Chapter 5 Maddox
MADDOX
Imeant what I said that Gabi could pick whatever song she wanted. But I never would’ve guessed this one.
But you know what? Fuck it. I’m down to get my Danny Zuko on. Little does she know I played this role back in my high school musical days. All I’m missing is a fake leather jacket and some slicked-back hair.
I haven’t sung this song in years and obviously never with her.
But you wouldn’t be able to tell that if you were in the crowd watching.
She’s playing off my moves and lyrics and I’m doing the same for her part.
Though I have to remind myself that I need to keep up my end of the performance because it would be easy as hell to stare at her as she owns the stage.
Between her voice and her moves, it’s mesmerizing to watch her.
Then again, she could be pretending to be a mime and I’d still think it was hot as hell.
I don’t know what it is about this woman, but somehow with every moment I spend with her, I’m more and more attracted to her.
Yes, her face and body are fucking perfection, but it’s more than that.
So much more. It’s her smile. The way she’s the contradiction of confident but also a little timid in some ways.
It’s how this black dress is trying to kill me in front of hundreds of people.
I want to know about her. I want to know what makes her tick. I want to know what she’s wearing—if anything—under that dress. Is she a satin or lace girl? Is it black to match her dress? Or did her boldness overtake earlier as well and it’s nothing?
That last one might be a stretch of luck, but if I do get to experience it on the night I won my third championship, I’d consider this the greatest day of my life.
I’m not getting my hopes up, though. She’s fresh off a divorce and here with her girlfriends.
Having a hookup with a guy she just met is probably not on her itinerary for this trip.
And I respect that. Doesn’t mean a guy still can’t wish.
Or try.
So knowing that, I’m going to bask in these last few moments of the song, spin Gabi into my arms, and memorize her beautiful face as the song fades away.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our favorite duo, give it up one more time for Maddox and Gabi!” the emcee says into the mic as our song comes to an end.
The crowd responds as everyone in the audience is standing and cheering as we take our bows.
We each hand back our microphones as I put my hand on the small of her back to guide her down off the stage.
Before we can take a step back toward our VIP section, Gabi twirls around toward me, simultaneously throwing her arms over my shoulders.
“That was… gah! That was so much fun!” she says, and it’s in this moment I decide to buy her a karaoke bar just to see this smile multiple times over the course of my life. “Can I say thank you?”
“You can, but I don’t know what you’re thanking me for,” I say, not missing the opportunity to place each of my hands carefully on her luscious, flawless, hips.
“I sang a song with you. You’ll never need to thank me for that.
And if you ever want to do that again, all you have to do is give me the signal. ”
“I like that. But what’s the signal?”
“It’s your signal, I think you should come up with it.”
Her eyes start shifting, like this is the hardest question she’s ever been asked. “I think I’m going to need a few more drinks to come up with a perfect one.”
“That I can also do,” I say as I reluctantly move my hands from her hips but take one of her hands in mine. I also resist the urge to kiss her, which I think should be commended. “I believe there are bottles waiting for us.”
We start weaving through the crowd and back to the VIP section.
I receive some back slaps and high-fives along the way, though right now I don’t know if it’s because of my performance on the field tonight or the performance on stage.
I hope both. They’re equally impressive.
Who else do you know can have a pick-six in the biggest game of their careers and then become an honorary T-Bird a few hours later?
It’s why I’m one of a kind.
“That was amazing!” Ainsley exclaims as she jabs a finger to my chest. “That kind of song's not on your normal karaoke list back in Nashville.”
“I didn't have a partner like Gabi then,” I say, already thinking about how when we’re back in Tennessee I can ask her out for one of the Fury’s numerous karaoke outings. “Also, I didn’t sing it back then because I was holding out hope that you and Linc would give it a try.”
Ainsley narrows her eyes at me, like I knew she would.
She’s one of the good ones—one of the few women who can hang with the boys every night and not want to strangle us—and shockingly, most nights she does it sober.
I’ve actually only seen her drunk once, which was also the only time I’ve ever seen her do karaoke.
She swears she’s never doing it again. That doesn’t stop me from poking the bear.
