Page 233 of Lovers' Dance

“Of being your fiancée? The”—she stifled a yawn—“bodyguard thing.”

“Yes,” Matt confirmed as she closed her eye.

“Mmm, we’ll see. Love you.” She turned on her side and moments later resumed snoring.

Matt toyed with her curls before moving away. If he stayed any longer, he would not leave at all and there were things he needed to do. Pulling the bedroom door closed he made his way out the condo, pausing to pick up the brown envelope, his wallet, mobile and keys. He instructed Ryan to ensure Madi had everything she needed while he was away, then he and the remaining two guards took the lift down to the waiting limo. Matt fingered the envelope as the limo pulled away from the curb. His poppet’s capacity for love had floored him. She had told him everything that had transpired after he left her aunt and uncle’s house. The things Jenny had said to her; those hurtful things. Yet, she had no malice in her heart for her younger cousin. Instead, she had written another cheque and, on a piece of paper, she had written a few words: ‘I’m sorry I made you cry, Jenny-penny. I love you all.’

She was a better person than he, and being with her made him a better man. That was why he was now on his way to Queens. He was furious—livid would be an apt description of his thoughts on their treatment of Madi. But, if there was any way to fix the breach between her and her family, he would do it. Just to make her smile.

“We’re here, Mr. Bradley.” The chauffeur’s voice came over the internal intercom and Matt raised his head. He’d been lost in his thoughts for the whole journey.

Matt exited the limo before the chauffeur had a chance to get out and open his door. A minute later, his finger pressed the doorbell. It wasn’t a long wait until the door cracked open and Madi’s uncle peered out at him. The man’s eyes widened as he opened the door fully, then darted eagerly to the limo parked on the street.

“Is Madi—”

“She’s not with me,” Matt interrupted, and hastened to add she was at his place when he saw the worry flood her uncle’s face.

“Who is it, David?” came from inside the house.

Matt stiffened and asked, “May I come in?”

David stepped back to allow him entrance. When Matt walked in, it was to come face to face with Cleo. The look she gave him said it all.

“Why are you here?” She got straight to the point, but her eyes jumped to the front door. Like her husband, it held the embers of eager hope that died when David closed the door.

Cleo held a hand out gesturing for him to take a seat. Matt did so, all the while silently promising to maintain his cool reserve.

“Madi wanted to have this mailed, but I thought it best to deliver it by hand,” he said, handing the envelope over to her uncle. David handed it over to Cleo as he took a seat opposite Matt.

“I’ve asked her to marry me,” Matt stated without aplomb. “And she’s accepted my proposal.”

Cleo’s face when he said he had asked Madi to marry him was a picture. It became more shocked when he advised her niece had accepted. Her aunt took a seat next to her husband, wearing a dazed expression. They stared at him in silence.

“It was not the way I intended to ask,” Matt said, glancing at her uncle. “I would have preferred to discuss such matters with you first. Unfortunately, things did not work out that way.”

“No,” David finally responded. “They didn’t.”

Cleo looked away from Matt’s gaze and her jaw clenched, whether in anger or despair Matt could not tell. She hid her eyes from him.

“It’s a cheque.” Matt gestured to the envelope in Cleo’s hand. “From Madi for your daughter’s tuition.”

Cleo’s bottom lip quivered for a second before she inhaled softly and straightened her shoulders, lifting her head to stare at Matt.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked coldly. “What do you want from us?”

“Nothing,” Matt said quietly. “In fact, I would like to thank you.”

They exchanged confused looks before turning their attention back to him.

“Madison is beautiful, inside and out,” Matt said in a voice full of sincerity and pride. “She is sweet and fiercely protective of those she loves. She is determined, stubborn and makes me laugh in a way no one has ever done before. She sees the good in everyone.” Matt’s eyes narrowed. “And ignores the bad. She wants the best for everyone in her life, even if sometimes it makes her uncomfortable or goes against her own personal beliefs. She loves without conditions, without boundaries, and she loves me. So, I owe you thanks, for having a hand in raising such a wonderful person. Thank you.”

Cleo looked away. Matt could see her throat bobbing up and down frantically, but he couldn’t see her eyes.

“And I love her,” he said as he got to his feet. “More than life itself, and it’s a shame you refuse to acknowledge that.”

“I don’t know you.” Cleo’s head snapped around, dark brown eyes flashing. “I don’t trust you. Lord knows I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes, but she’s my brother’s baby and I did the best I could for her. Kept all those boys with their promises of the moon they couldn’t deliver far away from her, because I knew she had something special. I may have made mistakes along the way, been too strict, kept a distance between us…but I kept her on the straight and narrow.” Cleo stood up now. “And you, with your money and fancy life, you’ve come into her world and no oneseesher. They paint her as some sort of gold-digging whore when she’s not. Oh I know, I read the things they say about her on the Internet. Being with you has done this. I don’t know you, but I see what being with you has done and I don’t want that for her. I don’t want her facing a life of always having to deal with people looking down their noses at her because of her race, or where she’s from, or how much money she has.”

“I love her, and I will protect her,” Matt said.

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