When she stared at me for long seconds with a hopeful look, I bit out an unamused laugh. “I’m not telling you.”
An irritated noise left her. “Lame.” She moved a couple of the cups in front of the espresso machine, then looked back to me. “But you know how Cayson is with cheating, so he’s only gonna see it that way until he knows otherwise.”
My head lowered in acknowledgment. Once she’d placed two cups of coffee in front of me, I asked, “Rae?”
Emberly’s expression dipped, answering for her, but she hurried to recover it. “Hey, so I need your help with something. You and Saw, doing manly things that men like to do.” She offered me a cheesy, pleading grin. “Are you available?”
I hesitated as I thought about the woman waiting for me. About the day I’d promised her. “Can it wait until tomorrow?”
“I guess,” she said dramatically, fighting a mischievous grin that had me wondering if I would come to regret agreeing to whatever she needed help with. “So, what are you doing going over to Madison’s—”
“Drop it, Em.”
She groaned as she continued making the drinks. “You’re no fun.”
But from the small, encouraging smile she sent my way, I knew she understood. Knew she’d seen how I’d kept to myself ever since moving back to Amber and respected it, even if she desperately wanted to know what was going on.
Still, by the time I left with all five drinks, she’d tried to get it out of me a few more times, phrasing the lighthearted question differently each time.
Before I knew it, I was knocking on the Black’s door.
The energy swirling around me so different than the night before.
Then, I’d needed to be near Madison, to see her and hold her. To wade through all that stood between us. Then, our future had been a massive wall of uncertainty.
Now, I was eager as hell to get to Madison, and all kinds of terrified to truly meet Avalee. Worried I’d do or say something wrong because I had no experience with kids, and this was Madison’s kid. At the same time, I wanted this meeting and this day so damn bad because it was the most important person in the world to the woman who was my world.
I offered Madison’s dad a smile when he opened the door, but felt my entire spirit shrink at his deadpan expression.
I’d gotten that look from him a lot growing up. Like, every time Madison and I got caught sneaking out together and doing a number of other things.
Considering the welcome I’d received from him the night before had been wildly different, friendly even, I wondered if taking Madison home with me had something to do with the change. Not that I’d expected it to. Her parents had assured us they had Avalee if anything happened overnight before practically shoving us out the door.
Clearing my throat, I nodded and said, “Morning, sir.”
“So, you do know how to come to the door then . . .”
I glanced at the door and then back in time to see him turning to go inside, motioning for me to follow. I’d also gotten that motion more times than I cared to remember. Good conversations never came with it.
Fuck.
I followed him through the house and into the kitchen, where his wife was putting away dishes. Her expression morphing from shock to joy when she saw me there.
“Well, good morning,” she said brightly, even though there was an underlying tone of disapproval. “Wasn’t sure you were comin’ back.”
Mr. Black huffed at the confusion on my face. “Looked like you dropped off our girl and got on outta here.”
I nodded, finally understanding his door comment. “Madison and I thought it would be best if I came back after Avalee was already awake, so I ran to Brewed.” I carefully set the tray of coffees on one of the counters and placed the fifth cup beside it. “Emberly made everyone’s drinks, I’m not sure what some of them are.”
“Ah, sweet boy,” Mrs. Black said as she stepped up to me, patting my shoulder. “And I do agree. However . . .”
Mr. Black grunted as if already agreeing with whatever she was about to say.
His wife hesitated, shifting the cups around once she got them out of the carrier and was holding the one with her name on it. When she faced me again, worry was splashed across her face. “This is fast.”
“Very,” Madison’s dad agreed.
“We adore you, always have,” she added quickly. “But with how their lives are going, and with Madison still being married?”
“I’ve rooted for you for a long time,” Mr. Black said, “even when you made my blood pressure go through the roof. I rooted for you when you showed up the other night too. But then you take her home and drop her off this morning without bringing her in like a man who respects her should. She tells us they are gonna spend the day with you, and apparently y’all have made a decision for Avalee.” He lifted his hands as if not knowing what to say about it. “Somehow talking and catching up turned into ‘Madison and I’ in just a couple nights.”
I reached up for the bill of my hat, forgetting that I wasn’t wearing one.
With a sigh, I folded my arms over my chest and lifted my shoulders. “I understand what you’re saying and I can appreciate your concern in this,” I said after a moment. “I can. But we aren’t people who just met a couple nights ago. I have been in love with your daughter for most of my life. I waited for her to come back every day she was gone. I waited for this.” I gestured out of the kitchen, to wherever Madison was in the house, before folding my arms again. “Somewhere in this house is my entire damn world—my future. We lost enough time, why should we waste more of it now?”
“So, you know then?” her mom asked, expression curious and pleading.
I stilled as I replayed her question, trying to understand exactly what she was asking. “Why she left?” At her nod, my answer escaped me on a heavy exhale. “No.”
They shared a look before focusing on me again. “And that doesn’t bother you?” Mr. Black asked.
“It does,” I said immediately, then hesitated as I thought. As that need to know mixed with everything Madison had already told me. “Honestly, it kills me. But I’m starting to think I’ll never know.”
Madison’s mom reached up with her free hand, gripping at the top of her neckline as worry and sadness poured from her.
“Us too,” her husband responded after a while.
“Heard you thought it was me,” I said, injecting as much amusement into my voice as I could when talking about the subject of Madison leaving.
When Mrs. Black’s stare darted to me, I let my mouth slip into a grin.
An embarrassed huff burst from her before laughter took over. “Well, we didn’t know what to think.”
I nodded, understanding wrapping around each word when I said, “Trust me, I get it.” I rubbed at my chest as that ache grew and grew. “I’ve had my own thoughts and assumptions—y’all included. All I know is that it wrecked my life.”
I stared ahead, not really seeing them or the kitchen we were standing in as I wondered how the four people closest to Madison couldn’t figure out her reason for going. Why she still felt like she couldn’t tell any of us.