Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
EVIE
Maddox pulls off my blindfold, and for a moment, I’m completely speechless. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust, to truly take in what’s in front of me. The first thing I notice is a massive blue neon sign that reads The Wild Whisk in elegant cursive, glowing softly against a white shiplap wall. Just below it, there are at least two dozen wildflower bouquets, each one a mirror image of the one he gave me earlier tonight.
I keep glancing between the vibrant sign and the man standing in front of me, who looks like he’s one breath away from coming undone.
“M-Maddox, what...what is all this?” I finally manage to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Maddox runs a hand through his hair, looking at me with that endearing, almost boyish, sheepishness. I can’t help but blink in confusion. This—this was what had him all tied in knots? A restaurant called The Wild Whisk?
I glance around again, trying to understand, but all I see are flowers, that glowing sign, and the nervous wreck of a man standing in front of me, waiting for some kind of reaction.
“Evie,” Maddox begins, his voice soft but steady, “I once asked you about your dreams, and you told me you wanted to give your boys a safe, loving home...and a place like Joe’s.” He pauses, letting the words sink in. “Well, I can’t give you a loving home, because you’ve already built that yourself. Your house is overflowing with so much damn love it practically bursts at the seams. Hell, you even made room for me in there.”
His fingers reach up to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. “But that other dream?” He nods toward the glowing sign, his eyes never leaving mine. “That, I can give you.”
He steps back, arms open like he’s presenting me with a world he built just for me. “This is all yours, baby.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, my voice shaky with disbelief, the words barely making it out past the lump in my throat.
Maddox shifts on his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you don’t like the name, you can change it,” he mutters, almost petulantly. “It was Mercy’s idea.”
I can’t find the words. My mind is spinning, refusing to accept what he’s saying. Without a word, I start walking around, taking in every detail of the space. The warm wooden tables, the soft glow of the neon sign, the scent of fresh flowers and new beginnings.
But no matter how many times I look around, I can’t shake the disbelief. There’s no way in hell this man bought me a café. Men only do things like this in movies, in romance novels—not in real life.
Yet here I am, standing in the middle of something straight out of a dream. A dream he somehow made real. My dream.
The space is everything I never knew I wanted—cozy yet modern, with that perfect touch of rustic charm. My eyes wander over the details: a welcoming breakfast counter, cozy little booths tucked into corners, and several tables scattered across the dining room, inviting warmth into every nook.
Then my gaze lands on a bookshelf lining one of the walls. I walk over, running my fingers along the spines. It takes me a moment to realize it’s filled with all my favorite books. Every title, every story that has ever brought me comfort, now here in this place that is supposedly...mine.
A wave of emotion crashes over me as I turn to look back at Maddox. How could he have known? How did he think of everything?
“Yeah, Lou helped me with these. I noticed your worn Pride and Prejudice in your room a time or two, so I had an idea.” He stands behind me and reaches over my head to run a finger along that exact spine. I turn slowly and look at him.
“What about Joe?”
“She’s closing it down. Retiring after...well, after everything that happened,” Maddox explains, his voice low.
I think back to Joe’s café, to how it has stayed dark for weeks now. Joe’s been stubborn about not reopening, and it’s been the source of so many heated arguments between us lately. But now, it all makes sense. Maddox has been planning this. Though honestly, the thought of Joe actually retiring? That busybody will probably still be chasing customers out with a dish towel if she can.
I turn to him, eyes wide, struggling to process it all. “You really bought me a café and did all of this?” I wave my hand, gesturing to the space that feels too perfect to be real.
Maddox steps closer, his fingers brushing my cheek before tucking my hair behind my ear, his touch grounding me in this surreal moment. “Fuck yeah, I did,” he says, his voice fierce with conviction.
Holy shit. My heart stutters. What if I can’t accept this? The fear gnaws at me, twisting my insides. What if I don’t deserve it? What if I can’t live up to everything he’s put into this place ?
“Woman, don’t you dare. Besides, everything is already in your name.”
He steps back and begins to look nervous as hell.
