Chapter 7
Madi
“Idon’t need an escort to Craft and Booze night!” I kept my volume low as I yelled at Jack, so I wouldn’t wake Natalie.
“Madi, we’re not taking any chances.”
“You don’t get to make decisions for me.”
“You’re driving my wife, so yeah, I do!” he yelled right back through gritted teeth.
Meg hand on Jack’s arm calmed him instantly.
Knowing all they’d been through, and how he’d almost lost her, twice. I lost the desire to argue.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I’ll go along with what you’d like when Meg’s with me.”
“Thank you.” He wrapped an arm around Meg and kissed her temple.
“But only when she’s with me.” I restated my caveat in case he hadn’t heard me.
Or chose not to hear me.
My brother turned his amber eyes on me and squinted. Is he trying to intimidate me? Just because he looked like a younger version of our father didn’t mean I’d step in line with a look. Even if he did a damn good job at impersonating our father’s stern expression.
“Madi, we’re-”
“Worried, I know. But you don’t need to.”
“You don’t know that.”
“It’s a safe assumption. There’s no reason to think it was a targeted attack.” I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced, but I couldn’t think of a reason anyone would target the clinic, Dr. Greenfield, Alice, or me. It just didn’t make sense.
“We don’t assume. We investigate.”
“Jack, you have to respect Madi’s wishes,” Meg said.
Jack looked from me to Meg to me. Then he squinted before conceding.
“Fine. But if we discover it was intentional...”
“Then we’ll discuss what to do next.” I wouldn’t let them dictate my life. I grabbed the cooler and the casserole carrier. “Do you have everything?” I asked Meg.
“I do. Let’s go.” She kissed Jack. “Bye, Charming.” Meg used the nickname that suited him so well. He was her Prince Charming in every way.
“Jay should be here any second. Can you wait inside?” Jack asked as I reached for the door handle. “Please.”
I nodded.
Meg glanced down the hall towards Natalie’s room and wiggled her fingers. “Bye, Nat.”
“She’ll be fine,” Jack assured Meg.
“I know.”
“Remember, we can always come home early if you can’t stand being away another second,” I said.
“Try to have fun before racing home,” Jack ordered her.
“I will,” Meg said as someone knocked.
“It’s Jay.” His muffled voice carried through the thick wooden door.
I opened the door for Jay and Cate. “Let me grab my keys and we’re good to go.”
“You could just ride with us,” Jay offered.
It made sense, but I didn’t want Meg to feel guilty if she wanted to come home early. “It’s okay, Meg and I will probably duck out early.”
“I could drive you home and go back for Cate later,” Jay said.
“Let it go, Jay,” Cate ordered her fiancé. “Madi is perfectly capable of driving.”
I hadn’t known Cate long, and didn’t know her well, but I loved her for having my back. Meg and Emily did too, but they were calm and quiet in their support. Cate was a beast, and I loved it.
She’s so perfect for Jay. He needed someone who wasn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with him. Someone with the strength and courage to handle him at his worst and still see the good in him. Jay was a good man; he just didn’t like to show it.
“Thanks, Cate. Let’s get out of here. I need a brother-free zone.”
Jay and Jack laughed, but I wasn’t joking. I loved my brothers, but during times like this I had to remind myself of that truth so I didn’t smack them upside the head to set them straight.
It’s fucking high school all over again. Only now, Jay had joined the party.
In the car, I apologized to Meg for not thinking of her safety.
“No need to apologize, but try to go easy on them. They love you.”
“I know they do, but they need to mind their own business.” I signalled a left turn. “I’m still pissed they told Dad.”
“They had to, besides he would’ve found out. And then he’d be pissed at everyone for keeping him in the dark.”
True. It was hard to keep something that required a 9-1-1 call a secret in a small town. A small town where your mother owned the local coffee shop, your twin brother was a former cop, and your dad was a retired county detective.
I’ll never have another secret.
“But now he’ll worry about me.”
Meg coughed out a laugh, all but calling me an idiot when she said, “Of course he will.”
“I know he loves me, but we don’t need to give him more reasons to worry.”
“Madi, you want your brothers to trust and respect you, but you need to return the favor. Their guts are telling them there’s more to this, which means they won’t let it go.”
Well, fuck. They weren’t being overprotective just to be obnoxious. And as much as I didn’t like their meddling, I trusted them and their instincts. Even though we didn’t see eye to eye.
Why didn’t they tell me?
Probably because you’ve been pig-headed, and they didn’t think you’d listen.
I would have.
Would you?
Meg interrupted my self-chastising. “Madi? Are you okay?”
I relaxed my grip on the steering wheel.
“Yeah, just realizing you’re right. I need to back down a little.”
