Page 154 of Fought and Freed

“See?” She straightened. “Easy peasy.”

Skylar sat down beside Maddy, watching her feed E.J.

Her stomach fluttered, and she glanced at Jared and Gisselle. Jared had his arm over his wife’s shoulders as she covered her mouth, tears running down her face.

“Where are you staying while you’re in town, Dad?” Cody asked.

“We were going to stay at the hotel,” he said.

“Oh, you can’t do that,” Maddy protested. “Let me change my sheets and you can have my room while you’re here. I can stay with either Cody or Ryder. The boys will agree it’s for the best.”

“I haven’t seen that remodel yet.” He looked at Cody with pride. “It sounds like turned out well?”

Maddy smiled. “I love it. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer room.”

“Are you boys sure you want us to stay here? I’ll only be here for a week or two before I have to go back to work,” Jared said. “But your mom will stay for a while.”

“It will be nice to be together again,” Cody said.

“It’s settled.” Maddy turned to Jace. “Can you help me change the sheets once I’m done feeding E.J.?”

“Sure, baby girl.”

Giselle was a godsend when it came to E.J., especially during the nights.

Ryder and Skylar could sleep through anything, but Maddy found it impossible with E.J. wailing every two hours, and the cast made it difficult for her to get up, leaving her useless to help.

The boys left for school the first week with bags under their eyes.

Giselle kept saying E.J. would settle once they got him on a schedule, and halfway through the second week, her prediction proved true when E.J. slept through most of the night.

The boys tried to make sure they were home every night for dinner, and with Giselle and Jared there, it felt even more like a family.

Having another woman around turned out to be nicer than Maddy expected, and they even had a girl’s day with Torr.

Maddy had never been so pampered before.

35

MADDY

Over the next two weeks, everyone in the house had settled into a steady rhythm.

Ryder had been disappearing again. There were nights when Maddy slept in his bed, and he never came home.

One morning, she straddled him and asked what was going on.

He told her that he loved her and to trust him. He was working on something that would change his life.

When she looked into his eyes, there was a spark there. He was excited about whatever he was doing, so Maddy stopped asking questions.

All too soon, it was time for Jared to leave. He had to start back to work the next day, so after breakfast, he hugged everyone goodbye.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” Skylar teased when Jared’s hug with Giselle went on a little too long. “We promise we won’t keep her forever.”

Jared stopped hugging his wife. “You better return her because I’m going to get sick of eating fast food.”

Giselle swatted him. “Is that all I am to you?”

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