by Nicole Dykes
After a couple minutes, I walk down the hall to the bathroom. Jade emerges and I swear, she looks as though she spent an hour getting ready. She’s not wearing any makeup, but her hair is brushed and she smells…well, like Jade.
She steps out in the hall and raises her eyebrow at me. I give her a smirk and slip into the bathroom. I take a piss and then use her mouthwash. I don’t bother brushing my hair.
“You ready?” I ask as I come down the hall.
“Yes.” she answers while yawning.
When Jade pulls up at Jack’s bar, the rest of the crew is already working on the roof. I notice them stop and look down at us as I get out of the car. I walk around to the driver’s side and lean down to her window.
“Why don’t we do something fun tonight? Do you work?” I ask.
“Actually, I do have the day off.” she answers.
“I’ll come pick you up at seven then.” I lean over and give her a quick kiss.
“Why don’t you get your sorry ass to work instead of sucking face?” Caleb hollers down to me.
Jade lets out a giggle. “See you later.”
I grab my gear out of my truck and climb up to the roof. “Sorry I’m late. Overslept.”
“Don’t let it happen again or you can find yourself another job.” Caleb warns.
I nod and grab some shingles so I can get to work. The roofing job should be finished today and then I’m not sure what is lined up next. We work through lunch so we can get finished. It’s 5:45 by the time I climb down from the roof of Jack’s bar, but the job is done.
“Madden.” I ignore Brady and finish tossing my toolbelt on the back of my truck. “Look, I’m not trying to start a fight again.”
“Then what do you want?” I ask and turn to face him.
“What are you doing here in Hollis?” he asks. “I mean, it’s obvious you’re not from a place like this. So why are you here?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, man.”
“But Jade is.”
“Is that why you treat her like shit?” I ask and see his jaw clench. “You parade another woman around in front of her and then the second she shows interest in someone else, you’re ready to cut back in.”
“I fucked up with Jade last summer.” he admits. “I left to go on a job and I left her here. It’s no different than what you’re going to do though, is it?”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” I start walking towards the bar.
“You’re going to leave her here too. You’re just passing through, Madden Steele.”
I keep walking until I enter the bar and my apartment. I take a shower and dress in a pair of faded jeans and blue button-up.
I don’t want to let Brady’s words bother me. I’ve made it clear from the start that I am just passing through. Jade knows that. I’ve never indicated that Hollis will become home or that I’m here for good. Eventually I’ll have to go back to Dallas and take my place at Steele Industries. It’s what I’ve been bred to do.
When I get to Jade’s house, I knock lightly on her door. She opens it with a big smile on her face. She’s wearing a light pink sundress and her signature cowboy boots.
“You look…beautiful.” I tell her, unable to find a better word to describe her.
“Thank you.” she responds with a kiss as she steps out onto her porch.
I don’t let it deepen much or I know we won’t get to my plans I have for the night. I open the passenger door for her and help her into my truck. The only information I’ll give her is that we’re going into Redbud.
“It’ll be a late night again then. You don’t want to be late for work tomorrow.” she grins.
“I’ll set an alarm.”
We listen to the radio during the drive and when we come into Redbud, I take a right towards a little bar I saw on my way back from Dallas. I know Jade will either love or hate my plans. I’m hoping she’ll love them.
“Madden, what is this?” she asks as we walk across the full parking lot.
“Well, we’re going to eat first.” I tell her. “Then it’s karaoke night, so you’re going to sing.”
“Shit no, I’m not!” she protests. “I do not sing in public!”
“Sure you do. I’ve heard you sing a few times now. In your car, at Jack’s when we were dancing, and at the street dance…when we were dancing.” I smile.
“That’s not in public!” she argues.
“Let’s just eat and see how you feel.” I tell her, giving her a charming smile and slipping my arm around her waist.
Once we’re inside Linda Lou’s, she relaxes some. She orders a bacon cheeseburger and I get a ribeye. I notice she takes her time eating and I’m sure she thinks if she does this, she’ll get out of singing. I decide to go ahead and break the news to her.
“I’ve already signed you up.” I state.
“What? Madden, seriously no.”
“I figure you like Carrie Underwood so I picked “Before He Cheats” and you can change it if you want.” She crosses her arms and leans back in her chair in a defiant pose. “You might as well finish that burger and get ready.”
“I will not forgive you for this.”
“No? Not even when you’re moaning my name later?” I tease and she blushes a dark shade of red.
She gives me the silent treatment while she eats and fifteen minutes later she’s doing what she adamantly informed me she would not be doing. Singing. In public. I admit, she’s doing a damn good job of it. Just like I knew she would.
When she comes off the stage, she gives me a hard shove to the shoulder and starts walking through the bar. I quickly follow behind her.
“Was that so bad? You were great!” I tell her and grab her by the hips once we get outside.
“It was awful! Do not ever do that to me again!” she laughs.
I turn her around and pull her into a kiss. The salty taste of French fries still lingers on her tongue.
“Jade? Jade Bowen, is that you, baby?”
Jade’s body goes completely still in my arms as she breaks the kiss. “Please, don’t be...” she whispers against my lips.
