Page 133 of Dark Endures

“But I can sit?”

“You can. Four or five hours a day max.”

That means I’m free. I’m free.

Does that mean I’ll have to leave this apartment?

How is my life about to change?

All I wanted to do was get out of here. Now I’m terrified that might mean not seeing Maddox anymore.

***

“What do you want to do first?” Fea asks as we flip through trashy magazines.

I don’t know.

The apartment door opens.

No one else is on the schedule.

Maddox walks in with a great big smile on his face. “I heard the doctor let you out of here.”

“Yeah.” I can’t help smiling back at him.

“Wanna go for a walk?”

More than I can say. “Absolutely. Let me just change.”

Instead of waiting for Maddox to lift me up, I slowly climb out of bed like I’m a hundred years old and the arthritis is winning. But I do it on my own.

***

The first hints of fresh air tickle my nose as I step out of the old brick apartment building. “Lovely.”

“There’s a little park right around the corner.” He loops his arm through mine as we walk down the street.

The simple things hit hard when they’ve been taken away. The feel of the sun on my skin. The cool wind tickles a strand of hair along my cheek. The sound of children laughing and playing makes my heart smile.

It’s almost too much to feel all of it at once.

We reach the garden, which is still covered in flowers even though the nights are getting cold enough that we might have snow soon. The first snow of winter is always the prettiest.

In one of the corners is a bench with a cushion on it. “Do you think of everything?”

“I try to.”

His answer is as simple as it is complex. He thinks of everything. Leonie told me about what he does, about Willow Street, and all of this started making sense. “Do you mind if I sit here alone for a little while?” I haven’t been alone since Adonis hurt me.

“Of course. I’ll come and check on you in a few minutes.”

Check on me. Care for me. “Thank you.” Maddox Locke epitomizes a giving soul. A protector. A caretaker. How could any one man take on a project like this and make it into a safe space for so many?

That’s what tears my heart out. When I woke up, I thought all of this was strange. Then a part of me hoped that itwas because he wanted us to be more than friends. I started to believe that he could be my one divorce. Maybe we could make it a nice, long time before we broke up.

Only Leonie’s words made me realize that this isn’t about the ‘us’ in my mind. Caring for me, his employee, is just part of who Maddox is. He gives his all and cares for all the people who will let him. The generosity of his heart seems never-ending.

But I don’t want a generous man. I want a greedy man. A man who needs me more than he needs his next breath. A man who fights for time with me. A man who laughs because I smile…

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