Page 35 of Mr. Irrelevant
“I know you were stalking from the window, Mom,” he yells, removing his coat and laying it across the wingback chair in the foyer. “Stop acting nonchalant.” Just then, a loud thump followed by the distinct sound of something solid hitting the hardwood floor comes from the next room over, and he throws his head back in mock annoyance just as a beautiful woman emerges. Her hair is the same coffee-brown color as her son’s, with the exact shade of gray eyes that have become my safe space over the last several months. He’s a spitting image of his mother, save for the fact that she’s barely taller than me, and he towers over us both.
“I wasn’t stalking,” she says sheepishly, a pink blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.
He raises a brow. “Oh, no? Then why did I just hear the Tanner Lake bobblehead you keep on the table over there fall when I said your name?”
She cringes, knowing she’s busted. “His head fell off. Can you fix it?” He huffs a breath, making me giggle as her eyes slide my way. Her expression softens, and she places a palm over her heart, tilting her head thoughtfully.
“You must be Livvy. You’re even prettier than Maddox described.” She extends a hand between us. “I’m Kelly. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
I smile, wrapping my fingers around hers and shaking. “It’s nice to meet you, too. You have a lovely home. Thank you for having me.”
A smirk tugs at one corner of her mouth. “This one’s been talking about how amazing you are,” she says, tossing a thumb in Maddox’s direction. “I was starting to think he fabricated you to stop me from setting him up on any more dates.” I look up at him, and he shakes his head in annoyance, making me giggle again.
“That funny to you, Dimes? This little menace,” he says, pointing an accusing finger her way, “has been on a mission to get grandchildren since the day I graduated college, and she plays dirty. The last time I went out with one of her friends’ daughters, the poor girl cried through theentiredinner.Turns out, she had found her fiancé of three years cheating on her two nights earlier. It ended with me watching a slideshow of their happier times while she sobbed into the sleeve of my sweater.”
I bark a laugh, slapping a hand over my mouth in an attempt to hold it, but it’s no use as a mental image of Maddox with dried snot on his arm, grumbling at his mom, plays vividly in my mind. It’s adorable that he humored her by letting her pick his dates, but I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way.
She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, looking at me. “I’m not nearly as crazy as he’s making me sound, but if I’m blessed with any grandchildren at all, I’d like it to happen before I’m too old to play with them.” Her palms shoot up between us cautiously. “I’m not saying that’s what’s happening here. I don’t know if you guys are?—”
“Alright, Mom,” Maddox interrupts, making a rapid slashing motion in front of his neck. “Let’s not get intothat.” My cheeks heat with embarrassment, but he shoots me a playful wink as butterflies flutter giddily in my stomach. I shouldn’t be recalling what it felt like to be bound and used while we’re standing in his mother’s house, but here we are.
Kelly leads us to the living room, where football highlights play on a large TV above the stone fireplace. Flames dance wildly inside it, casting a beautiful glow across the dark mahogany flooring. The sectional and matching accent chairs are plush and inviting, giving the coziest vibes. All the anxiety I was feeling about meeting her fades away, only to be replaced by the comfort of a welcoming environment. Maddox takes my hand, leading me to the sofa next to his mother before lifting both pieces of the broken bobblehead from the floor.
“You know they make these of me too, right?” he asks, his tongue poking out in concentration as he attempts to reattach the springy head.
“Yeah,” she replies with a sigh. “But yours looks so…judgy. Tanner’s is almost as dreamy as he is in real life.” He scowls in her direction, placing the repaired figurine back onto the table a little harder than necessary. I’ve only been here for about twenty minutes, but I already adore their dynamic. The way they joke and banter reminds me of myself and my dad, although we haven’t spoken much lately outside of football. I thought learning to run the Renegades would allow us to spend more time together—which it has, in some ways—but it never seems like there are enough hours in the workday to get team matters taken care of, let alone catch up on our personal lives. He loves spending quality time with my mom now that Syd and I are out of the house, and I’ve been sneaking around with Maddox, so there hasn’t been much of an opportunity for us to do the things we used to do. I miss it, but hopefully, after the season is over, and I can stop hiding what I’ve been up to, we’ll be able to strengthen our father-daughter bond.
“So,” Kelly says, breaking me from my thoughts. “What’s on the agenda for the weekend?”
