She waved her hand and tried to stop laughing. When she finally managed to compose herself, she turned to look at me and started laughing again. This time, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing too.
Standing up when they called for boarding, I threw mine and Maddie’s empty coffee cups in the bin and took her hand. Giving our boarding passes to the flight attendant, I took them back and led Maddie down on to the plane. Taking her carry on from her, I put it in the overhead bin above as she took her seat and I sat down beside her. It was still a little bit of a shock that I was finally bringing my girl home with me, but I couldn’t be happier!
Our plane landed in North Carolina and we disembarked. I kept Maddie close to me as we made our way through the airport and went to baggage claim. I had just taken our bags off the belt when I heard him. “Well, would you look what the cat finally drug home.”
I turned and saw Blake standing there. I gave him a grin and moved to hug him. After a couple of pats on the others back, we broke apart. Then I saw him. I snorted and moved to greet Mario. “Why is it you are the only asshole that ignores me?”
“Because you love me, and I know deep down you really wanted me here. You just didn’t want to say so.” I rolled my eyes and moved back to Maddie. “Baby, these are my right and left hands. Blake and Mario. Guys, this is my Maddie.”
They raised a brow at me. “The Maddie?” Blake asked and I gave him a nod.
“The one and only.” I turned to look at Maddie and she looked back at me confused.
“Okay, so I may have talked about you a little...” I shrugged.
“A little? Dude, you never shut up about her! Hard to believe she actually exists, though. Thought ya’d been pullin’ our legs,” Mario said and I shook my head as I felt Maddie shaking beside me. I didn’t have to look down to know she was all but doubled over laughing after what I had told her before the flight.
“Thanks, dick. I had only just got her to stop laughing!”
He flashed a smirk at me and I knew where his head was. Reaching over and punching his arm, I hugged Maddie tighter to me.
“Come on, I know someone I need to get to bed. She’s so tired she’s delirious.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Maddie
I managed to get myself calmed down after Tim told me that the guys he worked and served with thought he was gay. This made it all the more interesting. We boarded the plane and made it to North Carolina. He led me down to baggage claim and picked up our bags. Tim turned around when he heard someone speak and a grin spread across his face. He moved over and hugged someone. His face fell when he spotted another guy. I soon got my answer as to why.
“Baby, these are my right and left hands. Blake and Mario. Guys, this is my Maddie.” I held my hand out and shook both of their hands. Before long I was doubled over laughing again. He wasn’t kidding when he told me they thought he was gay. Composing myself yet again when Tim said it was time to get me home to bed, I took a deep breath.
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Oh my God, will ya listen to that! Isn’t she just the cutest!” I heard Tim groan as Mario reached out to pinch my cheeks and I smacked his hand away.
“No, cute is for puppies and kittens.”
“Ooo... Kitten has bite. She is gonna be fun to have around.” I felt Tim’s arm tighten as Mario grabbed my bag and we all headed for the parking lot.
“Careful, Mario. There is a fine line between brave and stupid and you are straddling it.” Tim warned him. “I’ve seen her put a grown man on his ass. I would be more than happy to watch it happen again.” Mario turned and gave Tim a ‘yeah right’ look and snorted. “Maddie, please remember that look for after you have slept.”
“Oh, I will baby. Don’t you worry.” Mario gave me another look and muttered something under his breath. Blake had a smirk on his face and I winked at Tim. Tim pulled me closer as we headed for the guy’s car. When we reached it, Blake opened the trunk and put our bags in while Mario opened the door for me. I thanked him and got in the car. I was soon followed by Tim, Blake, and after he shut my door, Mario. Looking over at Tim, I took his hand and tried to read him to make sure that he was okay.
“You okay, Snowflake?”
I smiled and leant over to kiss his cheek. “I am. Just making sure you are okay.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth, Mario and Blake spun and looked at us. “What? Why wouldn’t he be okay? Did something happen? Did you have a seizure while you were gone? Maybe we should get you to a doctor…”
The millions of questions were followed by a loud whistle. I had to cover my ears. “Fuck! Sorry, Maddie.”
“It’s fine.” Tim frowned at me but let it go.
“Hey, tweedle dee and tweedle dumb, can it with the questions. I am fine, nothing happened while I was away apart from a minor panic attack in Sydney. Maddie was just making sure I was okay after the flights. Chill, okay. I’m fine. I’m not the one who was just released from hospital.” He glanced over at me and the boys let it go. Tim gave my hand a squeeze before wrapping his arm around me and kissed my head. Blake started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Closing my eyes for just a minute I listened to the boys talking. I tried to open my eyes when Tim said my name but I couldn’t. I heard him chuckle, “Sleep, Maddie.”
I don’t know how long I crashed for but I felt Tim kissing my neck and leaving a trail of kisses along my jaw to my lips. When I didn’t open my eyes he kissed my nose and my cheeks and my eyes before kissing all over my face. Finally opening my eyes, I shoved him off me. “Brave man, Timothy.”
He flashed a smirk at me and I took a pillow from under my head and hit him with it. Pulling the covers up over my head, I let out a huff and rolled over turning my back to him. “Pain in my ass.”
“Not yet, but I can be…” I felt him move in behind me and I elbowed him as hard as I could. Contact was made impossible by the covers but he humoured me with a grunt. I felt him move away from me but before I could grip them knowing what was coming, the covers were off me. “Up. You need to eat.”
I rolled onto my back and looked up at him. He gave me that shit eating grin and I threw the pillow at him again and turned my back to him again. “Asshole.”
“I love you too, now up!” He leant over and slapped my ass hard and I squealed. “I have coffee.” I grumbled some more but pushed myself up and got out of bed.