“Evie, I know that I’ve fucked this up a couple of times already, and I’m not going to sit here and promise you I won’t fuck up again unintentionally or not.”
He pushes his glasses up on his nose.
“You were trying so damn hard to hide from the world,” Maddox says, his voice rough and raw with emotion. “But, baby, I saw you. Hell, it was impossible not to. From the first moment you screamed in my face, I knew there was something there—a fiery spirit you kept buried so deep. I could see it flicker, even when you tried to snuff it out.”
He steps closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “And then that gaze of yours...” His voice drops to a whisper. “It held me hostage. You refused to let me drown in my own darkness. You just...pulled me out, made me see there was more than the hell I’d been living in.”
He takes my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles, as if trying to ground himself in the truth of this moment. “You give love so damn freely, even with everything you’ve been through. And that mask you wore? That suit of armor you hid behind, with those fake smiles and that sharp, sassy attitude?” He shakes his head with a soft, almost rueful smile. “None of that fooled me. One look, Evie—just one—and I was wrapped around your finger, completely under your spell.”
His words hit me like a wave, threatening to pull me under. But instead of drowning, I find myself breathing deeper than I have in years.
Five things you can see.
Maddox takes my hand, pressing it firmly against his chest. I can feel his heart pounding beneath my palm, fast and unsteady. “Then I felt you,” he says, his voice a rough whisper. “Every time you looked over your shoulder, every time you checked those damn locks three times, I could feel your fear like it was my own.”
His eyes darken with a mix of pain and something deeper, something raw. “When you begged me not to beat you with a belt, I felt your pain, Evie. Every bit of it.”
I want to look away, to hide from the intensity in his eyes, but I can’t. He’s baring his soul, and it’s all for me. “When you showed me those scars,” he continues, his voice breaking, “I felt so damn proud of you—proud of the strength it took to survive, even when you were drowning in your own shame. And despite all of that...despite the darkness we’ve both been through...you made me feel alive again.”
He swallows hard, the words coming out like a confession. “You made me feel I deserved to live, even when I didn’t think I did.”
Tears prick at my eyes, and for a moment, the weight of everything is too much to bear. But his heartbeat, strong and steady beneath my hand, anchors me, pulling me back into this moment with him.
Four things you can feel.
I reach up and trace the scar along his lips, my fingertips light against the roughness. He leans into my touch, closing his eyes for a moment as if he’s drawing strength from it.
“More importantly,” he whispers, voice trembling, “my heart heard yours. Every time you reached out, every time you chose to touch me, I could hear the silent cries of loneliness in you, echoing back to me.”
His eyes open, locking onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath hitch. “And every time you laugh,” he continues, his voice barely more than a whisper, “I swear I can hear those jagged edges of yours smooth out just a little bit more. And when you smile at me... it’s like your heart is telling mine, ‘You’re worthy. You’re worthy of this life and my love.”
Three things you can hear .
His breath shudders, and in that moment, it feels like the space between us dissolves, leaving only the raw, unfiltered truth of what we’ve become to each other.
Maddox is completely relaxed now as he cups my face in his hands. “And your smell woman, Jesus Christ. Honey and Lilacs, that’s all you and drives me wild.”
Two things you can smell.
The look on his face tells me where this is going but it’s Maddox, so I expect nothing less. “One taste of you and I knew it was the last pussy I wanted to taste for the rest of my life.”
One thing you can taste.
Then he brushes his lips across mine. “Marry me, Evie. Marry me and let me give you messy, loud, and hard. Fuck, let me give you everything.”
Make no mistake, Maddox Wilder is not the down-on-one-knee kind of man. He doesn’t do things the traditional way, doesn’t follow anyone’s script but his own. And maybe that’s what makes him so damn perfect.
I love every grouchy, stoic, stubborn part of him. His edges, the way he never lets anyone in—those are the parts that draw me to him. But what really breaks me is knowing that the man has killed for me. Not because I’m some helpless damsel in distress, but because, I deserved it.
“What about you? What do you want?” I rasp.
