Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
Maddox
I can’t stop touching her.
My wife.
Fuck me, I love the sound of that. I don’t remember much about last night. I do remember being thrilled to get time with her. I vaguely remember Maggie not feeling well and having a silent conversation with Lachlan, which is how he was the chosen one to take her back to the room.
After that, things get foggy. Really fucking foggy. But everything since the moment I woke up to realize my night ended in marrying Brogan is clear as a bright blue sky.
“Meet in the lobby in an hour?” Roman suggests. We’ve finished breakfast, and it’s time to gather our things and head to the airport.
“We’ll be there,” I tell him. With a wave to our group, I place my hand on the small of Brogan’s back and lead her toward the elevators. She’s quiet as she stands next to me, watching as the numbers climb to our floor.
It’s not until we’re in our room, well, her room that became ours because she’s now my wife, that she speaks.
“Maddox—” she starts, but when I reach for her, pulling her into my arms, she snaps her mouth shut. Those big green eyes stare up at me, and her hands rest on my chest.
“Yes, wife?” I ask with a tender smile. Damn, I thought Roman and Legend were crazy with all the “my wife” business they toss around. Forrest has joined them since Briar agreed to marry him. I didn’t understand it, but now, I get it. I really fucking do. It’s a rush like nothing I’ve ever felt before to know that this woman, this beautiful, smart, incredible woman is my wife.
Mine.
Damn, I love the sound of that.
“It’s not real, Maddox.” There is something in her tone of voice that tells me she’s not exactly happy that her words are true. Well, it’s real. She’s my wife. Sure, we can’t remember how it happened, and maybe that’s what I’m hearing, but I’m going to choose to think she’s sad when she says, “it’s not real.”
I raise my hand and wiggle my ring finger. “This and that paper sitting on the table say otherwise.” I lift her left hand from my chest and kiss her white gold diamond band. I make a mental note to get her an engagement ring. Sure, we missed that step, but she still deserves one. “This too.”
“We don’t even remember it,” she argues.
“So, we renew our vows.” I’m already formulating a plan in my mind. It’s genius really.
“Maddox. Can you be serious for five damn seconds so we can talk about this?” She huffs out an irritated breath.
Stepping away from her, I take her hand in mine and lead her to the bed. I sit and pull her onto my lap. I can’t stop touching her, and I hope that it helps my cause, because now that she’s mine in the eyes of the law, I want it to stay that way. I’ve wanted her for months and refused to do anything about it.
“I’m being serious,” I assure her as I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She gives me a look that tells me she thinks I’m blowing smoke up her ass. I’m going to have to bare my soul to her.
I’m all-in and willing to fight for this. For her. For us. She’s sitting sideways on my lap, but I need to look directly into her eyes for this. Lifting her from my lap, she squeaks in surprise as I set her back on the bed and drop to my knees. She automatically widens her legs, making room for me.
Resting my palms on her cheeks, I give her another tender smile. “Months. Since the first day I laid eyes on you, I’ve wanted you.”
“W-What?” she whispers.
I nod. “At first, it was just that you were beautiful. You were this fun-loving aunt and sister, and as I got to know you, I knew you were someone I could see myself with.”
“You never said anything.”
“I didn’t want you to know.”
“Why?” She tilts her head to the side as she processes what I’m telling her.
“Because your sister and my best friend, my brother, are now married, and if this didn’t work out, it would have been awkward.”
“That’s exactly why we need to make this go away.”
I nod. “Yesterday, I would have agreed with you. Today, I’m seeing things differently.”
“Explain that. I don’t understand, Maddox.”
“Today, I woke up with a wife. Not just any wife. It’s you, Brogan. You’re the one I want. I’ve wanted you quietly for months. Now that you’re mine, I can’t fathom changing that.”
“Do you hear yourself? We weren’t even dating, Maddox.”
“Then we’ll date,” I say, shrugging.
“We’re married! This isn’t a game, Maddox.” She pulls in a deep breath, trying to get a hold of her emotions. I watch as each one plays out in her features. Fear, confusion, and damn if I don’t see hope shimmering in her eyes.
“I know, Brogan. I know that this isn’t a game. I know that it’s my life and yours. I know it sounds completely insane, but damn, baby, I don’t want to end this. I want us to stay married. I want you to be mine.” I pause, and since she doesn’t reply, I keep going, spewing all the jumbled thoughts in my mind and in my heart, hoping to convince her this is what I want.
