Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Amelia
The smell of smoke still clings to my hair even after the three showers I took this morning.
I don’t think it’ll ever go away, nor will the memories of last night.
I keep seeing Jess pinned under the mechanical bull, flames dancing around her as she cries for help and I’ve been struggling with the guilt.
I could’ve helped her.
I could’ve pulled her out of there.
But I did nothing.
I was paralyzed by fear, and the image of Dylan’s face. If I had died last night, I don’t know what would’ve happened to him. I’m all he has, and that realization is terrifying. I suppose Shadow would’ve taken him in, but no parent wants to think of their child existing in a world without them.
And then there’s Maddox. When I wasn’t praying for God to spare me and bring me back to my son, I thought of the man who charged back into my life so unexpectedly and unapologetically, and I realized something else.
I wanted to live for him too.
When I showed up at his door last night, soot-stained and shaking, he swept me into his arms.
“I’ve got you.”
I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear those words until he spoke them, and I don’t think it was the meaning of them that made them so powerful.
It was hearing them come from him.
It was his actions that followed that proved them true.
It was filling the tub and washing the soot from my body.
It was drying me off and dressing me.
It was holding me through the night and wiping my tears as I cried.
It was the sound of his heartbeat, so steady and strong against my ear.
And his care didn’t stop when the sun came up.
I was still reeling this morning and couldn’t bring myself to send Dylan to school.
There were too many unknowns, and I just wanted him close to me, but I knew he’d have a lot of questions, and hiding the truth from him wasn’t an option, especially since I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to work again.
Over breakfast, with Maddox’s reassuring presence beside me, we told Dylan everything. The explosion, the injuries, the uncertainty of what comes next. My son’s face grew serious, his eyes darting between us.
“You’re not going back there,” Dylan said firmly, his voice deeper than usual. He turned to Maddox. “Tell her she isn’t working there anymore.”
“Dyl, it’s not that simple,” I started. “That job pays our bills, and—”
“I don’t care,” Dylan interjected. “Mom, you could have died.”
Hearing him say those words gutted me, and I couldn’t stop the flow of tears.
Maddox cleared his throat. “Your mom’s right. It’s not simple, Dylan. But she’s also not going back there until we know it’s safe.” He paused and looked at me with those intense eyes of his. “And if it never feels safe again, we’ll figure something else out. Together.”
The word ‘together’ hung in the air between us. Dylan’s shoulders relaxed, and Maddox’s hand found mine under the table.
After breakfast, Maddox asked Dylan if he’d give him a hand with something, and the two disappeared through the back door. Now I’m sitting in Maddox’s living room, wrapped in a blanket, wearing another one of his flannel shirts while nursing my third cup of tea.
Judy keeps popping into the room as per Maddox’s request, offering me food. However, I think she’d be doing it even if Maddox hadn’t asked her to. The woman loves to dote on people, and right now I’m her current fixation. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no appetite.
Something rustles to my left, and my eyes swing in that direction. Della stands in the doorway, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to sneak up on you.”
“Della,” I manage a weak smile and shift to make room on the couch. “Come sit.”
She moves into the room, her eyes taking inventory of me—the blanket, the oversized shirt, the dark circles I’m sure have formed under my eyes. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
I laugh but it doesn’t sound natural even to my own ears. “It’s literally your house.”
She settles beside me. “Actually, it’s Maddox’s. I’m just crashing here until I build my own.”
“I guess that makes two of us.”
Not that I’ll be building my own house anytime soon. I don’t even know how I’m going to pay my rent next month now that I’m out of a job. The money I make at the farmer’s market isn’t enough.
“I don’t think you’ll be crashing here for long,” Della says, interrupting my thoughts.
“I caught up with Maddox while you were in the shower this morning. I’ve never seen my brother so out of sorts.
” She pauses, angling her head. “He was off when Granddaddy passed, and pretty beside himself when our mother died, but neither time compared to how he looked this morning. He was pacing the kitchen, pulling at his hair like a madman. He’s got it bad for you, Amelia, and I don’t think he plans on letting you out of his sight anytime soon. ”
I feel my cheeks heat. “He’s been incredible.”
Her eyes dart around the living room. “Speaking of Maddox, where is he?”
A heavy sigh escapes my lips, and I lean forward, gently placing the mug on the coffee table. “Dylan was upset after we told him what happened. Maddox took him out to clear his head.”
