“Tell me that again when we’re in the tub.”
“That sounds like a plan to me.”
MADDIE WOKE RESTED AND relaxed. Her back muscles were a bit tight thanks to sitting in an uncomfortable chair for an extended period of time, but otherwise she felt fabulous.
“Remind me to buy a new chair for my tent,” she murmured as she rolled to face Nick and slipped into his arms. “My back is a bit stiff.”
“Oh, yeah?” Nick instinctively moved his hands to her slim back and started rubbing. “I can find a way to get you a new chair today. I’m not sure how I’ll manage it, but I’m sure something can be arranged.”
Maddie shook her head. “No. You have work to do.”
“I do. You’re more important.”
“I think I can survive. After this festival, it will be more than a month before I do another. We have time.”
“Yes, but I don’t want my wife making old lady creaking noises when I’m romancing her on our honeymoon. We’re going on a cruise. That means tiny bikinis and coconut drinks. I don’t think back pain is going to be welcome on the cruise.”
Maddie giggled as she pressed her face into Nick’s chest. “I can’t wait to see you in a tiny bikini.”
He poked her side, amused. “I already have your bikini picked out.”
“I’ll choose my own bikini, thank you very much. You will have no say in the matter.”
“We’ll see.” He kissed her forehead, still sleepy. “What time is it?”
“Seven.”
“I have to get up.”
“I know. I don’t. I can sleep in for a bit.”
He finally wrenched open an eye. “You’re a funny girl this morning. You’re feeling pretty full of yourself.”
“I’m happy,” she said simply. “This is my happy place.”
“It’s mine, too.” He gave her a sweet kiss. “I’m glad you’re happy.
“And I’m starting to see why Kreskin thinks we’re intolerable.”
Nick made a growling noise deep in his throat when his cell phone dinged to indicate an incoming message. “That had better not be something that forces me out of this bed in the next ten minutes.” He kept one arm around Maddie as he retrieved the phone. His expression remained neutral as he read the message.
“What is it?” Maddie asked, curious.
“It’s an update on Trevor.”
Her heart dropped. “Did he die?”
“No. He’s off the ventilator. They’re hopeful he’ll wake up soon. He’s improving but still unconscious.”
Maddie let loose a relieved sigh. “So ... he’s going to make it?”
“They never give us absolutes like that. His prognosis looks better than it did. He needs to wake up for us to know more.”
“Yeah, well ... .” Maddie pressed her lips to her favorite spot on his jawline. His morning stubble tickled, but she managed to refrain from giggling. “What do you think about the Marla stuff I told you?”
Nick flicked his gaze to Maddie’s pretty face. She didn’t have on a stitch of makeup and yet she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in real life. She had a glow about her that made him feel warm all over, and that was never more evident than in the morning when they were debating about starting their day.
“I don’t know,” he said after a beat. “I wish I could say I was surprised, but Marla is ... well, Marla. She doesn’t care about boundaries.”
“Trevor is the one cheating on his wife,” Maddie reminded him. “He’s the one who made the vows and broke them. Still, I like to think that women should respect other women. Marla doesn’t respect anyone. I don’t have a doubt that she would go out of her way to seduce you even after we’re married.”
“You’re not worried about that, are you?”
“No. You wouldn’t touch Marla with someone else’s ten-foot pole.”
He barked out a laugh. “I wouldn’t,” he agreed. “I had plenty of chances while you were gone. She wasn’t shy with her intentions.”
“Did you say no because of me?”
“Because I loved you?”
“Or ... just because you knew it would hurt me if I ever found out.”
“I guess I recognized that, but I said no because I don’t like her. She’s a hateful person. She always has been. I never forgot the things she did to you in high school. And, while I was angry with you for leaving me, I never wanted you to hurt, Mad.”
“I know that.” Maddie rested her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry for what I did.”
“That’s behind us. You were afraid. It was a stupid thing to be afraid about because I was always going to stand by you no matter what, but I get it. It doesn’t matter now. I’m not sorry you left.”
“You’re not?” Maddie was understandably dubious.
“I’m not,” he confirmed. “You are the single most important thing to me. We were too young then, though. We wouldn’t have held together and then we would’ve lost our chance at this. You came back at the exact right time ... and here we are. We’re a few days away from our wedding and we’re about to get everything we both wanted. There’s no ending better than that.”
Maddie couldn’t help but agree. “I love you, Nicky.”
“I love you.” He gave her another kiss, sinking into it. He had plans for exactly how he wanted to start the day, but they were interrupted again by another incoming text message. “I want to bury my phone in the woods.”
Maddie laughed as he raised it to read the message. “What now?”
“We got the ballistics report in. They were supposed to get it to us yesterday afternoon but didn’t.”
“And?”
“And there’s no way that Trevor Clark accidentally shot himself twice. They’ve gone over the trajectory multiple times. It wasn’t an accident.”
Maddie was expecting that outcome, but she was still sad to hear the actual words. “I guess that means you’ll be taking Alicia in.”
“Well, that’s the thing, her hands were checked for gunpowder residue the same night. Nothing registered.”
