Page 55 of Breathtaking

Yeah. Thanks for nothing.

Callen

I didn’t have to warn you.

My doorbell rings right before the code is punched in, and the door opens.

What the fuck?

Maddox

How long ago did they leave?

I look at the time and groan. It’s barely nine a.m.

Callen

How should I know? Anastasia and I took a nap.

“Maddox,” Caitlin calls out, and I immediately smell coffee and pastries from Mom’s shop, Sweet Temptations. “Oh, Maddox,” she singsongs, and I swear my mother smothers a laugh.

“I thought you said he was expecting us, Caitie,” Mom questions Cait. I drag my hand over my face and sit up as I hear them getting closer. “Maddox? What on earth are you doing on the couch?”

Caitlin’s grin is devious at best when it comes into view, and I know I deserve it for all the crap I gave her last year, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready for it.

“Hey, Mom.” I throw the blanket off and grab my jeans from the floor, then pull them up my legs. “What are you doing here?” I drop a kiss on top of her head. She and Caitlin look more like sisters than mother and daughter. Both with dark hair and pale skin. Not to mention tempers you don’t want to cross. Mom’s good with a gun. Cait’s better with a knife. Consider yourself warned.

“We brought you coffee and donuts and that new bagel you like so much.” She holds the bag up in her hand, while Cait pulls one of the coffees from the caddy and offers it to me. “Caitie said you wanted to see us.”

I look between the two women and shake my head.

Might as well go with it.

“I do. I just didn’t realize it was going to be this morning. I thought I’d come see you.” I walk into the kitchen and pull out a stool from the island for her. I probably should make getting furniture a priority.

Caitlin opens a cabinet and pulls out a plate I’m not even sure I knew I owned and starts stacking the pastries.

“Is everything okay, Maddox?” Her eyes dart from me to Caitlin and back. “You’re worrying me. Should I call your father? Did one of your brothers do something?”

Cait snorts, and I swear to God I’m going to get her back for this.

“No, Ma. Everything is fine. I just have some news to share with you guys. I’ll talk to Dad later today.” I don’t bother telling her he probably knows already. At least part of it.

“News?” She perks up. “Good news?”

Meatball trots into the kitchen, followed by Mom and Caitlin both coughing.

Well, shit.

I turn and see Lennon, and fuck me... She’s wearing one of my old, threadbare, green Crucible t-shirts and a short pair of soft shorts. She looks fantastic and awful all at once. Her red hair is damp around her shoulders, and her skin is pale and flushed and bruised to hell.

“Sorry.” She freezes, her nervous eyes darting around the room. “I didn’t realize you had company... I’ll just go?—”

“Principessa...” I reach my hand out, and she stares at it like she’s looking at a python ready to strike.

Mom stops breathing like I knew she would with that single word.

One day, Lennon will understand the underlying importance in that one word.

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