Maddox looks at me, and for a split second, fear clouds those stormy green eyes. He swallows hard, his throat working, before leaning in and pressing his forehead gently against mine.
His voice comes out low, raw, and filled with something I can’t quite place. “I want to have a baby...or two...with you.”
It’s a raw wish from a broken man. His words hang in the air between us, vulnerable and tender.
I playfully tug at the hair on his nape. “Then I’m your girl Wilder. ”
“He didn’t even get down on one knee! What the fuck kind of proposal is that?”
A familiar voice calls out from somewhere in the back, shattering the bubble Maddox and I had wrapped ourselves in. It’s Mercy, of course. His tone is loud and blunt, cutting through the quiet, intimate moment like a knife. Reminding me so much of the night of my impromptu birthday party in what seemed like a lifetime ago.
A few seconds later he follows it up with. “Ouch! Yes ma’am.”
I can feel Maddox tense beside me, and I can’t help but stifle a laugh. “You invited the whole family, did you?”
Maddox pins me with a look before calling out, “Alright come out! She said yes!”
With that the whole family piles out from the kitchen, flooding the empty cafe. The boys come running out and jump on Maddox.
“We told you she’d say yes!” Bash beams at Maddox.
“Wait, you both knew?” I pin each child with a look.
“Duh mama! Charlie made him ask us for permission.” Bash gives me a hug before running off to see what trouble he could get into.
I straighten Charlie’s little glasses. “Did you now?”
“Yes, ma’am. You’re my mama,” Charlie says, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “Besides, he had to ask somebody.”
“Did you know about this place?”
My child avoids my gaze, and I know I caught him.
“Yes, but it’s been the hardest secret to keep!” Charlie declares, a mischievous glint in his eye. “They all made me promise to keep quiet because everyone knows I won’t lie to you, and since you never asked, I didn’t technically lie.”
I kiss his little nose. “You’re right and thank you Charlie. I love you.”
Charlie wraps me in the tightest hug and tells me he loves me too then he’s off to find his brother.
It isn’t until halfway through the night that Maddox turns to Joe and asks if she brought it. A wave of confusion washes over me, and I tilt my head, wondering what the hell he’s talking about. Joe’s laugh rings out, and she shoots a teasing glance my way. “Was your proposal lacking anything?”
It hits me at this moment—Maddox never gave me a ring.
But the realization doesn’t sting, doesn’t even make me second-guess anything. I’ve been so caught up in the joy of it all, so consumed by how perfectly everything has come together, that it didn’t even cross my mind.
Not that I care. I don’t need a ring to seal the deal. What I have with Maddox is everything I’ve ever dreamed of—and more. A ring seems like such a small thing compared to the love and life we’re building together.
When Joe tells me she’s giving me her wedding ring, my chest tightens and my eyes well up with tears. It’s such a raw, beautiful gesture—her ring, the one she had worn through a lifetime of memories, now passed down to me.
But what really catches me off guard is how she insists on giving it to me herself. Do you believe she won’t even let Maddox give it to me?
She clears her throat, her hands trembling just slightly as she pulls out a small, royal blue box from her pocket. Her eyes soften as she looks at me. “As you know, I was never fortunate enough to have children of my own,” she begins, a teasing smile tugging at her lips, “but it wasn’t from a lack of trying, I tell you what! Anyway, you and Ally...” Her gaze shifts to where Allison sits beside Lucien at the breakfast bar, his hand wrapped tightly around hers. “You two are, in every way that counts, mine. Not born from my body, but from my heart. And to be honest, I can’t tell the damn difference.”
My breath catches at the emotion in her voice, but she keeps going, her face lighting up as she flips Vic the bird, making everyone burst into laughter.
“Even if I have to share you with that jackass that lives next door to you,” she adds, the playful edge in her tone making it clear she’s only half-joking. “I love you just the same.”
Then, she turns back to me, her expression softening. “There was something about you that I knew my Maddy needed. So, when he asked me for this...” She opens the box, revealing a delicate piece of jewelry that takes my breath away. “I knew there was no one else I’d rather have it.”
