Chapter Twenty-Two
LIAM
As the dreaded day of leaving for Vegas draws closer, I try to spend as much time with Maddie as possible.
I should be working more since I won’t be able to for over a week, but I can’t find it in me to leave the house when she’s here.
Even when we’re not alone, getting to sit in the living room with her and watch TV is enough for me.
We still pretend to annoy each other as Sophie and Mason ramble on about their wedding plans, but they ignore us.
They’ll want to live alone eventually although they haven’t brought it up, but Mason’s dad pays the majority of the bills for the house.
Even after everything that went down between them, his father still uses his money to get what he wants.
I’m not sure if they’ll want to buy their own place after they’re married, or if they’ll kindly suggest I move the fuck out, but either way, I’m not prepared for it.
I’m staying as long as Maddie’s here.
On Saturday, Sophie and Mason go on a date to break away from wedding planning, which means Maddie and I have a few hours to ourselves where we don’t have to pretend we annoy each other.
My flight to Vegas is in three days, and I dread every second I’ll be away from her, so I won’t take any alone time for granted.
Maddie looked so sad when Sophie announced they were going to the movies.
I knew her expression was because we can’t be open about our relationship.
Being seen in public as a couple isn’t an option right now, but damn, I wish it were.
So I suggested we watch a movie here and try to make the best of it.
She liked the idea so much that she filled the coffee table with popcorn and junk food.
“Magic Mike, Dear John, or The Vow?” Maddie asks around a mouthful of chips.
“If you’re on a Channing Tatum kick again, can’t we at least watch one of his better movies like 22 Jump Street or G.I. Joe?” I ask as I walk to the fridge for a beer.
Although Maddie’s twenty-one and can legally drink, she doesn’t much. Drinking alcohol makes her feel like shit for days after and she can’t have it ruining her rehearsals. I’d love to be able to go out and buy her a few drinks but the risk is too high.
“Hmm…” She pretends to think about it when I return. “Those don’t sound romantic or sexy.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, then bring her mouth to mine. “You’re adorable, but your taste in movies sucks ass.”
“Too bad,” she mutters as I slide my tongue between her lips.
It’s hard to believe how much of my heart Maddie has stolen.
Not just in the past month, but since the moment we’ve met.
She’s kept me sane during this whole situation with the O’Learys, and I don’t regret confessing the truth to her.
I’d be drinking myself stupid right now if I were still keeping secrets from her.
Finally succumbing to my feelings and giving us a shot were the best decisions I ever made.
We still have a lot of obstacles to overcome, and it won’t be easy, but I’m falling for her. Normally, that would scare the shit outta me, and I’d be running as far away as possible, but with Maddie, I only want to be closer.
“Fine, you win.” I groan at her ability to get what she wants with her delicious mouth. “Your pick.”
She smiles proudly, and I pummel her into the couch until I can spank her ass.
“That’s not fair,” she whines at my ability to pin her down with little effort.
“Get over it,” I tease, then press a kiss to the tip of her nose.
“Goddammit, Hulk.”
I chuckle when she pushes me away so she can sit up and grab the remote.
“Do you realize around this time four years ago is when we first met?” Maddie says as she snuggles into me.
“Four years, huh?”
“Yep. Pushed me away then, but now you can’t get enough of me,” she gloats.
“Shut up and watch the movie, smart-ass.” I wink, knowing damn well it’s taken a lot of restraint to stay away as long as I did.
Halfway through The Vow, I can’t keep my eyes open. Not because I’m tired, but because I’m bored as hell. Maddie’s glued to it, so I can’t even distract her with my tongue or fingers.
“No getting handsy during the movie.” She swats my hand away.
“C’mon…just third base. Take off your panties,” I tease.
She scowls. “You can sit through one movie with me!”
“Fine.”
Sitting back, I weave our fingers together. After a few minutes, the movie goes from boring to super snoozeville, so I take our locked hands and rub it over my groin. A moment later, I’m rock hard, and considering she hasn’t moved away yet, I keep going.
“You’re only setting yourself up for disappointment,” she says, her gaze staying locked on the screen.
“I don’t need your full attention for your hand to do the work…”
Maddie’s trying so hard to keep her eyes on the movie, but she’s just as eager to touch me as I am.
“You know I’m just imagining Channing Tatum as you rub yourself.”
Within two seconds, I have Maddie underneath me and her squealing in surprise. “Excuse me? Wanna say that again and see what happens?”
