Chapter Fifteen
(Three months later)
Maddy
“There’s only one more week until summer vacation,” I tell my class.
The music of their cheers causes me to laugh.
“Are you going to miss me, at all?” I tease. “You’re going to a different grade next year, remember?”
“Yes, but you’re still going to be our teacher, silly.”
I smile knowing that Levi’s right. I’m the only special needs teacher currently employed at the elementary school. I’ll have these students until they either transition to main-stream classes or graduate to Jr. High. Whichever comes first.
“Alright. For homework, I want a seven-million-word essay on why you think having school over the summer is the best idea ever.”
The children groan and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m teasing,” I sing as the dismissal bell rings. “Have a good weekend, everyone.”
“I’m so freaking mad.”
Reading Knox’s text, I shove my phone in my pocket with a smile. Whatever it is that he’s mad about is going to require all of my attention. I need to clean up first.
When I get in my car, I hit call and toss my phone in the passenger seat.
“I hate men,” Knox answers, his voice loud and very angry through my Bluetooth earbud.
“You are part of the group, you know,” I remind him.
“Well, then, I hate Dom’s.”
Ah. The Mongomery twins.
“What did they do this time?” I ask.
“I tried going on a date,” he tells me.
“Tried?”
“Yes, tried. He’s this massively sexy Daddy Dom I met at a club. Anyway, that’s beside the point. Midway through our date we get interrupted by these two hulking, can’t mind their own business, men demanding to know who the heck was sitting at my table.”
It took some explaining on Knox’s end before I fully understood the dynamic between a Daddy Dom and a Little, like Knox. I don’t think I could ever give someone that much control over my life but at the same time, I can understand the appeal.
The trust to give yourself over to someone so completely is baffling to me. Heck, I don’t even trust my parents that much.
“What happened?” I ask, stopping my car at a traffic light. I really should have waited until I was home to call Knox. I’m completely invested in this story now.
“What do you think happened?” he grumbles.
“They dragged you away from your date kicking and screaming?” I guess, already knowing the answer. This isn’t the first time this month this exact same thing happened.
“It’s so freaking frustrating, Maddy,” he whines. “They won’t let me live my life the way I want.”
“They’re just trying to keep you safe,” I remind him. “They care about you, Knox.”
“Maybe,” he sighs. “But, caring about me means letting me live a life that would make me happy. I’m not all that happy right now. I really needed this date, Maddy. We were going to go to the Big/Little club up in Pointhill for a Little date. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been able to regress? Six months. I can’t find that safe space in my head to let go. Not even when I’m home alone.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m not a Dom, but you can come to my apartment and I can try and help. Heck, if anything, we can just have a sleepover and watch tv, color, and eat way too much junk food. It might not be your normal Little days but we can still have some fun. Maybe Bitsy and Sophie could join us.”
“You know, that sounds like a great idea. I’ll call them and we’ll set something up.”
“Out of curiosity,” I smile, pulling into the apartment’s parking lot. “Which club did you meet this man at?”
“Uhm.”
“No wonder they dragged you away,” I laugh. “You know full well that anyone not vetted by Obsidian Oasis is not trustworthy in Blaze and Steel’s mind. I think you do these things on purpose.”
“Hey, they won’t let me become a member of their club so I had to go somewhere else.”
“And did you tell them this?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Hell, no,” he laughs. “I would never be allowed to leave their sights again.”
“What they need is someone of their own,” I tell him. “Then maybe they won’t pester you so much.”
“They’re going to be single forever,” he says. “They’re way too freaking bossy. There isn’t a single person alive who can handle them individually. Let alone at the same time.”
“Maybe,” I say, not completely agreeing with him this time. “Alright. Talk to Bitsy and Sophie and set something up. I haven’t seen you guys for two weeks now. I’m excited.”
And I am. I’ve met up with Sophie, Bitsy, and Knox at least once a week for a long time now. They’ve become my three best friends.
“Me, too. It will probably be for tonight. So, get things ready.”
“Will do. Bye.”
“See ya.”
I look up at my apartment building and frown. This place hasn’t felt like home for months now. Something needs to change.
