Page 50 of The Last One You Loved
“Whatever you think is best.”
What I really thought was best was for us to rewind a week or two and never have McKenna or Sybil show up in Willow Creek at all. But a teeny-tiny thought wedged at the back of my brain, calling me a liar, because seeing McKenna in my home?seeing her with Mila?sparked back to life the wishes I’d had when I’d first found my daughter. I’d hoped I’d tell McKenna about her sister, and she’d come running back to Willow Creek. That we could make ourselves a family in a way I’d once dreamed.
I squashed the wish, tucking it back where it had been hiding.
I was one-hundred-percent sure I couldn’t afford it.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
MCKENNA
THINGS A MAN OUGHTA KNOW
“And yeah, I know a boy
Who gave up and got it wrong,
If you really love a woman, you don’t let her go.”
Performed by Lainey Wilson
Written by Nix / Singleton / Wilson
There wassomething different in Maddox’s eyes this evening other than the anger from last night and the bitterness from earlier in the day. Beyond the fear, it seemed like there was resignation and maybe even a bit of that demon named hope I always tried to banish.
He turned away from me, heading out of the guest room door and saying, “I’m going to get out of my uniform before the queen demands our appearance.”
My lips twitched as he left.
I looked around the room. It was bright and feminine with rose-colored toile blending in with mahogany woods and bright-white lace. I couldn’t imagine Maddox putting the room together, but then I wondered if Miss Rianne had done it. The thought twisted my gut with a jealousy I had no right to.
He might not have a wife, but there was likely a girlfriend in the mix. A man as attractive and kind and successful as him would draw people to him. He’d had that power even back in high school. He’d been well-liked by all the different cliques at school, but he’d avoided most of them just to hang out with me.
I took off my shoes and opened my luggage just as Mila skipped back into the room.
She had on pajamas covered in rainbows.
“Are you ready for the bestest story in the entire world?” she asked, and I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.
“I’m always ready for a good story,” I said as she grabbed my hand with her tiny one and pulled me from the room and down to the next door. I stepped inside, and my feet halted, a laugh escaping my chest. The room was an utter kaleidoscope of color and rainbows. As if a cartoon world had popped like a water balloon and sprinkled the entire space.
“Wow,” I breathed out, and the smile she directed at me was so huge I thought it might split her cheeks.
“You like my room? Daddy said it wasover the top, but then he said it was my space, and I could do whatever I wanted with it as long as I promised he’d never step on another LEGO again.”
My laughter grew. I wasn’t exactly sure why. The love he showered her with was beautiful. Earlier, I’d thought she was spoiled, but it wasn’t the right word. She wasn’t bratty. She just seemed like a vivid flame, showering the world with joy…and rainbows. My laughter made her laugh as well, and she had even less understanding of why. I wondered if it was her empathic abilities Maddox had mentioned or just the contagiousness of laughter in general.
“What’s so funny?” Maddox’s deep voice boomed from behind us.
I spun around, the smile and joy still registering on my face as I took in the most relaxed Maddox I’d seen yet. A soft T-shirt bared his muscular biceps, gray sweatpants hung low on his hips, and when he crossed his arms over his defined chest, I caught a glimpse of tan skin and manly hair that disappeared under the waistband.
My mouth went dry, my laughter disappeared, and I had to force my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching out to touch him. Anywhere. Everywhere. To feel his warmth and his strength encompassing me. To get lost in the glow that was Maddox. To feel truly safe like I only had whenever I’d been tucked in his embrace.
The air between us was charged. His gaze fell to my lips, and I licked them instinctively, as if preparing them for the assault of his mouth on mine. Heat flared in his eyes, and he swallowed hard, shifting on his feet and looking up at the ceiling where rainbows were painted on a blue sky full of puffy clouds.
“Daddy, you need to sit here.” Mila’s voice pulled us both from the trance we’d lost ourselves in. She was tucked under her blankets, leaning on a pillow up against the headboard, and she was pointing to her left side. “And McKenna, you need to sit here.” She pointed to her right.
The bed was a full-sized one rather than a twin, but it was still going to be a tight fit with the three of us. It didn’t stop either of us from doing just as she’d instructed, shuffling our feet under the covers and squishing together. Maddox had an arm behind us as he tried to keep himself on the bed, and I could feel the warmth of it along the back of my neck even though he wasn’t touching me.
