Chapter 46 #2
The two of them kept the conversation light during the drive from the Farrington office to Denise’s neighborhood and while picking up supplies at the small organic grocery store a few blocks from her apartment.
Then while she prepared dinner with Maddox’s help, Denise recounted the confrontation with Darby and her emotional conversation with her dad.
“Wow. How are you feeling after all that?” Maddox asked as the two of them sat down to steaming bowls of tortellini soup with garlic bread.
Denise took a sip of her iced tea. “I think I’m still figuring that out honestly.
I saw a peek into the hurt and anger Darby has been carrying around all these years.
I wish I’d tried to look closer a long time ago, paid more attention.
I have a feeling I’ll have some soul-searching to do about that for a while. ”
Maddox reached across the table and squeezed Denise’s hand. “You were going through your own stuff when y’all were growing up. It’s hard to look past that, especially when you’re young.”
“You’re right. I’ll try to remember that. Thanks.” She sent them a fond smile before starting on her soup.
“And what about that talk with your dad? It doesn’t sound like that went the way you were expecting.” Maddox tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into their soup before tasting it. Mmm. It was warm, savory, and hearty.
“Understatement of the decade!” Denise declared with a laugh.
“I can’t remember us ever having an honest conversation like that before.
That one’s going to take me some time to process too.
But mostly I can’t get over how…real he seemed today.
Like my whole life, he’s been this booming, energetic, larger-than-life figure that I couldn’t relate to and who never seemed to know how to relate to me, but today, he just felt like my dad. It was kind of nice.”
“I’m really glad,” Maddox said, enjoying the serene, content look that crossed Denise’s face.
Her face saddened, though, after a moment as her eyes met Maddox’s. “I’m really sorry if you never got that with your dad.”
“Thank you for that,” Maddox said. They were incredibly touched by her concern. “For years, I lived with the assumption that it was my fault that our relationship wasn’t the way it should have been.”
They held up air quotes around the should have been. “But Gran helped me see past that.”
Maddox marveled at the easy, comfortable way they both continued to share about their past while they finished dinner, even though many of the memories were difficult.
It lightened the mood considerably when Maddox told Denise about their surprise coffee date with Fi.
Denise alternated between laughing and turning cherry red through the story.
When Maddox was finished, she covered her face with her hands.
“Oh, Fi. On any given day, I never know whether I want to hug or strangle her.”
Maddox laughed. “It’s good to have protective friends.”
“Tell me about it,” Denise said, lowering her hands. “I was schooled in that particular lesson by Bobbette not too long ago.”
“What?” Maddox’s spoon clattered from their hand to the table, but Denise simply laughed again.
“I’ll save that one for another day.”
“That sounds ominous,” Maddox muttered.
Denise glanced over at Maddox’s empty bowl and plate. “Do you want some more?”
“I’ve already had two helpings!”
“Hmm,” Denise’s voice slid into a lower register that made delicious tension coil in Maddox’s belly. “You have a very healthy appetite.”
“I get the feeling you appreciate my appetite,” Maddox drawled.
Denise stood and stalked around the table to Maddox’s chair. She placed her hands on either side of their face and gazed down into their eyes. “I really do.”
Then she leaned down and covered Maddox’s mouth with her own in a hot and hungry kiss.
Maddox moaned, and their arms came up to hold Denise closer. They slipped their hands under the soft sweater she’d changed into and scraped their short nails over her lower back.
Denise whimpered and pulled back from the kiss. She took a second to catch her breath before saying. “I have to admit something, Maddox. I really, really want you right now, but I’m also exhausted.”
“You mean several days of worry, stress, and family drama can make you tired? Unbelievable!” Maddox teased before reaching up to stroke Denise’s face. “That’s okay, beautiful. We don’t have to do anything.”
“But you drove all this way,” she fretted.
“Because I realized I’m falling in love with you, Denise, not because I wanted sex!”
Denise’s eyes widened, and Maddox mirrored her reaction. In their hurry to reassure her, they’d gotten carried away with blatant honesty. Oops.
“I-I didn’t mean to say that quite so fast,” Maddox mumbled, lowering their gaze to stare at their empty bowl.
A few seconds ticked by, and they finally worked up the gumption to look at Denise again. To their surprise, she had a thin sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she said with a small sob. “I’m absolutely falling in love with you too.”
Joy and relief rushed through Maddox and overwhelmed them. They hopped to their feet and pulled Denise into their arms for a long, tender kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Maddox smiled down at her. “How about we clean up and then go to bed early so I can hold you for the rest of the night?”
Denise stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Maddox’s nose. “How about we hold each other for the rest of the night?”
“Sounds perfect to me.”