Chapter Eight
Neal
When I’d first woken up in Penelope’s penthouse a few weeks ago, I’d expected that as soon as the doctors excused me, the therapist gave me a thumbs-up, or whatever nonsense I needed to publicly be deemed free to resume my pitiful existence, I would’ve been out the door.
But here I was, fully healed, with a gold star from a therapist who had been the most significant impact on my healing journey and with no interest in going anywhere. And it was no secret anymore After the media caught wind of our relationship, I had practically moved into Penelope’s master suite with her.
Madeline had moved home from Adrian’s, and life had simply picked up where it had been left off the day before I ruined Madeline Media’s first ever corporate espionage attack. And while I was not a great warrior or protector like Church, tonight I was on full guard dog duty for Madeline as we attended a parent-daughter event at her school.
It was a formal event. I felt good in the suit I now filled out, and Madeline had gone all out with hair and makeup.
Only for the teen to go rogue a few minutes after we arrived.
I sensed something was amiss when Madeline had nervously moved around the edge of the crowded room. Church wasn’t here, and for the first time I wondered if asking me here was a strategic move on her part. That hurt, since I’d been trying hard to establish a baseline of a relationship with the kid. But I wanted her to like me on my own terms.
Maybe that’s why I’d been such an easy target. One minute I was grabbing her a drink from the snack table, and the next I was standing solo at the back of a dim school gymnasium.
Sighing I put the cups on a nearby table and scanned the room again. I’d been a teenager once, and I knew that being her age was hard enough without a nearly constant bodyguard, an extremely public childhood, and now a former street rat of a man taking you to a dance at your high school.
Torture, pure and simple. I was sure that was how she saw it at times.
“You’re Madeline’s guest, aren’t you?” a voice called out to me, and I turned to the young woman at my arm, clearly one of the teachers who was chaperoning the event. She blinked up at me, her kind expression welcoming.
“I am. I’m her mother’s…friend.” I actually flinched at how inadequate that word was, but she didn’t seem to notice. I had missed her name, but she pushed onward, chatting happily about how good of a kid Madeline was and how much she enjoyed having her as a student. I nodded along but startled when only a minute later, Madeline was gone from the nook she’d been hiding in.
My heart rate sped up, making my blood pulse in my veins. “Where’s Madeline?”
“Excuse me, Mr. Crowe. What did you say?”
“Where is Madeline?”
“I’m sure she’s right here.” The teacher looked around, her face puzzled either at my panic or at the realization that I was right. Madeline hadn’t come back.
I charged off into the crowd, scattering people as my bulk moved through and made room. The teacher followed behind, sputtering out assurances that I didn't believe. When I got to where Madeline had been, I turned, carefully taking in my surroundings.
“Mr. Crowe, hold on. We’ll make an announcement.”
“Save it. I know where she is.” There was a propped-open fire door to the side, and I ducked through with a harsh grunt. “Stay here.”
The teacher might have told me to stop or to wait, but I didn’t wait. Madeline already had a few minutes on me, and my shoulder was still sore as hell after my personal training appointment this morning. I wasn’t sure what I was facing, but I wasn't about to do it with another person to protect. My entire focus needed to be on Madeline.
Fear pounded in my mind, and instead of forcing it out, I focused on it, letting it sharpen my senses, thread strength through my body. My hands fisted as the cold Chicago air buffeted my face when I turned the corner of the building and into the small teachers’ parking lot.
A flash of red.
Madeline. She was fine, or at least she was structurally fine. But I could say one thing. The man talking to her—the boy… He was about to be very, very far from fine. Especially when he stepped forward, pinning her to the wall of the school as he loomed over her.
I must’ve growled, because both of their faces snapped my way. Madeline’s was pale with relief. The boy, maybe a few years older than her, blanched, his mouth tight with fear. Seeing me charging towards them, Madeline shifted towards me, and I felt an overwhelming wave of pride and possessiveness sweep over me. I may not be her father, but I sure as hell planned on securing the gig moving forward.
“You.” I pointed at him. “Get the fuck away from her.”
“Wait…wait… I—”
I opened my arm, relief warring with the fury that rose in my gut as Madeline tucked herself up against my side. “I don’t know what the fuck you thought you were doing with my daughter, but you’re done. Get out of here.”
Madeline’s form against me stilled at the use of the word daughter, but I didn’t stop to think about it.
The boy didn’t seem to be getting the message. “Sir, I just needed to talk to her.”
