Chapter 2
***WALKER***
Frozen right where he stood, Walker could do nothing but watch Maddie walk out of the gym, her hips swaying in that way that still drove him crazy, and it took all of his control not to follow her.
His body humming with desire, the creature inside him awake and demanding, he fought to drag in a breath, so overwhelmed by the sensations that he felt a little dizzy.
He'd trained himself not to think about her, forced himself to forget her all those years ago; their affair had been a youthful fantasy, a dangerous passion that would have burnt out over time. He’d told himself that there would be others, and there had been, but none of them had ever affected him the way Maddie had.
The fact that she still could scared him as much as it had back then, maybe more.
Reminding himself that his freedom was at stake, he managed to suck in a deep breath and turn away from the door, hoping practice would help drive away the pulsing need deep inside him.
The last thing he was prepared for was to find Thomas standing behind him grinning like an idiot, wearing a team tee-shirt and basketball shoes, a ball tucked under one arm.
“Well, that was certainly entertaining. I figured there would be some drama around here, but that was even better than I expected,” Thomas said, then looked over at the empty gym doors.
“She sure didn’t sound very happy with you.
Exes can be exhausting, but man when they look like that, it makes it hard to remember why we ditched them in the first place. ”
The look in Thomas’s eyes stirred the already awake dragon inside him, and jealousy and anger flared to life instantly, leaving him speechless for a second. “What the hell are you doing here?” he finally managed to ask through gritted teeth. “This is a closed practice, you can’t just…”
“I joined the team,” Thomas interrupted. “Didn’t anyone tell you?”
“You’re going to play basketball,” he said, unable to hold back the laughter. “I can’t wait to see this. The coaches must have lost their minds or they’re really desperate, but don’t worry, you’ll probably be sitting on the bench all season anyway.”
Thomas bounced the ball a couple of times before launching it at the basket, then let out a satisfied grunt as it went through the hoop with a swoosh.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked, a look of superiority on his face.
“And that’s just the beginning. You’d better watch your back, Price, before the season is over, this team and your girl will be mine. ”
“She’s not my girl, she hasn’t been for a long time, so leave her out of this,” he growled, taking a couple of steps toward Thomas.
“Come at me if you’re determined to embarrass yourself, but Maddie is off limits.
She doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.
You wouldn’t be gaining anything, it would be just a waste of your time. ”
“That’s funny, I don’t remember agreeing to follow your rules,” Thomas said, an amused look on his face. “You can’t boss me around, Walker. I’ll date whoever I want and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oh, there’s plenty I can do,” he threatened. “Don’t push me too hard,or you’ll find out.”
“That’s a big threat for someone who doesn’t care,” Thomas said, backing off a couple of steps. “This is going to be more fun than I thought it would be. You’re going down, Price, and you’re going down hard.”
“Give it your best shot,” he shot back. “But don’t forget about Diego and Sebastian, they tried to tangle with us and well…”
Thomas was up in his face instantly. “What the hell happened to them?” he demanded, grabbing Walker by the front of his shirt. “You know, I know you do.”
“Maybe I do and maybe I don’t,” he said, grinning at Thomas. “It’s not my place to tell you, but maybe you should ask old man Marbury, unless he’s already lied to you and told you that he doesn’t know.”
Thomas let go of his shirt and shoved him away. “You and all your friends are going to be sorry you messed with us,” he growled. “I’m going to ruin your life, starting with stealing Maddie away from you while you watch.”
“She’s not mine to steal,” he said, hoping Thomas would give up.
“We had a brief relationship back at the beginning of freshman year, but it didn’t last. I haven’t seen her in over three years.
Leave her out of this. You won’t gain anything by getting her involved.
She’s a regular person. She doesn’t understand our politics. ”
“Nice try, loser, I saw the way you looked at her,” Thomas said. “You’re done, Walker, I’m going to take everything you love away from you and laugh while I’m doing it.”
Before he could say anything, the coach blew the whistle signaling the start of practice.
“I think I’ll start by asking Maddie out for coffee, then I’ll move on to dinner,” Thomas said, jogging backward away from him.
“I figure I’ll have her in bed by the third date, I bet she’s a hot one in the sack.
I might even keep her around for a while before kicking her to the curb. ”
The only thing that saved him from beating the crap out of Thomas right then and there was Marty running up to him. “Hey, you look like you’re about to explode,” his friend said. “What’s going on? Who pissed you off?”
