Page 31 of Deserving Maddie

She expected Gabriel to yell at her in return. She expected him to say no and refuse to come out of his room. So she was pleasantly surprised when the door opened to an already-dressed Gabe. It would appear being stern did the trick.

"I hate this school, and I hate you for moving us here."

Or not.

Accepting that he was at least dressed and on his way downstairs, Maddie let out a heavy sigh and followed.

She walked into the kitchen just in time to overhear the exchange between her son and best friend.

"Good morning, my favorite nephew."

"I'm your only nephew," Gabe grumbled.

"Doesn't make you any less my favorite nephew."

It was probably petty of Maddie to feel a smidge of delight, knowing her son didn't just give her attitude. Kat was normally spared from his grumpy disposition, but today, he wanted to share the love to all.

"Can't you convince Mom to leave this stupid place so we can go back to our real home?"

Maddie stopped just out of sight. She was curious what else her son had to say when he thought she wasn't around.

"This is your home and it's not nice to call a place stupid when you haven't even given it a chance."

"We've lived here for six months. Pretty sure that's enough for me to know I hate the place and everyone in it."

The weight of her son's accusations hurt. She didn't want her son to hate where they lived. It made her wonder again if she was doing the right thing by forcing him to stay. The reasons she left were valid, and she didn't want to regret her choice to protect them from learning the truth about their father.

"Sure, you've lived here, but you haven't really given the place a chance. You refuse to make friends. You judge the teachers and students without actually getting to know them. You haven't stepped foot outside this house unless forced by me or your mother. None of that is living. You wrote off the place before ever actually giving it a chance. How is that fair?"

Maddie wanted to rush in and hug her best friend.

"How is it fair that my mother moved us here without even asking our opinion?"

And that was the major problem. The one regret she had. When she made the decision that they needed to move, she hadn't asked them. She hadn't sat down and talked with them about it. One day she announced they were moving, and that was it. Charley was fine with it, but Gabe couldn't seem to forgive her for it.

"Your mother made the decision because she thought it was best for you. Did she go about it the right way?" Maddie held her breath, waiting to see what Kat had to say. "Maybe not, but she feels bad about that. Your mother goes to bed every night wondering if she is doing a good job with you and your sister. She already beats herself up enough. You adding to it doesn't help."

Those pesky tears were back. Maddie tried to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop trickling down her cheek and ruining the little makeup she wore.

"I don't want Mom going to bed upset each night."

Oh, her sweet Charley. Always there to defend her, even if she didn't deserve it.

"Me either," Gabe finally agreed with some reluctance.

"So how about you actually give this place a chance? I'm not saying you need to love it right off the bat, but try going to school without a chip on your shoulder. Or when someone talks to you, maybe don't bite their head off. Make one friend. See about doing one thing outside of this house. Give it a real chance, and if you still hate it, then come back to me and we can talk."

"Fine."

It was only one word, but it was better than nothing. Maddie would take the win and be happy. She would thank Kat later, then she would take her friend's advice and not snap at Kat any time she mentioned Ray.

"Good. Now eat your breakfast. Your mother will be coming in here soon to take you both to school."

Maddie rushed off to the bathroom to clean herself up. She needed to get rid of the tearstains and red eyes. She'd just managed to look presentable when her phone dinged with an email. Pulling it up, her heart sank. It was from Anthony's insurance company, the one he had set up in case something happened to him in the line of duty. They were opening an investigation, and until it was completed, the money they were receiving would be on hold.

She knew this day would come. Every fear she had was coming true. Anthony was screwing her over, even from the grave. She would never be free of the man.

Chapter 15

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