Page 31 of Madden

This sounds good, letting him take care of me and Mick. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I can call Steph and ask her to bring clothes over for you two if you give me her number."

No man has ever gone this far out of his way to be nice to me, and not having to decide is very appealing to me. I rattle off Stephanie's number. "I'll see you in about an hour and a half."

"Be careful. If it's going to take you longer, don't worry. Dinner will be taken care of when you get to my house. I've got you, Bec."

That sounds nice, and I haven't had a partner in so long. "Thanks Madden. I'll be there soon."

Letting out a breath, I head for home, and when I think about his house at home, it feels right.

CHAPTER 21

MADDEN

"We can stayat your house tonight?" Mick asks as we're driving through early-evening traffic.

My chest warms when I think about going to bed with the two of them under my roof. I won't have to worry about them being safe. I've thought off and on about who may come after them since Trey's been in jail. There's no telling what he's said, or to who. I've worried about that more often than I probably should. "Yeah, you and Bec are going to spend the night. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, I'll be able to play with Donut, and not have to stop because we have to go home," he says, glancing over at me with a smile.

I haven't seen a smile like this on his face, ever. He's got dimples in his cheeks. I never knew that. "I'm excited."

I am too. I've wanted to take care of Bec, and now she's letting me. "Me too. We're going to stop and get some dinner, so Becca doesn't have to worry about it. Any suggestions or requests?"

"Chicken fingers," he says with no hesitation.

"Do you like them plain, or dipped?"

"Dipped, but not super hot. Bec likes them hot, and they burn my mouth."

Now this is something I didn't know about Becca, and these are the things I've wanted to. "Alright, we'll grab a couple of different flavors, some fries, and toast. That way, she has plenty to choose from when she gets home."

"Where did she go today?" Mick asks. "I heard her talking to Stephanie, and she mentioned going to see my dad. Is that what she did?"

I'm not sure what she wants him to know and she doesn't. Especially if the meeting didn't go the way she wanted it to. "I think that's something you should ask her." I try to play it off.

"That means she saw him." Mick crosses his arms across his chest. "I wonder if he asked her about me."

He didn't. Men like him never do, but I can't bring myself to say that to the kid who's looking up at me with so much hope in his eyes. I can't break that heart. "I'm sure he did."

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah, I mean, who wouldn't ask about you? You're an amazing kid."

He's beaming, and I wish like hell that what I'm telling him is the truth. I was disappointed most of my life by people who should've been the ones to hold me up and give me the confidence to be the man I am today. Unfortunately, I had to be that person for myself, and I'm willing to be the man for others that I wanted for myself.

"Thanks, Madden."

"You're welcome." I'm emotional as I choke the words out.

We pull into the drive-thru of the local chicken shack and wait our turn. As we're laughing about Donut trying to get into our conversation, my phone rings with a FaceTime request from Beckett. "Ohh, this is my brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Sure do, he's younger and a pain in the ass, but I love him anyway."

The line connects, and I see the face that looks so much like mine. "Hey fucker," Beckett grins, flipping me the bird.

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