Another Epilogue
MADDY
A year and months later.
I t’s World Domination Day.
Or, as more common people would say, move-in day at Cain University.
I studied the other girls on my floor when we arrived. They were excited, but nervous. The dorm advisor met with us, going through all the information I needed to know. My key. My roommate’s information. A map of the university. Where to go for registration. There was freshman orientation, but as soon as my parents were gone, I already knew I was going to skip.
Max drove separately to help me move in, and the guys were coming over to help as well. Steele, Axel, and Beltraine. They were sophomores this year so they were living in the house my parents owned. I didn’t know if they were renting, but I was sure my parents were giving them a deal. Not that they needed one. Each of those three guys were wealthy. I told my dad he should double his price. He just laughed at me.
“Hi.” A girl was in the doorway, carrying a box. She entered the room and held her hand out to me. “I’m Havana. I think you’re my roommate. Are you Logan Kade?”
Max snorted, unloading one of my boxes on my desk.
She looked his way, frowning, but then did a double take when she caught a better look at his face. Interest lit up her eyes, and her lips parted as she gave him a onceover. I couldn’t blame her. He looked particularly edible, wearing his ragged and well-worn jeans and a black band shirt. With some added tattoos, one on his neck and another vine winding down around his arm, Max was looking beyond tasty.
I understood her attraction, but I didn’t have to like it.
I moved to block her view, giving her a forced smile. “Logan’s my first name, but I generally go by my middle name. Maddy. I used to spell it with a y , then decided to change it up and made everyone spell it with ie at the end. Since then, I’ve returned to my earlier years when I spell it M-A-D-D-Y.” No one needed to hear any of my explanation, but I enjoyed giving it.
Max was laughing again. “Jesus, Mads. Give the girl a break.”
I threw him a scowl over my shoulder before focusing on her again. “I took the left side of the room. I hope that’s okay?” My dad jerked his head up and seeing the motion, I remembered what he offered earlier. “Or my dad can put the beds up in bunks so we can have more room? I don’t care. This is my mom and dad.”
I didn’t introduce Max. He was mine.
“Oh. Uh.” She was taking in everyone in the room.
The guys hadn’t shown up yet, but they texted. They were on their way. Until then, it was my parents and Max. Nolan and Nash stayed behind, wanting to be with their friends. They were becoming normal, and were doing normal things like hanging out with friends.
Or that’s how they were acting. I knew my brother and sister. There was nothing normal about us.
“That’d be great. Thanks.” She gestured over her shoulder. “My dads are bringing up the rest of my stuff, but they mentioned something similar. About putting the beds all the way at the top?”
Voices were heard coming down the hallway, and I recognized them.
Beltraine appeared first, stopping behind Havana, who was staring up at him, slack-jawed.
He barely gave her a glance before stepping past, a lazy grin on his face. “Yo!” He tossed me a smirk and head-lift but headed for my parents first.
I got it. I wasn’t insulted.
We had the rest of the night to hang out, but since the guys moved in with us, they had this thing with my parents. Adoration. They cared about my mom and dad, and it was reciprocated.
“Traine.” My mom got to him first, hugging him. She would gush over him for a little bit. He and the others. Then they’d move to give my dad a hug, who would ask how they’re doing. Do they need anything? Etc. My parents would take us to dinner before they would head back, but they hadn’t just made the trip to bring me here. They came up to also check in with these guys. When everything was getting close to being done with my room, my mom was going to slip away and check out the house. She’d probably fill the place with food and check on their laundry. She enjoyed being a mom to them, and the guys preened under her attention. Steele had the most normal parents growing up, and his were hiding from a secret society cult so go figure. That said a lot for Axel and Traine.
Axel appeared next. Steele was right after him.
My roommate’s jaw was officially on the floor.
More greetings were shared as everything happened that I knew was going to happen, complete with some extra hugs Steele got from my mom. He got all flushed, but he loved it.
Havana was frowning, watching the exchange.
I motioned to them. “That’s his big sister. Don’t pay him any attention. He’s been starved of attention from not having a normal big sister role model. His other one got stabbed—”
“Maddy!” Four different people shouted my name, with different varied emotions on each of their faces. Horror. Apprehension. Nervousness. My dad’s eyes narrowed with that same concerned look he got when he thought I was going to let one of my sociopathic tendencies show.
It’d been way over a year and it’d been all-hands-on-deck with my “situation.” I was doing a lot better and gave them all a cocky grin. “I was just going to say she’s been overseas since she was assaulted.” Different breaths of tension left each of them. I said to Havana, “I’m hoping she stays, but these two hope she’ll heal and get better. To each their own.”
She was blinking at me in confusion. “Wait.” Her eyes narrowed, skirting between my mom and Steele. The question was forming, if my mom was his sister that would mean Steele was my—but at that moment, two guys showed in the doorway and stopped in their tracks.
They were big and burly. Tan. Tattoos. Both had their arms full of boxes and totes.
One dropped his items and his mouth fell open with it, his eyes bulging out at my dad. “You’re–you–you,” he sputtered out, slapping the guy next to him. “Honey, it’s Mason Fucking Kade.”
Another guy yelped down the hallway, probably another dad. “What?”
It was happening. News started to spread that the Kades arrived. Of course, the news was camouflaged first as to who my dad was. NFL Hall of Famer. Mason Kade. My dad had fans all over so I knew it’d hit social media. My mom had her own fans, and since we were at Cain University, I knew my uncle was well known. Or well feared, depending on who recognized his name. He wasn’t exactly a wallflower.
It was my turn now. I was looking forward to everyone learning my name.
I was Maddy Fucking Kade.
Cain University was about to become my playground.
Thank you for reading Kade!