Page 70 of Letting it Ride

Maddox stalks into the living room before hewhirls on me, pulling on the back of his neck. “So? Is it true?”

“Is what true?” I know exactly what he’s talking about. I’m just trying to buy time here to work out a response that won’t get Addie in trouble and won’t give him any more ammunition to want to kill me.

“You’re fucking my sister. I heard the whole thing from Josie. I got back from my honeymoon last night and this is what gets dropped on me. She left you with her kids and you were making out?” His glare is accusatory.

I shake my head. “I—”

“Don’t fucking lie to me, Cam. Have a little more respect for our friendship.”

I hold up my hand. “I’m not fucking her, man. I’m in love with her.”

Time slows to a halt. I’m in love with her? The words came out of my mouth, but I hadn’t really considered the possibility until just now. She’s not just some girl I’m fucking. And she’s not someone I’m casually dating, either. She’s the woman I want to be with every minute of every day, and if I have my way, for years to come.

Is this what love is? I never felt anything like this with Ellie, or with anyone who came before her. It occurs to me that everything Ellie did to me sent me ona direct path into Addie’s arms, maybe the one good thing that came out of my relationship with her.

“No.” Maddox crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re not in love with her. Don’t fuck with me.”

I nod slowly. “I only realized it myself just now. But it’s real, Maddox.”

A muscle in his jaw twitches. His eyes narrow. “How?”

I’m not sure I know, honestly. “I’ve known her for a long time.”

“Since she was fuckingthirteen!” he bellows, and I cringe as I see his point. She was a kid. I had no business looking at her that way back then.

But that was a long time ago, and we’re both adults now. “Right. So a long time, since she’s twenty-seven now. An adult.” I arch my brow at him. “And when we were on that cruise, and in the Bahamas, we got to… know one another better. Realized how right we are together. And for the record, we weren’t making out when we were watching the twins. I kissed her. Once.”

“You told me you were going for a rebound on that cruise. Is that what she is to you?” He clenches a fist, then releases it.

The idea of Addie being anyone’s rebound makes my stomach twist, and I understand his viewpoint. “No! I promise you, man. I’d never do that to Addie.”

He gives a short nod. “Damn right you won’t. So what happened? I’ve told you a million times to stay away from her. The age difference is one thing. But then you go and hook up with her while you’re in this mindset? Maybe she’s not a rebound to you now, but I don’t get how I shouldn’t be pissed at you for starting something in that frame of mind. Really, I don’t. And I don’t know why I shouldn’t punch you in the face for this.”

I get the feeling he’s not in the mood for me to make a quip about how I want my face to look nice when Addie comes over later today. How can I get him to understand how deep this thing between us is?

I stand straighter. “Because she’s not a little kid anymore, Maddox. She’s an adult, and one I care about. And she deserves to make up her own mind.”

He blows out a long breath and drops to the couch. “I want the best for her, Cam. You know I do.”

“So do I,” I say, but he’s not listening.

Maddox rubs his hands over the knees of his jeans. “You’re my best friend. I love you, man. And you know I want what’s best for you, too.”

I wait for him to come around to it. To say that it’s great that two people he loves are in love with one another, even if it’s just me that’s at that point right now. To say he’s happy for us. To apologize for bargingin here like an asshole. That last one might be a stretch. But the rest of them.

But when he meets my eyes, his gaze is pleading, bordering on hard. I’ve seen this look before. He’s placed his bets and he’s going all in on what he thinks is right.

“Addie is family, though. And I have to put her first. She’s younger than we are, Cam. She’s in a different place than you are in your life. Don’t pursue this. Please.”

I sink onto the couch, most of the fight ebbing out of me. I never pictured Addie and me going this way. I knew Maddox would be upset, but I figured, optimistically, that once he heard that there were real feelings here, that this wasn’t some fling or a one-time thing, he’d support it. That he wouldn’t care about the age difference or how different Addie and I are.

After all, he’s one to talk about pursuing someone who looks wrong for him on paper. And look how that turned out. He and his technically-stepsister are happily married.

I wonder what Holly has to say about this situation, come to think of it. She and Addie are practically best friends. They’re the same age, so Maddox doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to the age gap between Addie and me, other than the timing of howwe first met. Plus, I know Holly would set him straight if he was in the wrong.

I pull on the back of my neck, trying to think clearly. Maddox needs time to come around to this. From the muscle twitching in his jaw to his arms fixed across his chest, it’s obvious he’s not open to hearing my viewpoint here. So how do I choose between my best friend and the girl I think I’m in love with?

No, not think. I know. Maybe I don’t have the balls to tell her just yet, and I’m not sure she feels the same way about me, but I’m ready to place my bets. I won’t fold on this gamble.

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