Page 68 of Deserving Maddie

She knew exactly how to cut a man right down. Rolling her over, Ray made sure he had her full attention before he confessed. "I'm not going anywhere. I've been falling in love with you since the moment I ran into you in the grocery store. I've just been waiting for you to catch up so I didn't scare you away."

"I've caught up," she whispered.

"Good, because I love you and I'm never leaving."

He nudged her legs open and slipped back inside her. Ray planned to spend the rest of the night showing her just how true that was with both his words and his body.

Chapter 30

NothingcouldbringdownMaddie's mood today. Ray had woken her up with his head between her legs; he was spoiling her. Never has she had so many orgasms in the span of a few days, let alone weeks or even months, if she was honest. She was fast getting used to it and wouldn't complain if he chose to wake her up that way each day.

But spectacular orgasms weren't the only reason. Things with Gabe were the best they have ever been. That morning for breakfast, the four of them had actually had time to sit down and enjoy a meal together without her having to yell at her son to get ready. Conversation had flowed easily. Ray was quickly becoming a fixture that both her children seemed to accept. They hadn't even flinched when Ray was standing at the stove making French toast.

Ray loved her.

Her kids were happy.

She was happy.

Life was perfect, and she needed to share her happiness with the only other person in her life who actually mattered. Maddie picked up her phone to text Kat, but her best friend beat her to it.

Kat: Hey, bitch. I didn't hear from you last night after you left work, so I can only assume that to mean you had an amazing night with Ray. I want to hate you for ignoring me but I'm too damn happy that you're happy.

She laughed. Leave it to her obnoxious friend to know exactly how things in her life were going before she even said anything. Maddie had promised to call Kat last night like she did every night, especially after being forced to stay late at work, but one thing led to another, so that clearly didn't happen.

Maddie: I'm sorry!!! I swear I planned to, but when I got home, Ray was helping Gabe with his homework and had dinner already made for us. Then Gabe wanted to talk. A lot of heavy shit got worked through, and before I knew it, I was in bed with Ray, and well, yeah, you can guess how that ended.

Kat: With lots and lots and lots of orgasms I hope. And wait, did you say he cooked dinner and helped my nephew with his homework? You lucky bitch. How do I get myself one of these men?

Her fingers couldn't keep up with how much she wanted to tell her friend. In hindsight, she should've just called, but she was at work, and talking about her sex life wasn't professional.

Maddie: So many that I lost count. I barely slept a wink and yet still feel energized this morning. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the way he woke me up was with one. But it's also how sweet he is outside the bedroom as well. He had no problem stepping in when I needed help and didn't make me feel bad about it. I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I'm holding on to him with everything I got.

Maddie: Oh and sorry, but all his teammates are taken. I thought you didn't want to settle down anyway.

Kat had the same stance on marriage since they were teenagers. It wasn't for her and no one would change her mind about it.

Kat: I didn't but I don't know. Seeing and hearing how happy you are with Ray, plus I was chatting with this guy on the plane while we flew back to North Carolina, and I don't know. It kinda made me realize maybe I was wrong about thinking marriage was never for me. I guess if the right guy came along, I might not be completely opposed to it.

Wow.

Maddie: Why didn't you tell me about this guy you met?

It wasn't like they hadn't talked since Kat had been back. They talked every single day, multiple times a day, and not once had her friend said anything.

Kat: Because it wasn't a big deal. We exchanged numbers, but I haven't heard from him since. I'm not saying he was the one, just that what we spoke about opened my eyes a bit more.

Maddie: Fine, I'll drop it for now, but I want to know the next time a guy changes your whole perspective on life. Even if he's a jerk who doesn't call you after giving you his number.

She was tempted to ask her friend for the number and have Ray look him up. See what kind of guy would give his number to her friend and then not follow through with it. The mystery man didn't know how big of a deal that really was. Kat never exchanged numbers with a man. Not even the ones she casually hooked up with. It was a line her friend didn't cross, so yes, it was important.

Maddie was still staring at her phone when a notification for an email popped up. She looked at the sender and her entire body went on alert.

It was from Captain Matthews, Anthony's former boss.

She was tempted to ignore it, but the subject line caught her attention. "Important" with a million exclamation points. It was both overdramatic and slightly unprofessional for a man who claimed to live his life by the letter of the law.

The body of the email only confused her more. Captain Matthews was in Texas and wanted to meet. He was concerned about the freeze on Anthony's death benefit and what that meant for her. His concern surprised her. Not once since Anthony's death had his captain shown any remorse for what happened or how it affected her life. Sure, in public he put on a good show, but it was crickets in private.

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