I growled again, and the boy shifted on his toes, clearly planning on making a run for it. I wanted him to. I wasn't interested in hurting him, not for real, but I would. It would be simple, seeing Madeline so scared against my shoulder.
“Wait, Neal, forget about it. Just let him go.”
The boy nodded frantically, beginning to move away.
“Hey, you.”
He was still again, his body vibrating with the confusion over whether or not he should be running or staying put.
“If I find you anywhere near her, you and I will have business to attend to.”
The boy nodded again.
I grunted, “Get out of here.”
Madeline went limp as we watched the guy hurry around the corner of the building. Distantly, I heard a car start, the sound of the engine piercing the silence between us. Madeline slunk away, her shoulders rolled and defeated as she turned to face me.
“What—” I took a deep breath, my temper spiking under my skin “—precisely were you are thinking?”
Her brows lowered, and I could see that stubborn twist reappear. “What happened to ‘stay away from my daughter’?”
“I meant it. And I believe he’s at fault. But I saw you there, too. I know you were trying to sneak out.”
Madeline huffed, turning away and giving me the literal cold shoulder. She shivered as she did, since her jacket was still inside.
My anger fell away in a wave. “Here.” I slid off my jacket. “Let’s go somewhere warm, and you can tell me what’s really going on.”
“Why would I tell you that?” Her words were sour, but I could hear the shake in her voice.
I shrugged, setting the jacket on her shoulders. “Why not?”
Her fingers darted out, and Madeline gripped the edges, pulling the large jacket around herself. It made her look even smaller and a little pitiful. I sighed, softening even more.
“Let’s go.'' I gestured to the corner of the building, suddenly relieved that we didn’t have to explain to Church that I’d briefly lost Penny’s daughter. We settled into the car, and I waited for her belt to click into place before pulling out of the parking lot. I had a location in mind, but I didn’t need her to know that.
Ten minutes and exactly one temper tantrum later, we were sitting at the best booth in Ruby’s Diner, plastic menus in our hands.
“Are you going to grump at me all night? Or just ignore me?”
Madeline sniffed. “You’re one to talk. You’re grumpy twenty-four-seven.”
“Am not.”
“Are too!”
I grinned at her. “Okay, I’m grumpy, but you’re not ignoring me anymore.”
Madeline huffed, covering her face with the menu as she shifted on the booth. I looked around, spying the petite, curly haired figure chatting in a corner. Ruby had fed me more times than I wanted to admit. When I was in the depths of my attempt to disappear from the universe, I’d been so consumed with my grief, my pain, I'd forgotten to care for myself. She’d let me wash dishes and fed me pancakes when no one else in the world had noticed me.
She was kind and giving.
And this was my first time seeing her in weeks. Since then, I’d been shot. I’d been in a coma. I’d met a woman—the woman. But now I sat here in one of her booths like a real customer, with money in my pocket, clean clothes on my back.
I was damned lucky.
The waitress came over, not recognizing me, and quickly took our order. While Madeline had been whining about not being hungry and just wanting to go home, she didn’t show it. She ordered a chicken tender basket and eagerly questioned the staff about which milkshake was their favorite.
“Good choice,” I commented after she chose a mint chocolate chip flavor.
Madeline’s eyes were guarded once more as the waitress took down my order for coffee and a BLT. When it was just the pair of us, I sipped the steaming coffee. Waiting.
“I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“I know,” I answered coolly. It was a good coffee batch. I had gotten oddly accustomed to the fancy shit that Penny kept around the house, and I was relieved to find that it hadn’t ruined Ruby’s. Hers was just as good. Maybe better.
Madeline gnawed at her lip, and I offered her what I hoped would be a comforting smile. “They have a rule at Ruby’s Diner. What happens here, it can stay here. If that’s what you need?”
To my surprise, her lips twisted, her eyes flooding as she looked around us. Her voice was thick when she spoke again. “Really?”
“Really. It’s like Vegas.” I realized what I’d said and quickly followed it up with, ”But you’re allowed to be here.”
Madeline’s hands traced invisible symbols on the table, her words coming out in a rush. “That boy… It’s not what you thought. He's my brother and he was—he is mad at me.”
Panic leapt in my chest, but I swallowed it down, forcing my hands to be steady as I lifted the mug to my lips. “Your father has other kids?” Fuck, I hoped I was reading into this correctly. I was running short on coffee to sip.
