Page 39 of The Hand That Holds Me
“Good morning, baby.” I stood up and kissed her, slowly and gently.
“Good morning.” She purred as she set linked her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss.
I pulled back from her and gazed into her eyes. “Did you sleep well?”
“It can’t remember the last time I slept so deeply. I feel amazing this morning! Look, no coffee, yet.” She smiled up at me.
“Sit down and enjoy the view while I get you a cup. Would you like some breakfast?”
“I can cook breakfast.” She said and started to get up from her chair.
“Sit, baby. Let me make you something to eat after I get your coffee. I want to pamper you this weekend. I can grab your Kindle if you want to read while I get our food.”
“I would love to finish the new Harper Sloan book I started the other day. I was just getting to the good part and I was kind of hoping to finish it this weekend,” she replied sheepishly.
“I’ll be right back. I love you Maddie” Kissing her, I turned to head inside.
She was on the deck under the umbrella enjoying her coffee and clicking through her story when her phone chimed from its spot, charging on the counter. I’d never spy on her or check her phone without her permission, but I can’t help but see that someone named Josh has text her asking if she was free tohook uptonight.
What the FUCK! Who the hell is Josh and why would he be texting her for a booty call? Was she still seeing someone while we have been together?
I took a couple of deep breaths in and out, trying to get my temper under control. I knew Maddie would never be unfaithful to me. We’ve talked, texted or spent every night together since the day she accepted the job offer over lunch. She wouldn’t have had time to see anyone else.
I was being crazy.
I took the tray of breakfast out to the deck, along with her phone, so we can eat and discuss who the hell Josh was and why he thought it was okay to text her for sex when we were together.
Maddie was mine.
As we snacked on fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels and eggs, I willed my temper and over active imagination to stop running crazy images through my head. All I could see was some faceless man with his hands all over Maddie, tasting her, giving her pleasure.
“You phone chimed while I was in the kitchen. I didn’t know if it might be Caroline so I brought it out for you.” I slid her phone in front of her coffee.
She picked it up and punched in her security code, unlocking it and pulling up her text messages. She looked at the last received text, her face blushing and her eyes getting slightly wider. Maddie tried to school her expressions and it made me nervous.
Did she still want this Josh guy?
What was he to her?
Did she ever love him like she loved me?
Her nervous eyes glanced over to mine as she responded to the message and closed her phone.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. It was a friend of mine asking to meet up tonight but I told them I was out of town and unavailable to meet them.”
She neglected to say who wanted to meet her.
“That’s nice. Is it anyone you’ve told me about?”
“Yeah, it’s just… I don’t know how to say this without it sounding bad.” She conceded on a huff. She wanted to tell me but was afraid of my reaction.
I picked her up and sat her in my lap, her legs straddling me. I wanted her to know that I was here for her and I trusted her to tell me what she needed to. I wouldn’t be mad unless she told me she loved him, too.
Then I would fight for her. I would move heaven and hell for her.
She was twisting her hands in her lap but didn’t break eye contact with me as she began to explain. “I have a friend, a guy, that from time to time, we, well…we meet up. We dated a long time ago and stayed best friends after we broke up. When neither of us is seeing someone, we, occasionally…hook up. It has been months and months since I have been with him like that. We agreed to not have the “benefits” part of the relationship anymore. I guess he was trying to change my mind.”
