Ten minutes later, a knock at my door told me Michael had arrived. He didn’t wait for me to open it for him. He used his own key, one I gave to him about six months ago. I got sick of getting up at the crack of dawn to lock the door behind him when he left to work. It worked out perfectly. He’d wake up and get ready, start a pot of coffee and then leave. When I awoke, I had a fresh warm cup of joe waiting for me. Now, for some reason, it irked me that he just waltzed in.
“Hi, sweetheart. It’s so good to see you. It’s been too long.” He pulled me into his arms and enveloped me into a loose hug. Kissing the top of my head before he let go, he then moved around me and headed into the kitchen. That felt weird. Michael was usually overly affectionate. A kiss on the head? Really?
I followed him and watched as he removed a pint of ice cream from the grocery bag. My nose scrunched up when I saw the flavor. Evan may have stopped doing little things like getting me my favorite snacks, but when he did he at least bought the right ones. Michael grabbed two spoons from a drawer and took the lid off the container.
“Rocky Road, sweetheart. You go first.” He held out the small cardboard container in my direction.
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I reluctantly took a spoon from his grasp and dug in. “Yum,” is all I could say as I brought the bite to my lips. Desserts with nuts didn’t do it for me. In fact, they pretty much grossed me out. Unless it was a Snickers. I had told Michael that several times, so why he would bring me Rocky friggin’ Road ice cream was beyond my comprehension. Maybe he had another girlfriend and that was her favorite. “Thank you. This is great.” Had I always been so compliant with Michael? This is great. This is crap is what I should have told him, or I hate Rocky Road would have worked just as well. This is great, Maddy?
Had I always been so agreeable to avoid giving Michael the real me? Wow. Maybe that’s what you do when you attempt to move on from someone who is impossible to move on from. Had I really avoided putting my full heart and soul into any relationship for fear of having it broken and ripped out of my body like a damn horror movie?
Michael was the first man to make it past the third date with me. And even then, I had never given him all of me. I had finally come to that realization as my belly knotted at the thought of the Rocky Road.
He gestured toward the living room. We took a seat on my sofa, sitting close enough to share the treat. For every four bites he took, I got one. “Did you complete Genna’s task?”
“Yes. We did.” I couldn’t think about anything without thinking about Evan, so my response was limited.
“Did Evan sing?”
“What?” I asked. Why would he sing? “No, Michael. He didn’t. He doesn’t carry around a guitar and serenade people everywhere he goes. He’s a normal guy.”
He puffed out a breath of air at me, like I didn’t know what I was talking about. “He’s far from normal, Madison. The man is famous. I wonder if he’d be willing to sing at one of our office galas.” He looked up in thought. I couldn’t believe he was seriously contemplating it.
“I don’t know. You would have to ask him.” God, I hope he didn’t.
“You don’t want to ask him for me. I mean, you guys were a thing. I’m sure he’d be more willing to do you a favor than someone he doesn’t know.”
Did he just say ‘you guys were a thing?’ What the hell? I shook my head to stop him from going any further. “No. I wouldn’t do that. Just because I know him doesn’t mean I would ask him for anything. To us, he’s just the guy we knew in high school and college. We treat him no differently than anyone else. He’s just plain old Evan James, not Evan the celebrity.”
Michael backed off, relaxing into the back of the sofa. “Sorry I asked. I just thought it would be okay. This is new to me, Madison. I wouldn’t know how to act if any boyfriend came back into your life, so I sure don’t know what to do or say about Evan James being that boyfriend.”
“He’s not back in my life, he’s just here for the wedding.” Just saying it hurt me more than I could’ve imagined. Now that he was there, I wanted him to stay.
“Madison, you’re not fooling me. I heard that song. I listened to the lyrics thinking, that poor bastard really screwed up and now his own heart is broken. I even thought to myself that he should just find the girl, apologize and make it right. I mean if I was a chick and heard him pour his heart out like that, I would take him back. Or at least consider it. So please, don’t act like the other night didn’t mean something to you. And now, you’re being thrown together for this wedding.” He dropped the ice cream and his spoon on my coffee table. Putting some space between us, he turned so his back leaned against the armrest and he pulled his bent leg up onto the sofa between us. “All you ever told me was that you only had one long-term relationship. You never told me anything else. Tell me about your relationship with Evan.” He linked his fingers together and his eyes caught mine, waiting for me to say something.
“You want me to tell you about him? What do you want to know?” I asked. This whole thing seemed awkward. Very awkward.
“How did you meet? How long were you together? That kind of thing. Tell me, from beginning to end.” When I sighed, he added, “Give me the short version.”
“Fine.” I mirrored his position, resting into the opposite armrest and pulling my knee up onto the sofa. “I met Evan in high school. We were friends for awhile until it turned into more.”
Michael appeared surprised. “Wow, he was your high school sweetheart?”
“Yes.” I paused, taking a deep breath in my nose and exhaling through my mouth. “We went to college together, along with Genna. She met Luke there our freshman year. We all hung out and did everything together, trying to figure out what we were going to do with our lives. We were all young and dumb and changed our minds all the time. We all knew Evan would do something with music, but that’s about it.”