Suddenly, the back door swings open, and Dylan rushes in, his face flushed with excitement. Maddox follows behind him, along with Wyatt, Grant, and Tyler, all of whom carry cardboard boxes of various sizes.
“Mom!” Dylan exclaims, nearly tripping over his own feet. “Look!”
I straighten up, pushing the blanket off my shoulders. “What’s all this?”
Dylan grins, bouncing on his heels. “We went to the apartment and got some of our stuff! Clothes, toothbrushes, that thing you curl your hair with—oh, and Maddox even let me bring my PlayStation! He’s gonna put a T.V. in the room I slept in last night and hook it up for me.”
My eyes widen, my gaze bouncing from my son to Maddox. He carefully sets down the box he’s holding, one that is labeled “SOAPS” in Dylan’s messy handwriting.
“And we brought all your soap making stuff too!” Dylan continues. “The big pot thing, and all those oils, and the molds—everything! Maddox said you might want to work while you’re here.”
Della’s throat clears from beside me and she leans close. “Told you.”
Maddox walks over to where I’m sitting, lowering himself to his knees in front of me. He scratches the scruff lining his jaw and sighs. “I should have asked first, but...” His words trail as he glances at Della. “I spoke with Shadow while we were out.”
Della sits up straight beside me, her eyes locked on her brother.
“The Fallen Demons have been looking into the attack,” he continues, his voice low. “They’re not sure who’s behind it yet, but they think it might be a rival club. That Rodeo Roundup was targeted because they’re silent owners.”
An audible gasp sounds from Della. “Maddox, we just signed a deal with them. If that’s true, what if they try to hit the ranch next?”
Maddox shakes his head. “Shadow doesn’t think that will happen, and he’s beefing up security here.
I’ve put everyone on alert, and we’ve got eyes on every access point to the property.
” He brings his gaze back to me and takes my hands in his, his calloused thumbs rubbing gentle circles on my skin.
“Until we know what’s going on and who’s behind the attack, I want you and Dylan to stay here on the ranch with me. ”
My throat tightens. “Maddox—”
“I need to know you’re both safe,” he interrupts, his voice cracking slightly.
“And the only way I can know that is if you’re here, where I can protect you.
” Maddox squeezes my hands. “I know you have responsibilities, and I respect your independence—that’s why I brought your soap supplies.
You can continue your business from here.
We’ve got plenty of space in the kitchen, and if that doesn’t work, we can set up a workshop in one of the empty rooms.”
Della turns to me. “I can help you if you teach me. We can even get that website you’ve been wanting up and running.”
I’m not used to this—people rallying around me, offering solutions, making space in their lives for me and my son. For so long, it’s been just Dylan and me against the world, scraping by, making do.
I look up at Dylan, then back to Maddox, whose gaze holds something deeper, something that makes my heart hammer inside my chest.
“Okay,” I whisper, the word barely audible even to my own ears. “Just until things settle down.”
Dylan’s face breaks into a relieved smile, and Maddox exhales like he’s been holding his breath for hours. He brings my knuckles to his lips and presses a gentle kiss there.
“Thank you,” he murmurs against my skin.
“Where should we put all this stuff?” Tyler asks, shifting the box in his arms.
Maddox stands, not letting go of my hand. “Dylan’s things go in the blue bedroom upstairs. Amelia’s things go in mine. The soap supplies can go in the sunroom for now.”
“I can help you set up your soap station after lunch,” Della offers, patting my knee. “Judy’s making her famous chicken soup. You have to eat something or she’s going to keep cooking, and we’ll run out of food.”
I highly doubt that, but I keep that bit to myself.
“And I’ll help Dylan get his PlayStation hooked up,” Wyatt adds.
“He’s just offering to help Dylan set up his video game because he wants to play himself,” Grant says, earning a chuckle from everyone.
Everyone except for Maddox.
He crouches down in front of me again. “You okay?” he asks quietly, his eyes searching mine. “I know I sprung this on you. If you need space or time—”
I silence him by leaning forward and pressing my finger against his lips. Then I take his face in my hands and kiss him softly, fully aware we have an audience.
Also not giving one single fuck.
“Thank you,” I murmur against his lips.
Maddox’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles against my lips, the tension in his shoulders dissolving almost instantly.
Grant clears his throat. “Well, I think that’s our cue to make ourselves scarce.”