26. Madelyn #2
Morgan shifts beside us, suddenly looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. I can tell she feels uncomfortable being caught in the middle of this conversation, but thankfully, she doesn’t say anything about it.
“Why don’t you stop thinking about Miles for the day and just spend time with us?
” Kaitlin says. “We’re having a girls’ day.
Don’t worry about him. I can see if there’s a party or something happening tonight.
Unless you don’t want to go out, then we can just stay in and have a sleepover at your place? ”
I’ve never had a sleepover before. There was always too much happening at home for something like that. Too much chaos, too many things I couldn’t explain. And once the rumors started spreading about my family, the only friend I really had left was Austin.
The idea of a sleepover sounds so simple and normal. And maybe that’s why it appeals to me so much. I’m sure Miles wouldn’t mind if he knew I’d never had one before.
“Actually, a sleepover sounds nice,” I say, smiling. “Let’s do it.”
The entire drive back to the safe house is spent with me worrying about whether Miles is going to be upset about Kaitlin coming over, while Morgan repeatedly reminds me not to overthink it.
“He’ll get over it,” she tells me. “Seriously, Maddie. It’s not a big deal.”
She’s probably right. I can’t picture Miles staying mad at me for very long, especially over something as small as this.
Before we get home, though, we make a quick stop at the grocery store to stock up on an absolutely ridiculous amount of junk food and snacks for our sleepover.
Kaitlin and Morgan both insist it’s necessary, and luckily, they also insist on paying, which is great because I’m already feeling guilty enough about spending so much of Miles’ money.
Julius greets us the moment we pull into the circle drive, just like he always does. He walks around the car and opens my door before offering me a polite smile.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Madelyn. Would you like me to grab your bags for you?”
“Um, no, that’s alright, Julius. I think I can handle it. Thank you, though.”
He smiles and nods before walking ahead to open the front door for us.
It’s still strange being treated this way. Having someone like Julius waiting on me, making things easier, like I belong here.
I don’t. I’m just a girl from a small town in Alabama.
A girl who killed her own father and spent most of her life fighting to survive. I don’t fit into this luxurious world or belong in a place like this.
Kaitlin walks up behind me carrying all the grocery bags plus a few of her boutique bags, struggling to hold it all. “Girl, when a man offers to carry your shit, you let him. Have I taught you nothing?!”
I laugh, grabbing a few of the bags from her arms before following everyone inside. We carry everything into the large living room, where we plan to spend the night watching movies on the massive screen and eating our ridiculous collection of snacks from the comfort of the oversized sectional.
Once we settle in and start sorting through our purchases, I notice Kaitlin grows unusually quiet, which is weird for her.
Kaitlin is normally loud, obnoxious, and impossible to ignore.
Silence isn’t exactly something I associate with her.
But ever since we sat down, she’s been glued to her phone, texting constantly.
The sudden change in her demeanor catches my attention. I try asking her if she’s okay, but all she does is glance up at me, smile, and tell me she’s texting Gabby, so I decided not to push it.
It’s not like Kaitlin to shut herself off, but it’s also been a while since we’ve actually spent time together. And if I’m being honest, I’m the reason for that. I had started shutting her out, letting everything happening with Miles and my own problems consume me.
Maybe this is just her way of easing back into things.
We’re about halfway through Clueless when the front door opens. A few seconds later, Miles’ voice echoes through the house.
“Whose car is parked in the circle drive?”
My entire body stills.
When he walks into the living room and sees Kaitlin sitting beside me on the couch, his expression changes instantly. It’s subtle, but I know him well enough now to catch it. The look on his face says he’s one second away from losing his mind.
Kaitlin, of course, notices immediately. A slow, devilish smile spreads across her face as she looks at him, clearly enjoying his reaction. And suddenly, I’m wondering if bringing her here was a mistake.
“Hey, asshole,” she says casually. “Nice place you got here.”
Miles looks over at me, then at Morgan, but he doesn’t say a word. Not to me, not to Kaitlin, not even a sarcastic comment under his breath like I expected. He simply turns around and walks out of the room.
Oh shit.
