“I do appreciate that. Don’t worry. If it ever comes to that, you’ll be my first call, Mr. Nico. Take care of my boys.”
“I will, sir. Thank you again.”
They swapped the phone again, and Felipe was back. “That went better than expected.”
“Yeah, how soon can you guys get back?”
“Late tomorrow maybe. We’ll leave here once they are ready.”
“All right. I’ll see you when you get here.”
I turned around after hanging up and looked at Sebastian and Dad, pumping my fist in victory. Dad gave me a relieved nod while Sebastian grinned and relaxed his posture.
I texted Luis to say that the reptile shifters were on the way and to get his ass home. I didn’t see any reason for him to keep looking for Maddy’s birth mom. I needed to consolidate my forces, and having him gone didn’t help. Besides, it looked like that woman was even better at hiding than Kenneth had been. I wasn’t sure even Luis would have been successful.
Sebastian left not long afterward, but Dad lingered. I could tell he wanted to ask me something. I poured myself a scotch and Coke to help my nerves and gestured toward the bottles. “You want one?”
Dad shook his head. “Your mother would kill me; it’s not even five in the afternoon. How’s Maddy’s state of mind? This is a lot to take in. How do you think she’s holding up?”
I took asip of my drink, letting the burn linger in my throat before answering. “I really don’t know. She’s stressed out, for sure. I’m a little worried. It’s like every single day something else gets piled onto her. I know she’s worried about her family, plus she’s found out her whole life was a lie. Then there’re mundane things like her business being shut down. I’m afraid she’s getting close to a breaking point.”
“I think you’re right.”
“What do I do, Dad? I don’t think avacationis the right thing, not with so much going on right now. She’s got too much going on to enjoy a weekend away.”
“I’ll be honest. The best thing you can do for her is to be present. Make sure she knows you’re here for her while she works through all of this.”
I nodded. “I’m trying my best, Dad. I really am. The problem is, I don’t know if my best will be good enough.”
After Dad left, I let Maddy sleep. I was sure she needed it, so I made dinner. I wanted something special for her when she got up. Maybe a bunch of her favorite things would help get her mind off everything for a few minutes.
Thirty minutes later, Maddy came down, and I saw her give me the first real smile I’d seen on her face since her laughing fit when I’d opened the fridge at Gabriella’s place. She walked up to the table and saw everything I’d made.
“You made me spaghetti and meatballs? That’s my favorite!”
I bobbed my head back and forth. “Well, when we were at your parent's house, I may have stumbled across your mom’s recipe book and taken a picture of this one. She’d writtenMaddy’s favein the margins. So, I’d love to say I was good at guessing, but that would be a lie.”
“Wait. This is my mom’s actual recipe?”
“Yup.”
“Oh my gosh. Get me a fork. Now.”
I laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”
Over dinner, Maddy opened up to me about how she was feeling. It was exactly what I’d thought. She was fully overwhelmed by everything.
“I feel like my entire life is balanced on a razor’s edge. Nothing seems to relieve the stress. Even when I go to sleep, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll have some crazy dream or hellish nightmare, so there isn’t even any respite there. That envelope sitting there in my room isn’t helping. We’ll have to open it, but I just mentally can’t. Not today. God only knows what’s inside that thing. Who knows, maybe it’ll make things even worse.”
“Whatever you decide, I’ve got your back,” I said, putting a hand over hers.
Maddy put her fork down and gave me an appreciative smile. “Thank you.”
She leaned over and kissed me. Her lips lingered on mine a moment longer than necessary. Hunger exploded inside me, and I slipped my tongue into her mouth, flicking across hers. Maddy moaned and deepened the kiss. Things became more passionate. One of my hands found her thigh and slid up until it was on her waist, then I was lifting her into my arms. We stood, dinner forgotten, and moved toward the stairs.
Our kiss finally broke as we started climbing the steps. I held her hand and led her to the bedroom. All I wanted to do was take her mind off everything. If I could take away her stress and worry for even ten minutes, I would.
I pulled her close, staring into her eyes as I began to undo her pants, letting them slide to her pants. I tugged her T-shirt over her head and slid my hands across the bare skin of her shoulders down her collarbones, then I slipped my fingertips onto the smooth flesh of her breasts. Her breath caught as I circled her nipples. Maddy bit her lower lip and unzipped my pants, sliding her hand inside and tugging my cock out. I let out a sigh as she stroked my shaft, her cool fingers as soft as velvet.