Taken aback, Maddie lifted her chin. “What does that mean?”
“It could mean that she washed her hands really well before we showed up.”
“But?”
“But we checked the sinks. They weren’t wet. She could’ve dried them, don’t get me wrong, but I have trouble believing she was together enough to do that. I assumed the tests on her hands would come back positive.”
“So ... now what?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
MADDIE AND NICK HAD A QUICK breakfast with Maude before he had to bolt. Maddie had time before she had to be at the festival — it didn’t open until noon — so she trudged back to her bedroom. A specific task was calling to her, and she was embarrassed to admit it.
Still, the house was quiet. Maude returned to her converted garage apartment after breakfast and Nick had left for his shift. She had privacy to do what she wanted ... so she did.
Without hesitation, Maddie strode to her closet and removed the huge garment bag that contained her wedding dress. The alterations had been finished for two weeks and, in truth, she’d carved out time each day over those two weeks to slip into the dress. She couldn’t stop herself.
The dress itself wasn’t frilly. Maddie didn’t want that. It had simple lines and a plain bodice. Still, Maddie felt beautiful in it and she enjoyed twisting and turning in front of the mirror. That’s exactly what she was doing when Maude trudged upstairs and found her.
“Oh, that’s so cute,” Maude intoned, causing Maddie to jolt. “Simmer down, Maddie girl,” she warned when it looked as if her granddaughter was going to bolt into the bathroom. “You’ll tear that dress if you start running in it.”
Maddie froze at her grandmother’s words. “I ... .”
Maude snorted at the deer-in-headlights expression on her only grandchild’s face. “You were admiring how you look in your wedding dress. There’s no shame in it. I happe
n to think you look like an angel.”
Maddie turned sheepish. “I just like ... feeling the fabric. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m only going to be able to wear it the one day before packing it away for years in the hope that maybe my daughter will want to wear it.”
“Given how protective Nick is, if you guys have a daughter, I very much doubt he’s going to let her date until she’s thirty.”
Maddie laughed, genuinely amused. “That’s a good point. I didn’t even think about that. Still ... I only get one day in it. I want to stretch that time out a bit.”
“Go for it.” Maude moved around Maddie, being careful not to get too close to the dress, and then threw herself on the bed. “So ... I heard a bit of gossip and I need to know if it’s true. That’s why I’m up here. I try to give you and Nick your space — you know that — but I have to know.”
Curious at the conversational shift, Maddie flicked her eyes to Maude. “What gossip? I’ve been good.”
“I heard you babysat Catelynn Clark yesterday.”
“Oh, that.” Maddie wrinkled her nose. “I did. I volunteered to help Alicia.”
“Do you think that was wise? She shot her husband.”
“We don’t know that,” Maddie countered. “Besides, the gunpowder residue test on her hands came back negative.” She thought better of sharing that information when it was too late to take it back. “I mean ... crap. You can’t tell anyone I said that, Granny. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a secret.”
“My lips are sealed.” Maude mimed closing a zipper over her mouth. “Do you really think she’s innocent?”
That was the question of the day, wasn’t it? “I don’t know,” Maddie replied after a few moments of contemplation. “She isn’t acting like a woman who shot her husband. Of course, I have no idea what that would look like. It’s more that she’s lost than anything else. I’m not sure how to describe it.”
“If you ask me, the man had it coming,” Maude said blithely. “He cheated on her left and right. He probably gaslighted her, too. That’s what men do in situations like this. I know. I saw it on a Lifetime movie.”
Maddie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at Maude’s serious expression.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Maude continued. “You’re thinking I’m crazy. If I were Alicia, though, I would’ve shot him years ago. I would’ve been smarter when making it look like an accident, though.”
“Good to know.” Maddie rolled her eyes. “I just can’t decide if I think she shot him. The whole thing is out there. I mean ... if she did, then she’s going to end up in jail. What will that mean for her children? If she didn’t, that means someone else shot him. How did that person get in the house without Alicia noticing? The kids were out, so someone could’ve snuck in ... but how did they fire two shots into Trevor and disappear like that without anyone seeing? It’s weird.”
“It’s definitely weird,” Maude agreed. “I just wish I knew who he was sleeping with. That might point us in the right direction.”
Maddie opened her mouth to share the Marla tidbit, but the sound of a door opening and closing on the first floor froze her in place.
“It’s just me, Maddie,” Nick called as he moved through the house. “I forgot my tablet upstairs.”
Maddie’s furtive eyes flew to the nightstand, to where the tablet rested, and her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. Instinctively, she turned on her heel and headed for the bathroom, slamming the door as hard as she could at the exact moment Nick appeared in the doorway.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw Maude resting on the bed. “Where is Maddie?”
Maude pointed at the bathroom. “Hiding from you.”
“Hiding? Why?” Nick’s eyes traveled to the empty garment bag as he asked the question. “Oh.” A smile ghosted his lips. “Is she trying on her wedding dress?”
“She is,” Maude confirmed. “It’s a normal thing to try it on every day before a wedding, so don’t give her any grief about it.”
“I have no intention of giving her grief.” Nick was charmed more than anything else. “I kind of want to see her in it.”
