It was filling the tub and washing the soot from my body.
It was drying me off and dressing me.
It was holding me through the night and wiping my tears as I cried.
It was the sound of his heartbeat, so steady and strong against my ear.
And his care didn’t stop when the sun came up.I was still reeling this morning and couldn’t bring myself to send Dylan to school.There were too many unknowns, and I just wanted him close to me, but I knew he’d have a lot of questions, and hiding the truth from him wasn’t an option, especially since I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to work again.
Over breakfast, with Maddox’s reassuring presence beside me, we told Dylan everything.The explosion, the injuries, the uncertainty of what comes next.My son’s face grew serious, his eyes darting between us.
“You’re not going back there,” Dylan said firmly, his voice deeper than usual.He turned to Maddox.“Tell her she isn’t working there anymore.”
“Dyl, it’s not that simple,” I started.“That job pays our bills, and?—”
“I don’t care,” Dylan interjected.“Mom, you could have died.”
Hearing him say those words gutted me, and I couldn’t stop the flow of tears.
Maddox cleared his throat.“Your mom’s right.It’s not simple, Dylan.But she’s also not going back there until we know it’s safe.”He paused and looked at me with those intense eyes of his.“And if it never feels safe again, we’ll figure something else out.Together.”
The word ‘together’ hung in the air between us.Dylan’s shoulders relaxed, and Maddox’s hand found mine under the table.
After breakfast, Maddox asked Dylan if he’d give him a hand with something, and the two disappeared through the back door.Now I’m sitting in Maddox’s living room, wrapped in a blanket, wearing another one of his flannel shirts while nursing my third cup of tea.
Judy keeps popping into the room as per Maddox’s request, offering me food.However, I think she’d be doing it even if Maddox hadn’t asked her to.The woman loves to dote on people, and right now I’m her current fixation.Unfortunately, I have absolutely no appetite.
Something rustles to my left, and my eyes swing in that direction.Della stands in the doorway, looking apologetic.“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to sneak up on you.”
“Della,” I manage a weak smile and shift to make room on the couch.“Come sit.”
She moves into the room, her eyes taking inventory of me—the blanket, the oversized shirt, the dark circles I’m sure have formed under my eyes.“Are you sure?I don’t want to impose.”
I laugh but it doesn’t sound natural even to my own ears.“It’s literally your house.”
She settles beside me.“Actually, it’s Maddox’s.I’m just crashing here until I build my own.”
“I guess that makes two of us.”
Not that I’ll be building my own house anytime soon.I don’t even know how I’m going to pay my rent next month now that I’m out of a job.The money I make at the farmer’s market isn’t enough.
“I don’t think you’ll be crashing here for long,” Della says, interrupting my thoughts.“I caught up with Maddox while you were in the shower this morning.I’ve never seen my brother so out of sorts.”She pauses, angling her head.“He was off when Granddaddy passed, and pretty beside himself when our mother died, but neither time compared to how he looked this morning.He was pacing the kitchen, pulling at his hair like a madman.He’s got it bad for you, Amelia, and I don’t think he plans on letting you out of his sight anytime soon.”
I feel my cheeks heat.“He’s been incredible.”
Her eyes dart around the living room.“Speaking of Maddox, where is he?”
A heavy sigh escapes my lips, and I lean forward, gently placing the mug on the coffee table.“Dylan was upset after we told him what happened.Maddox took him out to clear his head.”
Suddenly, the back door swings open, and Dylan rushes in, his face flushed with excitement.Maddox follows behind him, along with Wyatt, Grant, and Tyler, all of whom carry cardboard boxes of various sizes.
“Mom!”Dylan exclaims, nearly tripping over his own feet.“Look!”
I straighten up, pushing the blanket off my shoulders.“What’s all this?”
Dylan grins, bouncing on his heels.“We went to the apartment and got some of our stuff!Clothes, toothbrushes, that thing you curl your hair with—oh, and Maddox even let me bring my PlayStation!He’s gonna put a T.V.in the room I slept in last night and hook it up for me.”
My eyes widen, my gaze bouncing from my son to Maddox.He carefully sets down the box he’s holding, one that is labeled“SOAPS”in Dylan’s messy handwriting.