She wraps her legs around my waist as I kiss her neck. I’m so ready to fucking explode, I’m tempted to pull her panties off and slide inside her.
But then the doorbell rings.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I hiss, burying my face in her hair.
“It’s probably a solicitor.”
“Good point.” I slide my hand up and cup her breast. “Mmm…why are your tits so perfect? I want to come all over them.”
Maddie grinds faster against me. “Let’s do reverse cowgirl. I’ve always wanted to try that.”
“Fuuuuck.”
This woman is pure perfection. And not just because she wants sex as much as me but also because we equally can’t get enough of each other—something I’ve never felt before.
I’d watch boring romance movies with her for hours if it meant getting to spend time with her.
We could be doing nothing at all, and it’d still be the best time I’ve ever had.
The doorbell goes off again.
“I’m gonna kill a motherfucker.” I groan, leaning back and adjusting my dick.
“Tell them to go away and then come back here. I wanna ride you before Soph gets back.”
I groan again.
Once I’ve fixed my jeans and smoothed my shirt, I walk to the front door and open it.
I’ve dealt with some crap in my life, a lot of fugitive bastards too, but this next-level bullshit is something I hadn’t seen coming. Victoria already tilted my world, but this—she just fucking flipped it upside down and shook it like a snow globe.
“Dad.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Victoria.” I step forward to give my dad a side hug. “What’re you two doing here?”
“Sweetheart…” Victoria moves closer and kisses my cheek, wearing the fakest smile on her face. “We came to surprise you!”
“I see that…” I keep my tone light. “Come in.”
My dad walks into the entryway, but I take Victoria’s elbow, pulling her to me.
“What the fuck are you doing here with him?” I whisper-hiss in her ear. “Keep him out of this.”
“Liam,” my dad says, grabbing my attention as I follow him into the living room. Maddie’s about to get blindsided as fuck, and I only hope she’ll forgive me for this when I get the chance to explain.
“Why didn’t you let me know you got married?” He looks hurt, and I don’t blame him. We aren’t super close, but getting hitched is something I would’ve told him, especially since I stopped in to visit a few weeks ago.
“It was an unexpected event, Dad.” I narrow my gaze at Victoria when he looks around the room. “I thought I was coming to you, honey. Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?”
She flutters her long dark lashes at me. Maddie stands, wide-eyed and nervous.
“I wanted to meet your family! Plus, I thought it’d be better to tell him in person that he’s gonna be a grandpa!”
Victoria pulls the rug out from under me, making it impossible to react.
Maddie’s face tells me she’s about to be sick. Or stab me. I’m seconds away from saying fuck it and running to comfort her.
“What?” My dad gasps. “Really?”
“Yep,” I reply tight-lipped. My father is beaming with pride as Victoria gives him a big hug. When did she have the time to butter him up?
“Liam, this is great news!” I haven’t seen him this happy in ages.
“I knew you’d be excited, Mr. Evans.” Victoria is playing the wife role perfectly. I only wish Maddie wasn’t here for this shitshow.
“This sounds like a personal moment, excuse me.” Maddie walks out of the living room while Victoria chats with my father. Maddie goes to her room, and I quickly follow her.
“Baby, wait…” I beg quietly. “I’m so, so sorry. I have no idea why she’s here, but I’m gonna get her out as soon as I can.” I reach for her, but she pulls away. “Maddie, this is just a part of her game and to gain control.” Getting my dad involved adds another level of threat, and I’m pissed.
She crosses her arms, taking another step back. “You don’t seem surprised about the pregnancy.”
I lower my head, inhaling a deep breath. “Mads.”
“You knew.” Her voice chokes up. “You’ve been lying to me.”
“No, no.” I shake my head. “No.”
“How could you not tell me? Did you just think it would go away? You got her pregnant! And you’re sleeping with me!”
“It’s not like that, Maddie. Calm down.” I plead with my eyes, not wanting to raise my voice. “I wasn’t gonna say anything until I knew one hundred percent. I asked for a paternity test.”
She shakes her head, fury burning in her face. “You’re a piece of shit. You wanted to have your cake and eat it too. You wanted to pretend nothing was going on and just used me as a distraction.”
I growl, pain burning inside my chest. “How can you even say that?”
Before she can answer, Victoria’s high heels click behind me. “There you two are! I was just about to tell your dad our exciting news!”
Oh God, there’s more?
“What news?” I spin around, not even bothering to smile this time. My father’s standing next to her, so I pull back my scowl the best I can.