Chapter Twenty-Nine
Eve had set her alarm to go off early. She had a long drive back to Cumberland; the twins were still with the Pages and she
didn’t want to impose on them any longer than necessary. As much as she wanted—maybe even needed—to remain in this blissful
purgatory known as Madden’s apartment, she had responsibilities to attend to. The sun had barely backlit the skyscrapers in
the immediate distance, so she assumed she wouldn’t be alone in bed. And yet, the pillow beside hers was empty.
She stilled in the act of pulling aside the comforter and sheets to climb out of bed, Madden’s voice reaching her from outside
the bedroom. In the kitchen, maybe?
Who was he talking to?
With a broad yawn, she contemplated giving in to the urge to lie back down and wait for him to return, even if she just got
a good morning kiss for her efforts. It would be worth the wait. Every single thing about him had been worth the wait. Recalling
the three words he said to her in the middle of the night, her heart felt like one of those jewelry boxes with the spinning
ballerina, just singing and pirouetting in her chest. She was tender between her legs and covered in whisker chafes . . .
and she must be a greedy lover, because she could only crave more of him inside her. Pressing and stretching and stroking.
Eve rolled over and inhaled his scent off the sheets, unable to suppress the smile that had started to feel natural sometime yesterday. This . . . was happiness. Miles and miles from Cumberland and the hundred-pound albatross around her neck that came with her position in the town. Maybe . . .
Maybe she should start thinking about moving one day.
Not today, of course. Or anytime soon. Just . . . someday.
Those tiny sprinkles of possibility caused relief to explode in her bloodstream, and she turned over on the bed, staring up
at the ceiling, seeing images painted there. Ones she shouldn’t allow herself to imagine. Not when they weren’t possible.
Still, she thought of that house with the purple Christmas lights and her throat seized up with hope. Dangerous hope. When
she closed her eyes to picture heaven now, it wasn’t the posh interior of a burlesque club, it was them. Lying in a backyard
beneath the stars, listening to the crickets chirp. For years, she’d driven herself to improve the club, make every detail
perfect, but without having to set foot inside the Gilded Garden last night, she’d been lighter. Freer.
What did that mean?
She’d always dreamed of being accepted by her hometown.
Wouldn’t leaving mean giving up on that dream?
Madden’s voice rose slightly, and Eve frowned, turning her head to stare at the bedroom door. Was it her imagination or did
he sound agitated?
Slowly, she stood and pulled on Madden’s shirt, which had lain in a heap on the floor overnight, leaving it wrinkled but still
decidedly perfect, because it belonged to him. Then she walked barefoot to the bedroom door and turned the knob, pulling it
open without a sound and listening.
“I don’t understand why this is anyone’s business,” Madden said. “This is my personal life we’re talking about.”
Several seconds of silence followed, though Eve could hear her pulse pick up its pace in her ears. Personal life. Who was he speaking to?
“Jesus Christ, why is everyone making such a big deal out of one single play? I performed the job I was hired to do. End of
story. There is no story beyond that.” A pause. “I don’t care if the press disagrees. I wasn’t signed by the Yankees to be a media clown.
I’m a baseball player. That’s all anyone should be concerned about. Not her.”
Eve recoiled from the door, a sandstorm whipping up inside her rib cage.
Her.
As in . . . her?
What was going on?
“Isn’t there a team lawyer who can issue a cease and desist?” She could hear him pacing now, his footsteps much slower than
the rapid beat of her heart. “They can’t just ransack our lives because the internet decided to take an overnight interest.
They’ll move on to someone else tomorrow.” He cursed. “I swear to God, if anyone harasses Eve . . .”
His pacing stopped. A crashing sound followed from what Eve assumed was Madden’s fist slamming into a cabinet.
“Do I know how her job reflects on the organization?” Madden asked in a hushed rasp. “What the fuck does that mean?” He hissed
an exhale. “Don’t even say the word prenup to me.”
No. Please, no.
Out of necessity, Eve went on autopilot.
The shock of what she’d overheard was too great to deal with, so she desperately switched her focus to what she could control right now.
Getting out of there as fast as possible.
Driving back to Rhode Island, picking up the kids, thanking the Pages, getting an update on the construction at the club, preparing for the week.
There was so much to do and she was two hundred miles away.
And if she’d heard correctly, she was causing trouble for Madden.
