Chapter 48
Matt
Son. John called me son, and it wasn’t sarcastic.
The only thing better was hearing Madi agree to live with me.
Technically, she’d agreed to stay with me while we healed to help me with my bandages.
Tomato. Tomahto.
I’d convince her to stay.
“I’ll walk you back,” John disrupted my strategy session before it began. “Madi, do you want to rest or can I send Jack in?”
“Send him in. It’s been a full two minutes since a man named Sheppard has tried to run my life.”
Damn. Her bark held no bite but still, she had gumption.
John raised an eyebrow and grinned. “We love you, kiddo.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
Out in the hall, John warned Jack that Madi was in a mood.
“What’d you say to her?” Jack asked, chuckling.
Christ, they looked so much alike it was easy to predict what Jack would look like in thirty years, when his wavy brown hair was peppered with gray and he had wrinkles around his amber eyes.
“I tried to tell her she’d be staying with me and your mom.”
“Rookie mistake, Dad,” Jack said with a laugh. “And now I have to clean up your mess.”
“You’ll be fine if you don’t tell her what to do.”
“You an expert now, Robinson?”
“Don’t have to be; it’s pretty fucking obvious she wants to be treated with the same respect and trust you guys show each other.”
Mic fucking dropped.
“Damn, dude.” Jack paused and ran his hand through his hair. “Does she really think we don’t respect her?”
That was a loaded question, and it wasn’t for me to answer.
John saved me from having to answer. “Go talk to your sister.”
As we walked, I thanked John again for calling Shane and providing transport.
“It was the right thing to do. We’re all here for you, but you need your family.”
“When will he get here?”
“Four hours or so. I asked AJ to text us when they leave the airport.”
“Good, I should be out of surgery by then.”
“Someone will be with you when you wake up.”
“Do you think Mary would mind?” She was the one Sheppard I hadn’t talked to about my feelings for Madi, and that didn’t sit right with me.
“I’m confident I can speak for her and say, no, she won’t mind. In fact, I’d wager she’ll be thrilled.”
With that settled, I returned to my room and waited for the nurse.
Waking up after anesthesia wasn’t that different from having a hangover, except there were no fun memories of drunken shenanigans.
With half-open eyes and blurry vision, I checked for visitors.
Not Madi.
I didn’t let my disappointment grow roots, instead choosing gratitude because I wasn’t alone. Mary sat on my good side with a book in her hands.
“Thank you, Mary.” I sounded hungover, too.
I smiled when I noticed the SSI logo on the paper she used as a bookmark. Probably John’s business card. “Happy to help. How are you feeling?”
Groggy. Thirsty. Tired.
“Painfree, so that’s something.”
“Here, have some water.” She handed me the cup. “Madi asked me to tell you she wanted to be here, but the nurse made her stay in bed.”
“I’m glad she listened.”
“Eventually.”
Mary’s exasperated tone caught my attention.
I raised an eyebrow in question.
“She tried arguing, but we convinced her it was for the best.”
I could imagine the scene playing out.
“Thank you.” I wanted to see Madi, but not at the expense of her well-being.
“I’ll go to her.” I started to sit up, but Mary focused her fierce mama bear love on me. The kind I’d heard my bosses talk about but had never witnessed or experienced myself.
“You’ll do no such thing.” She pushed me back. “You can call her and tell her you’re awake. Until the nurse comes in and clears you to move, you will stay in your bed.”
“But—”
“Did you or did you not just thank me for telling Madi the same thing?”
Damn. Mary stared me down with her hands on her hips and waited for me to answer.
No wonder her kids were great people. Mary wasn’t afraid to dish out tough love.
“Yes, ma’am.” I sat back and resigned myself to waiting.
“Good. Now, tell me.” Her expression softened and her eyes sparkled. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”
Love her. Cherish her. Spoil her. Protect her. “I love her.”
“That’s no secret.” She laughed.
