He smiles and nods before walking ahead to open the front door for us.
It’s still strange being treated this way. Having someone like Julius waiting on me, making things easier, like I belong here.
I don’t. I’m just a girl from a small town in Alabama.
A girl who killed her own father and spent most of her life fighting to survive. I don’t fit into this luxurious world or belong in a place like this.
Kaitlin walks up behind me carrying all the grocery bags plus a few of her boutique bags, struggling to hold it all. “Girl, when a man offers to carry your shit, you let him. Have I taught you nothing?!”
I laugh, grabbing a few of the bags from her arms before following everyone inside. We carry everything into the large living room, where we plan to spend the night watching movieson the massive screen and eating our ridiculous collection of snacks from the comfort of the oversized sectional.
Once we settle in and start sorting through our purchases, I notice Kaitlin grows unusually quiet, which is weird for her. Kaitlin is normally loud, obnoxious, and impossible to ignore. Silence isn’t exactly something I associate with her. But ever since we sat down, she’s been glued to her phone, texting constantly.
The sudden change in her demeanor catches my attention. I try asking her if she’s okay, but all she does is glance up at me, smile, and tell me she’s texting Gabby, so I decided not to push it.
It’s not like Kaitlin to shut herself off, but it’s also been a while since we’ve actually spent time together. And if I’m being honest, I’m the reason for that. I had started shutting her out, letting everything happening with Miles and my own problems consume me.
Maybe this is just her way of easing back into things.
We’re about halfway through Clueless when the front door opens. A few seconds later, Miles’ voice echoes through the house.
“Whose car is parked in the circle drive?”
My entire body stills.
When he walks into the living room and sees Kaitlin sitting beside me on the couch, his expression changes instantly. It’s subtle, but I know him well enough now to catch it. The look on his face says he’s one second away from losing his mind.
Kaitlin, of course, notices immediately. A slow, devilish smile spreads across her face as she looks at him, clearly enjoying his reaction. And suddenly, I’m wondering if bringing her here was a mistake.
“Hey, asshole,” she says casually. “Nice place you got here.”
Miles looks over at me, then at Morgan, but he doesn’t say a word. Not to me, not to Kaitlin, not even a sarcastic comment under his breath like I expected. He simply turns around and walks out of the room.
Oh shit.
He’s pissed,reallypissed. I’ve never seen him this angry over something I’ve done before. The tension rolling off him is almost suffocating, and I swear I can see a vein pulsing in his forehead before he disappears down the hallway.
I immediately get up from where I’m sitting with the girls and follow after him. I find him in the kitchen, standing in front of the fridge as he pulls out a beer. He pops the top off and takes a long drink before turning around to face me.
“I told you not to bring her here.” His voice is calm, but there’s something underneath it. Something sharp and full of fear disguised as anger. “Do you not care about your safety at all?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t know how to make him understand that I wasn’t trying to be reckless. I wasn’t trying to disrespect him. I just wanted one normal day with my friend.
“I’m sorry?—”
“You’re sorry?” he cuts me off, his eyes hardening.
“Maddie, there is literally someone out there trying to hurt you. Do you not understand the severity of this?”
His words hit harder than I expect them to. They sink straight into my chest, and for a moment, I feel like that scared girl I used to be. The one who needed someone else to tell her what to do. The one who didn’t have a voice. But I refuse to go back there. I’ve come too far.
I swallow the lump forming in my throat and force myself to hold his gaze.
“I understand the severity of it, Miles,” I say quietly. “But I’m not a child, and I won’t let you treat me like one.” His expression shifts slightly, but I continue. “All I wanted was to have a girls’ day with my friend. That’s it. I wasn’t trying to put myself in danger. I wasn’t trying to make you angry.” I take a step back. “But if this is too much for you, then we’ll leave.”
For a moment, I think I’ve only made things worse. Miles just stands there, staring at me. I can see the anger fighting with something else in his eyes—fear.
He takes another drink from his beer before setting it down on the counter. Then he walks toward me slowly. When he reaches me, his hands find my waist and pull me against him. His right hand lifts, gently cupping my cheek, and the anger in his expression softens.
