by Shaw, Rhonda
Maddie suppressed the urge to snicker when the tall blonde gave a huff before stomping away. “Yeah, it’s been a long day for her. She made it as long as she could, but don’t let us stop you. You go ahead with your parents and get something to eat. I’ll take her up to the room.”
“I want to spend some time with you guys, though. We’ll get a booth and she can lay down in it.” He reached down and pulled Bree into his arms without disturbing her. “Come on.”
Maddie followed Chase and Bree into the hotel restaurant and sat down in the booth next to his parents. Chase took the other side with Bree so she could lay with her feet in his lap and her head pillowed by his father’s jacket. She slept all through dinner, but woke up as they were finishing.
Chase grinned down at her as she awoke. “Hey! Sleeping Beauty decided to wake up and join us.”
She sat up, rubbing her eyes against the glare of the lights, but smiled sleepily as she nuzzled into his side. He put his arm around her and held her against him. “Are you thirsty or hungry or anything? Do you want some ice cream?” He asked with a devious arch of his brow.
She nodded against his side, but still kept her face hidden. He chuckled and signaled for the waiter. After he ordered a hot fudge sundae, he looked at Maddie and shrugged. “I think we can spoil her tonight.”
She laughed. “Who am I to say otherwise?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help her eat it.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’ll just make sure to send her to your room when she’s bouncing off the wall from the sugar in the middle of the night.”
“I wouldn’t mind it, but Smutty might since he has to pitch tomorrow night,” he said with a grin.
After dinner, everyone walked to the elevators. Chase stepped out when it stopped on his parents’ floor and Maddie and Bree said good-night to Anne and Rick.
“Thanks for coming today and spending time with Bree and Maddie,” he said to his parents.
“It was our pleasure,” Rick said, to Maddie’s surprise.
“Can you do breakfast in the morning, honey?” Anne asked.
“Yeah. Why don’t we meet in the lobby and we’ll go to breakfast before I have to be back here for the bus.”
Chase gave his parents a hug before stepping back into the elevator. He walked with Maddie and Bree to their room and closed the door behind him.
“Tell Chase good night, Bree, brush your teeth and then go into the other room and get ready for bed. I’ll come and tuck you in.”
“I want both of you to tuck me in.”
“Oh.” Maddie looked at him questioningly. “It’s okay with me if he wants to.”
“Definitely.”
Bree beamed as she skipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Chase sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit next to him.
“How bad was it today?” he asked as he put his arms around her.
She snuggled into his side. “It wasn’t too bad. Your father is still on the fence about us, but I think I made some progress there.”
“You definitely did. I was very surprised to see how quickly he took to Bree. My mom, that didn’t surprise me at all, but he did.”
“You of all people should know it doesn’t take her long to make people succumb to her will.”
“She’s an evil little girl.” He smirked before leaning in to kiss her. “They like you. I can tell they do.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he said. “They’re just worried about everyone else.”
She leaned back and closed her eyes. “Join the club.”
He started to ask what she meant, but Bree bounded back into the room clad in her pajamas. “I’m ready for bed.”
Maddie stood up with a groan. “Okay. Let’s get into bed.”
Chase followed her into the adjoining bedroom and sat on the opposite side of the bed as Maddie tucked the blankets around Bree. She leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I love you, baby. Sleep tight.”
“I love you too, Mommy.”
Chase reached out and pinched her nose. “Thanks for coming to my game today and wearing my jersey.”
Bree reached out for a hug. He leaned in and her arms went around his neck giving him a light squeeze. “I love you, Chase.”
He froze in place and Maddie’s eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t at all surprised that Bree would feel this way and she wasn’t even very surprised that she would voice it to him, but she wasn’t sure what he was going to say. She hoped Bree hadn’t put him in a position where he would have to let her down gently. He closed his eyes for a second before leaning back and smiling down at her, his face filled with warm affection.
“I love you too, kiddo.”
Maddie stood up abruptly and turned off the light by the bed. “Get some sleep, Bree. It’s very late.”
She walked quickly out the bedroom and waited for him to follow before leaving the door open a crack behind them. When he turned to face her, she was quick to voice her concern. “Please don’t say things to her that you don’t mean,” she said in a low, pleading tone.
He frowned. “Do you think I would just say what I thought she wanted to hear?”
“I don’t know, but I’m asking you not to do that.”
“You don’t know? You don’t know?” There was an icy edge to his voice and anger sparked in his eyes. “I would hope you know by now that I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
“I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“And you think I’m going to hurt her?” When she didn’t answer, Chase swore and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know how else to convince you that I’m not out to hurt you or Bree. I’m crazy about her. You should realize that by now. I know you’re worried about her getting hurt, but I promise you, I’m not here to do that. I want her happiness just as much as you do.”
