Love Me Now: Baltimore & Madelyn

Chapter 1

MADELYN BELL

“What can I get for you, Madelyn?”

I was somewhere in my head, staring off into space when I heard Cooley’s deep voice.

He’d never addressed me as Madelyn. Only Mrs. Bell.

I was no longer Mrs. Bell, though. Two hours ago, I’d watched my nephew, Adir, kill my husband and son.

Sadly, the betrayal cut deeper than the loss.

Mourning my son was natural. Mourning a man who’d put me through hell was another story.

Cooley’s large frame came to stand in front of me, promptly switching my thoughts to him instead of what transpired hours ago.

His fingers touched my chin, then lifted my face until he beheld my sorrowful eyes.

My bedroom was never a place he’d entered.

As I sat on the edge of the bed that I used to share with my deceased husband, I stared into Cooley’s cool, assessing brown eyes.

His eyes were more welcoming than I’d ever recalled them being.

“What can I get for you, Madelyn?” he repeated himself.

Exhausted, I shrugged.

“You need some rest. Would you like me to make you a drink?”

I shook my head. A drink would’ve been good now. However, the day’s events had me exhausted enough. Having a drink would’ve had me sleeping for a week.

“Aight. How ‘bout a bath? Would you like me to draw you a hot bath?”

This time, I nodded. I’d forgotten to wash the dungeon off me.

Retreating, Cooley went into my bathroom.

Seconds later, I heard the start of the tub’s faucet.

Again, Cooley was in front of me, reaching out his hand for me to take.

Something I’d never noticed were the tattoos dressing his strong fingers.

I took his hand and let him bring me to stand.

He led me to the bathroom, then stood by the door while I walked deeper into the ensuite.

“I have to say, that I’m a lil’ disappointed wit’ you, Maddie.”

Cooley’s statement slowed my steps. I turned to face him. “Why?” I quizzed.

“You didn’t trust me,” he replied, prompting a long ago memory to surface.

“What you cryin’ for, Mrs. Bell?”

Cooley scared me. I jumped like the devil was behind me. Quickly wiping my tears, I stood from the patio lounge sofa to go back into the house.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just had a long day.”

Cooley stood in front of me and stopped me when I attempted to flee. He didn’t put his hands on me. He just shifted his footing so that he blocked my path. I’d been around him for over thirteen years and was sure he’d watched most of my moves.

“He put his hands on you?” he asked. His tone was dark, and his face frowned up.

“No,” I denied. Therein was the scary part. Duval was becoming increasingly verbally abusive. It was only a matter of time before he put his hands on me. Even if I could tell Cooley the truth, his loyalty was to Duval. Not me.

“Then what’s wrong?” Cooley asked again.

“We got into an argument, okay. That’s all.”

He regarded me for a second too long. For a split second, I wanted to spill my guts to him. However, I didn’t.

“You told me he wasn’t puttin’ his hands on you,” Cooley stated, snapping me back to the present.

“It wasn’t your business—”

“Don’t!” he hissed. “Don’t play like that. There was a lot of shit I had to cover for that nigga but puttin’ his hands on you wasn’t one of ‘em.”

Sighing, I stated, “Nothing was ever truly covered. His behavior spoke in volumes. I just didn’t think I had a way out.”

Jaw tensed, he glanced away.

“Is Heir sleeping?” I asked. I was so wrapped up in myself that I hadn’t checked on her in over an hour. I’d held her while we both cried and tried processing what had taken place.

“She’s soundly asleep,” Cooley informed me. “Now, I want you to get in that tub, aight? I’m gon’ come back and check on you in a few minutes.”

I nodded. He left the door cracked, leaving me by myself.

It took a minute, but I finally got undressed and sank into the scented, bubbly, hot water.

Leaning back, I closed my eyes and let the tears slowly fall as I accepted that life was different now.

I would never get to see my son again. He would never have children of his own or never marry.

He wouldn’t be Heir’s protector, and the man she looked up to when she faced her own problems. DJ had really gone and fucked up so much of the trust Heir had in him.

And he broke my heart.

Among the hurt I felt in my heart, there was some relief there. Duval was gone. There were no more scarves needed to hide the scars.

Three weeks later…

The ringing of my doorbell caused Toast to bark uncontrollably. Her small feet danced out of the living room and into the foyer as she growled and barked at the door.

“Toast,” I called. “Calm down.” She was going to wake up all of Bell Estates making all that noise.

I wasn’t surprised to find my nephew, Adir Bell, waiting on the other side of the door. He was dressed in his black scrubs and wearing a pair of dark shades.