“What changed?” he asked.
“Evan did.” Saying it hurt just as bad as thinking it had. “Shortly after we graduated, his talent was discovered. He started a new career. One that didn’t include me. And that’s all she wrote.” I had no interest in drudging up any more details. He wanted the short version. Well, he got it. And that’s all he was going to get.
“Well, it sounds like he wants to include you now,” Michael said. “I think...” He ran his hands though his hair and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“What do you think?” I asked him.
“I think we should call it quits for now. You two have history. And it’s not over. I could see it in your eyes that night and I still see it now. When I mention his name, your eyes light up, they shine like I’ve never seen before. I’m not so naive to know that you don’t have that same gleam in your eye for me. We’ve been a great team for a long time, but neither one of us is in love. We’ve been fine to pass the time, but if you could have that love back—the love you shared with Evan? Then I’m not going to stand in the way of that.”
“What are you talking about? This doesn’t make sense.” It truly didn’t. His words were real. They were true. For the first time ever, I felt like Michael truly cared about me. There was something honorable in what he was saying compared to the all-business man I was used to.
“Madison,” he said, shifting on the sofa, putting his arm around my shoulder and resting his head on mine. “The last year has been great. We’ve had a good time. We’ve been great friends. You’ve been there for me. I’ve been there for you. I might be uptight sometimes, but not so much that I don’t want love. I was content before, but after that song, I want more. We don’t have that, Madison. I deserve that. You deserve that.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I told him. My body was shaking and my mind was in a tailspin with all the crazy my life had become in matter of a few days.
“You don’t have to say anything. Just wish me the best and I’ll do the same for you.”
He leaned in closer and kissed me on the cheek. Then he
stood up, reaching his hand inside his pocket. With a shaky grip, he twisted my key off of his key ring and placed it on the coffee table in front of me. He didn’t look back at me again. He just turned around and walked out of my house. And my life.
I looked around my house for hidden cameras. Did that just happen? Actually, what the hell just happened? Come on, I ate the damn ice cream, even though I didn’t like it. What more did he want from me? Love? Well, let me tell you something, Michael. It was overrated. Love would hurt you and then it would hurt you again. You had to keep getting up and getting punched in the gut if you wanted to find the kind that lasted. The kind of love Genna and Luke had, and I’m not sure how much more of a beating I could take.
Digging my fists into the sofa, I sprang to my feet and grabbed the bowl he had left behind. Then, I walked to the kitchen, talking to myself the entire way.
What sort of man listens to a gooey love song and decides he wants more, so he dumps his girlfriend? Was I not good enough for him, after all? God only knows, I tried. What the hell is wrong with him? What the hell is wrong with me that I am asking all of these stupid questions? I need a drink. I need to throw this god-awful ice cream in the bin and make a cocktail. Thankfully, Genna left the good stuff behind, the vodka and the ice cream—without nuts. Just wish me the best and I’ll do the same for you. What the hell?
EVAN
My cell rang three more times before I decided to answer. It was my manager. I had already let it go to voicemail four times and I bet he was getting pissed off. “What’s up, Sam?”
“It’s about fucking time you answer your phone. Have you listened to any of my messages?” His bark was worse than his bite. He could curse at me all he wanted. If it made him feel better for the time being, then so be it. It wasn’t like he was going to ground me or something.
“Yeah. I did and I don’t have time to do anything right now. My best friend is getting married and I’m up to my eyeballs in friggin’ wedding checklists.” I flipped through the pictures Luke dropped by earlier.
“Wedding checklists? I thought you were the best man, not the mother of the bride. Come on, Evan. Don’t do this to me. This wedding is huge and they are willing to pay you any amount to sing for their first dance.”
Like I was supposed to care that some Oscar award-winning actor wanted me to sing at his wedding. “My own friends haven’t even asked me to sing on their big day and you want me to sing at something so personal for people I don’t know?” Of course he did. “I’m tied up right now. I can’t fly to some private beach in Fiji when my friends need me.”
“They need you?” he questioned, the sarcasm thick in his tone. “All the best man is supposed to do is plan the bachelor party. We all know you got that covered. What else are you doing?”
I didn’t appreciate the dig that I could plan a bachelor party in my sleep. Any man could. It wasn’t just me. “I have to put together a slide show of pictures for the rehearsal dinner.” A picture of Maddy and Genna in high school stared back at me from the box on my coffee table. They were so close, even then. Always laughing and having a good time. I picked it up, studying their wild hair and innocent smiles. Genna was giving Maddy a piggy-back ride. Too be young again. I would have taken those days back in a heartbeat.
“Overnight them to the office and Isabelle will do it.”
My eyes rolled back in my head. “No. I’m not going to pass off something they asked me to do. That would be rude. For the last three years, I’ve had people doing everything for me but wipe my ass. I don’t want to do that anymore. If my best friend asked me to do something, I’m going to do it myself.”
“By yourself?”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Are you making the slide show by yourself? Who is helping you?” There he went. Questioning me again. Whenever I came back home, Sam would unleash a fury of questions on me. I knew him well enough to know he was curious about Maddy. It’s not as if I hid my feelings for her from him. He knew how I felt. I think he had always been worried that I might not get back on the bus, but he never come right out and said so.
