Page 41 of Wicked Love
I was supposed to be the one making her laugh and tossing compliments at her, not the one dragging her down with the crap I kept buried deep inside.
“Slade,” she said softly, searching my gaze. “Please talk to me. I want to understand where this is coming from.”
My throat constricted. How could I deny her when she was practically begging me? It would be worse to leave her wondering, thinking maybe she’d done something wrong, wouldn’t it?
My voice came out uncomfortably gruff. “My ownmotherthought I was too defective to be around. She couldn’t stand to keep taking care of me—she left my dad, the love of her life, because of it.”
Maddie’s eyes widened. “You don’t really think that’s why, do you?”
“People don’t stay,” I said with a rasp. “I can entertain them and make them happy for a little while now because I work my ass off at it, but in the end… if even the person who’smostsupposed to be there can’t be bothered…”
“Slade.” Maddie wrapped me in a hug so sudden I stiffened up before I registered what she was doing. My arms came around her of their own accord, my eyes burning as I tipped my head next to hers. The sweet smell of her hair filled my nose.
“No offense,” she murmured, her breath tickling my neck warmly, “but your mom was a total jerk. No one deserves to be abandoned by a parent. But she probably left for reasons that had nothing to do with your leg. And if your birth defectdidhave anything to do with it, then she’s an even bigger jerk.”
A strangled sort of laugh tumbled out of me. “I’d pay good money to find her just so I could watch you tell her off like that.”
Maddie hummed dismissively and squeezed me tighter. “She’s not important anymore. She made her choices, jerky as they were, and now she’s gone. You’re here, and you’re amazing. I love you exactly the way you are. I love your sense of humor and how much energy you always bring to every conversation, I love the fact that you don’t let your leg slow you down and even manage to turn it into something fun with your crazy stories.”
As my mind whirled with her declaration, she pulled back just far enough to hold my gaze again. “I loveyou, Slade. Everything you are.”
It was impossible not to believe her when she said the words so emphatically, her blue eyes piercing into mine as if they were going to claim my soul. I’d have let her if I could offer it up.
I blinked hard, grappling with the wave of emotion that was rushing through me, a lot more of it good than it’d been before but still a mess. My voice came out choked. “I love you too.”
I tugged her back to me, winding my fingers in her soft hair, and pressed my mouth to hers as if I could brand the truth of that statement into her. She kissed me back just as hard. The impact of what we’d just said reverberated through me, and all my despondency fell away in its wake. Maddie’s touch and the memory of her words ringing through my head banished the gnawing doubts.
She saw someone amazing in me, and I was going to be that amazing guy with every particle of my being.
When we finally eased apart, our breaths a little ragged, Maddie grinned at me. At the sparkle in her blue eyes, I found my usual optimism came to me without any hesitation at all.
I tweaked one of her blond locks and grinned right back at her. “What do you say we go and get that dinner we both need?”
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Madelyn
Ileaned back in my chair and massaged my temples, restraining a groan. I’d been stuffing facts about genetics into my head for the past few hours in preparation for next week’s exam, and my brain felt ready to explode.
Before I could really consider taking a break, though, my ringtone pealed from my purse. I dug it out. At the sight of Beckett’s name on the screen, I yanked it to my ear.
“Hey,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Hey, Maddie. I just wanted to give you a heads up that I’ve got some things I’d like to send your way.”
“What kind of things?”
He paused. “Is everything all right? You sound exhausted.”
I let out a grunt of frustration. “Just studying woes. I could use a change of pace.”
“Well, I can certainly give you that.” He chuckled, but it sounded a bit strained. “My people have dug up a bunch of files related to both the warehouse and the seafood market. I haven’t spotted anything useful in them, but I thought it’d be good to have you give them a glance too since you’d have a better idea how anything might connect to your dad.”
I sat up a little straighter. “Of course. I’ll go through them right away.”
“Thanks, Maddie. I know if there’s anything in there, you’ll find it.”
His voice had gone distant, as if his mind had already moved on to other considerations. I frowned. “Is everything okay withyou? You seem kind of distracted.”