“Could have started with that!” He ran over to me and scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed again when he lifted me off my feet and I reached down and smacked his ass. “I can walk, ya know!”
“I know, but I would hate for you to wear yourself out on the way to the kitchen.” I slapped his ass again and slumped against him.
“Did you sleep?” I asked him.
“I slept a little. Mostly just laid with you while you did.”
I frowned as we entered the kitchen and he sat me on the bench. “Don’t frown, baby. You’ll get wrinkles.”
I kicked him and held out my hands for my coffee. “Pay up, mister.” I tried not to worry about him not sleeping. He told me what could happen if he didn’t get enough sleep. “Baby, when is our appointment with the psychiatrist?”
“Day after next. Why?” I shook my head.
“No reason.” He raised a brow and handed me my coffee. Taking it from him, I blew on it and took a sip after a little while. “So, what are you feeding me for breakfast?” I gave him a smile. “You always did make good pancakes.”
“I’ll make them for you, baby. If you tell me where the other train of thought, came from?”
I let out a sigh. “I’m just worried.”
“About what?” He asked as he started to gather the ingredients for pancakes.
“That my little stunt back in Sydney is doing more then I think it is.”
“Okay, explain.” I took a deep breath and set my coffee down. “You aren’t sleeping, and the boys seemed to be worried about you when they picked us up. I am worried that I am putting more stress on you than you can handle.”
He put the bowl down and moved over to me. He cupped my cheek and met my eyes. “Please don’t worry about it. I am still in shock that you are here with me, and I was worried that if I went to sleep, I would wake up and it all be a dream. I love you. Yes, I wish that I could take all your hurt away, but you are nothing for me to worry about. I know that this is just a tiny bump in the road and you’ll get past this like so much before. You are stronger than you think you are.”
I nodded and leant forward to kiss him softly. “I love you, more than words. Please, promise me that you’ll talk to me if it gets too much?”
“I promise, Snowflake. I will always talk to you. No matter what.” I took a deep breath and pushed it all down, giving him a smile.
“So about those pancakes…”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Ghost
After hiding away with Maddie for a few days, we adjusted to the new time zone - well, she did, anyway. For me it wasn’t a huge difference, as I didn’t stay in Australia long, but the flight knocked me around more than I thought. Initially I was fine, but then jet lag knocked me on my ass. I felt Maddie relax after that. I felt bad for what I had done to her. I dropped a lot on her, and now I was a ticking time bomb for her, wondering when and if I would have a seizure. She was never one for living in the moment. She hated the unknown, and I really wished I could have made it easier on her.
Hearing my phone go off in the other room, I ran a hand over my jaw as I moved to answer it. I knew it would be either Mario or Blake checking in. I had given them strict instructions not to just stop by like they normally would until Maddie had found her feet. Picking up my phone and reading the text message that had come through, I looked up as Maddie came into the room. She had those jeans on that shaped her ass just right and... just, damn.
“What’s up?” she asked me and all I could do was answer her with a smirk.
“You’re an ass.” She moved over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist and I pressed my lips to hers.
“Nothing important. Mario and Blake are just checkin’ in.” I told her.
“Oh, and why aren’t they here?”
“I told them to give us a few days before I unleashed them on you.”
“Oh, come on, they can’t be that bad! Can they?”
“Famous last words, baby. You’ll see, because they are on their way over.”
“Oh good! I have some stories for them.” Her lips curled into a smirk and I couldn’t help the groan.
“Lord help me!”
“Oh, baby, not even He can save you this time.”
When the boys got here, the fun began. They gave Maddie a few drinks, and then it was on, for young and old. Thankfully, though, she knew that line not to cross and kept quiet on some of things from our past. Once the wine was gone and the boys had burned through my beers, Mario thought it would be an awesome idea to go out drinking. Our local pub was a short drive into town. Mario never walked out of there alone. No matter who he came with, he always managed to score. Blake and I were never really interested. I was never interested in a one night stand and couldn’t com
mit to someone that wasn’t Maddie.
Ten years later, and I was still so hung up on her. Blake told me once, after a chat with a bartender who worked there, that the girls would always place bets on who could get me to go home with them. “Yeah let’s go.” I said, surprising myself. I called up a car service, knowing I would end up having a couple and wouldn’t want to drive home after drinking. We all got in and headed for the pub.
Wrapping my arm around Maddie and keeping her close to me, we made our way to the bar.
“Boys, welcome back! What’ll it be tonight,” asked old man Jackson behind the bar.
“Three beers and a Southern Comfort and lime.” He blinked for a minute when he noticed Maddie and nodded.
“Coming up.” He gave me a grin which I returned. He moved away to get our drinks and came back not long later. For an old man he moved fast. When I pulled out my wallet to pay him, he waved me away. “Be gone with ya money, boy! My treat. We’ll call it a celebration.” He turned his back and I quickly put money in his tip jar.
We took our beers and moved to an empty booth. I noticed a few of the local girls looking Maddie up and down as we walked past, whispering amongst themselves. Maddie ignored it, but it just made me pull her closer. Jealous hags. Letting Maddie slide in first, I slid in after her and kept my arm along the back of the bench.
“So, how long before Mario ditches us?” I asked.
“I’m surprised he hasn’t already,” replied Blake.
“Hey! I’m not that bad!”
“Sure, you aren’t, bud. You usually ditch us after a couple.”
“Yeah, well, you two get boring, so I go and entertain myself.”
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” asked Maddie.
I couldn’t hold back the laugh at the look on his face.
“Yeah, well, seeing all the looks Tim and Maddie are gettin’ is more fun anyway.” I raised a brow. “Oh, come on! You can’t tell me you ain’t noticed the chicks giving her mad death stares.”
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