She is what I want.
I don’t know what I can say to convince her. I just need time. Time to prove to her that we can be incredible. Time for her to fall in love with me. I’ve wanted her for so long. I need to give her time to catch up. I don’t want to get a divorce. She’s mine, and I want her to stay mine.
“Give me six months,” I blurt.
Her brow furrows in confusion. “What?”
“Six months. Give me six months to prove to you that we are the real deal. We are endgame.”
“You don’t know that, Maddox. You don’t even know me, not really. You might like the idea of a wife, but trust me, you don’t want that person to be me.”
“I do,” I say firmly. It’s not lost on me that those two words are what got us in this situation in the first place. “I know you, Brogan. I know that your nieces and your sister are your entire world. I know that you and your sister have been through hell and back and are still here fighting to tell your story. I know that I’m drawn to you like no one ever before, and I know that I want to give this a shot. Me and you.”
“I’m broken, Maddox.” She shakes her head, sorrow masking her features. “You don’t want to take on all that is me right now. Trust me.”
“Let me prove to you that I do. I want you. You’re not broken, Brogan. You might be a little bruised, but you're stronger than your past.”
“They told you.” She nods, as if she wasn’t sure if I knew her history.
“Emerson sat Lachlan and me down and told us what happened.” Dropping my hands from her face, I stand and hug her tightly to my chest. It’s not until I bend and rest my head on top of hers that I feel her arms wrap around me, returning my embrace. I hold her until she lets go, and even then, I hang on just a little longer before placing my index finger beneath her chin and tilting her eyes to mine.
“I’m a mess, Maddox,” she says, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Therapy is helping, but I don’t want to bring you down with all that.”
“And what about Briar and Forrest? Is she bringing him down? Of course not. Those two are kindred spirits. How do you know that we’re not?” I ask her.
“We’re going to miss our flight,” she says, changing the subject.
“Promise me we’ll talk more about this when we get home?” She nods, but that’s not good enough. “I need your words, Brogan.”
“I promise we’ll talk about this more when we get back to Tennessee.”
I don’t miss that she refused to say home, but that’s okay. I’ve got the entire flight back to form a plan. Six months is all I need to prove to her that we’re meant to be. Fate brought us together in that wedding chapel last night, and who are we to fight against fate?
“Are you packed?” she asks.
I glance over my shoulder to where my luggage sits. “Yeah, I just need to zip it all up. Do you need help?”
I’m greeted with a soft smile. “No. I can manage. Thank you, though.”
“We make a great team, huh?” I say, winking at her.
She shakes her head, but she’s unable to hide the corner of her mouth that’s tilted up as she tries to fight her smile. “You’re something else, Maddox Lanigan.”
“Right back at you, Mrs. Lanigan.” She sucks in a shocked breath, and I bite my cheek to keep from laughing. Instead, I lean in and kiss the corner of her mouth. “Go get packed, wife. We’re going to miss our flight.”
She opens her mouth to speak but snaps it closed, gives a slight shake of her head, and moves around me to start packing up her things. I take a trip around the room, making sure neither one of us left anything. That includes our marriage certificate. I store that safely in my carry-on suitcase. I make a mental note to frame it or maybe put it in a scrapbook or something when I get home. I’ll have to ask Emerson what she suggests. She and Roman have been married the longest in our group.
Fifteen minutes later, I have both of our suitcases in hand as we roll into the lobby to meet everyone. We take the shuttle to the airport, and I make sure to sit next to her, keeping my hand on her thigh. On the flight home, she sits next to Maggie. I almost ask Maggie to switch with me but think better of it. She might need to talk to someone, although it’s really quiet two rows up where they’re sitting.
“So, you’re a married man now, huh?” Lachlan asks.
“Yep.”
“How long do you think it will take to get it annulled?”
“We’re not getting an annulment.” I turn to glare at my best friend to find him grinning like a fool.
“I’m just fucking with you. I heard you loud and clear at breakfast this morning. You really want to stay married?”
“To Brogan? Yes.” Lachlan doesn’t mask the shock on his face. I exhale and rest my head back against the seat. “I’ve had a thing for her for a while now.”
