Page 130 of Mad Love

“He was the black sheep of the family,” Tyler explained. “And when he married my mom—an American—he never moved back to England.”

“So, Americans are beneath the Brits?” I teased.

Chase rolled his eyes. “It was a different era, and there were different expectations.”

Tyler snorted. “For you, maybe, but Nana and Papa always loved you and your dad the most. And they definitely liked your mom more than mine.”

Chase made a face but didn’t disagree.

“Because your mom was American?” I frowned, not sure I got it.

“Worse.” Tyler’s eyes sparkled. “She was a single mom, who’d had to—please hold your gasps of shock and horror—work for a living. God forbid a woman have any sort of less-than-stellar pedigree. I mean, she was a labor and delivery nurse, for crying out loud. It’s not like she was pulling tricks at a truck stop. Not that there’s anything wrong with someone willingly entering the sex trade if that’s their choice,” she quickly added.

“Right,” I said slowly, trying to keep up.

At my confused expression, she went on, “My dad legally adopted me when I was two. I never knew my bio-dad. My mom said he was a deadbeat and a criminal, and we were much better off without him. Besides, my dad was my dad in every way that mattered.”

“Gotcha.” I definitely understood that blood and biology didn’t make a family.

“Anyway, we’d still go to England sometimes when my grandmother guilted my dad into it, but when it became pretty damn clear that Grandmother was still pushing for my dad to leave his family in America where they belonged and come back to the motherland to find a proper wife, we stopped going.”

“She was wrong,” Chase muttered. His gaze flicked to me. “Still is.”

Tyler shrugged. “I avoid them whenever I can. Grandmother’s a bitch.”

“She is,” Chase agreed, but he smiled at Tyler. “But you know that Father and I love having you live with us.”

“I know.” Tyler looked young and vulnerable as she grinned back with a touch of sadness. “I just miss my mom and dad.”

My lips tightened, and Tyler gasped. “Shit, Maddie. I’m sorry. I forgot about your mom and—”

I waved her off and cleared my throat. “Honestly? My mom was dead to me long before she stopped breathing. Maybe now she can find some peace.”

Tyler studied her hands. “I was always really close to my parents,” she admitted. “They were amazing, and losing them…” She blew out a long breath, looking rattled. “I mean, it’s been three years, but I still remember what my dad’s hugs felt like, and the way my mom smelled.”

“I’m sorry you lost them.” A part of me ached to know what having two parents love you above and beyond all else would feel like. Hating the macabre turn of topic, I glanced at my phone atop the glass coffee table. “I wonder how Bex is.”

“I could hack the hospital system and see how her mom’s doing,” Tyler suggested, brightening.

Chase rubbed his forehead. “Or we could attempt a less-invasive approach and wait for her to call.”

Tyler frowned. “That’s a horrible plan.”

“No, hacking a hospital’s database is a horrible plan. And a criminal one,” he pointed out.

“You didn’t care what I hacked to help you find Maddie when she was missing,” Tyler countered with a smug smirk.

Was it my imagination, or did Chase’s cheeks turn kinda pink?

“Her life was at stake,” Chase argued.

“But seriously, I owe you guys big time,” I said, cutting them off before they could start to bicker. They argued like they’d been siblings all their lives. “You both saved my ass.”

Chase smiled at me while Tyler shrugged and ducked her head, seeming embarrassed at the praise.

“I can assure you,” Chase told me, “that it was truly our pleasure.”

Tyler rolled her eyes and made a gagging sound. “She’s still… What are you? Married? Engaged?”

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