A soft sniff. “He has a whole other family. Not that I know him. My mom was so young when they met, and she believed everything he told her. It wasn’t until after she got pregnant that the truth came out. He was married, had kids and a whole world away from us.”
Her eyes rose to meet mine. “Did you know he paid her off? He was that desperate to keep us away from his perfect little life. I don’t blame her for taking it. That’s the money she and my uncles used to start Madeline Media. Isn’t that wild? His desperation is what changed our entire lives. But still, I thought maybe something had changed as I got older. That was his son, Dell, at the dance. He must've figured it out. He’s been messaging me, asking if we could talk.”
I nodded. “And you were okay with that?”
Madeline’s lips trembled. “I love my mom; I love my uncles. I’ve even forgiven my grandparents for ignoring us, but I’ve always wanted a big family. Lots of siblings and cousins, and…” She swallowed. “Dell has that. I thought maybe if he welcomed me…”
“That your dad’s family would acknowledge you,” I finished for her, my chest aching as she nodded.
“Boom, instant family.” Madeline stared out at the diner, slender shoulders slumped.
“But it didn’t go like that.”
We were silent as a waitress put our food down between us. Thanking her, I watched as Madeline dove into her fries. Despite the red rims around her eyes, she was handling this really well. Or better than any adult I knew.
“He kept questioning me. It was like some kind of quiz over my own life. As if I was an imposter trying to steal his family away.”
“Not exactly rolling out the welcome wagon.”
Madeline shrugged, talking through her full mouth. “Nope, not even close. I feel so stupid.”
“I’m sorry, Madeline. I really am.”
She jabbed a fry in my direction. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
“Fine isn’t good, and you and I both know that.”
After the first tender and just as Madeline picked up the second, a familiar voice called my name.
“Neal!”
Ruby was marching across the diner, her face split in a wide grin. “Oh my God, look at you! I have been staring at you all night, trying to figure out where I knew you from.”
I rose from the booth, capturing the tiny woman in a hug. Her laughter was muffled briefly on my stomach before I drew back. “Hi there, Ruby.”
Her hands covered her mouth as she looked me up and down, her eyes wide. “Neal, you look so good! I can’t handle it.”
To my surprise, Madeline had stood too and walked up to stand at my side, her arms slowly crossing across her chest. Ruby noticed her a moment later, pinning the angsty teen with one of her shiniest smiles.
“And this is?”
“I’m Madeline,” she said, scooting closer to my side.
Ruby looked between us. “Nice to meet you. How do you two know each other?”
“Neal’s dating my mom.”
Ruby cocked her head, looking back at me. “Oh! A girlfriend? That’s amazing, Neal.” I could see the honesty shining out at her comments. She meant it. Out of all the people in the world, Ruby may have known the best why having Penelope in my life was such a big deal.
Madeline’s lips curled a little, and she backed into the booth again. I followed, smothering my smile as I sat. Ruby perched at the edge of our table. “I haven’t seen you for months, and then you pop up here, looking so healthy and good.”
“That’s all Penelope’s doing. She’s amazing,” I responded easily, watching Ruby put the pieces together.
“You know, I saw that article, and I knew the moment it came out it had to be you. They didn't even have your name yet.'' Ruby tapped the table. “But I knew.”
I could feel the back of my neck get hot. “It was nothing.”
“Clearly it was something, but I knew you were good from the start. You would never let anyone get hurt.”
My throat clenched, and I was forced to clear it. “The bottom line is that Penelope’s safe.”
“And you’re happy.” Ruby watched me, waiting.
The truth came easily. “I’m happy. Happier than I think I’ve ever been.” I pointed at the teen sitting across from me. “This one is a surprising bonus.”
Madeline grinned back at me, and Ruby slapped the back of the booth. “That's the best news I’ve heard in months. I’m getting you two celebration pies. Madeline, you take care of this one, alright? He’s pure gold.”
Madeline watched me thoughtfully, even as Ruby did a quick stop back by, leaving two slices of peach pie as she went. When I picked up my fork to take a bite of the pie, Madeline suddenly spoke up.
“You said what happens at Ruby's stays at Ruby’s, right?”
I nodded, attempting nonchalance. “It does.”
“So, what happened to you?” Madeline’s expression didn’t falter as the words fell from her lips. And while I’d expected something like this eventually, it still caught me off guard. I’d taken five years off from talking to anyone about myself. Apparently, it was time to catch up.
“What do you mean?”