“Yeah, I got that, but married? You’re not even dating.”
“Because I was too damn worried about fucking it up to make a move. Drunk me had more balls than sober me, and this is my chance, Lach.”
“So, did she agree?”
“Not yet, but she will.”
“What can I do?”
“Nothing. This is all on me. I have to show her that being married to me is what she wants.”
“Is it? I mean, do you think that’s what she wants?”
“I think that she’s scared. I think that their past has made her feel as though she’s not worthy, and fuck me, but I want to be the man to show her that she is.”
“I’ll talk you up,” he says, no humor at all in his tone.
Opening my eyes, I turn to look at him to find him nodding and wearing a serious expression. “Thanks, man, but this is on me. I have to figure out how to make my wife fall in love with me.”
“Do you love her?”
“I care about her. A lot. Enough that I want to see what we can be.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?” he asks.
I glare at him, and he laughs. “It will.”
“You’re sunk, my friend.” Reaching over, he taps my chest. “You might want to look a little deeper.”
“Fuck off,” I grumble. I can’t say that I’m in love with her, but I do know I care about her, and yeah, I could see myself falling fast and hard for my wife. I just need her to give us a chance. I’ve always followed my gut instinct and my gut is telling me she’s the one. That we can do this and be happy. We can build a life together.
Lachlan and I both sleep the remainder of the flight. When we land, I rush to grab my bag, and I’m out of my seat to help Brogan and Maggie before the aisle can get blocked and she sneaks away from me.
“My place or yours?” I ask her once we’re off the plane.
“What?”
“Are we staying at my place or yours tonight?”
“Maddox.” She sighs, and I get the feeling she’s going to be sighing my name a lot.
“You promised me we would talk,” I remind her.
“My place.”
“Okay.” I nod and continue to carry her bag and mine to the parking garage. When I don’t stop at Legend’s SUV and keep going to my truck, she calls my name.
“Maddox.”
I stop and turn to look at her. “Yes, dear?” I smirk.
“I rode with Legend and Monroe.”
“I know you did, but we’re going home, baby. You can ride with me.” I watch as acceptance washes over her face. She turns toward Briar and gives her a hug, before doing the same with Forrest. I’m too far away to hear what they’re saying, but close enough to know it’s about me.
Then she kneels and tugs River and Rayne into a hug. The girls giggle before they wiggle out of her hold and take off, racing toward me. I have just enough time to drop the bags and crouch down to catch them.
“Bye, Uncle Maddox.”
Uncle Maddox.
Damn.
They’ve called me that hundreds of times, but this time, it rings more true than ever, and I’m not too insecure to admit that it gets me in the chest. My heart squeezes. These little angels have stolen all of our hearts.
“Bye, girls. Be good for your mom and dad.”
I glance up at Forrest, and he’s smiling wide. “Come on, girls. Daddy will strap you in your seats.” His eyes find mine, and he mouths, “I’m a daddy.” It's still hard for him to wrap his head around the changes in his life most days, but it’s because he loves those three so damn much.
One more hug for me, and they’re off racing toward their dad. I stand, and Forrest gives me a nod and a silent confirmation that he’s with me on this. He understands the Pearce women. He’s married to one, too, and he knows what I’m up against. His look says, “Stay strong. I’m with you, and don’t give up on what you want.”
What I want is Brogan.
I want my wife.
I want the chance to make her fall in love with me.
I remain where I am while Brogan slowly makes her way over to me. I pick up our bags and we walk side by side to my truck. I open the back door and place our luggage inside before opening her door for her.
“You don’t have to open doors for me.”
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to.” What I don’t tell her is that she deserves to be treated like a queen. My queen.
The drive to her place is quiet, but not uncomfortable. I want to reach over and take her hand in mine, but I refrain. I know I’m coming on strong, but I’m not the kind of man who sits back and waits. I did that once in my life. With her. It was hell seeing her and not pursuing her. It’s my second chance to have her in my life as more than just a friend, or my best friend’s sister-in-law, and that’s worth fighting for.
I let fear hold me back, and that was a mistake, one I’m currently paying for because my feelings for her are like a bomb in her eyes. She didn’t expect them. I just hope she agrees to give me a chance to show her what we can be.
Who we can be together.