Chapter 56
Matt
When Madi walked by me to take her place at the table, the scent of my shampoo wafted through the air, making me grin.
I stepped behind her as she sat and whispered, “You smell good.”
Color rushed to her cheeks.
Shane cleared his throat. “Let’s eat.”
Madi didn’t seem nearly as impressed with her mother’s lasagna as Shane and I were.
She shrugged. “I grew up eating it.”
Shane insisted on cleaning up after dinner and sent me to make the bed. Knowing I’d need a second hand, I asked Madi to help.
In the bedroom, something felt off as Madi helped me stretch out the steel gray fitted sheet.
“You okay?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Her tone put me on instant alert.
“Shoot.”
“You called your apartment our place.”
I had.
“And you called me your girlfriend.”
I’d done that too.
“You tricked me into staying with you.”
Guilty.
I said, “You haven’t asked your question.”
Madi stared at her feet while she played with her cuticles.
“Madi.”
She looked up, conflicting emotions in her eyes.
“Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”
I had. Why does she doubt it?
I closed the distance between us.
“Because you were on morphine and you haven’t—”
I grabbed the back of her neck and used my lips to erase whatever doubts she had running around in her beautiful head.
I felt her lips curve up before she relaxed and gave in to the kiss.
When I was confident I’d sent my message, I pulled back.
“I love you, Madi. I’ll say it as often as you want to hear it.” Now that she was open to hearing it, I’d probably say it more than she wanted to hear it.
“Never doubt it again.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “I love you, too.”
My smile tried stretching beyond my face.
So many feelings made using words impossible, so I kissed her again.
After kissing her breathless, I addressed her other non-questions.
“I called this our place because I want you to move in with me.”
“But I promised Jamie I’d help him and Emily.”
“And you can, but you can’t live with your brother forever.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” The sass I loved was back in full force. “I’ll have you know I’ve been house hunting.”
Doubt exploded in my mind. She doesn't want to live with me.
She must have sensed it because she put me out of my misery. “Maybe we can look together.”
Old Matt, and his closed off emotions and fear of loss, tried to speak up and warn me it was a bad idea.
I punched him in the mouth and kissed the woman I trusted to put those fears to rest.