7. Chapter 7 - Killian
“Sir, Madison just arrived. She just got out of an Uber and is on her way up,” Colin whispers, pulling me aside.
The kaleidoscope of lights from the stage dance across his face. His eyes are lit with genuine excitement. All of us have missed her presence. I squeeze his shoulder before kissing my wife’s head beside me.
“I’ll be right back, love. I have to greet a guest of ours at the front entrance.” She tilts her head in concern. My hand comes up to smooth away the elevens between her pinched eyebrows before sweeping down her cheek. “Nothing to worry about. See you in a bit.”
Maneuvering my way through the drunk and lively crowd, I find my way to the door. Standing at the entrance is a beautifully tired Madison. As she spots me heading her way, a small smile creeps onto her face.
“Well, well, well. Look what we have here. You look good, Mad.”
“Thank you, Killian.” She looks around, admiring the entrance. “The place looks incredible as usual,” she beams, a smile gracing her face. “I wanted to call, but I didn’t want to chicken out. Grabbing an Uber and heading straight here was the only way I wouldn’t. So… would it be okay if I crash here for the night? I didn’t want to crowd my sisters and mom at the hotel.”
“Of course. You are always welcome here, Madison. You know that. Here, let me take that for you.” I grab her bag off her shoulder. “I’d say I’ll take you to a guest room but…” Fuck . This is uncomfortable. I need to clear the air with her. It shouldn’t be this way between us.
“Mad!” Lexi shouts from behind me, her heels clicking against the marble as she makes haste towards us.
Her arms wrap around her best friend, protectively pulling her into a warm embrace.
“I’m so glad you’re here. Dad’s okay?”
“He is. They expect him to make a full recovery. Thankfully, there were no complications.”
“Thank goodness,” she says relieved. “You want to get cleaned up? Maybe join us for a drink if you’re up for it?”
Madison plays with the strings of her sweatshirt. “I don’t know. I’m not really dressed for all this. I may just get to sleep. I need to be back at the hospital early.”
“Whatever you need, just let me know,” I offer. “We are pretty much at full capacity on extra bedrooms. Kian’s first birthday is tomorrow, so we have a few people staying the night for the festivities.”
“Shit. I should have called. I can just go,” she says remorsefully.
Her hand reaches out for her overnight bag. I take a step back, denying her. No . She needs to stay. This will always be her home. We will make it work.
“She can sleep with me. Con can stay with the boys in the bunk room,” Alexis offers.
Mad shakes her head. “Lex. It’s your engagement celebration. You aren’t forcing your fiancé to sleep in a bunk bed when he should be sleeping next to you. I’ll just sleep on the couch. It’s no big deal.”
Liam approaches us from the kitchen. His demeanor changes instantly upon seeing her. Immediate concern . Madison has yet to realize him as he reaches us.
“What’s wrong, beautiful? Everything okay?”
“Hey, Liam. Yeah. Yeah. Everything is fine. I didn’t realize you had a full house tonight. I should have just stayed at the hotel,” she rambles, brushing him off.
He reaches out, gently cupping her elbow. “I told you I’d pick you up. You should have called me. And no, you can stay in my room. I’ll sleep on the couch or…find somewhere to sleep. Don’t worry, love.”
Like a goddamn sitcom, Lainey joins our little gathering. Her arm slinks around her man, forcing him to release Madison and wrap his arm around her. His tattooed hands find their place at her waist. She lays her head on his chest— clearly tipsy —not even realizing that Madison is present.
“Liam. Where have you been? Since the ball dropped you’ve been MIA.” Her hand comes up to caress his face.
Madison steps forward, placing her delicate hand on my shoulder. Disheartened eyes look up at me.
“Is Diego staying here tonight?” Her voice wavers as she whispers, her eyes searching mine for the answer she desperately seeks refuge in.
“Yes.” I spin her, shielding her from the whispered conversation Liam and Lainey are having. Lost in their own little world. Lainey still hasn’t noticed Madison. Perhaps we should keep it that way— for now. Madison doesn’t need the added drama on top of her already hectic night.
“Come, love. I’ll take you there.” I collect her soft hand in mine, guiding her up the stairs and away from the love birds. Alexis shoots her best friend a concerned look, but she returns it with a faux smile in typical Madison fashion . Always trying to reassure everyone she is okay—when she most definitely is not.
Not at all.
Reaching the second floor, I direct us to the bedroom next to the elevator. The same one that Selena occupied while she and I were working on our shit. Quite ironic that it now belongs to her brother.
Rapping my knuckles against the wood, I knock twice. When no one answers, I turn the knob and open it a crack, confirming the room’s vacant. Diego must be downstairs at the bar. Hopefully not with a woman. I’m not sure Maddy can take much more tonight. I place her overnight bag on the chair at the base of the bed.
“I’m sure Diego won’t mind if you help yourself to his shower. I can imagine you’re exhausted—but perhaps you have it in you for one drink? Tea even? Lena would love to see you just as we all are. It’s good to have you back… for as long as that may be.” I linger at the threshold of the door like an awkward eejit.
“Thank you, Kil.” Her eyes roam around his room, likely looking for clues as to what he’s been up to in here. It’s neat and tidy–not much to analyze.
