Mitchell, Ava and Holiday, Sydney - A Bride for Two Tycoons [The Male Order, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Ava Mitchell; Sydney Holiday

  “Listen, it might sound like a lot of money to you, but believe me, it’s nothing. Nothing at all. Plus, it’s a special occasion.” Bea grabbed the shoes and the purse and waved her hand at Buford. “Put it all on our tab. End of story.”

  But if spending nearly four hundred thousand dollars on one dress and all its sparkly accessories was nothing at all, what did that make her? They practically used dollar bills as toilet paper, and they drank the finest champagne as if it were water, or at least Bea did. Money was never an object. Madeline had thought the brothers did all this for her because maybe they thought she was special, worthy of all this extravagance. With the Ellis brothers, she suddenly couldn’t decide if they thought she was worth every penny or if, to them, pennies and all the gold and diamonds in the world weren’t worth very much at all. This was all just a drop in the bucket.

  She gazed at herself in the mirror, looking at the beautiful princess they seemed to be molding her into. Even though she looked like a mermaid, she felt like a fish out of water.

  Chapter Eleven

  Madeline opened the glass door to the children’s center, located in a strip mall in South Dallas. It wasn’t the nicest building in the world, but it was at the heart of the community it served. Before she had secured funding, she worried whether they’d be able to afford to lease in a place as “nice” as this one, but now, if she kept with the plan, she could afford to fix this one up or perhaps move to an even better place in a safer part of the neighborhood.

  She needed to clear her head and helping her kids one-on-one was the best way to do that. The point of her work was to help the kids, but in truth, they often ended up helping her more than the other way around.

  Madeline had felt all out of sorts since the day Bea had taken her shopping. Knowing what she needed wasn’t fine things or glasses of bubbly or exotic vacations, Madeline had thrown herself into her fundraising efforts. She scheduled meetings for every day that week, back to back, until she had met with each of the founding Male Order families. She also met with businesses in Dallas and had been equally successful getting donations from them—some were more generous than others, but every penny counted.

  Nearly a week and a half had past, and she still hadn’t felt much better. The days of hard and rewarding work had done little to ease the constant feeling of anxiousness she couldn’t get away from. When she had some free time or energy to be with Dalton and Garrett, she could feel herself pulling away, and she wasn’t sure exactly why. They were wonderful, perfect, everything she could have dreamed of finding in one man, and she had two. Perhaps that was the problem. The two of them overwhelmed her.

  The trip, the shopping, everything had made her feel off kilter. She now knew what it meant when people described being swept off their feet, and frankly, it scared her to her bones. To her, it was completely literal. She felt shaken up and unsure of herself, like the world teetered beneath her feet and she was hanging perilously on the brink. The trip, the men’s efforts, everything was so glamorous and…perfect. To a tee, the trip could not have been executed better. Shopping for her cotillion dress could not have been more extravagant. She had never felt so loved, so alive, so cherished. She experienced things she’d never dreamed of, felt things she didn’t know possible. She was now the proud owner of an exquisite necklace made of real diamonds and sapphires.

  But these men lived in a different world from her. They had created a fairy tale, but every girl learned that fairy tales don’t come true. No girl should depend on a handsome prince, or two, to rescue her. Depending on a man was a dangerous prospect at best and life shattering at worst.

  She saw that firsthand with her mother. After Madeline’s father left her mother with two small children, she had struggled to make ends meet, but every night she insisted on reading them a bedtime story, no matter how tired she was, how long she’d worked, and how little sleep she’d get before she’d have to start everything over again. Her mother’s favorite story was Cinderella, and even as a child, Madeline could see the parallel. Madeline always suspected her mother read that story and envisioned herself as the poor girl who slaved away and got nothing in return until one day her prince came and swept her off her feet and made her the fairy-tale princess who would be the envy and dream of all little girls from here to eternity.

  But, it never happened. Her mother had yet to find that special someone, though she was single and happy. She’d built a fine career for herself and had two strong daughters to show for it. But the fairy tale never came true.

  She rounded the corner and saw Erika bent over a textbook, working with a couple of the older kids. Erika looked up right as she came in and excused herself from the table.

  “Melinda, Kris, keep working on those formulas and make sure to write out all your work. Seeing how you got to the answer is sometimes just as important as the answer itself, okay?” The kids nodded as Erika walked up to Madeline and gripped her by the elbow, leading her to their private office.

  “Well, hello, nice to see you too,” Madeline said, rolling her eyes.

  “Where have you been?”

  “You know I’ve been going to meetings almost non-stop with the Male Order notables and breaking my back to get funding. We only have a week left.”

  “Yeah, breaking your back. I’m sure I know exactly what that means.” Erika smirked as they each pulled out a chair and sat down. “Besides, I thought you got enough from Ellis Enterprises.”

  Madeline’s face fell, and her stomach did a flip inside her gut. “Yeah, about that…”

  “Don’t tell me you lost the money somehow.” Erika ran her slender fingers through her ebony hair.

  “No, not at all, but it’s just that…” With an exasperated sigh, Madeline hooked her finger around a loose lock of hair and tossed it over her shoulder. “How do I put this without making myself sound like an idiot?”

