I reach down to pick up her clothes and Maddy takes them from me. I watch her put them on as I straighten my own clothes out. I note every single detail about her—the way her brows furrow as she shimmies back into her pants, the crinkle in her nose as she buttons them, and the way she smooths out her hair with her fingers and fixes her makeup in the little mirror I hand to her.
“Why are you staring at me?” She tilts her head at me.
“Because I love you, Maddy.”
Her eyes fill with a different kind of tears. “I love you, too.” She rushes to me and throws her arms around my neck.
I plant a kiss on the top of her head and then watch her as she slips out of my office. I stand there for a few beats longer, feeling the aftershocks of her throughout my entire body.
I’m glad I was the guy who made her feel better, but also…
Beck better fucking talk to her and fix this.
Chapter 32
Maddy
You know what, sometimes it feels good to take a little power back, and that’s what I’ve reminded myself as I finished the rest of the day, focusing solely on the tasks that I was behind on—and not the fact that Beck fucked Marissa before me.
No wonder she hates me so much.
Beck has been at off-site meetings all day, and I haven’t had a chance yet to talk with him.
I let out a sigh as I shove my laptop into my bag, trying not to conjure up the mental image of the two of them together for the hundredth time. I shudder and then sling my bag over my shoulder, heading for the elevators.
“I got your text,” a voice stops me in my tracks as soon as I press thedownbutton.
“Oh,” I turn to see Beck lingering behind me. He’s got his messenger bag draped across his body, and a look of pure remorse on his face.
“I’m really looking forward to dinner with Riley.”
My throat feels like sandpaper. “Yeah, she is, too.”
He shuffles into the elevator with me. “I wanted to talk to you earlier, but I couldn’t find you and then I had a bunch of meetings.”
“What do you want to say to me, Beck?” I straighten my shoulders as he hits the ground floor button. There’s an edge to my voice that I can’t seem to get rid of. I mean, it’s not like Beckcheated.
I just don’t get what he saw inher.
Ugh. I’m being so jealous and insecure right now.
We stand in silence for a few beats as the elevator descends. I don’t know if Beck is expecting me to start this conversation, but I absolutely willnot.
“Maddy…” Beck takes a loud breath, just as the doors open. “I’m sorry about all that. I’m sorry it happened at all. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
I stare at him and then shake my head. “You blindsided me.”
He jogs to keep up with me. “I know. I’m sorry for that. I just didn’t think to tell you. I don’t know how to do this, Maddy. I’m not good at it. Usually, if things get weird, I bail. Or I make it funny, I guess. But with you, I don’t want to. I want to do all of this the right way.”
Something inside me softens. But just a little bit.
He meets my eyes as he holds the door open for me. “What I had with Marissa was… it wasnothing. I didn’t really even like her once I got to know her, and it was never even close to love. It was never close to what I feel with you.”
I swallow the feeling of my heart in my throat. “What do you feel with me?”
He rubs his face as we walk toward our apartment complex. “I… I…” He grabs my hand, forcing me to stop along the sidewalk. “I love you, Maddy. That’s what I feel with you.Love.”
I stare at him, searching his face for confirmation that this isn’t just him trying to charm me. “You love me?”
