Page 26 of These Jagged Edges

You know you could always ask me to help with the boys.

Who’s this?

The latest person to fall victim to your taser.

I chuckle at his response, saving the number in my phone.

Only person to fall victim to my taser, and I don’t want to bother you.

Bother me.

I didn't know how to respond, so I don’t until Saturday morning slightly before 5:00 a.m. Joe has just called; she's come down with a fever—probably from all the extra work she's been doing, and I need someone to help with the boys. Lou has been spread thin between the bakery and the bar, and I can’t call her. She needs to rest, and Vic’s out of town with his fishing buddies for the weekend.

That leaves one person—a person who cared for my boys and me when I was sick. Somebody with as much baggage as I have. Hell, between the two of us, we could fill a commercial plane with the shit we carry around. I also know he will keep my babies safe, and I trust him, so I hit send on my phone and wait for him to pick up. Maddox picks up on the third ring.

Maddox's deep groggy voice breathes my name into the phone, "Evie?"

"Hey, big guy. I'm so sorry to call and wake you up."

"Is everything okay?" he asks, sounding more alert and slightly worried.

"Yes, everything’s fine. I have a favor to ask if that's alright?"

"Woman. What do you think?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you," I tell him honestly.

Maddox blows out a slightly annoyed breath. "Tell me what you need Pretty Girl."

"We're down a waitress at work, so we’ve all been pulling the extra weight. Joe called me about ten minutes ago, and she's sick and needs me to come in. I'd hate to bring the boys in, and Lou's been working so much at the bar and bakery. I know she needs the rest, and I've already called her twice this week for help?—"

"You want me to come and watch the boys?" Maddox interrupts my rambling.

"I understand if it's too much. I don't want to overwhelm you or make you uncomfortable."

"I'll be there in ten."

He hangs up, and I quickly shower and brush my teeth. I'm standing at the coffee maker, when I hear a soft knock. I open my door to a slightly disheveled Maddox Wilder, and this may be my favorite side of him yet. His thick curls are messy, his hoodie’s on backwards, and his face is still groggy from sleep. However, the moment he sees me, he trades that signature scowl for a sleepy smile causing me to almost swallow my tongue.

After ushering him in, I set about braiding my hair while the smell of brewing coffee envelopes me as we walk to the kitchen. Maddox stands against my kitchen counter; he's so tall his ass is practically sitting on top of it. He watches me mindlessly braid one side of my hair before starting the other.

"Thank you so much. I should be back by one at the latest. I owe you," I tell him quietly.

"Let me braid your hair and we'll call it even," he says, gesturing to my hair.

"You want to braid my hair? Can you braid?" I ask, trying to mask my skepticism.

"Firstly, my mama is a biracial woman who braided hair on the side most of my life. Secondly, who do you think braided Soph’s hair before school most mornings?” he says and twirls his finger, gesturing for me to turn around. Gently he runs his long finger through my hair and separates the strands, and it feels so good I find myself relaxing beneath his touch.

That old demon panic flashes me a sinister smile, and before he invades, I tell Maddox, "If you can help it, don't yank on it too hard."

I notice the second I share with Maddox that panic vanishes. Maddox stills his hands. “I got you Pretty Girl."

I squirm uncomfortably with him calling me pretty. I am many things, but I don’t feel pretty is one of them.

"I just want you to know…" I chew my bottom lip and think about how to explain it. "I have triggers I can vocalize, and others I call phantom triggers because they come out of the blue, but I want to tell you if something can be a trigger me because it seems to help."

Maddox doesn't speak. He finishes the braid, and I can feel him shuffle back and forth on his feet. "Can I hug you?"

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