My hand cups the back of my neck as the awkwardness increases tenfold. “Listen, Maddy. I owe you an apology. I wasn’t myself after we broke up. I became a version of myself I never imagined I would become. Christ, I was no better than the ones we took out. Fatherhood has reminded me of my priorities and that power is not designed for everyone. Especially me. I let my emotions and need for revenge override my logical thinking. You, Diego, and Liam should never have been pawns in the fucked up decisions I made. I was too harsh on Liam. I let you go off with Diego when I should have fought harder for you to stay. I did awful things to Diego out of the desire to seek revenge. He’s a good man. I see that now. I’ve made my peace with my brother and him. Perhaps I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I could use it. I’ve missed you, Madison. Life around here just isn’t the same without your bright personality.”
Her hair shines with a purple hue as she steps towards me in the dimly lit room. It’s a beautiful shade. She sucks in a breath before placing my hand in hers.
“I forgive you. We were all forced to make some crazy choices. No one person was to blame for everything that happened. I think we’ve all had space and time to move beyond what transpired. Kil, I understand why you acted the way you did. It took me a while to realize it, and for some time I wasn’t even able to be around you—for what you did to Liam. More specifically for what you did to Diego. But, I can see how our history and the way Diego went about it… could have created this need for revenge. Time has taught me that some things fade while others linger. The anger I held towards you no longer exists. I forgive you, Kil. I’m not sure if I’ll be here long, but moving forward, you and I are good.”
She pulls me into a hug and instantly I melt. Her touch is soothing. Like aloe on a sunburn. There is this immense feeling of relief having her here in my arms. This isn’t anything remotely sexual. It’s just how Madison makes you feel. Calmness curls around me like a weighted blanket, relieving all the anxiety built up over her this past year. Her forgiveness is everything I needed and more.
As she pulls away she murmurs, “I’m not sure I’ll make it down. I’ll see how I feel after my shower.”
“Okay, love. Anything you need just press 2 on the phone.” I gesture with my hand to the phone on the end table.
Her nose scrunches up. “Isn’t that going to call the kitchen?” she asks warily.
I let out a chuckle, understanding what she means. “Yeah. Lainey is off tonight, she’s spending the night…enjoying herself.”
Madison purses her lips at my verbiage. I wouldn’t say there is jealousy there, but she’s definitely unnerved by this situation .
I don’t blame her. It has to be uncomfortable. Been there.
I’ll let Liam deal with this one.
God only knows what those two are. Not sure my brother ever really made it official with the lass. Meanwhile, she’s absolutely smitten with him. Quite frankly, she always has been.
“Alright. Thanks again, Kil. I’m off to go shower.” She juts her thumb out behind her in the direction of the en suite .
“See you soon, love.”
“Why didn’t you tell me Madison is here?” Selena whisper-shouts at me from her spot at the bar.
Everyone is doing a round of shots in honor of Con and Lexi. Lexi is steaming drunk and so is Con. The two of them are doing karaoke on stage singing “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.
“I didn’t want to overwhelm her. I knew if I told you, you’d have made a beeline straight to her.”
She links her fingers through mine and lays her head against my shoulder. On a sigh, she says, “Yeah, I would have.” A laugh slips past her gorgeous lips. “Make sure those two don’t go sneaking off to elope tonight.” Her head turns towards the stage where Con and Lexi are spinning around while finishing the chorus.
“I’ll make sure Liam keeps an eye on him.”
“Mind if I join?” Madison’s voice carries over the awful singing.
Unable to help herself, Lena wraps Madison up into a hug. Tears drip over my wife’s cheeks as she tells her how much she has missed her.
Maddy rubs gentle circles over her back. “I missed you too, Sel. I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad friend. I should have reached out more. I could have Facetimed you and Kian or came to visit. It’s awful I only got to see him through the phone a handful of times.”
“It’s okay. You needed the time to figure out what you wanted. What you went through, Mad. A break from it all was needed. I don’t blame you for anything. Our friendship is still here and just as special and solid as when we last left off.”
Fresh tears roll over Madison’s cheeks and drip down onto her simple black cocktail dress. She isn’t wearing a mask, but she doesn’t need one. Plenty of our guests refuse to wear theirs. Even Lena took a break, complaining it was too hot.
For someone who wasn’t planning on coming here, Madison certainly made sure to have a dress on hand. I’m glad she did. We all needed this. Perhaps she’ll come back tomorrow for Kian’s birthday. Maybe Selena and Liam can even persuade her to move back.
She belongs here.
Her departure was directly caused by our actions or lack thereof. Madison should never have felt forced to run away from her home.
Her family. Friends.
“We have a lot to catch up on,” Maddy affirms with a sniffle.
Selena clasps both of Maddy’s hands in hers. “Will you consider coming back after seeing your father tomorrow? I would love to catch up then.” She leans in close to whisper, “I’m sure my brother would, too.”
Madison and my wife giggle together. Just like they used to. I’m thrilled they have reunited. Lena is glowing with happiness.
“I could use a drink,” Maddy declares contentedly.
“Let’s get you one,” Selena beams, already dragging her best friend towards the front of the bar.