Chapter Sixteen
Maddox
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The roads were finally cleared enough by the early evening to be drivable. I headed to Boston right away. My brothers had already stopped by our grandparents” house to check that they were okay, but I decided to head there as well instead of going home.
When I arrived in front of their house, I noticed Leo”s and Nick”s cars were in front. I hadn”t realized they were still here. The house itself looked in top shape, so maybe the storm hadn”t really done too much damage to their neighborhood. There was some debris on the streets, but not enough to worry me. Boston had gotten a bit of snow, too, but far less than Essex.
I knocked at the front door and waited a few seconds.
Leo”s voice rang out behind it. “That”s Maddox. Let’s see what he’s been up to.”
I laughed to myself. My brothers had kept asking where I was when I”d told them I couldn”t stop by my grandparents” place yesterday and today. I”d said I was away with business.
Stuff like that never flew with my family. One simply couldn”t give them vague answers and expect them to be okay with it.
The door swung open, and Leo looked me up and down.
”Good. You”re not dead.” There was no trace of smile on his face.
My brothers had indeed jumped to conclusions—just not the ones I”d thought.
”I told you I’m fine.”
”Would it have killed you to tell us exactly where you were?”
I hadn”t realized they”d been worrying about me.
“Nothing happened to me. I only just got back to the city.”
Nick came into the corridor, folding his arms over his chest. ”See, told you not to get your panties in a twist.”
”What are you boys talking about?” Gran called loudly.
Nick looked over his shoulder, peering inside the living room. “Leo had this idea that Maddox wasn”t telling us where he was because he got caught in the storm or something. Yet here he is, well, looking the same as usual.”
”You boys have wild imaginations,” Gran said. “He would have told us if something was wrong.”
I absolutely wouldn”t, but it was good to know that our grandparents hadn”t worried unnecessarily.
”Thanks for looking after them,” I told my brothers, keeping my voice neutral as we all walked into the living room.
The house smelled delicious, but I couldn”t quite put my finger on what it was.
Granddad was sitting with his tablet, probably reading the newspaper, as usual. One of my earliest memories of him was watching as he drank his evening brandy with the day”s newspaper. He insisted that he never liked to read the newspaper first thing in the morning because it would just pollute his brain with unnecessary information. He preferred to read it toward the end of the day as entertainment. I”d asked him if world news wasn”t relevant to business, and he”d said, ”It is, but not as much as people think.”
If something was important enough, the management team would bring it up. But most news didn”t have a direct impact on running a day-to-day business. Hence why he considered it a pollutant.
He scrutinized me before saying, ”We”ve already told your brothers nothing happened. We didn”t even have a power outage. And anyway, I check the generator routinely. You didn”t have to come by to—”
“Nonsense, I like having my boys here.” Gran beamed at us. ”I”ve got pizza in the oven.”
So that”s what the smell is.
She”d made it the first time we came to their house, years ago.
”I”ve made pizza. No one fights over pizza,” she’d explained.
Gran had been right. We hadn”t fought—but it had been awkward as hell. Mom was with us, and it was even weirder for her than for us. But she”d powered through for us kids.
All our lives, she’d struggled with the idea that we didn’t have an extended family. Mom was a single child, and her parents had passed in a car accident before we were born. So when the opportunity came for us to meet our only grandparents, she hadn”t hesitated.
“I don”t have anything to be ashamed of,” she’d said. ”The circumstances weren”t my fault. I hope I won’t run into your brothers... or their mom. But it”s important for me to meet your grandparents face-to-face once.”
“I made everyone’s favorite—pepperoni,” Gran went on.
Leo and Nick exchanged glances, but neither of us chastised her for cooking. That was mostly the territory of our half brothers. The three of us just rolled with the punches. Besides, pizza wasn”t that difficult to make.
“We’re helping you bring it into the dining room,” I said, and we all walked to the kitchen. As Gran took out oven mitts, I added, “I’ll do that.”
Nick, Leo, and I liked to make fun of the others about always hovering over Gran, but getting that hot tray out by herself wasn”t the best idea.
”Oh, you boys. Really?” she said, but she didn”t really fight me on it, which was a sign that she appreciated the help.