  “Please, you never let that stop you from talking before.” Erika smirked, but then her face softened. She patted Madeline on her knee. “Sorry, just tell me what’s going on. It’s not like you to be so…”

  “I know. This whole thing with the Ellis brothers is so out of my comfort zone. They’ve been more than generous and have helped me meet a lot of other bigwigs with deep pockets, but something about this whole arrangement makes me uneasy. I just worry. What if becoming involved with them puts their funding and thus our center in jeopardy? I can’t risk this place and the well-being of the kids for—”

  “Wait,” Erika held a finger up, “hold on just a second. Do you mean to tell me you’re involved with the Ellis brothers? As in plural?”

  Crap. “W–Well, I…” As Madeline foundered for a reasonable explanation, anything to say, really, Erika’s grin just grew wider and wider.

  “Oh, my sweet Jesus, Madeline. You’re sleeping with both Ellis brothers? Who are you, pod person, and where have you gone with the Madeline Spencer I know?”

  Madeline’s face fell into her hands. “God, I know. I know!” Her words were muffled and quiet. She straightened and looked at Erika. “What is happening to me?”

  “Wild, crazy-hot sex? Passion?”

  Madeline felt herself blushing. “All of the above. Definitely.”

  “No! Stop it. You know better than to be embarrassed in front of me. You need to tell me everything. I mean it. Don’t leave anything out!”

  “Erika, now is really not the time to be talking about my very, very personal life right now.”

  Erika leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Ah, now there’s the Madeline I know.”

  Madeline looked down at her clasped hands. “It’s just all happening so fast, and I’m in way over my head with this. All of this. Begging for money from rich people, the idea that we could run this place soon all by ourselves…”

  “Falling in love?” Erika supplied quietly, her expression curious.

  “Love? Pfft, who knows? It seems too good to be true. And no fairy tale ends with the princess riding into the suns
et with two princes.”

  “That’s true, but what is also true is that I have never seen you this liberated before. I mean, look at you. You’re living this glorious fantasy with two of the—”

  “Shh!” Madeline pointed to the half-open door. “The walls have ears here.”

  “Fine, fine,” Erika acquiesced. “But there is one possibility you don’t seem to have taken into consideration.”

  “And what’s that?

  “That you can write your own fairy tale with its own fairy-tale ending. You don’t want to be beholden to these men because of their money and the center’s dependence on it, so don’t. With the connections you’ve already made, I know we’ll be fine, even if we have to downgrade our digs and tutor these kids in a tent. What’s most important is that we’re here for them. And don’t be beholden to how you grew up thinking the way love should be. Look at yourself, Madeline. I think this is the first time in your life you’ve been this comfortable with taking so many risks.”

  “Since when did you become so wise?”

  “All I know is there is plenty of money in the world that has nothing to do with the Ellises.”

  “I guess you have a point, but I’m still not sold.” Madeline absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she thought, and she still could not shake the uneasy feeling that churned in her stomach. “But just to be safe, I think I’ll keep my options open.”

  “Options?” Erika’s brows knitted. “Madeline—”

  A quiet knock sounded on the door before it creaked the rest of the way open. “Miss Erika, Miss Maddie, there’s a weird man outside who keeps peeking in the windows,” Jasmine said breathlessly. “Y’all said to let you know if we ever saw a stranger, and I saw one, and he’s kind of scary.”

  “Oh?” Erika turned to Madeline. “You expecting anybody?” Madeline shook her head as she stood and grasped Jasmine’s tiny hand in hers. The area around the center was relatively safe during operating hours, but, when it came to the safety of children, one could never be too careful. Plus, it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for a transient to come through every now and then.

  “Well, let’s go check this out. Thank you for telling us, Jasmine.” The three of them rounded the corner, and Madeline saw something that instantly made her heart beat faster in her chest.

  Dalton and Garrett stood there.

  “Are those the men you saw, Jasmine?”

  “No, but he did look kind of like this one here.” She gestured toward Dalton, and then she saw Garrett. “Hey, you’re the one who saved Teddy!”

  “Hello, Jasmine.” Garrett smiled.

  “Hey, sweetheart.” Dalton bent down like he was going to kiss Madeline, but she turned away. Disappointment spread on his face, and he looked over his shoulder at Garrett who stared blankly.

  “So, what brings you to the center today?” Madeline tried to sound cheery and nonchalant, but she couldn’t conceal the awkward lilt in her voice.

  “We brought you something…for the kids.” Garrett nodded, stepped outside, and waved. As he held the door open, four men walked in with their arms overflowing with toys and games and books. The children’s eyes opened wide until Madeline thought it possible for them to pop right out. Their gazes darted between the gifts, then Madeline, then the gifts again, then Erika, then the gifts again, then at the Ellis brothers, then at the gifts.

  “Go on, we brought these for you guys.” Dalton smiled broadly and waved for the kids to come over.

  Garrett came back with a soft-looking stuffed bear with a pink and green organza bow tied around its neck and handed it to Jasmine. “I thought Teddy could use a girlfriend.” Jasmine tentatively reached for the bear, but the moment her little fingers touched the plush material, she quickly hugged it to her chest.

