Page 69 of Worthy

″Next you’re going to tell me you actually liked playing superheroes, even at fourteen” he growls against my ear.

″Tell anyone and I’ll have to make out with you right here where the whole town watches,” I whisper back.

His Adam’s apple bobs thickly when he swallows, though he recovers faster than I anticipate. “They already think we’re living together, what could a little PDA hurt?”

I bark out a laugh. That’s not at all the response I’m expecting, and his little show of bravado has me both amused and proud. Before I realize it, I’m holding his face in my hands, trying to reign in my laughter. “God, I love y…our spunk,” I amend right before I kiss him.

Damn that was close.I almost told him I loved him. I’m not even sure what I actually said, I just knowsomethingcame after love, and hopefully if it didn’t make sense my kiss distracted him.

″Get a room,” Ryder snorts.

I flick him off. That was definitely a PG kiss, but I pull back anyway, afraid of the expression I’m going to see on his face.

″Spunk?” He wrinkles his nose.

Huh? Not the best choice of words, but I can work with it. At least he heard that instead of what I almost said. “Yeah, you know. Spirit. Courage. How you don’t back down when I bait you, even if it makes you a little nervous. Spunk.”

Madd regards me warily as he says, ″When you put it that way, I guess it could be a compliment.”

″It is a compliment.” I plant a brief kiss on those soft lips. “Come on, parade’s about to start.”

I put my hands on his waist to help him to stand and set the stool aside so people can crowd together for a better view. Since we’reat the edge of the sidewalk I position Madd in the street and stand behind him, using the extra few inches I gain from the concrete to wrap my arms around his shoulders. He folds a hand over my forearm, and I swear the gesture damn near makes my heart beat out of my chest.

I can’t get enough of this man. Touching him, talking to him, laughing with him, I’m like a fucking junkie hoarding everything I can get, and it’s not enough. It’s never enough.

Maddox laughs from deep in his stomach as the floats roll by, not bothered in the least that the floats are really just trailers decorated with streamers and poster boards, most carrying little kids in costume.

There’s a float for the Little Mountain Bikers Club with kids in helmets and pads, there’s one for the Wildflower Club with kids dressed as flowers, and the dance float Beck chaperones with his mom is full of girls in pink frilly costumes who are spinning and twirling, which Maddox whistles at using two fingers so the effect is loud and shrill. There’s also a firetruck, a float with all the town veterans, and one from the local gift store that’s tossing out candy to the kids. In other words, there’s nothing really spectacular about this parade, but Madd’s smile is so big it’s like he’s at Disneyland.

When the parade is over, Ally latches onto Maddox to ramble about how adorable it was, something she long ago stopped doing with the rest of us since we never shared her excitement. At first, I figure Madd’s just being a good sport and letting her talk, but the more I watch him the more I think he’s genuinely into it, and the affection he has for our goofy little town parade has me smiling like a fucking loon.

I catch Finn’s eye and he gives me a helpless little shrug along with a knowing grin, and in that moment, I realize he’s probably the only one of my friends who gets me right now. We’re both aware the parade was nothing to write home about, but seeing Ally and Maddox smileso genuinely about it is better than an epic bike ride and the perfect powder day combined.

Finn knows I get that now, which means he also knows how I feel about Maddox. I close my eyes and exhale, acknowledging my feelings, then shake my head slightly to let him know this stays between us. He nods in return before reaching for Ally and pulling her to his side. I do the same to Maddox, because I can’t stand not touching him.

″Ready to head over to Ryder’s?” Finn plants a kiss on Ally’s forehead.

″Yeah. You guys are coming, right?” she demands, turning to me and Maddox.

I let my arm slip from his shoulder and thread our fingers together. “Yep, as soon as I get my keys from Beck. He should be bringing them along any minute and then we’ll meet you there.”

Right then, a pair of arms are flung around my neck, and I’m tugged slightly downward for a suffocating hug.

″Cade, where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere. I’ve even been to your house the past three days, but you were never there.”

I pull the arms from my neck with my left hand, since I’m still holding Madd’s hand with my right, and stand to my full height, looking down on the beautiful brunette who, until this year, was my go-to fling on the Fourth. I totally forgot about her.

″Ashley, hey.” I nod.

I notice my friends all rooted in place around me, their eyes darting between this little standoff, waiting to see how it will play out. I admit it’s not ideal to run into Ashley right now, but I’m not worried about it since I don’t have any secrets from Maddox.

″Happy Fourth. We were just heading out.” I give Madd’s hand a squeeze and start to tug him with me toward the bar.

″You can’t leave now that I’ve found you. Where have you been, anyway? You usually aren’t this hard to find.” She reaches out to stroke my chest, apparently oblivious to the fact Madd’s hand is still tucked in mine. I’m stunned silent, not because I don’t know how to answer but because I can’t believe Ashley would touch me when I’m clearly with someone else. I take a step out of reach and open my mouth to speak, but it’s not my voice that comes out.

″I’m sorry, I guess you didn’t realize. Cade moved in with me.” Maddox dislodges our fingers to wrap his arm around my shoulder, and I grab him around the waist in return.

“I suppose we have been sort of hibernating at home, haven’t we?” I grin at the man whose eyes are level with my own.

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