Page 49 of Maddox
I’m not stupid enough to believe this can go anywhere but there’s a part of me, I admit, that’s disappointed at the thought.
I expect him to stop once we’re past the tree line, but he keeps going until we’re far enough away that the sound of passing cars is muffled by the thick branches.
When we enter a small clearing, Maddox shakes the blanket out before laying it on the ground.
Surrounded by nothing but trees and sky, it feels like we’re in our own little cocoon and I take his hand with a shy smile when he reaches out to me.
That devastating dimple comes out to play once we’re sitting on the blanket and I hold my breath as he touches a lock of my hair before pushing it gently behind my ear.
My skin hums at the contact and I silently order my pounding heart to calm the fuck down when he leans toward me.
His mouth never touches mine however and when I feel his lips graze my ear, I shiver as he says, “Look up.”
Huh?
Momentarily disoriented, I frown when I spy the twinkle in his eyes, but it fades as he tips my chin, and I find the sky.
Without the light from the city to blight the stars, they shine boldly, and I smile as I say, “Oh.”
Humming under his breath, Maddox wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I silently sigh when he winks and lays back, pulling me gently to follow.
Once I’m snuggled into his warm chest, I turn to the sky once more, strangely content to hear his quiet breaths puff against my ear.
Despite the silence between us, it’s perfectly wonderful because for once I can just be without having to think about all the shit barreling down on me.
Here, it’s just us and the stars and I wish, selfishly, that we never had to leave.
What inspired him to bring me here? Did he see my distress or was this a fluke?
After a while, the wind begins to blow and I shiver when a gust blows over us, displacing the blanket.
Maddox pulls the edges of the blanket up and around me, forming a little burrito.
Unfortunately, when he does, a memory surfaces and it’s as real as the two of us sitting here when I close my eyes.
“Wake up. Wake up,” she whispers in my ear, and I force my tired eyes open.
“Mom?” I mumble and she taps my nose.
“C’mon.”
“Where?” I ask as she pushes to her feet.
A glance at the clock confirms it’s three in the morning and my stomach sinks.
How long has it been? More than two years, I’m guessing.
In the hall, I spy Petey in her arms and silently sigh. I had hoped that when my little brother came, she would grow out of these little spells.
Sure, when I was Petey’s age, I thought it was fun but that was before I realized the woman ushering us down the stairs is but a pale version of the mom we both love.
“Grab those, won’t you, little bird?” she says, nodding to the tray on the counter.
The steaming chocolate smells good and my stomach rumbles as I follow her outside.
In the backyard, she shifts Petey in her arms and tips her head back, saying, “Look, son. Look at the stars.”
However, Petey is not enthralled, and he whines, “I want Stanley.”