I go through the process of entering all of the codes to make it up to my apartment but I don’t mind it. Even though this place doesn’t feel like home, it does feel safe.
“Hey, baby.”
Screaming, I do the only thing I can to defend myself. I throw the sweater I have draped over my arm at the intruder.
“Careful there. You could have seriously harmed me.”
“King,” I say breathlessly. “Wow. You’re here.”
Without thinking, I rush to him and slam against his body effectively hugging the living daylights out of him.
“I’ve missed you,” I admit.
I wait for those feelings of doubt and anger to come rushing back at the sight of him, but all I feel is happiness.
“And I’ve missed you more than you will ever know,” he says, hugging my back.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say, taking a step back. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I don’t like you not being in my life.”
“Neither do I, baby,” he smiles down at me.
“I’m better,” I admit shyly. “I’ve been talking to someone about everything that happened. My mind is more than ready to put the past where it belongs. I want to be your friend, again. I mean, if you want to be mine, that is.”
King’s eyes sparkle with happiness.
“Kingston,” someone says, causing yet another embarrassing screech to leave my body.
I watch as a woman walks from behind me and places her hand on King’s shoulder. This has to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She’s tall, has a full figure, long brunette hair, blue eyes, and an absolutely perfect face.
Realization hits me like a ton of bricks as I watch her touch King so comfortably.
Could I be his friend knowing that he’s in a relationship with someone? Someone who looks the complete opposite of myself?
King smirks as he looks down at me.
He’s probably laughing his butt off on the inside at how desperate I sounded. I wasn’t lying though. I really am ready to put everything in the past. I’m at a good spot in my life right now. King walking away and giving me that time was something I will always be grateful for. If he would have kept pushing me I would have grown to resent him.
So, I simply shrug. So what if he saw my jealousy towards his new girlfriend.
“Cortney, this is Madeline. Baby, this is Cortney.”
Why the heck is he calling me baby in front of his supermodel-looking girlfriend? I refuse to be the reason for an argument.
“Hello,” I smile up at the woman. “Would you guys like to come inside? I can’t be hospitable from out here, now can I?”
I laugh awkwardly before stepping around them and letting them inside my apartment.
“So, not that I’m complaining, but is there a reason for this surprise visit?”
“Madeline,” King says.
“I have bottled water, sweet tea, and milk,” I say. “What’s your poison?”
“Water, please,” the woman says kindly.
“King?”
“Madeline.”
“I’ll just grab you a water, as well,” I mumble, grabbing two bottles. “Okay, where were we?”
Yeah, I’m stalling. Sue me.
I gesture at my small kitchen table before we all take a seat.
“Madeline.”
“You know what? I think I have some macaroons that my mom made. You guys must try them. They’re delicious.”
I go to stand to grab the treat when a large hand lands on my shoulder and firmly guides me back down.
“Baby,” King says. “Please, stay in one spot for just a few minutes. I have something to ask you.”
Oh. Well, alright then.
I watch as he returns to his chair opposite mine and right beside Cortney’s. My body is urging me to leave. I don’t want to hear about his new girlfriend. I know King and I were never a “thing” but my heart doesn’t know that.
“Cortney has recently moved to Harborbrook,” King starts.
“How are you liking it?” I ask her, genuinely curious.
“It’s really quite wonderful,” she says. Her eyes are alight with kindness. No wonder King likes her so much. She has a wonderful soul. “Kingston assured me beforehand that moving here would be worth it. I’m hoping he’s right.”
Something flashes across her face and I instinctively reach out and grab her hand.
“Change can be hard,” I say. “Sometimes, the hardest part is allowing yourself to accept the changes in your life. We often let our emotions take control and that’s not always a good thing. So, allow yourself to embrace this change. Harborbrook may very well be your forever home. We would be lucky to have you.”
Cortney squeezes my hand, her eyes misty.
“You’re a really kind person, Madeline,” Cortney says. “When Kingston told me those absolutely deplorable things he said to you three months ago I was embarrassed to call him my brother. But now, seeing the type of woman that you are, I am simply pissed that he ruined something so perfect.”
“Thank you,” I smile. “It was rough at first but…wait…brother? I thought you were his new girlfriend.”