“Apparently not.” I closed my eyes and thought about how many times I’d heard some variation of that statement. “Mary, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“How long have you known?”
When she grinned, the resemblance between her and Madi was striking.
“The Christmas party.”
What? No way had she known it then. All I remembered feeling was shock.
Well, and pride for how well Madi handled her brothers.
And a physical attraction so strong it almost broke my brain.
“That’s not possible.” I meant it as a definitive statement, but it came out sounding like a challenge.
“Sure it is. You may have had a shit-eating grin on your face while you watched her stand up to her brothers, but your eyes told a different story. You were in love with her, you just didn’t realize it.”
“I think I was the last to know.”
“No, believe it or not, I think Madi was the slow one in your relationship.”
The whole situation was insane.
“We haven’t even gone on a real date yet,” I said, more to myself than Mary.
“John said Madi’s staying with you, and I quote, ‘Because Matt convinced her he needs her help’. Do you intend to manipulate my daughter often?”
“Nope.” I hadn’t manipulated her then. Not really. “I provided Madi with a reason to choose the path she wanted to take but wasn’t willing to admit.”
“Hmm.” She nodded. “John thought the same thing.”
“You didn’t believe him?”
“She’s my only daughter. I needed to hear you confirm it.”
“Wait, you sound like you don’t trust me.” Had the drugs altered my mind enough that I imagined her approval earlier?
“I trust you love her, but loving someone isn’t always enough. Madi’s a tough nut to crack, and I wanted to make sure you understood that.”
Did I ever. Madi needed her independence but secretly loved being treated like a princess. She put everyone’s needs before her own in times of crisis, and had nerves of steel when she had to stand up for herself.
She looked adorable when she pouted, sexy when she argued, and downright fucking irresistible when she smiled in surprised gratitude anytime I took care of her, no matter how simple the gesture.
“Her bravado is a mask because she believes accepting help makes her seem weak, but I see the hopeless romantic who wants someone to take care of her.”
Mary’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I intend to be that man.”
“You’ll do,” Mary said, patting me on my good arm.
My smile split my face in half.
“She’s worried about Jamie and Emily,” I said. From what I’d seen, Madi’s worry was misplaced. The Sheppard clan had more than enough people to help the new parents.
“Aside from Ashley insisting that she and Nathan move in.” Mary laughed at Ashley’s ballsiness. “Anne and I will be visiting daily to help with Richard and Rose. Everyone’s offered to help as much as they can.”
Of course they had.
I grinned. They’d all be so busy with Jamie and Emily that I’d have Madi all to myself.
“But don’t worry, we’ve scheduled in time to help you and Madi, too.”
Denied. Not that I’d complain after growing up without caring parents.
A knock on the door cut our conversation short.
A nurse walked in carrying a tray of food. “Good afternoon, Mr. Robinson. Time for lunch.”
My stomach growled at the sight of food. Having not eaten since the night before, I was so hungry that even bland hospital food made me salivate.
“When can I go see Madi?” I asked as she checked my vitals and inspected my bandage.
“Everything looks good,” she said, wheeling the tray over my bed. “So you can visit Ms. Sheppard after you’ve cleaned your plate.”
I was a sailor and a SEAL; I could inhale a meal faster than should be humanly possible.
I was shoving food into my mouth, attempting to set a new rapid-eating world record when Mary pulled the tray away.
“Hey,” I said, spitting half-chewed food.
If one of the guys had tried that, they might’ve lost a hand.
“You won’t be able to see her if you choke yourself to death.”
“You learn to eat fast in the military.” I shrugged.
“I’m aware, or have you forgotten I raised three kids who served?”
“No, ma’am.” Plus, John was a Marine.
“Madi’s not leaving. Take ten minutes to eat like a human.”
“Do I have to make polite lunch conversation?”
“No, but try swallowing before shoving the next bite in.”
“I can do that.”
I wouldn’t break any records, but I finished the seasonless chicken breast and soggy vegetables as fast as Mary would let me.