“Well, my baby girl it is you!” the woman says. “Come give your momma a hug. Haven’t seen you in years.”
Jade looks up at me with wide eyes that are now filled with tears. The woman standing to the right of us is skinny, more than skinny, with greasy brown hair and blue eyes like Jade’s that have sunken into her bony face. Her dingy clothes are stained and too large for her small frame.
A tear streaks down Jade’s cheek and I reach up to wipe it away with my thumb. “It’s okay.” I tell her.
Jade slowly approaches the woman and lets her embrace her for a short hug. “I have to go, momma.”
Jade walks away and the woman doesn’t attempt to stop her. I put my arm around Jade and together we walk back to my truck. Jade keeps her gaze focused out the window as I drive back to Hollis. Every few seconds, I see her wipe her hand over her cheeks.
When we get back to her house, she walks inside and doesn’t invite me in or tell me I should leave. She goes straight to her bathroom and turns her shower on. I undress and step in behind her.
She’s scrubbing herself until her skin is pink. I’m sure she feels like she needs to wash the dirt away. I take the washcloth and toss it to the floor.
“You’re clean, Jade. You’re clean.” I promise her and pull her against me. She sobs against my chest.
My plans for a fun, easy night have turned to shit. I wasn’t expecting this. I’m just passing through.
Chapter 23
Jade
Madden holds my naked body against his. My legs feel weak and we both sink to the shower floor, his arms still around me. I can hear his heartbeat and it’s calming for me. What the hell was my mother doing in Redbud?
I close my eyes, praying the tears will stop. I never wanted to see her again. She may be alive, but she looks like death. I hugged her, but almost every part of
me hates her. She was never really a mother for me. She never took care of me.
Madden softly kisses my temple, not pushing me to talk. I’m humiliated. The only thing I could think about was washing the memories of my life with that woman off of me. I scrubbed so hard my skin feels raw. I finally stop the tears and look up at him, defeated and broken. This is a side I never planned to show him.
He turns the water off and stands up, holding his hand out for me. I take it and he lifts me up before reaching for a towel just outside my shower. He wraps me in it, not worrying about himself and then carries me with my arms tightly around his neck to my bed.
I lay my head on his chest, he’s still totally naked, but must feel comfortable that way. “Jade.”
I look down at our feet, not wanting to meet his eyes, “I’m so sorry you had to see that.”
He uses a finger to tilt my eyes up, “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. Whatever you are feeling now, those memories are just that. They are your past and you’ve overcome so much. You’re incredible.”
I shake my head, “I just want it to stay in the past. I just want to forget.”
He thinks about that, “I get that more than most. Trust me, but I don’t know, maybe it’s our pasts that mold us into who we are now. I still hate that you had to go through anything painful though.”
I smile and wipe a single tear that escaped, “I know you’re right.” I lay my head back down so I’m not looking at him and whisper, “I hate her.”
“Your mother?” There’s no judgment in his tone.
“Yes, she was supposed to protect me. All she cared about my whole life was getting high. She never once stepped in and stood up for me when her husband called me horrible names or made offensive comments. Or hit me.”
Madden flinches and then growls, “I’d love to find that son of a bitch.”
I shake my head, “He doesn’t matter to me now. I ran, I hid. I just didn’t expect for her to be so close. Houston is four hours south of here.”
“Maybe she was just passing through. I don’t think she knows where you live, Jade. She seemed surprised to see you.”
She did. That’s true. “I think you are right. I was so scared. Scared of a feeble crackhead. It’s ridiculous.”
He holds me tighter to him and kisses my lips briefly before pulling away. “I’m sorry that happened, Jade.”
“I’m sorry I ruined our fun night. It was a blast until then.”
He smiles, “So you did have fun singing Karaoke, huh?”
I laugh. “I still can’t believe you made me do that.”
“You were great.”
I close my eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat and slowly drift off to sleep. Feeling safer than I ever have in my life.
The next morning, I hear my alarm going off and crack my eyes open to see Madden’s naked form getting up and shutting it off. “You set an alarm?”
He nods, “After you fell asleep. I can’t be late for work again or Caleb will fire my ass.”
He disappears into the hallway and I quickly find a t-shirt and jeans to slip on. When Madden comes back into my room, fully dressed in the clothes from last night he says, “You get to sleep in today. We’re starting a new job. Did you know Hollis is getting a hardware store?”
That’s right. They finished the job at Jack’s. No more seeing Madden on the roof when I go into work. “I did hear that. I’ll be right out.”
I say this on the way past him to go to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth. When I step out he pulls me into a passionate kiss, one I don’t want to stop. My body is pressed tight against his and I can feel how hard he is through his jeans. He picks me up from the floor and I wrap my legs around him.
My back is pressed against the wall and my fingers are through his hair and then his lips leave mine. We are both panting and then he finally groans, “I can’t be late.”
I smile and kiss the tip of his nose. I think it’s admirable that he wants to keep this job, even though he truly doesn’t need it. I drop down, out of his hold. “You better go.”
He takes my arms and pulls me back to him, kissing me briefly and with his lips still almost touching mine whispers, “Tonight.”
Damn. I can’t wait.
