“I wish I could introduce you to my mom,” he said, his voice soft. “And Maddox. She would love you both. I just know it.”
“She must have been a special lady.”
“She was,” he said firmly. “She really was.”
“Maddox said he would reach out to us when the time is right,” I reminded him. “I guess we just have to wait until that happens.” Even as I said it, however, the idea felt wrong.
“You know,” Gunner said, “I asked him for advice on how to date you.”
“You did?”
“Sure, a few times. I was worried I was going to fuck the whole thing up.”
“What did he say?”
“Just to listen to you and give you what you want.”
I laughed. “You definitely followed that advice. I guess that means we do wait to hear from him after all.”
Gunner rose to his feet, clenching his hands into fists. “I’m tired of waiting, though. It made sense to do whatever he told us to when we were at his house or when he was helping us with your apartment problem. But when it comes to the three of us, shouldn’t things be a little different? Shouldn’t we be making some of the decisions and showing him what we want, instead of waiting around for someone to ask?”
I’d always waited around for someone to ask me what I wanted. It was part of my nature. But with a determined expression on his face, Gunner was making a pretty convincing argument that there were other ways to do things.
“What do you suggest? Are we just supposed to drive out there? He’s probably still furious with us for breaking his rules. Climbing the fence again is just going to make things worse.”
Gunner took my hand, pulling me to my feet. “That’s why we’re doing it different this time.”
“How do you mean?”
“You and me, Malcolm. We’re going to take Maddox on a date.”