Maddie’s eyes welled up at his words. “Promise me, Chase. Promise me you won’t hurt her. She can’t take another man turning his back on her.”
He took a step forward and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I promise, Maddie. I won’t hurt her. I’m here for her.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to her temple.
She nodded and let her head rest against his chest as she tried to stop the tears from falling. There were so many emotions running through her that she wasn’t sure exactly why she was crying. She was fearful and ecstatic for Bree and, as much as she was afraid to admit it, she was head over heels for Chase in such a short amount of time that the extent of her feelings for him was overwhelming. She couldn’t remember what life was like before him and she wasn’t sure she could ever go back to the way it was.
“Hey,” Chase said quietly. She looked up at him and the love that he had for Bree shimmered in his eyes. “I love you too, you know.”
She straightened and gasped a breath. She was speechless.
He smiled at her reaction. “You can’t tell me you’re surprised.”
Maddie shook her head and was finally able to find her voice. “I had no idea.”
“Come on, Maddie. You’re not that naive. Everyone can tell that I’m crazy about you. They keep telling me how whipped I am.” He chuckled quietly.
“Well, I knew that you liked me, but I had no idea...” She couldn’t even finish the thought.
“Just be glad I’m not making you tell me how you feel.”
“No, I want to tell you. I need to tell you.” Maddie took a deep breath. “Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would be here today, standing here with you and feeling the way I do. I was cynical for such a long time that I never believed I would ever find someone who could make me want to even try again, but you do, Chase. You make me want to believe that happiness is possible. I really want to thank you for that, for opening my eyes.”
&nb
sp; “I didn’t do anything. You did it yourself.”
“No, you did. You wouldn’t back down when I wanted you to. You pushed when you needed to push and I’m thankful for that. If you’d backed off when I first told you to, I’d be missing something wonderful. I love you more than I ever thought possible.”
Chase smiled and gave her a hard, long kiss. When he broke away, he let out a breath in relief. “I have to admit I was worried there for a second. I said that I wasn’t going to make you tell me, but I really wanted to make you tell me.”
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. “You knew you could make me crazy about you.”
His mouth sought hers and he kissed her passionately, putting everything he had into the kiss. He fell back onto the couch, pulling her down into his lap as he nipped and kissed his way down her neck. His hands fastened on her hips, grinding her against him as he groaned in her ear. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation now when we can do nothing about it.”
Maddie nibbled at his earlobe. “I guess you’ll just have to go back to your room frustrated.”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch, enjoying the feel of her lips on his neck and her hands kneading his shoulders. When her breasts rubbed against his chest, his eyes flew back open. “Fuck that. You’re just going to have to be quiet.”
Standing up with her in his arms, he wrapped her legs around his waist and headed into the bathroom. He shut the door behind them, silencing her giggles.
Chapter Seventeen
Back home from Chicago, Maddie couldn’t stop smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy—if ever—and she knew it was annoying. Even if Karen didn’t tell her so every day, she knew she was being one of those irritating women who glowed and radiated happiness when they were in love. She usually hated women like that, was jealous of them, but now that she was one of them, she could relate.
Meeting Chase’s parents had gone better than she could have predicted. Granted, she and his father were still not totally on the same page, but at least there was an unstated truce between them. He no longer believed she was only with Chase to take advantage of his status and monetary situation and she didn’t fear a third degree every time he looked at her. He wasn’t willing to accept her completely yet, as his wife had, but he didn’t appear to be so adamantly against their relationship either. Only time would help with that.
The trip had also proven to her that Chase wanted the responsibility of Bree. He’d accepted her with open arms and hadn’t bolted for the door when Bree had revealed her true feelings for him. He’d responded in a truthful and mature manner, and it was more than she could have asked for. Chase was more than she could have ever wished for.
Stepping out of her bedroom as she pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, she tripped over one of Bree’s tennis shoes by the front door.
“Ugh! Bree, please pick up your shoes!” she yelled as she steadied herself against the wall. “I know I’ve told you a thousand times...” she muttered under her breath as she headed into the kitchen.
The phone rang as she stepped in. Picking up the handset, she read the caller ID display and frowned. It was her boss, Mark Weasly, which was very unusual and instantly had her worried. There were rumors of cuts and reductions in her school district and she prayed that wasn’t why he was calling.
“Hi, Mark. What’s up?”
“Hey there, Maddie. How are things going?”
“I’m okay. Uh, you?”
“Going good, going good.” He hesitated awkwardly. “Well, hey, I’m sure you’re probably wondering why I was calling.”
“You could say that,” she said with a tense giggle.
“Nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about, but I was wondering if you could swing by my office tomorrow morning. Let’s say around 10:30?”
“Sure, I can do that. Is there...” She cleared her throat and tried to figure out how to ask exactly what was going on. “Is there something I need to prepare for?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that, nothing like that. I’d just like to chat, that’s all. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said quickly before hanging up his end of the line.