“Church told me who you were. How you used to run a construction company. And then you were just suddenly wandering around downtown Chicago.”
I grunted at her words. “I wasn’t wandering.”
The eye roll was a full second long. I briefly worried her face would be stuck like that. “Then what happened?”
Silence collected around us once more. Finally, I set my mug aside and leaned in. This child… She’d bared her soul to me, begged for me to understand. I could at least return the favor in a small measure.
“I was madly in love with my wife. We’d grown up together, neighbors. I wanted to give her everything, but things slowly started to change. First, she changed her mind about having kids. She put distance between us. I could tell she was driving me away, but I was intent on fixing us. Obsessed with proving to the world that I had made the right choice in a partner. I built house after house, thinking one would finally be the one she would want to start our forever in. But we always sold them, moved again.”
“And then?”
“Then she was in a massive car accident five years ago. She died on the scene.” My coffee mug was hot against my palms as I gripped it.
Madeline gasped, pressing her hand to her chest as she stared at me. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. She was the passenger in another man’s car. No ring on, and both had suitcases in the back.”
Madeline’s jaw dropped. “Wait…what?”
“I found the note the day before the funeral. I hadn't thought about going into the office since I was dealing with so many other things. But she was leaving me for the man she’d been sleeping with for years.”
“Holy shit.”
I pointed a finger at her. “Don’t curse.” I sat back, looking her squarely in the eye, honest for the first time in years. “The day after her funeral, I walked out of the house and never looked back. Her family was the officiant on everything, and I was no use to anyone I knew…so I became nobody.”
“God, Neal, that’s horrible.”
I attempted a smile. “It was. Not it is.”
Madeline swallowed a peach. “What about my mom?”
“What about her?”
“Are you some kind of freaky gold digger?”
I chuckled. “No, Madeline. I’m not.”
She sat back, arms crossing once more. “What are your intentions?”
“To be everything she needs and wants, for as long as she’ll have me.”
Madeline carefully observed me, squinting a little. “You’re telling the truth.”
“I am.”
Her expression suddenly brightened. “Oh my God, will you guys have more kids?”
I coughed into my fist, unsure how to answer. “That’s up to your mother.”
“But if it were up to you…” Madeline’s grin was wide.
I chuckled. “As many as possible.”
Madeline gave a soft whoop then pointed her fork at me. “I have a good feeling about this. Don’t screw it up.”
“Me too.”
The rest of the meal was finished amongst a lot of chatter. Madeline seemingly caught me up on every single detail of the rest of her week. But after I realized I didn’t need to remember anything, I relaxed. By the time I pulled up in front of the building, Madeline was half awake in the passenger seat, and when the doorman opened the door, I gripped her elbow to be sure she didn’t topple over on her way to the penthouse elevator.
Penelope was in the kitchen when the two of us walked in, her beautiful face immediately breaking into a huge grin as she saw us.
“How was it?”
I stilled, my hand gripping the back of the kitchen barstool, and waited. Madeline made a noise, plopping her stuff down on the counter with a sign. “It was lame, but Crowe took me to get chicken nuggies, so everything is better now.”
My throat burned with the need to turn and see if the girl was selling the story well. Penelope’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say anything. After a moment, she moved to her daughter, brushing hair out of her face with a graceful hand. “I’m glad you had fun.”
“Me too. I’m going to head to bed in a minute though. I want to get donuts with Camilla in the morning.”
“Sounds great, baby,” Penny answered easily, gathering Madeine into a hug before releasing her in the direction of her room. Madeline hesitated, casually leaning across the space and giving me a quick, hard clench of her arms. An almost-hug. I could almost hear the walls around my heart shatter.
“Good night Crowe,” she threw over her shoulder, marching down the hallway.
“‘Night,” I murmured back, my entire body frozen in shock.
When we heard Madeline’s door close, Penny immediately rounded on me. “Those must’ve been some nuggets.”
I didn’t stop myself from leaning over and brushing a kiss over her temple. Her cinnamon scent washing over me. “They’re the best.”
“Neal,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
And while the gravity of the moment threatened to drown both of us, I couldn't help but notice that she was bare under her thin cotton robe, the peaks of her nipples visible. I jerked my chin up to meet her gaze.
“Tell me what happened?”
“I’ll tell you what I can.” I glanced down the hallway. “But there are a few things she should tell you herself.”
Penelope’s smile was beautiful. I matched it with one of my own.