Page 72 of Letting it Ride

The students fall silent as I leave the room, some of them already pulling out cell phones to call their parents for a ride home.

I’m once again grateful that I teach high school. The drama can be a bitch, but I can leave if I need to. I don’t need to walk them to their parents’ cars and buckle them in like the kindergarten teachers do.

By the time I reach my car, I’m fuming, and I think I have a good idea about who deserves this anger. Like I said, this wasn’t Cam’s idea. I’ll bet anything.

Maddox’s house is in Wynnewood, only a few minutes away from where we grew up in Ardmore, and less than fifteen minutes from the school.The drive only makes my anger grow. I pull into his driveway and throw the car into park.

“Maddox!” I yell, hitting the doorbell several times in a row.

The door cracks open. Holly stands there, looking confused. She must have just gotten home from work, since she’s still in her khakis and a button-down shirt. “Hey, Addie. I just got home. What’s—”

“Where is he?” I fume.

Holly takes a step back, opening the door wider to let me in. She knows exactly who I’m talking about. “He’s in the office. Is everything okay?”

I stalk that direction without answering her. She lets me go, because she’s seen Hurricane Addie, and she knows better than to get in the middle when the Anderson siblings fight. And I don’t want to involve her.

She’s always been firmly on Team Addie, but Team Addie and Team Maddox are usually aligned. I don’t want to test her loyalty when I go head-to-head with her husband. I barge into the guest bedroom that Maddox uses as an office without knocking. He’s seated at the desk playing online poker. Sorry, not sorry to interrupt your hard work, brother.

“What the hell did you say to Cam?” I yell.

Maddox spins around in his chair. He’s seven yearsolder than me, and he’s always been overprotective. I think in his mind, I stopped aging when he went off to college, and he still sees me as a preteen that needs her brother to watch out for her.

Usually, I don’t mind. It’s kind of sweet. But he’s never overstepped this way before.

“Hi, Addie,” he says, not answering the question.

“What did you say to him?” I demand again.

His eyebrow arches. “Why? Is there something going on between you two?” There’s something in his expression, though. He knows there is. I’m just not sure he knows the extent of it. When Maddox gets something in his head, he doesn’t stop until he gets what he’s after. It was adorable when he was focused on Holly, but this is my life. Not his.

“Cut the shit, Maddox. You know we’re together. I can see it written all over your face. We were going to tell you together, but you just couldn’t wait, could you? Had to stick yourself in my business again?”

My voice is so loud I know Holly can hear, and I don’t care. My sister-in-law is one of my best friends, and I’d bet anything she’d back me up on this.

He lets out a long sigh. “Addie, you know I love you.”

Debatable right now, but I let him continue.

“Cam is my best friend. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s not the right guy for you.”

Now it’s my turn to raise an eyebrow. “Out of curiosity, Maddox, just whowouldbe the right guy for me? Some kid in middle school who just wants to hold my hand? Maybe take me to see a PG- rated movie? I’m twenty-seven, Maddox. I’m not a little kid that you need to keep safe. This may come as a shock to you, but I’ve had sex before.”

I can see his determination slip, and that’s how I know I’m on the right track. This has nothing to do with Cam or any other guy. MaddoxknowsCam is a good person. It’s about me, and Maddox knows he’s fighting a losing battle this time.

He blows out an agitated breath. “Addie, it’s not that, and please don’t ever talk to me again about having sex. I don’t need to know those things. It’s that Cam… he’s got some things going on. He’s not in a good spot for a relationship.”

I lift my chin, meeting his gaze with my narrowed eyes as I cross my arms. He can try any angle he wants, but the end result is going to be the same. I’m not backing down this time. “The thing with Ellie? I know, Maddox. We talk. Cam and I aren’t just fucking, although I’ll have you know we’re doing that too, and it’s freaking amazing.”

He looks supremely uncomfortable at this fact, which gives me great pleasure.

“The point is that this is real. It’s not something you can insert yourself into in the name of some misguided protection or concern that I’m still a little kid. I know I’ve given you and the rest of the family the idea that I’ll give in to anything you ask, because I’m a people pleaser. But I’m done bending over backwards and sacrificing what I want and what I need to make people happy. I deserve to be happy.”

Maddox opens his mouth, but Hurricane Addie isn’t done.

“And for the record, the only protection I need from Cam is a condom. Preferably a lot of them.” Now I’m done. And particularly proud of that last comment, which has made Maddox’s face turn a satisfying shade of purple.

A muscle in his jaw ticks. I know he’s thinking through his response, deciding whether to give in to the hurricane or to stand his ground.

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