The weight of her words hits me, and I can feel my chest tightening with gratitude and emotion. This isn’t just a gift—it’s a blessing, a symbol of how deeply she sees me, how deeply she cares for me.
Joe’s right. In every way that matters, I’m hers. Not by blood, not by birth, but by the bond we share—one that’s deeper than anything I’ve ever known. And in this moment, I realize that I’ve found a place to belong, not just with Maddox, but with her too. I’m not alone anymore.
I see Maggie from the corner of my eye dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Even Henry and Lou are misty eyed. Mercy’s standing with an arm around Soph’s shoulders. Maddox is sitting by Vic and Waylon on a stool and gives me a wink. The significance of this moment is shown on the face of every member of our family.
There’s something so powerful in this moment, the quiet strength of a woman passing on a symbol of love, trust, and shared history. It isn’t just a ring; it’s a legacy. And suddenly, I feel like I’m a part of something so much bigger than myself.
Joe opens the box and takes out a vintage ring, a cushion cut diamond with a thin solitaire setting. She carefully slides the ring on my hand and the ring feels delicate yet substantial, a treasured piece that carries the whispers of different love stories through the years.
I quickly pull Joe into a tight embrace, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “Thank you for everything, Josephine. You changed my life, and I am forever grateful for you. ”
She stiffens for a moment, like she isn’t quite used to being thanked in such a raw, vulnerable way. But then she softens, her arms wrapping around me just as tightly, her voice thick with emotion. “You don’t have to thank me, baby. I’m just doing what any mama would do for one of her babies.”
But I know it isn’t just any mama—Joe is something rare. And as I hold her, I realize just how lucky I am to have found someone who loves me without reservation, who sees me and chooses to make me part of her world.
After a couple more hours of celebration and simply enjoying our family, we head back home. Both boys have passed out in the back seat and Maddox gracefully manages to unbuckle and carry them both swatting my hand away as I offer to help. I stand in the hall transfixed as I watch Maddox tuck both boys in, kissing one on the head and then the other before softly whistling for the dog to join them.
“So, more babies, huh, Big Guy?” I ask, the weight of his words still lingering in the air as the door clicks shut behind us. We stand in the dark hallway, and I can’t help but feel that same pull, the gravity of him, just like that night he stood on my porch returning our dog.
I was right. Maddox Wilder is walking devastation.
He leans down, his body towering over mine, the heat of his breath skimming my neck as he softly nuzzles me. His voice is low, teasing but filled with that raw intensity only he has. “Baby, if it were up to me, I’d keep you barefoot and pregnant for the next ten years.”
His words send a shiver down my spine, part of me laughing, part of me frozen in the promise he wrapped so easily around us. It was a joke, but with Maddox, I know there’s always a little truth beneath the teasing.
“I don’t know about that.” I laugh, my voice light, as I make my way into my room, Maddox hot on my heels. He watches me with that familiar intensity as he sits on the bed, leaning back on one arm, like he has all the time in the world.
I kick off my shoes and carefully remove my earrings, my fingers brushing the delicate ring on my finger. I smile, looking at it with affection, but it’s more than just a piece of jewelry. It’s so much more than that.
Maddox didn’t simply go out and buy me a ring. He gave me something far deeper. He gave me a piece of history, something handed down from our family—a symbol of love and legacy. Something I can one day pass down to my own children when the time comes.
This isn’t just a ring. This is Maddox helping me lay down roots. He’s anchoring us to something real, something lasting. In this simple, shining circle, I can feel the weight of everything we are building together, everything we’re going to become. And for the first time, I don’t have to wonder about my place in the world. I’ve found it.
He gives me a knowing smile, that slow, almost smug grin that always makes my heart skip a beat. How he can ever say he lived in the darkness is beyond me, because the bastard has a heart as big as he is. He wears that darkness like a shield, but underneath it is something pure and wide and deep. It’s in the way he cares for me, for the people he loves, in every little thing he does, even when he tries to hide it.
