Page 30 of Honey Bun
Maddie shook her head. “It’s hard to imagine myself running my own company. I’m not like the Norouzi brothers.”
My heart practically fell out of my body and hit the floor. Maddie had always had it rough, but she used to be brave.
Cyrus said, “Many people start businesses. With the right backing, you can do anything.”
My muscles tightened. Maddie let me go and stepped back. “Look, I need to go check on my daughter. Talk to you soon.”
The second she disappeared, chills rushed through me.
Cyrus kept his voice low but asked, “What happened to Maddie these past ten years?”
I shrugged. If she trusted me with the truth, I would understand better. “I don’t know. It clearly wasn’t good, but she hasn’t told me everything, so don’t push her.”
“You’re still into her.”
I watched her as she stood outside the roller-coaster line. I would take her on it if she wanted. I didn’t glance away. “She’s… a breath of fresh air in my life, and I don’t want her going anywhere.”
Cyrus’s laugh brought me out of my reverie. “Clearly. You’re usually demanding and arrogant. She’s bringing out a softer version of you.”
“I’m not demanding with family.” As a CEO, I was one person, but that wasn’t who I was all the time. Most of my brothers were probably the same, and it was nice having them around in the city.
He tapped my back as if to let me know I should get going. “So, you consider her family now. I guess Mom’s getting her wish.”
My love life wasn’t my mother’s top priority, or at least, I hoped not. I shook my head. “I figured Joel and Kendal’s marriage meant she’d lay off for a while. And now, with you and Leah—”
Cyrus’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s not discuss that. I’m not ready.” I was about to say goodbye, but he said, “When you show back up at your work with Maddie at your side, people will see you’re different with her.”
So what if people see that I don’t want to date anyone else? Maddie is all I want.I hugged my brother goodbye. “I don’t care what anyone says. Look, I’m going to head back to Maddie and Aurora, but if you need to talk, I’m happy to listen.”
Then I returned as fast as I could to Maddie’s side. Being near her energized me, and it wasn’t just her physical beauty. Something inside her was like a magnet that drew me toward her.
Arman
The lights of the carnival blitzed the darkness of night. I grabbed tickets from a barker for one more ride and handed them to Aurora and her friends. They took off for their last ride, and Maddie didn’t say a word.
I returned to her side and offered my arm as I showed her the tickets I’d saved for us. “Let’s go.”
She glanced up at the roller coaster. “I’ve never been on one.”
I handed our tickets to the attendant and strode through the gate. As I’d bought VIP, we headed toward the cart. I let her scoot in first. “Stick with me, and soon, you’ll never say anything like that again.”
“Sounds dangerous,” she said with a glint in her eyes.
The attendant checked our seat belts and left. Then I said, “Is that how you think of me—dangerous?”
The engine revved, and she gripped her seat handles. “No. The opposite. Arman, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
We rolled off for the start of the ride, and I said, “I hope that’s true.”
“Of course it is,” she said as we were pulled to the top part of the coaster.
Then she screamed as we descended and looped. She had my full attention now that she seemed ready to let out her honest feelings. She was captivating.
When the ride ended, I helped her out. We walked off, and she said, “I never laughed and screamed so much. Thank you.”
“Happy to oblige.”
We waited as her daughter said good night to her friends. Then Maddie asked me, “So, how do I rate in your dating experience?”