“Which, I assume, was part of his devious plan,” Cortney rolls her eyes. “Honestly, Kingston, how long were you going to let that play out?”
“Until she was overflowing with jealousy, dear sister,” King smiles. “Years, if it came to it.”
“You are absolutely wicked,” she glares.
“I’m sorry, baby,” King says, not looking the least bit sorry. “I had plans to contact you next week once school was out, but something came up and it has given me the opportunity to see you sooner.”
“You said you had something to ask me?” I question.
“Yes, but I think my sister should be the one to tell you her story.”
King looks at his sister with a face full of concern.
“Alright,” she says. “Before I tell you my story, I first need to tell you our mothers. For a daughter is influenced by the choices her mother makes.”
Interesting.
“When I was six years old mama met a man named Rusty. Rusty was always so kind to me. He often gave presents and took me to places like the zoo, or the fair. I always had so much fun when Rusty came to visit.”
Cortney looks at King who simply smiles his encouragement.
“After he moved in,” she continues. “He changed. He stopped giving me presents and taking me places. I was a young girl and was so confused by this. I didn’t know he was simply buying my love so that Mama would accept him. Regardless, I grew attached to this man who became the only father figure I knew for a very long time. He became abusive towards both me and my mother. To make a long story short, Kingston and his father saved us. But, we had lived with Rusty and his abuse for nearly ten years.”
“My father did the same work I did,” King says. “The only reason we met Mama and Cortney was because Papa was hired to track down and destroy the male who had raped his mother before killing her. Rusty’s brother was the cause for his destruction.”
“From the sound of it,” I interrupt. “He was the cause of his own destruction. Your dad was simply the hero wielding the tool.”
“You don’t mind the work my brother does?” Cortney asks, shocked.
“Not in the least,” I admit. “He’s stopping evil people from doing bad things to innocent people. I’m good as long as I’m not involved in the workings of it all.”
“Never,” King growls. “It will never touch you.”
“I have a caveman for a brother,” Cortney sighs. “Anyway, Kingston and Pops eventually wormed their way into our hearts, and we’ve all had a happy life filled with love ever since. But, for some unknown reason, I followed Mama’s same domestic romantic path. Bad boyfriend after bad boyfriend and no matter what Papa or Kingston said, I ignored them and did what I wanted.”
“Behind our backs, I might add,” King glares. “I didn’t even meet Cortney until I was nineteen and she was sixteen years old. For two years she dated fucking idiots.”
“When I turned eighteen I met the man of my dreams,” Cortney continues. “He had a job, a place of his own, and people loved him. He was the type of man that you couldn’t help but love. We eventually married and roughly eight years ago, we had a baby. From the moment he was born, Charlie was a crier. He had colic at first and then he was just an emotional baby. Well, Henry didn’t like that too much.
A side I had never seen before emerged and he was just angry. He got angry over the smallest things. I did my best to keep Charlie quiet when Henry was home. Luckily, he worked as a trucker so he was sometimes gone for weeks at a time. One day, when Charlie was only five weeks old, he got sick. He ran a fever and he could hardly breathe. He was just a miserable little baby. Which in turn, made his father a miserable little man.
I needed a shower in a bad way and I asked Henry to watch Charlie for five minutes so that I could wash my body and hair for the first time in two weeks.”
“It’s alright,” I try and comfort her as tears flow down her face.
I’m not sure why she’s telling me this story, but I hate seeing so much pain in her eyes as she does.
“When I emerged from the bathroom,” she says, casually wiping her eyes. “Charlie was quiet and Henry was watching TV. It hadn’t been that quiet for days. But, I got a weird feeling, so I went and checked on the baby. Henry had placed him in the bassinet and he was eerily still. Henry tried to convince me he was sleeping but I knew something was wrong. I called an ambulance regardless of the threats he was yelling.”
“By the time they arrived,” King says when it appears that Cortney couldn’t say anything more. “Charlie was dead. They were able to restart his heart before they rushed him to the hospital but he was in critical condition. In his anger, Henry shook Charlie. He shook him until he stopped crying.”
