Page 90 of King of Ruin

“Same,” Maddie clears her throat. “And I’m so sorry we’re meeting, or whatever this is, like this. I’ve heard a great deal about you. All wonderful.”

“I’ve heard nothing about you,” Charlotte replies. “Intentional on Mason’s part?” Charlotte asks me.

“I’m sure. I told him that Maddie’s interests were taking precedence over Kincaid business, that he needed to treat her like his next sister-in-law, and he took it upon himself to correct the situation by foreclosing?—”

“He did not.” Charlotte’s voice gets sharp in a way I’ve never heard. “Maddie I’m so sorry,” Charlotte adds. “My only explanation is that Luke’s disappearance has turned everyone upside down but…” I can hear Charlotte purse her lips. “That is no excuse.”

In quick words, I tell her all of it. Mason’s plans, Jack’s resistance, and my role in the whole thing. I don’t leave anything out. I want Maddie to know the truth. Lucia and Josh hear it all too. I hope it starts to mend some bridges. Or maybe it washes them away forever. I intend to be in Maddie’s life for a long time and that means being part of Lucia’s too. And the only hope I have is with the truth.

Charlotte is quiet until I finish. “What do you need from me?”

“A little help,” I grunt. “Even when I quit?—”

“Roman,” Maddie cries.

I give her a gentle smile to let her know she doesn’t need to worry, reaching out to touch her cheek. “You know how stubborn he can be, Charlotte.”

“I do.” She’s quiet and I let her think as I hit a button to open the parking garage gate. “Did I just hear the gate?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to talk to him first or shall I?” she asks.

“Me first. I’ll soften him up with my fists.”

“Roman,” Charlotte chastises. “Be gentle.”

He doesn’t deserve gentle, but I don’t tell Charlotte that as we hang up.

“Did you really tell Mason to start treating me like his sister-in-law?” Maddie asks, her fingers dancing down the sleeve of my shirt.

I want to kiss that hand, press my lips to each of her fingertips.

“Yes. I did.” I lean close, my forehead coming to hers. I know we’ve got an audience, but I’m pretty sure Lucia needs to hear this as much as Maddie does.

And I’ll grovel at both their feet if it gets me Maddie back. “I love you, Maddie Reid. I meant every offer I made. To live my life with you, to love you, to build you a state-of-the-art facility…”

I hear Lucia gasp.

“And I know I messed everything up those first few days. I meant the other thing I said about not understanding how to live life with my heart. Not until you.”

Maddie’s breath catches again. I reach for her, placing my hand around her neck, my thumb over her fluttering pulse.

“But I promise, sweetheart, if you give me another chance, I’ll make it right. All of it. I love you, Maddie. I want to marry you.”

“Fucking hell,” Lucia mutters. “He’s got game.”

“Shh,” Josh replies back in a voice just above a whisper. “I wish I had popcorn.”

Both Maddie and I laugh. It breaks the tension, at least for the moment. Stepping out of the car, I go around and help Maddie from the passenger’s seat. Her hands fit into mine. “You’re not really going to quit, are you?”

“I am,” I answer. “I love working hard but I’m tired of peddling in the business of sin. Jack told me something,” I pull her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. “He said I could be bigger or I could be better. I’m ready to be a better man, Maddie. To make a positive difference in this world.”

She threads her arms around me. “And I’m ready to make smart decisions instead of emotional ones. Which is why…”

She draws in a breath as I search her face, wondering what she might say next.

But even I’m shocked when she says, “I know I should have taken your original offer for my house.”

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