Maddox Wilder may have walked through shadows, but he’s a man who’s somehow carved out a piece of light, and he’s handing it all to me. It’s all right there, in the curve of his lips, the way his eyes soften when he looks at me. The man who claims to be broken is more whole than I ever imagined.
“I don’t have the words, Mads.”
He gives me a smile that steals my breath. “That’d be a first, Pretty Girl.”
“Thank you, friend.” I know what I’m doing, but I need this and so does he. We haven’t touched one another since before the kidnapping and not from a lack of trying on my part.
The smile on his lips vanishes as he sits up. “The hell you just call me?”
I slowly unclasp my bra under my dress and pull it off, leaving my nipples to poke through the buttery material of the dress. “Maddox, you are my friend, probably the best friend I’ve ever had.”
In an instant he’s on his feet prowling towards me, and without a word he picks me up and deposits me roughly on top of my dresser. His lips crash into mine and we devour each other. He gathers my hair into his hand before angling my head back and fucking me with his mouth. I sink my teeth into his bottom lip before gently sucking the sting away. His hands feel like they’re everywhere all at once before the cool air hits my nipples.
His fingers slightly pinch my nipples teasing me, causing me to see stars. He knows exactly what I like and how to give it to me. I lean back to give him more room to play when all movement stops. Maddox is staring at the scar on my chest with one look, and I know that dam is threatening to burst open. Instead of letting the weight of things he had no control over fall onto his shoulders, I decide to keep him in the present and now.
I place a chaste kiss to his lips and push him backwards, green eyes find mine with a questioning gaze.
“Sit down.” I point to the bed behind him, Maddox sits slowly. “Loose the shirt.”
Maddox unbuttons his shirt and tosses it aside. Never breaking eye contact with Maddox I slowly pull my dress over my hips until it’s bunched at my waist. His big body shudders slightly as I put both feet flat on the dresser and open my legs revealing my green lacy panties, the same color as his eyes.
He sucks a breath of air through his teeth, and I can see goosebumps coat his arms .
I trace my panty line. “You want to see what’s underneath, don’t you baby?”
His look is dark, like a predator watching his prey, intense and all-consuming. There’s a quiet power in the way he holds my gaze, as if the very air between us is charged with electricity. His presence fills the space, making it feel smaller, closer—like the world outside doesn't exist. All that matters is this moment, the magnetic pull between us, and the heat building in the silence
“Words, baby, give me your words,” I purr at him.
“Show me.”
His gravelly voice makes my clit throb. I slide a finger in the side of my panties teasing him for just a bit. I watch his big body become more and more restless before finally pulling my panties aside exposing myself to him.
“So, fucking pretty.”
Using one hand I open myself up. “Oh damn, I’m wetter than I thought. I guess I’ll need a towel to help me clean up when I’m done.”
“I’ll lick that goddamn dresser clean, don’t you fucking dare,” he grits out.
Hell yeah you will, I think to myself just as I plunge a finger deep fucking myself. I use my other hand to rub on my clit. Maddox looks unhinged as he watches transfixed as I pleasure myself. His pupils are wide, he’s panting, and his eyes have a downright deranged look in them.
“Watch me baby, listen to what you do to me.” Tonight, I’m not ashamed that I’m wetter than a nun in a candle shop or that the sounds of me pleasuring myself fill the room. No, tonight’s about showing the big guy I’m whole. He won’t hurt me and that I’m damn sure not going anywhere. I’m his.
“Evie.”
“To think you didn’t want to touch me,” I pant just as I insert another finger deep into my core. My body is ablaze and honestly, I’m enjoying the hell out of this .
“Stop, please.”
“No, you watch me until I come.”
I spank my clit making my eyes roll back in my head. It isn’t as good as when Maddox does it, but it suffices. My hands are suddenly pulled away and pinned above my head. My panties are torn from my body, and I watch as Maddox leans down and licks my arousal off the dresser, moaning deeply with satisfaction.
Freak nasty bastard.
“Point made, Pretty Girl,” he tells me while bringing my fingers to his mouth and sucking them clean. Point? I was making a point? Hell, I can’t think straight after watching him do that.