  “Thank you, Mister. I think Teddy will just love her,” Jasmine said breathlessly. Madeline didn’t think she’d ever seen her look happier.

  That started the mad rush of kids toward the toys. It was chaos for a moment before a shrill whistle pierced through the din.

  “Whoa, kids. Easy, easy,” Erika yelled. “One at a time, okay? You’re gonna trample the little ones.” She looked up at Madeline and rolled her eyes.

  Madeline felt confliction roiling in her stomach. “Hey, can I talk to you two for a sec?” she asked through gritted teeth. She walked with Dalton and Garrett around the corner so she wouldn’t be within earshot of the children.

  “The kids seem like they’re enjoying the gifts.” Garrett’s eyes positively sparkled. Dalton looked a little more reticent and slower to celebrate just yet. Garrett moved in, trying to wrap his arms around Madeline when she threw his arms off.

  “What the hell do you two think you’re doing?”

  “What do you mean, what are we doing? Isn’t it obvious, we’re donating presents to your children’s center.”

  “Which they seem to love, by the looks on their faces and their squeals. It’s like Christmas in July in there.” Garrett planted his hands on his hips and stared at her incredulously.

  “Did it not occur to you that it would behoove you to run something like this by me first? You can’t just barge in here, into a learning environment with a truckload of presents. Do you realize how distracting that is?”

  “There are some educational things in there,” Garrett countered.

  “The school year just ended, and we’re working our asses off trying to get this summer program off the ground so the kids can be prepared for their upcoming placement tests. You know how the Texas public school system works. These tests will set the stage for an entire school year of coursework, they can qualify kids to gifted and talented programs, and they determine school funding. If we can get them into honors placement, do you know how much that could benefit them in the future? Most of these kids’ parents never went to college, but these kids have a real chance.”

  “School just ended. Can’t they use a break? They’re just kids, Maddie. It’s summer. Lighten up,” Dalton said. Madeline’s control snapped.

  “Did you just tell me to lighten up? How dare you. This isn’t fun and games to me, okay? There are futures at stake,” Madeline narrowed her eyes at each man and tossed her hair over her shoulder with an angry flick of her wrist, “and these kids don’t have rich mommies and daddies to bail them out.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Dalton asked.

  “It means exactly what it sounds like. What these kids need to do well is a good education and strong work ethic. They won’t have cushy internships lined up for them or a college fund overflowing with money so they can get in anywhere money can buy.”

  “Maybe there’s other stuff to learn in life, too. Maybe we’re trying to teach them that good things can happen randomly sometimes.”

  “Well, I don’t think that’s the most realistic lesson one could teach these kids. The streets here are hard, something you two with your silver spoons in your ivory tower know nothing about. You’re both just setting them up to expect things for free when I’m trying to teach them the importance of using hard work to get what you want in life. A lesson that does not jibe with an entire toy store’s worth of stuff.”

  “What about letting kids be kids and having fun?” Garrett asked sincerely. Madeline was beginning to think he really had no clue. He had grown up in a bubble padded with money that took care of anything and everything for him. He was just a big overgrown child in a man’s body. And oh, what a body. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Garrett jostled her out of her thoughts, which was for the best. She wanted to stay angry at him and Dalton.

  She glared at him and tossed her hair back. “Don’t change the subject, Garrett.”

  “I’m not trying to. I just think that maybe kids need a pick-me-up now and then, something to keep them going. All work and no play makes—”

  “Garrett, all you do is play, and that’s the problem.”

  “She’s kind of got a point there.” Dalton raised his eyebrows
and rubbed his temples with his strong fingers, fingers she could still imagine on her skin.

  “Fuck off, Dalton.” Now it was Garrett’s turn to glare. She couldn’t take this anymore.

  “You know what, I’m sick of arguing with the two of you. I’ll concede that you two had good intentions when you brought that stuff over, and I plan on letting the kids keep the stuff because it would be cruel to take it away now. But you overstepped your boundaries in more ways than one.” Madeline turned away. She just couldn’t look at either of them right now.

  “Babe, what are you saying?” Garrett tried to put his arm around her. Madeline threw him off and fought like hell to keep the tears burning the backs of her eyes from falling. She couldn’t see Dalton from this angle, but she could feel his presence, and it felt suffocating. She loved the two of them. She couldn’t deny it, because what else could explain the excruciating ache in her chest? The knot growing in her throat seemed to be trying to keep her from saying the words she planned to force out her mouth.

  “We come from different worlds. You can’t just throw money at a problem to make it disappear. That’s not how I was raised, and that’s not what I want to be teaching these kids. I think we should just keep this relationship professional, like how it should have been before everything got out of hand.” She looked at them, trying to gauge their reaction, unsure of what she wanted to see.

  “But, Maddie—” Garrett started, but Dalton stopped him with a firm grip on his shoulder.

  “Forget it, Garrett. I told you from the start this was a bad idea. Let’s just go.” Dalton turned without even giving her a second look and walked away as Garrett stood there.