“That was a little under seven years ago,” Cortney says. “My son is a survivor of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Because of those five minutes, he will have a lifetime of struggle. The long-term consequences are developmental delays, cognitive impairments, behavioral issues, and physical disabilities.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, not knowing what else to say. My tears join Cortney’s as I struggle to get my emotions under control.
That poor baby.
“Two weeks ago, Kingston called me and said that he was about to fight for his future,” Cortney tells me, smiling knowingly. “He told me that he was waiting for the schools to let out for the summer before he went headfirst into the fight.”
“I got tired of waiting, baby,” he tells me. “I’ve been hoping beyond all hope that you’ll eventually forgive me and give me the opportunity to prove how much you mean to me. One more week and I would have been right where I am now. Waiting for you to make your way home from your last day of school. Then, I called my sister for moral support. I’m about to go to war, baby. I needed it.”
I lower my head so he doesn’t see the smile I’m trying to hide.
“He and the Obsidian men were moving our things into my new home a few days ago when they started talking about you.”
Instantly, I felt that small kick in my gut that I used to feel when thinking about the people who I thought were my friends. But, just as quickly, it goes away. My therapist told me that it would take a while for those feelings to vanish completely but that it didn’t mean I didn’t forgive them.
“Blaze was telling Ghost how one night, while you were at the clubhouse, you got up in the middle of the night to get a bottle of water,” King says, and I can feel my blush slam onto my skin as that awful memory invades my mind.
“He said that when you went to the kitchen you were half asleep and kept mumbling about Scottish men and their manly skirts,” Cortney chuckles. “Then you opened the bottle and took a huge gulp before jolting fully awake in a coughing fit.”
“I mean, come on,” I say, feeling frustrated all over again. “Who in the heck puts pure freaking vodka in an empty bottle and places it right next to the rest of the water? My throat was on fire. I had never drunk alcohol in my life up until that point and I felt like I was dying. Much to Blaze’s amusement, I might add.”
Giggling, I remember Blaze falling to the floor and making fun of me dreaming about Scottish men but not being able to handle a single gulp of vodka.
“Well, that conversation turned into another one,” she continues. “It was mentioned that you’re a special education teacher.”
“I am,” I admit proudly.
“It’s really hard for me to trust people with my son,” she tells me. “I’m not sure if he’s ready or even allowed to be in a regular school so I’ve decided to have him home-schooled until that decision can be made a little further down the road. He’s non-verbal. I’ve been told by many that he’s not teachable. But I want to try. I don’t want to sit back and watch as my son simply survives his life. I want to watch him live it the best way that he’s able.”
“I think that’s wonderful,” I admit. “Whoever told you that Charlie is unteachable is simply an uneducated baboon. Just because he’s not able to express his desires or his thoughts doesn’t mean he’s an empty shell. It may seem like he’s just there and not paying attention, but I guarantee, if he could speak, if he could communicate, you would be blown away by what he’s learned just by watching and listening.”
“I told you she was perfect,” King says, pride shining right into my heart.
“I want to hire you,” Cortney says, shocking me back to reality. “I want you to be the one to teach my son. At least until he’s able to go to school.”
Oh dear.
“Thank you so much for that trust,” I say. “But I honestly don’t know if I would have the time. Or I’m even the right fit.”
I lean back and take a few seconds to sort my mind. I can’t just leave this child to be taught by someone who simply wants a paycheck. Not to mention this is King’s family. If I did this, it would mean King would be part of my life.
Not that I mind, anymore. I’ve missed him terribly.
“How about this,” I say, breaking the silence. “Let’s let you both settle into your new routines for the next month then we can have an initial meeting to see if he and I are the right match. That’s so very important. But, I have to be completely honest with you. Teaching takes up so much of my time. Even after my students go home for the day, I remain at the school for another hour preparing for the next day’s lesson. I would need to invest a lot of time into Charlie’s individualized education and I wouldn’t want to give him anything but my absolute best.”
“I understand,” she sighs, her eyes sad.
“However,” I continue. “I’ve had a few non-verbal students in the past. This year, I have an eight-year-old non-verbal autistic boy who will be with me for another two or three years before he transitions to middle school.