“Mornin’, Auntie,” he spoke as he entered my house. This was a man whom, three weeks ago, I was terrified of. Adir Bell exuded strength just as well as he exuded death. He removed his shades, revealing the wise eyes beneath. I swear, he could see straight through me.

“Good morning, Nephew.” I hugged him and welcomed him into the living room. Nearly every day since the fateful night in the dungeon, Adir visited me. If he wasn’t at my doorstep, he was on my phone line ensuring that all was as well as it could be in my world.

I sat back down on the couch, paused the show that I was watching, and gave him my undivided attention. He lowered himself onto the couch and blew out a deep breath. My guard rose a little, unsure of what had my usually calm, cool, and collected nephew frustrated.

“How’s Heir?” he questioned.

“She’s fine,” I replied. “But you’re not here about Heir. What’s going on?” Just like Adir checked on me daily, he did the same with Heir. If anything was wrong with her, he’d know.

A faint half-smile peeked through his hardened exterior. “How are things with Cooley? You want me to replace him, or…”

Adir mentioning Cooley’s name caused an instant flame to burn inside me. There was only one memory from that fateful night I lost my son and husband that I vividly dreamed of often. It was the interaction between Cooley and me that pivotal night. For whatever reason, that memory stuck out the most.

Cooley was handsome and that was putting it mildly. To deny that his dimples, keen brown eyes, sturdy nose, and plump lips weren’t anything short of amazing would be futile. Things I never noticed about him, I noticed now.

For nearly sixteen years, he’d been with my family, working my family’s security detail.

Yet, nothing stood out to me more than the way he touched my chin that fateful night.

This summer, I’d be turning forty-eight.

The last thing that needed to be on my mind was the touch of a man ten years my junior.

Especially since I’d just buried my late husband.

“Cooley’s not going anywhere,” I said to Adir. “I…uh… Heir and I are comfortable with him. We trust him.”

I hoped Adir’s assessing eyes didn’t pick up on the heat blazing in my eyes at just the thought of Cooley.

“Aight, cool,” he replied.

“Again, you’re not here because of Cooley. What is it, Adir?” Briefly, he’d sidetracked me. Adir never tiptoed around anything, causing my guard to go up even more.

“The Grace family has requested to have Baby Boy Bell adopted.”

Out of everything I thought could have Adir concerned, my late husband’s baby wasn’t one of them.

Raw and fresh emotions spilled forward. Standing, I fled the couch and put some space between me and Adir.

My husband and son’s deaths were still fresh.

The fact that my son went to his grave realizing how much of an evil man his father was broke my heart.

The baby my son thought was his turned out to be his father’s.

Inside the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of water to stave off the clog stuck in my throat.

You better not cry! Inwardly, I fussed at myself because I refused to give Duval any more of my tears.

He’d destroyed me in ways I wasn’t sure I could come back from.

I was the woman who believed in love so much that I gave up everything I wanted in life just to be with Duval.

And now here Adir was throwing the evidence of my husband’s infidelity smack dab into my face.

Adir entered the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “I need you to hear my heart, Auntie,” he said.

“No, I won’t!” I hissed while blinking back tears.

“You will,” Adir stressed. “Regardless of how any of us feel about Baby Boy Bell, he is innocent in all of this.”

“Then you adopt him,” I spat.

“Auntie…”

“Don’t Auntie me! I just buried my fuckin’ cheating-ass husband and son ten fucking days ago.” Shit! Time was so cruel. Ten days felt like two decades.

“Would you like me to call Kwamé?”

“I don’t need a fuckin’ shrink, Adir!” I shouted. The fact that his ass even had a crisis counselor on standby was fucking ludicrous.

“I just wanna help,” Adir replied calmly. His face was void of emotion, and I wondered how the hell he was ever able to fall in love. Adir’s heart was colder than anyone I knew. That was including Duval.

“Then leave me the hell alone.”

Rounding the island to come stand in front of me, Adir peered down at the moisture in my eyes. “I’m not tryna hurt you. Neither do I want a Bell in the hands of someone who doesn’t carry his blood. He doesn’t even have a name.”

I closed my eyes against the urge to give a fuck that attempted to spark off inside my chest.

“He needs you,” Adir uttered.

Angrily, I threw the glass of water across the kitchen. The expensive instrument struck the cabinet, shattering into pieces.

“He needs me?” I questioned indignantly. “Do you hear yourself, Adir? What the fuck does Duval’s baby need with me?”