Page 28 of Deserving Maddie

"So, that's not Maddie's dead husband that you're checking out on your computer?"

He spun around so fast that he almost fell out of his chair. Sure enough, Anthony Robinson's picture and the article about his death were still up on his screen—a rookie mistake.

"Okay, you caught me. Maddie returned my car tonight without telling me and left me a note. Basically ending whatever it was we had. I thought if I looked into what brought her to Texas, I could understand her reasoning a bit. I got more than I bargained for."

"Meaning?"

Any other time he would clamp up and refuse to discuss anything personal, but maybe he needed a woman's perspective. One that wasn't Trista who would likely laugh at him.

"He was perfect. Perfect husband. Perfect father. Perfect police officer. He died in the line of duty, saving a single mother and her child. He's everything I'm not."

The insecurity in his tone annoyed him. He hadn't been insecure since he was in middle school with braces and zits. That all changed the summer before his senior year. He went from the dork who got stuffed in a locker to the hot nerd every girl wanted to hook up with.

"You mean he looks good on paper," Blue scoffed. "You know better than anyone that paper can lie. I'm not saying it's the case here, but don't go assuming you know what her life was like just because you read a few articles in the paper."

"And his service record," he mumbled under his breath.

"I'm sorry, what?"

This was embarrassing. He never needed to work this hard to get a woman. Nor did he stalk them to find out everything he could. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

"I also looked at his service record," he answered sheepishly.

"You really got it bad for this chick, don't you?"

"First woman I fall for and she's emotionally unavailable. Just my luck, right?"

Ray took his glasses off, tossed them on the desk, and rubbed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on. He knew better than to not take the occasional break to rest his eyes. Twelve hours straight in front of the computer did that to a person.

"Maybe she is, or maybe it's something more than that. No way of knowing unless you talk to her. Don't let a few articles and a service record be the reason you don't bother to try. If this woman is really worth it, then give her a chance. She might just need some time."

He thought back to her letter. She said she couldn't see himyet,so maybe Blue was onto something. It didn't hurt to wait around for a bit. He had no other plans. His dick refused to get it up for anyone else and just the thought of hitting up a bar to pick up a woman made him feel sleazy.

Besides, work would keep him busy. He had an MC to try and stop. Trista was breathing down his neck about wrapping it up so the women could get back to their separate houses. Barely two days in and already he was hearing about it.

"I can see that brain of yours working. You know I'm right. She's got kids to look after and I can't imagine it would be easy on them."

"Did everyone look into Maddie?"

"Oh, please," Blue chuckled. "Our eternal bachelor shows interest in just one woman. Of course, we all looked up Maddie Robinson."

That was the problem of working with a bunch of men and women who worked in security for a living. They were a bunch of nosy bastards who didn't know how to mind their own business.

"There's no such thing as privacy is there."

It wasn't really a question. He knew the answer, but he was curious how Blue would answer. His teammate didn't disappoint.

"Fuck, no. Privacy is for strangers. We're family. We're supposed to be all up in your business."

He shook his head and smiled. There was no one else he would rather work with. Despite all their many flaws, working for Wes was the best thing that ever happened to him. The friendships he formed would last forever.

"True," he laughed. "I appreciate you coming to check on me. It might drive me up the wall, but I appreciate it nonetheless."

"Anytime. I'll see myself out. We have a busy day tomorrow. There's a dirty MC president to take down."

Ray gave her a hug, and despite her protests, he walked her out to her vehicle. Blue could take care of herself, but he was a gentleman, after all. He would never allow a woman to walk outside alone.

It wasn't until he was standing in the shower, rinsing the day away, that he let Blue's words sink in and formulated a game plan. He was a patient man. He could wait for something as great as Maddie. If time was all she needed, then that's what he would give her. But he would be her friend during that time. No one deserved to go through things alone, and he could tell Maddie needed a friend more than anything else. He would be that person for her until she was ready for more. And if that time never came, then at least he knew she could depend on him in some way.

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