Charlie is more than welcome, and able, to join my class next school year. I would like to meet him, regardless, but in my personal and professional opinion, Charlie needs to go to school. He needs social interactions. He will have a specialized support team that consists of way more than just me. We have an entire team that dedicates their lives to making school as smooth and as fun as possible for those students who don’t have it as easily as the others. He can be enrolled in speech therapy which can help him find ways to communicate. Please, reconsider. Send him to Harborbrook Elementary School. I happen to know the staff there and we would all welcome him with open arms.”
“Kingston,” Cortney sniffs a few seconds later.
“Yes, dear sister.”
“If you don’t marry this woman, I will.”
King tosses his head back and laughs. It’s the most honest and happiest laugh I’ve ever heard come from another person.
If there were any bricks still blocking my heart from this man, that laugh just broke them down.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say, pulling my ringing phone from my school bag. “I need to take this. If I don’t answer this man he will just keep calling until I do.”
“Knox?” King laughs. “He does that to me when I’m on the job. He’s the main reason I turn my phone off.”
Cortney snorts her laughter before relaxing back on the chair.
“Hey, what’s up?” I answer.
“Okay, two things,” Knox says quickly. “We’re having a sleepover at your place tonight. I’m thinking Chinese food.”
“Oh, good,” I cheer.
“Second,” he continues. “King is on his way to your apartment right this very second with his sister. Quickly, jump in the shower and you can pretend that you didn’t hear him knocking when he calls to grump at you later. That’s another thing. He’s been talking about you. I mean, he always talks about you. All the freaking time. But, this time, he’s been talking about seeing if you’re ready to forgive him. That man freaking loves you, Maddy.”
“Knox,” I laugh as he continues to ramble. “He’s already here. They have been since I got home from work. And, secondly, he already told me about all of that as well. Now, breathe. I’ll see you guys tonight. I’ll order way too much Chinese so we can eat ourselves into a food coma.”
“Oh,” Knox sighs. “I got distracted. My bad. Alright. Yes. Food coma. See ya.”
“Having a party?” King asks.
“Yeah,” I confess. “Knox has been having some issues falling into his li…Uhm, relaxing, so he, Bitsy, and Sophie are coming over for a sleepover so we can try and help him.”
“That sounds like fun, baby,” King says, standing. “I’ll be back tomorrow around noon. Be ready.”
“Be ready for what?” I ask, following him and Cortney to the door.
“I’m taking you out for lunch,” he says casually. “Then we’re going to go to the clubhouse because the guys want to talk to you.”
“Oh,” I say, my heart racing.
“I’ll wait out in the car,” Cortney says. “It was nice meeting you, Maddy. I hope that we can meet up soon. I want to introduce you to Charlie so we can both get to know you better. You’re part of the family, after all.”
I go to tell her that I’m not really part of her family but the hopeful look on King’s face seals my lips tightly.
“Your sister seems like a wonderful person,” I tell King.
“She is,” he says. “Now, are you okay with all of this? With me?”
Is the one and only King feeling vulnerable?
“I’ll admit that it took me a while to work through everything,” I admit. “I understand that I was a virtual stranger to all of you so taking me at my word when you didn’t even know me was an impossible ask. I know that now. But I just felt so betrayed.”
“It’s not an excuse on our end,” he says, but I simply shake my head.
“Then when you said what you said,” I continue. “It felt like the final shot to my already wounded soul. I was practically numb when Patricia and Madison took me. I didn’t fight back. It took several days before I even acknowledged that they had me tied to that chair. I tell you all of that so that you can truly see me when I say this.
I’m okay. I forgave you all so long ago even though there wasn’t really anything to forgive. I’m a very empathetic person. I think it’s why I’m so good at my job. Why I can connect with my students as deeply as I can. I feel things on an emotional level more intensely than a normal person. Which is why what happened affected me so greatly. Sometimes I need to sit back and thoroughly look at what caused such a reaction. Which is what I’ve done. I’m ready to move forward, King.”
I place my hand gently on his mouth when he starts to speak.