Chapter 24
Madden
I bring over the last bit of 2x2s and dump them in the pile. Caleb lets out an angry curse and I give him a confused look.
“I needed 2x4s, Madden! Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he yells. “Haven’t you been doing this shit long enough?”
I look down at the pile of lumber and back up at Caleb. Even Brady, Tate, and Logan are looking at him like he’s grown a second head. He slams his fist into the side of his truck and stomps away from the construction site.
“Just ignore him. He got into a fight with Casey and it’s got his head fucked up.” Brady informs me. “He said 2x2s, but looking at the measurements now, we actually do need 2x4s.”
I heave out a sigh of frustration and start picking up the 2x2s. Surprisingly, Brady joins me. We work together in silence until we have the correct supplies delivered over to the site.
The rest of the day is pretty much the same. Caleb is in a foul mood and takes it out on the crew. He gives incorrect orders and then takes it out on the crew for following them. By the time five o’clock rolls around, everyone is ready to rip his head off.
“I’m going to get tacos. I can’t take another minute around him.” Tate grumbles. “I’ll tell Casey she’s going to have to accept his apology or we’re all going to kill him.”
Taco Tuesday. I almost forgot. How that’s possible? I have no idea. Marlene’s tacos are quite possibly the best I’ve ever had.
“Tell your mom to fix twice as many as usual tonight.” Logan calls over to Brady and he laughs.
“Wait, Marlene’s your mom?” I ask and Brady glares over at me.
“Yep. And don’t think I didn’t see that little dance between the two of you before. Hands off.” he says, sternly.
The crew bursts out laughing and Brady cracks a small smile telling me he’s joking. I raise my hands in defeat. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we actually just had a civilized conversation with each other. Somewhat.
I drive to Jack’s bar and like any other Tuesday night, the parking lot is nearly full. Everyone loves fifty cent tacos.
Jade is behind the bar and Casey is working the floor. Both look a little frazzled from the heavy crowd. I steal a quick kiss from Jade before I head up to my apartment to shower.
Once I’m cleaned up and dressed in jeans and a navy t-shirt, I head back down to the chaos. My stomach is already growling.
I take a seat at the bar and before I can order, Jade puts a beer and a plate with six tacos on it in front of me. I grin at her.
“You read my mind. Thank you.”
“I figured you could handle six tonight.”
I take a bite and nearly groan with how good they are. I’m about to take a second bite when I hear yelling coming from behind me. I glance back and see Casey deliver a slap across Caleb’s right cheek. He looks like he wants to say something to her, but he just walks out of the bar.
“I don’t know what happened between the two of them, but he was a total dick at work. They need to fix it.” I tell Jade.
“I’m not sure they can fix it.” she says, a frown on her face. “I need to go check on her.”
I nod and focus on the tacos in front of me. There’s no way in hell I’ll be getting involved in Casey and Caleb’s drama. If he fucked up, it’s on him.
I finish up and order another beer from Jack, who informs me the only time he works nights is when it’s Taco Tuesday. Sounds like Marlene.
I chat with Jack, thanking him again for getting me my job. He makes small talk, asking when the hardware store might open. I’m sure it’s the most excitement this town has had in a while. According to Jack, the last place that opened in Hollis was his bar…twenty years ago.
&n
bsp; I feel an arm slip around my waist and Jade’s lips against my ear, “You’ve been talking to Jack for over an hour.” she whispers and I shrug. “Will you play pool with Casey? She’s taking her break and I can’t take mine at the same time. I think she needs some company.”
“She looks like she’s been drinking as much as she’s been serving.” I comment and Jade laughs, her lips tickling my ear and making my dick harden in my pants.
“She probably has. I’m going to have to drive her home.” she says. “But I’ll come back.” she promises. “For you.”
“In that case, I’ll go play pool with your drunk friend.” I turn and capture her lips for a brief moment before standing from the stool and heading over to Casey.
“You wanna break?” I ask.
“Are you challenging me?” she grins and starts racking up.
“If you think you’re a challenge for me.” I smile and let her break. To say Casey is buzzing would be an understatement. To say she’s a little bit flirty would also be an understatement.
It’s like she’s trying to make Caleb jealous…only Caleb isn’t here. She bends over the table and makes sure her ass is in a perfect pose before she takes her shots. She brushes against me as she walks past. I know she’s had too much to drink so I don’t say anything. I just play pool. Uncomfortably.
The moment the game’s over and I’ve won, she puts on a little show about being pissed then pouty. Luckily, Jade intervenes and I take one more taco to go before heading upstairs.
In the safety of my apartment, I eat my seventh taco and dig my phone out of my bag. I power it on and check my messages. I told myself I wouldn’t do this until the wedding, but I’ve found myself checking it for messages every day since I went to Dallas. Up until today, I haven’t had any.
Madden, it’s me Keegan. I just wanted you to know we’re having fittings Saturday and I’d like for you to come. After all, you’re part of this wedding. If you can make it, you know where to come. Be there at two o’clock.
I turn the phone back off and turn the television on. Saturday. I know it’s just a ploy to get me there. They know my tux size. I don’t need to be fitted.