It was going to come out eventually. Sam wasn’t an idiot. “No. Madison is going to help me.”
He huffed into the phone. A long deep breath in and out sounded in my ear like a 747. “I should have known there was more to that song than usual. You’ve been writing about her since you started, but this one is different.”
I took my hat off my head and ran my fingers through my mop of hair. “Yeah, this song is different. That performance the other night was different. It felt good to be back on a small stage with an intimate audience. It’s where I’ve always felt most comfortable.”
Sam interrupted me. “I bet it helped that she was there.”
“I didn’t know she would be when I stopped there.” It still amazed me that she was.
He huffed again. “Sounds like you’re rethinking your future.”
“Maybe it’s time to put my degree to use. I have some ideas,” I told him. Since the open mic night, the creative side of me had been keeping me up at night. Not just the thoughts of Maddy. Or maybe the two were connected.
“I’d love to hear them. Something tells me you won’t be doing any stadium tours any time soon.”
“Or ever.” I wasn’t one to beat around the bush. Sam had always been good to me. My future affected his, so I had to be honest if my plans were changing. He was either going to be with me or he was going to step aside. But I had a good feeling about it. He would want to come on this ride. “Hey, I’ve gotta run. Maddy just got here.”
“Hey, Ev,” he called out before I could end the call.
“Yeah.”
“Do it right this time. If she’s what you want. Go for it. Make it work. I’m here to support you any way I can.”
Listening to his softened tone made me smile. I don’t know why I ever doubted that he’d have my back. He really did have my best interests in mind, even if that did include me taking my career in a new direction. “Wow, look at you getting all mushy on me. Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
* * * * *
“You should really talk to the guy at the gate. They just waved me right through.” Maddy waltzed in with a box held against her hip. She dropped it on the coffee table next to the one already there. She looked around with a confused expression. “Where is everyone?”
Turning my face from side to side, I looked around too. “What do you mean? Who’s supposed to be here?”
Her eyes widened and it occurred to me that she had no idea it was going to be just the two of us. “I’m going to kill Genna.”
A grin played across my lips and I had to fight a fully blown smile. “The thought of being alone with me has you wanting to commit murder. That really makes a man feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Shut up,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You know what she’s doing, right?”
“I have an idea,” I told her. Genna and Luke had been up to something since the night I saw them at the bar. “But it won’t work, right? You’re already in a relationship.”
Suddenly, Maddy’s focus moved to the ceiling and she looked like she was hiding something.
“Exactly,” she said, drawing her eyes back to mine. She clapped her hands together and sat on the leather sofa. “Let’s just get to work so we can finish this.”
Something was definitely up. I wanted to call her on it. We were together long enough for me to know all her tells. Did she really think I wouldn’t catch that pause as she stared off into space for a second? She was definitely keeping something from me. Nothing major, but something nonetheless. I decided to let it go. She’d tell me when the time was right. She always did.
Without another word, I sat next to her and emptied the box our friends had left. I flipped all the pictures in the same direction, as if I was setting up a matching game like I did when I was a kid. We needed to be able to see what we’re working with.
“Keep your pictures off to that
side, so we don’t get them mixed up.”
I chuckled inside. “Genna put a stamp on the back of her pics.” I turned one over and a pink G was marked in the corner.
“She would,” Maddy said, laughing a little too. “So I brought my laptop.” She began digging into her bag. “And this portable scanner thingy.” She held up a red wand about a foot long. “We need to get all these into a digital format so we can start.”
She was prepared, I’d give her that. If I would have known what we were doing sooner, I would’ve sent the photos to Isabelle so she could have, at least, scanned them. The idea of making a slide show sounded like fun, but having to scan and crop them all was going to take all night.
On second thought, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
God, I’m a dick. Maddy had a boyfriend yet it wasn’t stopping me at all from wanting to get her back. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she roamed around getting her devices ready. She wore dark skinny jeans that showed off her amazing ass and perfect thighs and a light blue Captain America T-shirt. I rolled my eyes thinking about her fascination with Chris Evans after she saw him as Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four. The infatuation only became worse when he was ninety-nine percent naked throughout the movie, What’s Your Number?. That had been fun to watch with her. Not. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn’t gone on the road with me. I had met the guy once and he was cool. And good looking.
She was in deep concentration as she moved throughout the room plugging cords into the wall and stringing them back to her laptop that now sat on the pool table. She inspected both sides of another cord before inserting one end into the laptop and the other into the scanning wand. Grinning, I watched as she bent over. Thoughts of placing my hands on her curvy hips and pulling her against me filled my mind with passion. I had to look away before she caught me staring at her.
When she was satisfied with her work, she pulled a hair band off her wrist and piled her silky brown hair onto the top of her head and twisted it into place. The length of her neck was exposed as she stretched, rolling her head in a circle with her eyes closed. She completed the act with a long breathy sigh. Sexy. I remembered when I had that effect on her with just a slight press of my lips to her throat. Damn, what I would have done to be able to brush my lips against her skin right then. My day would have been complete.
Without You Page 6