I got the pizza out immediately. It was huge, and it transported me right back to that day when we first met them. She never changed the recipe.
I put it on the countertop and cut it into equal slices, which I transferred onto a large plate. Gran insisted on never taking trays or pots to put them on the table. ”It”s not elegant,” she”d always say.
As we returned to the living room, Granddad put down his tablet and immediately came to the table. Jeannie Whitley was right about many things, including the fact that pizza was a crowd-pleaser in the Whitley family.
We sat down, everyone taking a slice, and I noticed Gran looking at me.
”So, Maddox darling, won”t you be a dear and tell us where you were?”
I chuckled. ”Thought you didn”t worry?”
”Oh no, but your brothers did. Do put their minds to rest.”
Leo and Nick exchanged a glance.
”So that”s the only reason you want to know?” I asked her with a laugh.
”Well, no. I”m no busybody—everybody knows that. I was just looking for an excuse.”
”I got trapped in Essex,” I said.
Leo and Nick looked utterly disappointed, but Gran sat up straighter.
”How unfortunate,” she replied.
”Yes, I went there to meet with the crew. They left earlier than I did. Then I realized the storm had intensified, and there was no way I would make it back into Boston.”
”Did you stay at the Gris?” Gran asked.
I shook my head. ”No, I found some private accommodations.”
”You found an Airbnb at the last minute?” Leo asked.
Nick had a shit-eating grin. ”Nah, he”s being evasive.”
Gran smiled. ”Boys, we don”t have to know everything. Come on, let”s finish the pizza.”
”Wait a second, Gran,” Leo said. ”You look extremely pleased with yourself.” He then looked at me and paled, understanding dawning on him. He took a deep breath. ”Hell no.”
”What”s wrong?” Nick asked.
”That face. It”s the same one you made after Cade and Meredith kind of got together.”
”What are you talking about?” Gran asked, schooling her features.
”Yeah, that won”t work with the boys,” Granddad said in an uncharacteristically teasing voice. ”You can”t act around them.”
Leo looked at me. ”Tell me I’m off base, man. I beg you.”
I bit off a mouthful of pizza, buying time. I hadn”t expected to be ambushed so quickly by my brothers; I”d figured Gran would eventually want to see if her hunch had panned out. I burned my mouth with the scalding-hot pizza, so I lowered the slice and said, ”No, you”re not off base.”
Leo grinned at me.
Gran pressed her palms together and then put her chin on top of her fingers. ”Oh, I”m so happy to hear that. I knew Cami was just what you needed.”
”Fucking hell!” Leo exclaimed.
“Language!” Gran scolded.
”Cami from the adventure park?” Nick asked.
”The one and only,” I said. I was extremely amused by my brothers” reactions. They both looked personally affronted. Actually, scratch that—Nick seemed horrified.
Granddad looked straight at me. ”Son, far be it from me to meddle, but do you think that”s smart? You and Gabe are still in the process of convincing her and her father to sell you the land. It”s not good business practice to mix your professional and personal lives.”
The disappointment in his voice cut me deep. I cleared my throat.
”One thing doesn”t have anything to do with the other,” I assured him.
”Does Gabe know?” That came from Leo.
”No. I haven”t discussed my personal life with Gabe or anyone else.”
”And you don”t have to,” Gran said. ”What you do concerns you alone.”
”Yeah, except when it could actually affect the business,” Leo countered.
”Oh for fuck”s sake!” I exclaimed. Gran covered her ears, and I held up my hands in apology. ”You know I have no filter, Gran. I”m sorry.”
”But maybe you should tell Gabe,” Nick said sarcastically.
”I was intending to do that,” I countered. ”Now, can we focus on something else?”
Gran smiled politely, turning to Leo and Nick. ”Yes, my job here is done. Now I can focus on these two,” she said.
If I”d thought my brothers” expressions were horrified before, it was nothing compared to now.
I barely kept myself from telling Gran that her job wasn”t anywhere near done, because I was grateful to shift her focus away from me. But she truly was far off base when it came to me. I wasn”t going to settle down. It just wasn”t in my DNA. It was true that Cami and I had a spectacular weekend together, and I”d like to repeat it soon, but that would in no way lead to anything long term. I wasn”t built for it, and from what Cami told me, she wasn”t looking for anything like that either.
