Page 40 of Slow Burn
"Oh, yes." Her lips curved upward again. "Your dad and I have been going to Bingo nights at the community center." Laughing, she shook her head. "A sure sign that we are getting old now."
"Nah, not old, just wise." I winked and my mom howled with laughter. The sound, so joyous, bubbled straight from the happiest depths of her, and it was impossible not to grin.
With a few swipes of her fingers, she wiped away her happy tears. A second later, she looked about as serious as a heart attack. "I've missed you."
I knew exactly what she meant because I'd missed me too. There was a time, not too long ago, where I thought I'd never be able to be like this with anyone again. Swallowing down the emotion lodged in my throat, I stared at my mom's face. "I…I'm not…" For whatever reason, the right words wouldn't come. "There's a long way to go still," I finally admitted.
My mother's smile never wavered. "Of course there is. You've been to hell, and finding your way back was never going to be quick or easy."
Deep inside me, something else shifted. The sure click of it finding its place, lifting another small rock off my shoulders. I opened my mouth to tell my mom how right my dad had been, but before I could utter a word, two sharp knocks sounded from the front door.
My heart jumped inside my chest.
There was only one person who would be standing outside my door this early in the morning. "Someone just knocked. Can I call you back later?"
She blinked rapidly. "You have company?"
"Yeah."
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my grin from spreading when her mouth opened and closed a few times. Two more knocks sounded. I pushed off the bed. "I gotta go now." And then before I could stop it and possibly because she needed to hear it, I reminded her, "Love you."
Her eyes were shining once more when she repeated the words back to me with a wobbly goodbye at the end. Phone still clutched in my hand, I bolted down the stairs.Fingers curled around the handle, I took a few steadying breaths before I pulled it open.
As I suspected, Maddie was standing on my porch with her dog tucked under her arm. When he saw me, his tail furiously swished back and forth. My gaze flicked to the woman holding him. Was she just as happy to see me?
"Morning," she greeted sweetly. "I brought Sheldon." My eyes zeroed in on her mouth when she rolled her bottom lip over her teeth. I wanted to suck on it until the taste of her was burned onto my tongue.
Gripping the door tighter, I shifted from one foot to the other and forced my gaze to hers. The way she was staring at me, like she was seeing me and not the scars I wore, had the hair on my arms and neck standing up.
"It's still okay, right?" she asked, her voice quiet and unsure.
Clearly, whenever she was around, I was incapable of logical thinking. I blinked and then blinked again. "What?"
She licked her lips and I almost offered to do it for her. "Sheldon."
"Right, of course," I stammered, feeling like a bigger fool than I looked. I jerked my head in the excited dog's direction. "He come with special instructions?"
Her long blonde ponytail swayed side to side with the shake of her head. "Nope, just a warning." Maddie's mouth lifted into a mischievous smile. "If you love your shoes, keep him far, far away from them."
"Got it."
I lifted my hands to take the dog from her, but she pulled him just out of my reach. "You sure you want to do this? It's okay if you changed your mind."
"Maddie." I leveled her with a stare. "I offered, didn't I?"
It was my own fault she was second-guessing me. The little bastard and I hadn't started on the best foot, but if it weren't for him, I would never have needed to talk to Maddie.
Her gaze flicked between me and Sheldon before she reluctantly handed him over. There was no avoiding touching her during the transfer and as it always did, the parts of my skin that touched hers felt alive.
"My cell is on there as well as the studio's number." She thrust a small piece of paper toward me. "Please call me if anything goes wrong."
With the dog secured under one arm, I stepped forward and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Relax. Everything is going to be fine."
Those big eyes of hers flicked to where I was touching her before ever so slowly trekking up along my arm, over my shoulder, and finally settling on mine. They roamed over my face for a few breath-stealing seconds. "Okay." The word might've left her lips in a whisper, but it didn't hold an ounce of hesitancy.
Lifting my hand from her shoulder, I took the card with her contact details from her. I was still studying her neat scrawl when she spoke again. "I appreciate you doing this. If there's anything I can do to return the favor, just ask."
Oh, I could think of a few things, but I doubted they were the kind of favor she was referring to. "I wouldn't say no to cinnamon rolls."