He looked across the gym where Thomas was joining the rest of the players, and forced himself to calm down. “Just an asshole trying to start shit,” he said. “Coach better keep him the hell away from me or there’s going to be trouble.”
***Maddie***
Maddie shut off the car but didn’t open the door; instead, she sat watching the fat snowflakes blanket the windshield, the ticking of the engine the only sound breaking the silence of the night.
When the car was completely enveloped by a layer of white, she realized how long she’d been sitting in the driveway and quickly gathered up her things, put up her hood, and made a run for the front door.
Already covered by a wet layer of snow by the time she made it inside, she welcomed the warmth that instantly enveloped her, and stood in the entryway for a second, letting it seep into her.
After hanging her dripping coat up on a hook, she kicked off her boots and followed the smell of something wonderful down the hallway to the kitchen at the back of the house.
She heard the sound of her son laughing before she walked through the door, and for the first time in hours, a smile spread across her face, and some of the tension drained from her shoulders.
When she stepped into the kitchen, Justin was sitting at the table with a pile of plastic food and a small pot in front of him.
Mrs. Mathews was at the stove, stirring a big pot of what could only be her spaghetti sauce.
“Oh, something smells delicious in here,” she said, then took a deep breath of the fragrant air and let out a long sigh. “Is that your special sauce I smell?”
“I thought we deserved a treat tonight,” Mrs. Mathews said, setting down the spoon and turning to look at her. “Justin has been helping me.”
“I cook,” her son piped up from the table, a huge smile on his face. “Sauce for mama.”
She walked over and gave him a big kiss. “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said. “I bet it’s going to be the best sauce ever.”
Justin beamed at her, then went back to stirring the plastic food in the little pot, his face scrunched up in concentration.
She ruffled his hair before collapsing into the chair next to him.
Mrs. Mathews went over to the coffee pot and poured them both a cup, then sat down across from her and slid her cup over, then sat back, studying her.
“It must not have been terrible,” she finally said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s not much to talk about,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“It went about as I expected. Walker was busy flirting with some girls when I got there. He tripped over a ball trying to show off for them. I tried to help him, but he was a jerk. I got mad, yelled at him, and then stormed off to cry. When I came back we ignored each other until practice was over, then I got out of there as fast as I could. He hasn’t changed a bit, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty for not telling him.
I don’t need him, and neither does Justin. ”
Mrs. Mathews didn’t say anything for a second, just shook her head sadly. “I had hoped…oh well, I shouldn’t have,” she said, then reached out and took Maddie’s hand. “I just worry about you. Raising a child on your own can be a huge challenge.”
She squeezed the older woman’s hand. “I’m not raising him alone, I have you,” she said. “You’ve been there every step of the way. He loves you just as much as he loves me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I love you both, too. Having you here has been a real joy,” Mrs. Mathews said. “I’ll be sorry when you move out next summer.”
“Let’s not think about that now,” she said, dreading the day, but knowing it had to come. “We’ve still got months until then, and I don’t want to spoil our dinner. You’ve been cooking all day. What can I do to help?”
“Everything is ready, I just have to put the dressing on the salad,” Mrs. Mathews said, smiling at her, a few tears in her eyes. “If you want to grab the bread out of the oven and bring it to the table, that would be great.”
She stood up, walked around the table, and gave the older woman a hug. “How about I take care of both and you rest,” she said, feeling better than she had all day. “It’s so nice to be home, I feel much better.”
After Justin was tucked away in his little bed and the dishes were done, Maddie collapsed into bed, ignoring the stack of books on her desk, too tired to even think about studying.
One night off wouldn’t hurt her; she needed some time to decompress and prepare herself for the next time she saw Walker.
She couldn’t lose control again like she had earlier that day.
She had to stay calm, no matter how much her heart was breaking.
The last thing she wanted was for him to know that she still cared about him; that would be both dangerous and embarrassing.
Letting out a groan, she flipped over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow.
It had been over three years since he’d dumped her without a word.
She should have been over him by now, should have been able to move on, but all her heart wanted was Walker, a man who didn’t deserve her love.
He’d thrown her away, turned his back on her without an explanation, and treated her like she was nothing to him.
That should have been enough to break his hold on her, but here she was still thinking about him, still pining for him.
It was sad and pathetic, she thought, forcing herself to get up from the bed.
Wallowing in her heartache wasn’t going to change anything, getting away from him would.
Plopping down at the desk, she opened a book and started studying.
Her degree was her ticket out of Elmwood Junction; maybe distance would finally do what time hadn’t.