Page 103 of On The Edge

“You promised me you weren’t going to go away again.”

“No, I said I’d go away but that I’d always come back. There’s a difference.” She kisses my cheek. “This time will be short. I promise. I’ll be back before you can blink.”

But it wasn’t short. It never was. She missed my birthday but came back for Sofia’s.

That’s when I stopped believing in her words.

That’s when I stopped trusting my mamá.

That’s when I stopped believing I was worth coming back for.

Maddix left tonight, but she came back. This time. No doubt I’ll hurt her one day—probably soon—and that time she won’t come back.

That’s why you guard your heart, Cross. It’s safer. It’s better.

It’s all you have.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Maddix

“You said you’d never been on a yacht so . . .” Cruz stands on the dock with one hand on the gangplank railing and the other motioning for me to walk about the massive boat beside him. It’s titanium gray with a sleek hull and black accents. I don’t even dare question how large it is because it looks massive and expensive and—

“Oh my God. Is this yours?” I ask, the epiphany dawning on me in the most ridiculous of ways.

“It’s the family’s.” He lifts his eyebrows. “What? Rossi’s is better?”

I burst out laughing. “Definitely.” He swats my ass, and I yelp as I climb aboard.

If I thought the jet was extravagant, the yacht puts it to shame infinitely. Cruz lets me explore while he talks to the captain about boat things. I have very limited knowledge about boats, but I know enough to conclude that every bell and whistle is on this damn thing.

“Is it to your satisfaction, ma’am?” Cruz asks playfully when I find him on the back upper deck, hands braced on the rail, and surveying the wake of the boat as we make our way out of the harbor.

“It’s beautiful.” I wince. “Is that the right terminology?”

“Do you think I care?” He pulls me into him and kisses me softly.

This still feels like part of the Cruz apology tour. Something that is completely unnecessary but, at the same time, is totally welcome. And not because of the material things—the hundred dahlias delivered, the second Vespa he bought so I could explore Monaco on my own while he was off training or weightlifting or whatever it is that he spends hours doing to hone his body into the perfection that it is. But because I get time with him.

Time that I’m beginning to realize is ticking away toward a date—a board vote—when this whole thing between us might be over.

“You’re too quiet.”

“I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“About all of these changes that have happened. About how much I miss my parents. About how Kevin praised my market analysis I did and said it was one the most detailed and informative he’s ever seen. About what my life was like weeks ago and what it is now.”

“That’s a lot of thinking.”

“It is.” I slide my hand down and link my fingers with his. “And I was wondering if you were okay.”

His fingers flinch in mine. “Of course, I am.”

I nod and tread carefully. “You saw your mom for less than ten minutes the other night.” I shift on my feet, staring at his profile while he looks straight ahead. “It was contentious to say the least. I didn’t know if—”

“I’m fine.” I’ve known him long enough to know the smile he flashes my way is insincere. It’s the one he uses when he poses for pictures with fans. “Not a big deal at all.”