Maddie scowled at the phone before placing it back in its cradle. Mark never asked her to come to his office so they could “chat,” especially over the summer when they were out of school. There was something going on and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. She prayed she wasn’t losing her job or having to take a pay cut. She needed the job and the money, and she couldn’t afford to make any cutbacks. Her budget was already tight enough and she didn’t know what she would do if it came down to that.
Whatever it was, she was going to have to see what Mark said tomorrow. She would do whatever she had to do after that.
* * *
Walking through the school hallway toward the main offices, Maddie rushed ahead, fueled by nerves, as Bree dallied behind, unaware of the urgency in the matter. As she turned down the hallway that led directly into the offices, she noticed Bree had fallen behind.
“Come on, Bree,” she said as she waved her arm impatiently urging her to hurry up. “Let’s go.”
Bree sighed and trotted over to her mom, but as soon as she’d reached her side, Maddie was off again in a rush.
“Mom, slow down,” she whined as she struggled to keep up.
“I’m sorry, Bree, I can’t. I’m nervous, and when I’m nervous I move quickly.”
“Why are you nervous?”
“I just am.” She held the door open to the office and pointed to the molded plastic chair that sat against the wall outside Mark’s office. “Sit there and be quiet,” she said in a sharp whisper. “Do not touch anything!”
Maddie took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself and tugged down on her shirt. Brushing her hair off her shoulder, she plastered on a smile and knocked gently on the opened door to Mark’s office. Having heard them come in, he was already rising to his feet and removing his reading glasses.
“Hey, Maddie. Come in, come in.”
“Thanks,” she said as she lowered herself onto one of the chairs that faced his desk and waited for him to sit. She noticed as she glanced down at his desk that he was reading the sports section of the newspaper. “Catching up on sports, huh?”
“Huh?” he asked. When she pointed at the paper on his desk, he nodded. “Oh! Oh, yes. I was reading about the Rockets’s game last night.” He gave her a knowing look.
She froze and felt her breath catch. She immediately realized why he wanted to meet with her. He was going to talk to her about Chase. While she’d definitely anticipated a confrontation from Lenore and Sandy, as well as some pushback from Chase’s parents and some snickering from strangers, she’d never expected to hear anything about it from her boss. New cold dread flowed through her veins. She remained motionless in her seat, waiting for Mark to tip his hand.
Clearing his throat, Mark stood up and he tugged up on his snug khaki pants. He walked over to a small cabinet and picked up another newspaper, folded and starting to color with age, and carried it with him back to his desk. His chair creaked under his weight when he sat back down. “Well, Maddie. I need to talk to you about something that has come to my attention.”
If he asks if I can bring Chase to the school to parade him around, I swear I’m going to scream, she thought as she maintained her bright, false grin and waited for him to get the point.
Mark continued. “You see, for the most part, it isn’t my place, or the school’s for the matter, to get involved in the faculty’s personal lives. Except in the obvious situations, of course, and I think this might be one of those times.”
She frowned. This wasn’t good. “Because?”
“Well, Maddie, you see, the age group that we work with is very sensitive
and very impressionable. You can agree with that, can’t you?”
“Yes, but I—”
“And you would agree,” he interrupted as he pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up his nose, “that because we work in such an environment that we need to be sensitive to the parents’ concerns and opinions.”
“Yes, but I—”
Mark opened up the old newspaper and laid it on his desk, cutting her off. The infamous picture of her and Chase kissing looked back at her. She looked up at him and tried to swallow past the tightness in her throat. She felt a cold sweat break out at the back of her neck and along her hairline. “I’m afraid I’m not following.”
He sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his bulging stomach. “What exactly is your relationship with Chase Patton?”
Maddie paused a moment, feeling a fresh surge of irritation and resentment breaking through her fear. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we’re dating.”
He grimaced as if her words pained him and sat forward with his elbows on his desk. “You see, that’s the sticky part here, Maddie. It is my business.”
“How is it your business?”
“Chase is, um, quite a bit younger than you, is he not?”
She felt the hairs on her neck rise. She didn’t like where this appeared to be going, but she was determined to fight past it even if her mind was muddled. “He is younger than me, yes.”
Mark looked at her expectantly, hoping she could figure it all out on her own, but when she was still confused, he sighed and shook his balding head. “Maddie, you have to realize what kind of position this puts us in. People are going to talk and people are going to wonder.”
“Wonder?” she asked, even more confused. “Wonder about what?”
“How young is too young for you.”
Maddie looked at him as if he was speaking a different language. “I don’t...” When it clicked in her head, she jumped up with a cry. “What? Are you kidding me? That’s disgusting, Mark!”
He held up his hands, trying to calm her down. “Let’s sit down, Maddie. No need to overreact. Let’s discuss this calmly.”