“Should I ask Briar to check you for a fever?”
I glanced up. “Huh?”
“You’re quiet,” Maddox said. “And you’re never quiet. That rambling mouth of yours hardly ever goes silent, even when you sleep. Though, I quite like your sleepy mumbles and snores.”
“I don’t snore.” I forced my eyes away from his and looked at the fountain in the center of the square. Kids sat on the ground around it and played with marbles. Their long sleeves and hats told of the changing season. Not quite cold enough yet for a coat but getting there.
“And you callmea liar,” he said with a smile clear in his voice. I didn’t look at him to verify if he was actually smiling or not.
We found the path toward our cottage and started down it.
I wanted to ask about Isabel, but the words lodged in my throat. Relationships needed communication. Honesty. Especially one like ours.
Had I learned nothing from reading romance books? I often shouted for the main characters to freaking communicate with each other instead of doing the huge misunderstanding plot line that was often contrived just to create some tension in the story. And there I was, being like those uncommunicative and stubborn protagonists. But it was different whenyourheart was on the line.
Was Maddox unhappy? I was too afraid to ask.
Lupin had said nothing was set in stone. The future couldn’t be predicted, only estimated. He’d said five men were destined to love me, but he hadn’t specified for how long. What if Maddox was bored with me? He could want more than what I had to offer him. More, in the form of a beautiful woman with huge knockers and legs for days. How long until Briar felt that way, or Lake?
What if I was fated to end up alone and brokenhearted instead of living happily ever after with them?
I faltered in step and went down like a sack of potatoes, throwing out my hands to catch myself before I fully hit. My kneecaps hit the ground hard, and there was a stinging twinge in my wrist.
Maddox lunged toward me, dropping the bags in the process. Kneeling beside me, he examined my scuffed palms. “By the gods. You’re—”
“I know. I’m a walking disaster. We’ve already established this.” I pulled my hands from his and got to my feet, ignoring the ache in my knees. If only the one in my heart could be so easily ignored. “Let’s go.”
“Evan?”
I kept walking. The pang in my chest radiated outward, filling my veins with something hot and prickly. Pressure enclosed my sternum. Was I jumping to conclusions and being dramatic for nothing? Maybe. But the two of them definitely had some kind of history, and his refusal to expand on said history only unsettled me more.
Maddox grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. “Talk to me.”
“I’m fine,” I said, though the quiver in my voice said the opposite. “Let’s just go home.”
“We’re not taking another goddamned step until you tell me what’s wrong.”
“Who is she?”
Confusion replaced his concern. “Who?”
“Isabel.” I yanked from his hold.
Understanding dawned on him. I saw it the second it did. Yet, the way he hesitated told me all I needed to know.
“Oh my god.” I stumbled back a step. The sting in my chest spread upward and settled behind my eyes. “You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m not.” When he stepped toward me, I shook my head, and he halted in place. “Sweetheart, listen to me. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Yeah? Tell that to the flirty little smiles she gave you. And the wink. She was all over you, Maddox.” I sounded like a whiny child but couldn’t stop it. “You were with her before seeing me in the market. Why?”
“We were at the tavern,” he answered. “I saw you from the window and jumped up.”
“Out of guilt?”
“Because I wanted to catch you before you stumbled off somewhere.” He took a small step forward, almost like I was a wild animal he didn’t want to scare off. “I then saw the men and rushed over.”
“Who is she to you?” My voice cracked, and angry tears slipped from my eyes. “If you’re unhappy with me, just say so.”