Not just by existing. By existing as his wife.
He’d garnered some attention with his heroic play yesterday and now he was under scrutiny. Which meant, she was. And he’d
be guilty by association. Just like Skylar had been in high school. Outcasted because they were friends. Just like Lark and
Landon being treated differently at school. Because of her.
“I’m such an idiot,” Eve whispered, lurching around the room collecting her things. Panties. Her phone. Everything else, like
her purse and shoes and dress, were on the other side of the door with Madden.
“Shit,” she breathed, looking down at the screen of her phone.
Five texts from Veda. She’d slept through five texts?
Popped by the club last night and there’s a news van in the parking lot. WTF.
A reporter asked if I know the owner of the club. I said no comment. Hilar.
Holy shit. You’re on ESPN’s Instagram.
HOLY SHIT. You’re on the whole internet.
Hey. You should probably call me.
Taking the deepest breath possible when she felt like curling up in a hyperventilating ball on the floor, Eve inhaled deeply
and left the bedroom with her chin firm, head high. She didn’t make eye contact with Madden. She couldn’t. Why had she agreed
to this marriage?
What was this going to mean for him?
“Eve.”
“Just grabbing my stuff.”
“Don’t even think about leaving.” He tried to block her path, but she had momentum going in her favor and ducked past him,
continuing out onto the balcony to find her dress, her shoes. She stripped off the borrowed shirt on the way back into the
apartment, yanking on the dress without ceremony while eyeballing the living room for some sign of her purse. There.
As soon as she grabbed it, she’d go.
“Okay. You obviously overheard my phone call. There’s some media attention involving us, but we’re going to handle it together.”
When she tried to sidle quickly past him, Madden hooked Eve around the waist and drew her back against his chest. “Stop. Just
stop.”
Despite the fight-or-flight response burning her alive, her eyelids nearly fluttered closed over the firm, reassuring strength
of him. The scent that washed over her, making her think of laughter and messy sheets and crackers and skin. Memories that
would have to last a lifetime, because they couldn’t make any more. “Let me go.”
“No.”
Oh god, being held by him was going to cause her to break down. “Madden, I’m sorry,” she whispered, racked by a sob of pure
devastation. Dread for everything to come. The unknown. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
He took a measured breath in and out. She didn’t have to turn around to know he was angry.
His frame vibrated with the emotion. “I don’t consider myself a violent man, Eve, but I would very much like to murder everyone who put this burden of fucking responsibility on you.
” He turned her in his arms and shook her, but she could only stare at his chin and try not to shatter.
“You are a miraculous woman. An amazing woman. And that includes everything about your past, present, and future. They are the problem. Not you.”
“It won’t matter. ‘Amazing Woman Marries Yankees Catcher’ is not the headline. The headline is ‘Yankees Catcher Marries Daughter
of Strip Club Owner.’ Or ‘Failing Burlesque Club Owner Sinks Claws into Yankee Phenom for Health Insurance.’ Followed by a
whole lot of quotes from the good people of Cumberland about how I’ve always been a blight on their town.” Being careful of
his shoulder, Eve wiggled out of his hold. Get me out of here before I cause any more damage. “It’s okay, I can take it. The fact that you saved the game yesterday makes you a hero. I’ll get all the blowback and that’s
good. That’s good.”
Madden looked like he could dissolve at any moment. A figure made of salt that had gotten stuck out in a rainstorm. “Eve,
you are going to stay here and let me protect you from all this,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady and failing. “The
kids too. We’re not dealing with this separately. We’re not separating, period. I don’t give a fuck what anyone is saying. You’re the only thing I’ve ever given a fuck about.”
Her heart lurched painfully. “No, I saw you yesterday with your team. I saw you wondering if you could really belong and the
answer is yes. You can. You belong doing this and the opportunities are endless for you now. I’m sorry, Mad. There’s too much
at stake for you. I’m going.” Eve hustled for the door and made it out, blowing into the hallway with her shoes in one hand,
purse in the other. In the one stroke of luck that morning, a woman had just stepped into the elevator and held the door for
Eve, even though she was visibly taken aback by Eve’s dishevelment.
“Eve.”
Madden appeared in front of the elevator, bare-chested in sweatpants, right before the door closed, missing them by a split
second. And she didn’t feel an ounce of relief when the elevator started to descend. In fact, she felt sicker and sicker to