Maddox glances at me with a secretive smirk, making my brows furrow in confusion because he hasn’t given me many details beyond his mother making dinner tonight. “Well, we’re going to see Dylan at his shop tomorrow, but the particulars of that outing are confidential because it’s part of Livvy’s birthday surprise.” His mom gives him a dubious look, but doesn’t say a word, leaving me to wonder what the hell he has up his sleeve. I don’t have time to ask for more information before a muffled beeping noise echoes from another room.
“That’s the lasagna,” she says, giving him a subtle lift of her chin. “Can you grab it out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack for me, please? Then, if you don’t mind, all the salad ingredients are in the fridge. They just have to be mixed in a bowl.” He nods, walking over and dropping a kiss to the top of my head, doing the same to her, and disappearing into the kitchen. We both watch adoringly until he’s completely out of sight, and she turns back toward me with a soft smile on her face.
“I know I joke around a lot, but I’ve never seen myson this happy.” She exhales slowly, hugging her knees to her chest, and I can tell she’s about to show me a part of herself that not many people get to see. “When his dad left, I did the best I could. He was young, but I know he saw how volatile our marriage was—even though I tried to protect him from it. It was a terrible example of a healthy relationship.
“After that, I decided to just focus on the two of us, spending every waking hour either at work or driving him to practices and games. His happiness and success became my number one priority, but I always hoped I didn’t royally fuck him up by staying with a man who treated me poorly for so long.” Her gaze lifts to mine, unshed tears of vulnerability shining in the firelight. “My worst fear was that I didn’t show Maddox the right way to love someone else, or that I placed so much importance on football that he wouldn’t even care to try. But I can clearly see that I was worried for nothing, because he seems to be pretty amazing at it.”
I reach out, covering her hand with mine. The backs of my eyes prick with emotion, my expression conveying all the gratitude I can muster. “I’ve never been cared for so fully—sointensely. When I first started coaching him, I was positive I could keep things professional. I’d been burned before, and my walls were pretty much impenetrable. But Maddox? He didn’t even have to try. All he did was show me what a loving, protective, compassionate man he is, and I just…fell.” My features soften, a gentle smile blanketing my expression. “Youdid that, Kelly. All by yourself. And I can’t thank you enough for it.”
Her face twists with emotion as she leans forward, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I return the gesture, a powerful connection forming between us as she sniffles against my shoulder. I hope she truly understands the impact she’s had on the people around her with her strength and selflessness, starting with the boy she raised, and the man he’s become—the man who shows me every day that I’m worthy of being loved just as I am. We stay there, clinging to each other with full hearts for several minutes, until a familiar voice brings us back to reality.
“Okay, put away the embarrassing baby pictures, dinner’s rea—” Maddox stops in his tracks, his brows shooting into his hairline as we break apart. “What is happening?” He lifts his hands in surrender. “You know what? Never mind. Ignorance is bliss.” Kelly and I share a knowing look, smirking at one another before standing from the couch and heading toward the kitchen. But I don’t make it through the doorway as a large hand bands around my wrist, yanking me into a firm wall of muscle.
“Everything alright?” Maddox asks, his fingers burning into the skin of my waist through the thin fabric that covers it. His grey eyes sparkle, and I swear I fall in love with him even more, although I have no idea how that’s possible. Even just this small glimpse into where he came from shows me a whole new side of him—one that I’m so lucky to know. I feel like I understand him in a way that I didn’t before. His fierce, protective nature. The importance he places on showing the world that he belongs, so that the efforts of those who helpedhim along the way weren’t in vain. He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met, raised by a woman who loves him more than anything.
“Everything is perfect,” I reply, pushing to my toes and puckering my lips in invitation. He dips down, giving me what I want as he presses his mouth to mine in a sweet kiss that ends way too soon, but thankfully, we have a whole weekend for more.
“Good,” he says with a charming grin. “Because I’m about to make this the best birthday ever.”
You already have, Mad Dog. You already have.
THIRTY-FOUR
MADDOX
“Good morning, birthday girl,”I whisper, dragging my tongue along Livvy’s neck. A cute little grumble rolls up her throat, her face pressing further into the pillow as she attempts to stay asleep. I chuckle softly, inhaling her sweet scent as I continue to cover her with gentle licks and kisses.
“Rise and shine, Dimes,” I try again, earning another reaction of displeasure as her eyes finally flutter open. She squints, adjusting to the late morning sunlight that peeks through the hotel curtains, filling her lungs with a deep breath as her legs stretch under the comforter.