He’s pissed, really pissed. I’ve never seen him this angry over something I’ve done before. The tension rolling off him is almost suffocating, and I swear I can see a vein pulsing in his forehead before he disappears down the hallway.
I immediately get up from where I’m sitting with the girls and follow after him. I find him in the kitchen, standing in front of the fridge as he pulls out a beer. He pops the top off and takes a long drink before turning around to face me.
“I told you not to bring her here.” His voice is calm, but there’s something underneath it. Something sharp and full of fear disguised as anger. “Do you not care about your safety at all?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t know how to make him understand that I wasn’t trying to be reckless. I wasn’t trying to disrespect him. I just wanted one normal day with my friend.
“I’m sorry—”
“You’re sorry?” he cuts me off, his eyes hardening.
“Maddie, there is literally someone out there trying to hurt you. Do you not understand the severity of this?”
His words hit harder than I expect them to. They sink straight into my chest, and for a moment, I feel like that scared girl I used to be. The one who needed someone else to tell her what to do. The one who didn’t have a voice. But I refuse to go back there. I’ve come too far.
I swallow the lump forming in my throat and force myself to hold his gaze.
“I understand the severity of it, Miles,” I say quietly.
“But I’m not a child, and I won’t let you treat me like one.
” His expression shifts slightly, but I continue.
“All I wanted was to have a girls’ day with my friend.
That’s it. I wasn’t trying to put myself in danger.
I wasn’t trying to make you angry.” I take a step back.
“But if this is too much for you, then we’ll leave. ”
For a moment, I think I’ve only made things worse. Miles just stands there, staring at me. I can see the anger fighting with something else in his eyes—fear.
He takes another drink from his beer before setting it down on the counter. Then he walks toward me slowly. When he reaches me, his hands find my waist and pull me against him. His right hand lifts, gently cupping my cheek, and the anger in his expression softens.
“I’m sorry.”
The words surprise me. Before I can respond, he leans down and kisses me. It isn’t the angry kiss I expect. It’s not an apology meant to silence me. He’s simply reminding me that even when we clash and we don’t understand each other, we’re still us.
The kiss is deep and full of everything he struggles to say out loud. The fear and desperation to keep me safe without realizing that sometimes, protecting me means letting me live.
My hands find his shirt, holding onto him as the tension between us slowly melts away. When he finally pulls back, I’m left breathless, staring up at him.
“You’re right,” he says softly. “I’m sorry.” His thumb brushes against my cheek. “She can stay.”
A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.
“But you’re sleeping with me tonight. Do you understand?”
I nod.
He raises an eyebrow. “Your words, Madelyn.”
I can’t help but smile. “Yes, I understand.”
“Good girl.”
That familiar smirk crosses his face, the one that always manages to undo me.
“Now go spend time with your friends. I’ll make you ladies some popcorn.”
His expression softens completely.
“I love you.”
He cups my face with both hands and presses one more kiss to my lips, this one gentle and full of the love he’s trying so hard to show me.
“I love you too, Miles.”
Kaitlin insisted we drink tonight, because what kind of girl’s night would it be without alcohol?
We’ve each had two mixed drinks that Kaitlin made and I’m starting to feel a little buzz coming on.
I don’t usually drink so it doesn’t take a lot to get me buzzing, and since we’re drinking at home tonight, I didn’t see anything wrong with having a few.
We finished watching Clueless and went straight into Mean Girls. We’re all laughing watching the movie when my phone dings with a new text message. I immediately freeze up, because who else would text me right now? Everyone I talk to is here in this house.
It’s him.
I can’t look at it. If I look at it, it makes it real.
I look around the room and see Morgan and Kaitlin still watching the movie, neither of them paying me any attention.
I grab my phone from where it sits on the coffee table in front of me and look at it.
One new text message from “Unknown” lights up my screen. I swallow nervously and open it.
Unknown: Did you really think you could hide from me much longer, Madelyn? I thought you were smarter than that.
My heart is beating so loudly in my chest I’m sure everyone in the room can hear it. I look back at Morgan and Kaitlin and look around the room nervously, wondering if he’s here, watching me. My phone dings again in my hand and causes me to jump in my seat. Another message.
Unknown: You look so beautiful when you’re scared for your life, Madelyn.