Page 40 of The Bookworm Who Stole Christmas
My head snaps toward the garage door when I hear a gasp. I look back at my mom, wide-eyed and worried.
“You don’t think…?” I trail off, unable to finish my sentence.
“Well, you’d better go and find out before you do irreparable damage.” Mom rolls her eyes at me. “Sometimes I wonder where you got your stupidity from because it certainly wasn’t me.”
I can’t move. I’m frozen in place. My gut’s telling me it was Maddie. That she overheard some of the conversation, if not all of it.
I’m so fucking stupid.
This could have cost me the woman I love.
I’m still standing in place as Mom slaps my arm, bringing me out of my stupor. “Well, go and get her,” she exclaims, pointing to the door. “Go.”
I kiss her cheek and grab my coat as I run out the door. It’s dark now; the snow falling the heaviest I’ve seen it thisseason. My breath forms clouds of white in the cold air as the wind hits my cheeks.
Climbing into my truck, I slowly make my way through town, desperate to find her and apologize.
I’m gonna be groveling for years to come. If Amelia doesn’t kill me for fucking this all up, that is.
To be fair, I deserve it. I’d happily beg on my knees for forgiveness if Maddie spends the rest of her life with me.
Gotta get her to forgive you first, asshole.
Shutting that thought down fast, I trawl the streets looking for her. My eyes dart everywhere, trying to see even the smallest hint of her, but there’s nothing. It’s like she vanished. I keep driving, my heart in my throat, but eventually I find her in the town square, attacking the Christmas tree.
Shoving the truck into park, I abandon it and chase after her.
“Maddie!” I shout, but she either doesn’t hear or doesn’t want to talk to me.
My feet slip and slide on the snow and ice as I get closer to her, and I hear her cries. My heart shatters at the sound. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Something that was meant to be fun turned into the worst evening of my life—hers too.
I reach my arm out, gently placing it on her shoulder. “Maddie?”
She freaks out, jumping back and slipping, then falls into the tree. I don’t have enough time to react to grab her.
Everything happens in slow motion after that.
We stand watching as the tree shakes before falling to the ground with a resounding crash. Maddie’s hand flies up to her face as she mutters under her breath.
The silence echoes around us, the only sound to beheard is our heavy breathing as we take in the sight in front of us—carnage. Baubles are shattered, tinsel lies strewn across the street, and lights flicker on and off as they die out.
Maddie sobs harder, and I spring into action, wrapping her in my arms.
“Oh god, I didn’t mean for that to happen,” she wails, burying her head in my chest. “I just got so angry. Everyone’s gonna hate me.”
People start emerging from nearby houses and shops, no doubt wondering what the noise was. Hushed whispers can be heard all around, but Maddie just cries harder.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. We can fix this,” I say, trying to soothe her.
“I’ve ruined Christmas,” she exclaims, pulling away from me and looking around.
Her face is red and blotchy, mortification clear on her face.
“I’ll fix this. I have to fix this,” she says as she starts grabbing items from the ground and filling her arms.
I hear the slamming of a car door, and I turn around to see Mom rushing over with Dad and Amelia behind her. When Mom sees what happened, she gives Maddie a soft look, one of understanding, as she sees what she’s trying to do. Without preamble, Mom walks up to Maddie and whispers in her ear.
Maddie stops immediately, turning to look at her. My mom smiles softly before bending down to help.