But I couldn”t tell Gran that. She was from a different generation; the idea of casual relationships was strange to her. Every time one of my brothers tried to explain it, she”d shut them down, insisting she knew where that would lead. She”d actually been right on every occasion, but not in my case.
I barely held back laughter when she started to recite the names of all the friends she”d introduce to Leo and Nick.
”Are you going to pitch in and help us out at any point here?” Nick asked me with exasperation.
I grinned. ”No. I”m enjoying this immensely.”
After finishing the pizza, we stayed for a while longer, talking about the damage the storm did around Essex. When Nick announced that he needed to head to the club for a team meeting, Leo and I decided to leave too.
On the way home, my mom called, and I answered right away. I didn”t often talk to her on the phone; since she traveled a lot, she was usually in different time zones and liked communicating through texts more.
I loved that she could travel to her heart’s content. When we grew up, she”d lived very frugally, working two jobs and spending every penny on me and my brothers. Now, it was our turn to look after her. She”d traveled the world twice over, and I was very happy for her. She deserved to have fun even though we didn’t see her often. She”d visited us twice recently, but before that, we hadn”t seen her in about a year.
”Hey, Mom,” I said.
”Darling, how are you?”
”Just heading home. I was at the grandparents” house. There was a storm here in Boston.”
”Oh, I know.”
She did? That was surprising. Maybe she’d talked to Leo or Nick.
”Where are you now exactly?” I asked.
”In Bali. It”s wonderful.”
”I”m glad, Mom.”
”So, how are you really?”
”What do you mean?”
”I”ve heard you”re seeing someone.”
”Did I step into an alternative universe? How would you even know about this?”
”I just spoke with Leo. He might have mentioned it.”
I started to laugh. ”Holy shit, I didn”t realize he was such a gossip.”
”Well, he”s not. I mean... usually there”s nothing to gossip about.”
”Mom,” I said because I could see where this was going, ”don”t make this into something it”s not.”
”Oh, I”m not. Far be it for me to do that. But it”s difficult not to get excited. Now, I do love traveling the world, but one thing that would make me stay closer to home would be grandkids.”
I was shocked. Mom had never mentioned that word at all. Frankly, I”d never even thought about marrying, let alone becoming a dad. ”All right. You”re officially getting ahead of yourself.”
”You’re right. But I”m very excited.”
”Where are you going next?”
”I”ll probably spend a whole month in Indonesia. Now, I’ve got to go. My Pilates class starts soon.”
”Have fun,” I said.
”You too.”
After hanging up, I couldn”t help myself and texted Leo.
Maddox: You big gossip. Why did you tell Mom about Cami?
Leo: One thing led to another, and I just did. Wasn”t intentional. I can”t believe I”ve mocked Gabe every time he said he doesn”t intend to run his mouth. I”m doing the same.
I laughed but didn’t reply. I wasn’t really mad at my brother. This was just unexpected.
Mom’s words rang in my ears as I parked in front of my house.
Grandkids.
That’s not going to happen, Mom. It’s not who I am.
Thankfully, my house wasn’t damaged at all by the storm. All my appliances were connected to an app on my phone, and it didn’t report any outages, which meant everything should be perfectly fine.
Once inside, I threw my jacket on the coat hanger near my front door. The sound echoed throughout the house. I liked the place, but I couldn”t wait for Leo to find me a new one. I”d bought this because I wanted to move out of a condo. I disliked having neighbors; someone was always making noise or throwing a party, and I wasn”t exactly known for my ability to compromise. So when Leo showed me this huge-ass house, I”d put an offer on it instantly. But I”d never managed to make it into a home.
Probably because I didn”t spend a lot of time here. If I wasn’t in the office, working, I was out about town or at one of Nick”s gyms. This place felt like a hotel even though I”d lived here for a few years. It was so huge that although there was a crap ton of furniture inside, it still seemed empty.
I chuckled, remembering Cami”s cabin. It was so tiny that there was always a risk of bumping into something.
Still, I enjoyed being there. Hell, I enjoyed her.
I poured myself a glass of scotch, and after a sip, I snapped a picture and sent it to Cami.
Maddox: That mulled wine was much better. This seems boring in comparison.