“But not too much,” Meg said. “You don’t want to inflate their egos.”
“Agreed.”
Jay walked us to the fucking door when we got to Mom’s house. She was hosting and had kicked Dad out for the evening.
The door was unlocked, so our knock served as a courtesy warning before we walked in.
“Hi!” Mom and Beth called out as we filed in. Jay included.
Reminding myself I’d just promised to respect their need to be protective, I kept my sarcastic response to myself.
“They’ll be safe here. You can go home now,” Mom said after hugging Jay.
“I’ll be at Nathan’s, call me if you need me,” Jay answered.
“Jay, we’ll be fine. Cate’s a total badass and will kick the ass of anyone who interferes with our girl’s night out,” Ashley said as she and Nathan walked through the still open door.
Cate laughed and shook her head. She wasn’t as quiet as Blake, but she still wasn’t used to Ashley’s outgoing, unfiltered personality.
Neither am I.
“Blaszek,” Jay greeted Nathan with a nod and a smile.
“Sheppard,” Nathan returned the favor.
“Hey Madi, I don’t hear Ashley complaining about Nathan driving her here tonight,” Jay said.
“Why would I complain about my gorgeous Navy SEAL husband chauffeuring me around?” Ashley asked before kissing said husband. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Call me when you’re ready to come home.”
A few seconds later, AJ dropped off Blake and, of course, he walked her to the door.
“Have fun,” AJ said as he leaned down to kiss Blake goodbye. It was comical watching him compress his six-foot-two frame to be eye to eye with her five-foot-two one. “I’ll be kicking everyone’s ass at Nathan’s.”
The guys had a game night planned. Will Matt be there?
Blake giggled and asked, “You’re not playing teams?”
“No, it’s only us three.”
“Alright boys, out you go,” Mom said, shooing them out the door. She’d tried sounding stern, but love filled her eyes and leaked out in her tone.
When they’d finally left, we organized our food and drinks before filling our plates with finger sandwiches, Meg’s bacon mac and cheese, cheese and crackers, and fresh veggies.
I poured myself a generous glass of wine, knowing it’d be my only one, since I was responsible for driving Meg home. I wasn’t the only one limiting my alcohol intake; Ashley and Meg drank Ashley’s virgin sangria.
“I’m so glad you made this,” Meg said after taking a large sip. “It’s so good you don’t even miss the alcohol.” She popped a blueberry into her mouth.
“I know. It’s made going dry during pregnancy so much easier.”
Ashley was due later in the year; I couldn’t remember exactly when. She, Emily, and Meg were excited they’d be raising their kids together.
We couldn’t wait to sit back and watch the show as the three musketeers—who embodied the word shenanigans—navigated being new moms. Their playdates would be better than any reality TV show.
“Who was supposed to bring the crafts?” I asked, noticing the empty space in the middle of the table. We rarely completed the craft of the month, but we at least pretended to try.
“I was, but decided to skip it. We have more important things to talk about,” my mom said. “Like, how come you didn’t tell me about the fire?”
She sounds hurt. Crap.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
I shook my head as I let it hang forward. “I should’ve known Dad would tell you.”
“Of course he did.”
“I promise I won’t keep things like this from you again.” It was an easy promise to make because I didn’t like hurting her.
I’d been on my own a long time and had gotten used to not sharing things I thought might cause them unnecessary concern. Now that I was back home, I needed to change my tactics.
“So.” Uh oh, I knew that tone. It was her, I-already-know-the-answer-but-I’m-going-to-see-if-you-tell-me-the-truth tone. “Is the rumor true? Did you go on a date with Matt?”
Shit. All eyes turned toward me. My cheeks flooded with color despite me wishing they wouldn’t react to hearing his name. I didn’t want to discuss Matt with anyone, and definitely not with my mom.
“No. We ran into each other at the bar, and he helped me fend off a pushy suitor.”
It was the truth, and it should’ve been enough detail to satisfy their curiosity.
It wasn’t.
“You should go out with him again. Then you could have your own gorgeous Navy SEAL,” Ashley said, not helping in the least.
“Aren’t you married?” I asked, trying to shift focus.
“Yup.” She popped the ‘p’. “But I’m not dead, and Matt is gorgeous with a hint of bad boy. I bet he’s—”
“A player.” I cut her off. He wasn’t a commit to one woman kind of guy.
“I was going to say-”
“For the love of all things holy, please don’t,” I begged.
Everyone knew I’d slept with Matt; I didn’t need Ashley keeping the subject alive.
“So, Blake, have you and AJ set a date?” Mom saved me by changing the subject.
“Not yet,” Blake answered softly.
“Blake, you know you can ask him, right?” Meg asked.
“I do, but I don’t want to rush him.”