“That’s bad luck.” Maude shot out a finger. “You’ll upset her to no end if you try to see it.”
“You can’t come in here, Nicky,” Maddie called out shrilly. “I’m serious. I’ll never forgive you if you do.”
Nick merely sighed as he shook his head. “I find this situation unbelievably cute. I didn’t know you were doing this, Mad. I thought the dress was tucked away until the wedding.”
“It is. I just ... like looking at myself in the dress. Sue me.”
“Oh, that’s even cuter.” Nick sighed as he grabbed his tablet. “I think this is going to keep me smiling the entire day.”
“That’s because you’re a schmuck,” Maude said.
“I am. My future wife is in the bathroom in her wedding dress and I’m feeling schmaltzy about it. I’m the king of schmucks.”
Maude smirked. “You’re kind of cute, too.”
“I am,” Nick agreed. “I have to go to work, though. I’ll grace Kreskin with my schmucky presence. It will be glorious.” He moved closer to the bathroom door. “I love you, Mad. I can’t wait to see you in the dress.”
“I love you, too, but I don’t want to hear another word about this.”
“Oh, I can’t promise you that.”
“Nicky!” Maddie was exasperated. “I’m begging you.”
“I can’t make promises I’m not capable of keeping. I’ll see you later, love.”
“Nicky!”
He whistled as he left the room. Maude was pretty sure it was the wedding march.
Nine
Nick was still smiling about Maddie and her dress when he strode to the front of the police station. He extended his hand to open the door, but Kreskin pushed through coming from the other direction, forcing him to pull up short if he didn’t want to collide with his partner.
“You’re late.”
Nick smirked. “I forgot my tablet and had to go back.”
“That takes like thirty seconds.”
“Yes, well, I had a domestic disturbance to take care of.”
Kreskin cocked an eyebrow. “Maude?”
“She was there, but Maddie was the one creating the disturbance.”
“Since when? I thought she was an angel.”
“She’s my angel. It wasn’t that kind of disturbance, though.”
Kreskin pointed toward his cruiser. “Walk and talk at the same time.”
“It’s not a big deal.” Nick’s lips remained in a curve. “Although … you’re married. You can tell me if this is normal for women.”
“Ugh. I hate any statement that starts that way. There is no ‘normal’ when it comes to women.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Oh, geez.” Kreskin let loose a groan as he climbed into the driver’s seat of the cruiser and waited until Nick settled to ask the next question. “If this is about sex, I don’t want to hear it. I’m not kidding. I sort of think of you and Maddie as my surrogate kids and I cannot have that discussion.”
“You didn’t mind having the discussion when I was dating other women,” Nick pointed out.
“True, but Maddie is different.” Kreskin started the car and pointed it toward Main Street. “Maddie is somehow … sweeter.”
“She is,” Nick agreed. “This isn’t about sex, though. It’s about her dress.”
Kreskin was silent for a beat. “What dress?” he asked finally, confused.
“Her wedding dress. Apparently – and I just found this out today so I’m still trying to wrap my head around it – but, apparently, she waits until I leave for work every day and then stares at herself in her wedding dress. I have no idea for how long, but it’s a regular occurrence.”
Kreskin barked out a laugh, taking Nick by surprise. “That’s it? I thought you were going to tell me some deep and dark secret. That, my friend,
is totally normal. Women do that all the time. My sister, before her wedding, used to come out in her dress every day and ask us if it looked as if she’d gained weight. It’s a sickness.”
Nick smirked, genuinely amused. “I thought it was kind of cute myself. She, however, hid in the bathroom.”
“Did you see the dress?”
“No.”
“Well, that’s good. I don’t personally believe in that whole ‘it’s bad luck seeing the dress before the wedding’ thing, but women take it seriously. Maddie strikes me as the sort who would melt down if you saw it.”
“That’s why I’ve been careful to steer clear of the garment bag since she moved it to the closet.”
“You haven’t been tempted to look? Not even once?”
Nick shook his head. “No. I want it to be a surprise when I see her walking down the aisle.”
“George is walking her down the aisle, right?”
George Hunter was Maddie’s father, but since he was a recent addition to their lives, Kreskin never knew how far he should press things when asking questions. As far as he could tell, the man was amiable and easy to get along with. That didn’t mean the scars from Maddie’s childhood were completely healed.
“He is,” Nick confirmed. “He’s over the moon about it.”
“And Maddie?”
“She’s happy. I think she would be happier if her mother was with us.”
Kreskin cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “I thought her ghost was still hanging around.” He was always uneasy when talk turned to Maddie’s abilities. He didn’t doubt her – and Nick had been careful to refrain from going into too many specifics – but he wasn’t comfortable talking about it unless it was clear Nick needed someone to confide in. He was often an island where Maddie was concerned, and Kreskin worried he would occasionally stumble under the weight of all that baggage.
“She is, but it’s not the same. She showed herself to Maddie quite a bit at the beginning. Now she goes weeks without popping in. I think … I think it’s because she wants to give Maddie space to grow. It’s not normal to have your ghost mother constantly hanging around.”
Grave Destiny Page 47