Page 38 of Forever Mine

“Nah, we had a good time. I may have to sleep for a week straight to recuperate, but it was all good. What did you and Lily do all day? Or rather, let me guess. Shopping and spa time.”

“Yeah, she got a little carried away.”

“Elise is the only one who can come close to keeping up with her. Kelsey begs Kyle to warn her when Lily’s in the shopping mood so she can hide.” Maddie laughed, but I was being entirely serious.

“She definitely talked me into things I would never buy for myself.”

I didn’t hide my interest as I checked out her butt in the jeans. “She did good,” I complimented.

“Liam, you can’t say stuff like that.” She scolded me like she would Oscar.

“Did you have a good time with my sister?” I asked sincerely.

“I really did. I’ve never really had a girlfriend to go shopping with and talk to like that. Not as an adult, at least, and it was really nice.”

I heard a hint of sadness in her voice. “Did she pester you with questions all day?”

“She’s Lily. You know she did.”

Getting her to open up was like pulling teeth, but I waited patiently and kept it to simple questions. “Did you really talk to her?”

The eyes looking up at me were a little haunted, but not as much as they’d been. She nodded slowly. “I-I told her everything. It wasn’t easy, but I think it helped some. I’ve”—she looked away from me and I thought she was going to shut me out, but she seemed to end her internal battle and looked back at me when she started talking again—“I’ve been worried that if people from my past knew what had happened to me, that it would change the way they saw me. That no one would ever be able to love or accept me if they knew. It’s why I’ve never talked about it, no matter how many times Annie’s badgered me about it.”

“Hey, you know now that’s not true, right?” I asked, wanting desperately to tell her I knew and I loved her, that she was deserving of love, but yesterday she had told me we would never be mates and today she had kissed me back. I didn’t want to screw up the progress I felt like we were making, largely thanks to Lily’s intervention, though I wouldn’t admit that to her.

“She-she really hasn’t treated me any difference. We cried together a lot and I told her stuff I hadn’t even been able to tell you. It felt good to share it was someone.”

Her admittance was like a dagger to my heart. On the one hand I was grateful she could open up to my sister, but on the other, I desperately wished it were me she chose to confide in.

“Hey,” she said, seeming to feel my disappointment. “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t tell her more than you, just different, and we talked about you a lot, too.”

I perked up at that, unsure if that was good or not. “Uh, should I be thanking Lily or killing her in her sleep?”

Maddie laughed. “Verdict’s still out on that one.”

I could tell she was teasing me and it felt incredible, like we had reached a new level, and I was filled with hope once again. I wasn’t going to push her. I had the rest of the week to convince her to come home with me.

“Hungry?” I asked and when she nodded yes, I took her hand and started to lead the way back to her room, stopping at the door and running back to grab my shirt and pull it on and slip on my shoes. “Sorry, Oscar’s rules,” I said apologetically, sensing her disappointment when I put my shirt back on. She nudged me in the ribs good-naturedly.

I swung by my room to change while she went to check on Oscar and Lily, then we all met in the lobby to go out to dinner. Maddie seemed relaxed; she smiled and laughed more. I was grateful for Lily’s presence, knowing it contributed to it. It gave me hope that maybe Maddie would come around and my life would not end up the living nightmare I had glimpsed the day before. I decided that I would not rush her or even discuss the future for the duration of our time in San Francisco. I’d simply enjoy every second she’d allow and pray that by the end of the weekend, she wouldn’t be able to live without me either.

The four of us had a nice early dinner. I was surprised to realize it was already Friday. I had a teleconference starting at seven that I couldn't get out of, so after dinner I reluctantly dropped Oscar and the girls off at the wharfs. Lily swore they'd be careful, but they wanted to see the sunset.

I made a quick call asking Mark and Steph to keep an eye on them for me as I headed back to my hotel room for a meeting I wasn't looking forward to. Adam Rogers was a huge pain in my ass. I wouldn't lose any sleep if we lost the account, but I had a duty to try to keep him happy. To my surprise, it went far smoother than I expected and ended just as the girls returned.

“Where's Oscar?” I asked, surprised by the quick panic that set in as my newfound protective instincts flared for the kid.

“We ran into Jacob and Annie in the lobby and he claimed he was starving again and asked to go with them for ‘night dinner,’” Maddie informed me. “Is your meeting over already?”

I nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to calm my overreaction.

Once again Lily and Maddie stayed up late talking before saying their final goodbyes. Lily was heading home early in the morning and I knew it could be awhile before they saw each other again, so I kept to myself in the bedroom, giving them space.

I was pleased when there was a light knock on the door and Maddie came in, shutting the door behind her. I was honestly not expecting to see her and didn't want to push my luck by being too forceful, so I had already showered and was in nothing but my boxers. I pulled the covers over me so as not to embarrass her, but heard her quick intake of breath when she saw my bare chest. I couldn't help but grin in satisfaction.

“I, uh, I'm heading back to my room,” she said softly, still openly staring at my chest. “I just wanted to say good night.”

Screw her comfort. It was the first time my mate had actually sought me out, and I was out of the bed and crossing the room to her before I could stop myself. In one fluid motion, I swept her up in my arms and kissed her breathless. Leaning my forehead against her and grinning like I fool, I whispered, “Good night.”

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