She replied as I took the next sip, sending me a picture of a page from a recipe notebook.
Cami: This is the recipe. You should be able to do it with what you already have in the house. Even if you skip some of the ingredients, it”s still going to be good.
Maddox: It”s not just the mulled wine. The company was exquisite too.
I closed my eyes and could imagine her sitting cross-legged on her couch, a remote in one hand and phone in the other, blushing as she read my words. My cock twitched. Damn it, my reaction to this woman was insane. I’d been cooped up in that tiny cabin with her for the entire day, yet all I wanted was to go right back there and spend the evening with her, too, and maybe tomorrow as well. It hadn’t been nearly enough time with her.
Cami: I liked the company too.
My cock twitched again. I made a split-second decision and called her.
”Maddox,” she answered.
”Hey, Cami. How are you? Storm started again?”
”No, everything’s all right. I checked the outside. There was no damage, really, thank God. The rain brought a lot of mud around my house, and there”s still snow because the snowplows didn’t get that close to the building, but I’ve already shoveled most of it.”
I set my glass down, straightening up. ”I can stop by and shovel.”
Why the hell didn’t I do that before I left?
There was a pause before she said, ”You would drive forty minutes to shovel mud and snow?”
When she put it like that, it did sound ridiculous.
”Why?” she asked, her tone skeptical.
Because I want to spend time with you. The thought instantly popped into my head, but I didn”t say it out loud.
”So you don”t have to do it yourself,” I said instead.
”I’m almost done anyway.”
Fuck, I should have hired someone to shovel her driveway. Why didn’t I think of it?
“How”s your hand?”
“It’s pretty much healed. I’ll check with my GP tomorrow, but I think I can even take off the bandage. Was your drive back to the city okay? I read that the roads are a mess.”
”They are, but it was all good. I went by Gran”s place and checked to see if everything”s okay.”
”Is it?” she asked.
”Yes. There wasn”t even any debris on the streets in their neighborhood. And there”s virtually no snow in Boston. What are you doing tonight?” I asked her.
”Im going to walk to Dad”s.”
”Walk? Cami, that”s not safe,” I said, standing straight up.
She laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I was serious.
”The storm stopped, Maddox. What do you think is going to happen to me if I walk in snow?”
”You could catch a cold,” I said.
”Right. I promise you I dressed appropriately.”
”I need to see you.” I didn’t want to beat around the bush or come up with excuses. I wasn”t that kind of guy.
”Oh!” she exclaimed, clearly caught off guard.
I cleared my throat. ”I can”t stop thinking about these past couple days.”
”Well, the storm was pretty memorable,” she teased.
”So are you.”
Her breath caught; I heard the sharp intake of air in the phone.
”Do you have anything planned tomorrow evening?” I went on.
”Just the usual, although I think that will turn out to be nothing because we keep getting cancellations at Essex Adventures. We always have a lull at this time of the year until it’s cold and snowy enough for the winter activities.” She spoke extremely fast, as if she was nervous.
”I’d like to take you out.”
”Here in Essex?”
”No, in Boston. I can make reservations for a restaurant and pick you up.”
”I”ll drive there,” she countered.
”So that”s a yes?”
”I”d love to.”
”Fantastic. But what”s the nonsense about the car? I”ll have someone pick you up.”
”No, I like driving myself. It keeps me flexible in case I need a quick getaway.”
I rubbed my shoulders before taking another sip. ”You expect to have to make a quick escape from me, Cami?”
She laughed, but it sounded a bit breathy. ”That came out wrong. Of course not, but I do prefer to drive my own car.”
”It doesn”t feel like going on a date if you drive yourself, though, does it?”
”Oh, this is a date?” she asked, sounding incredulous.
”Yes, it fucking is,” I replied.
”Well, I’ll still drive my car.”
”All right.”
“What time should I be where?”
”I haven”t made reservations yet, but I can text you the name of the place when I get it, right?” I said. ”Six o”clock okay for you?”
”No, that might be a bit too early.”
”Seven?”
”Sure.”
I didn”t like the idea of her driving back later after the date. I could have someone take her and then bring her car the next day. Or convince her to stay overnight. But I wasn”t going to push the issue right now.
I was going to see Cami again.
Fuck yes.