“Nah, that one was meant for the two of you,” Linc says as he grabs a shot glass. “But since we’re all back here, I’d like to propose a toast.”
“I like the sound of that.” I reach down and grab two shot glasses filled with what looks like tequila, handing Gabi one. “What to?”
Linc smiles. “To being winners.”
“To winning the big game!” Gabi says as she holds her glass up.
“To winning the divorce.” I answer back, pulling her into me. “We’re all fucking winners here!”
We laugh and hold up our shot glasses, throwing them back as the DJ puts on a song that elicits an “oh shit!” and a “hell yeah” from the group. Everyone in our area, and the entire bar, is now on their feet dancing.
Before I can reposition myself behind her, because holy hell do I want to dance with this woman, Gabi steps out of my hold. “Shelby! Hannah! Remember this song?”
“Heck yeah, I do!” Hannah screams as she stumbles over to Gabi. “Your twenty-second birthday!”
“Before you married the ass hat!”
The three start laughing as they chaotically jump and dance around to a song that I recreated the viral video with my bus—in middle school.
The age gap should give me pause, but it doesn’t.
How could it, when all I can do is smile as I watch Gabi have the time of her life with her two best friends.
Do I wish I was dancing with her? Of course.
But I also know this is what Gabi needs.
She needs to have fun. Be free. Not think about her divorce or the reason she’s here.
She needs to live. And honestly? It’s a beautiful thing to get to watch.
“Uh-oh.” The voice comes from Linc, who’s now standing over my shoulder. “That’s a different look.”
I glance over to Linc, who’s wearing nothing but a shit-eating grin. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He tilts his head toward Gabi. “I’ve seen the Maddox Gallagher’s ‘I’m going to take a girl home’ look. The one-night look. That’s not what’s going on here, is it?”
I don’t try and play it off. Linc has seen me in action too many times to fall for any sort of excuse I could come up with. And honestly, I don’t even want to deny it. This woman has had me in a chokehold since the moment she came up on stage and hasn’t let go since.
“Do you believe in fate?” I ask.
“I didn’t used to,” he admits. “But now? Now I do think that everything is supposed to happen at specific times for specific reasons.”
“That’s all I keep thinking about,” I say.
“How long have you been going to her bakery? Months. Every time you bring it up, I say that I need to go with you sometime, but it never works out. I could’ve gone with you before.
I could’ve met her before. But… something is screaming to me that tonight was the night I was supposed to meet her.
That this is where our story starts. And that it’s not just one night. ”
What would tonight be like if I would’ve tagged along with Linc at any point over the last few months? Would I have seen her? Met her? Flirted with her? I’d like to think all three, but it wouldn’t have been like this.
Fate is always something I’ve debated about. I’ve never truly been able to land on a side of what I believe in. But I truly believe tonight was supposed to be like this. And that same gut feeling is telling me this night is far from over.
“Please be careful,” Linc says. “She’s not like your normal girls.”
“No. She’s different.”
“In many ways.”
Linc doesn’t need to elaborate. The women I usually take home don’t make me think about things like fate or destiny.
They’re the ones I take home because right now in my life, it’s all about fun.
No one expects anything more than one night, and I’m always up front about what this is.
Nothing long term. I try to be careful about who that is—sure, a few wanna-be WAGs have snuck through, but I’ve been careful, and a little lucky.
Things never escalated. I’m always careful.
Respectful. Giving. And so far in life, it’s served me well.
And then Gabi sauntered on stage, and I have a feeling everything I’ve ever known is about to be thrown on its head.
I never believed in love at first sight. Never wondered about fate. But mark my words, I’m going to marry this woman.
“I know,” I say as Gabi turns to me, heat in her eyes as she crooks her finger at me, beckoning me closer. “Excuse me now, Mr. Kincaid. I’m going to go see about a girl.”
I feel Linc’s hand slap my shoulder before I take the few steps needed. “Were you summoning me, Gabrielle?”
Her full name slips through my lips, but it feels right. Like so right.
“I was hoping you’d want to dance?”
I look behind her as Hannah and Shelby each give me winks and a thumbs up. “With you? Always.”