“But I’m still an emotional person,” I tell him as he presses soft kisses to my palm. “I have self-doubt issues because of my weight and it makes me delicate and vulnerable. You’re a very outspoken man. And, sometimes with you being so candid about things and me being so sensitive, we’re going to crash. You need to know that being my friend isn’t easy. I don’t try to be difficult, but I also won’t hide who I am. I’ve had this same conversation with Bitsy. She’s very confident in who she is. But she’s blunt.”
I smile at the memory of her telling me that I need to pull my big girl panties up and go to therapy. She’s the reason my mind is where it is today.
“My sweet baby,” King says from behind my hand. With a final kiss to my palm, he gently pulls it away from his mouth and places it on his chest. “First and foremost, the way my brothers and I treated you was uncalled for. You had every right to be angry with us. We should have believed you and done everything in our power to protect you. Because we didn’t, you got hurt. Secondly, what I said to you is unforgivable. No matter my reasoning behind it. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I love the fact that I can’t see what your skeleton looks like. I like knowing that when I make love to you, I don’t have to hold myself back out of fear of hurting you. You are so fucking sexy and I will do everything in my power to prove that to you.”
Oh my.
“The guys want to apologize. Family means everything to them, to us, and they’ve been planning this day for weeks now.”
“I have a thing tonight with my friends,” I remind him.
“I know, baby,” he smiles. “Speaking of those friends, they have given all of us hell since the day we forced you to leave. Bitsy and Sophie spent eight weeks over at Knox’s house. With the kids, of course. They wouldn’t talk to any of us. The only reason Knox did was because it was his job. But, outside of work talk, he didn’t speak to us either. Even now, they don’t act the same around us like they used to.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, lowering my head. I know all of this, of course, because they’ve told me. I’ve begged them to stop ignoring their family because of that one little incident but they were royally mad at them. Something about them not being who they thought they were.
“Bitsy even called her father on us,” King laughs. “I’ve never seen Ghost look so guilty once Bitsy’s dad, Cap, walked out of their meeting. Even Ma and Pops, the club’s parents, have looked at us with disappointment.”
“I didn’t mean to cause all of this,” I tell the floor. “I felt so bad when my friends told me how everyone was acting. I begged them to stop. It’s not worth all of that.”
“I disagree, Madeline. We deserve their disappointment. What happened with you has caused us all to reevaluate who we are as a club. We’ve changed because of you. You’ve made us better. We should have believed you, a victim, but I was drowning in my own pool of emotions and my brothers were simply backing me up. I’ve always relied heavily on facts. On physical proof. It’s saved my life, and the lives of others, many times over. I saw the proof and all else faded.”
King places a finger under my chin and forces my head up until my eyes meet his.
“The day I left you at school, I was planning on calling up your father and quitting because I didn’t want to be paid to protect the woman I was about to claim. But, I had that damn meeting to go to first and that’s where I was shown the video of Madison. Seeing your face on that screen froze my heart and everything I had felt for you. I don’t want to ever forget what I did, what I said, to you. I want to remember for the rest of my days. I don’t deserve to forget. But I will never let something like that happen again.”
Tears roll down my face. I’ve forgiven this man but he’s saying words that I didn’t even know I needed to hear.
“Be ready tomorrow at noon, Madeline. Be good for me.”
Leaning in, he presses a firm kiss on my lips before walking away.”
“Wait,” I call right before he gets back on the elevator. “How did you get the new codes?”
With a wink and a smirk, he walks into the elevator.
“I hate you. I’m not giving you my passcodes anymore.”
Seconds later my best friend responds.
“You love me, and you know it. He was an ass, but that man loves you. My gut told me to trust him. Also, yes you will. It takes you weeks to memorize the new lock codes. By then, the security have them changed again. You’d be lost without me.”
He’s not wrong. I tell Dillon the codes because nine times out of ten, I forget them or enter an old code to my floor. You only get two chances. After that, everyone who lives on my floor is locked out until someone from security arrives and lets us in. That’s happened to me at least seven times now.
The elevator simply won’t open and alerts security after two wrong attempts are made. I was once stuck on that dang thing for an hour. The security in the building is worth it, but my sanity isn’t.
“Whatever. Give Molly my love.”
“What about me? I want your love, too.”
Laughing, I roll my eyes and respond.
“You can have a pinch. Give the rest to your wife.”