Chapter 26 #3
“He’s not - you don’t – I lived with him. He can be cruel and cold and-”
“He hurt you,” Dante stood up also.
“I understand. You’re angry at him for hurting you, but get over it. This isn’t just about you anymore. This is about them.” He reached over and placed his hand over my bump.
“I know that.” I hissed back.
“And I’m trying to do what’s best for them.”
“What’s best for them or what’s best for you?” Dante asked without rancour.
His warm brown eyes searched my face.
“Don’t be a coward. I can’t watch you be a coward anymore.”
Those words hurt.
Dante hurt me badly with those words.
I wasn’t a coward.
Stepping away from his touch on my stomach, I glared at him, hating him in that moment.
“I’m a coward?” I sneered.
He nodded slowly.
“Fuck you.”
“You’re a coward.” He folded his arms and jutted his chin out.
“A scared little girl who’s afraid to do what she knows is right. A fucking punk.”
“Fuck you.” I yelled into his face.
“You don’t know what he put me through. You have no idea-”
“I don’t care.” Dante shouted back, finally getting angry.
“I. Don’t. Fucking. Care.”
“Get out.” I screamed, moving forward towards the door.
Dante grabbed my arm, not hard enough to cause any pain but making sure I got no further than his side.
“Stop being a coward.” he ground out.
“Stop being selfish. I’m tired of it. Yeah, you’re right. I’ve got daddy issues. My father didn’t stick around. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about me. I was nothing to him, worthless. He didn’t care about me, or my mother. He left before she came home from the hospital. Did you know that? My grandmother said he left her a fucking note, stuck to the fridge. It said: ‘I can’t’ . Yeah. That’s the type of man who fathered me. If I ever have kids, I would be there for them,” His voice cracked a little.
“I would fucking be there, every single day, because growing up without a father sucks. I used to think something was wrong with me. Why else would he leave?”
I didn’t know what to say.
I knew the pain of growing up without my parents, but I also knew I was loved by them, wanted.
They hadn’t left by choice, they were physically taken from me through death.
And no matter what my life was like with my aunt, uncle and cousins; they had taken me in.
They had wanted me enough to take me in.
Dante’s father had left him and never looked back.
No calls, no visits, no cards, no child support.
He had simply discarded Dante and his mother and disappeared.
The cold-hearted son of a bastard.
“No matter what happened between you and Matt, he’s not the sort of man my father was.” Dante’s gruff words were filled with belief.
“Don’t make the three of them suffer because he made a mistake and hurt you. Don’t let your pride get in the way.”
“He broke my heart.” It was all I could say, it was the truth.
It was my truth.
I pulled free from Dante’s grip and wandered a few steps away.
Matthew Bradley had broken my heart and the pieces would never fit together again.
He had done so without any regard for me and the effect it would have on my life.
He hadn’t loved me enough to trust me, and Dante was right.
My pride, my self-serving, spiteful, ha-proved-you-wrong pride had been shattered.
I had been vindicated and a part of me did want my ex-husband to suffer.
I wanted him to hurt the way I had been hurt.
Matthew Bradley always got his way, and I hated it.
Why, after everything he put me through, why should he get to share in my joy?
Why should he get the chance to be a father to my kids?
He had thrown our marriage away!
Damn it.
I loved him but I despised him too.
“You don’t understand,” I raged.
“I’m tired of other people influencing my life. This is my choice, my life. ”
Dante closed the distance between us and gripped my chin with his hand, forcing me to meet his unrelenting gaze.
“Yeah, you’re right. This is life not a damned story! Stop being selfish and think about what’s right for your kids.”
I jerked my head away, stung by the harshness of his words.
“You said you had my back.”
“I do,” Dante’s low reply was full of pain.
“God, I don’t want us to mess this up, Madi. I don’t want them ending up fucked like we are.”
A loud knock sounded on the office door, then Gloria’s voice penetrated the barrier.
“Is everything ok in there? Madi?”
“We’re fine.” Dante shouted back.
“Madi?” Gloria called again.
“We’re fine.” I shouted in assurance before glaring at Dante and lowering my voice to a vicious whisper.
“You want me to tell him? Hmm? Is that what you want? Is that what you think is best?”
“I don’t want you to be a coward.” Dante said quietly.
“I don’t want you having regrets and I definitely don’t want to be a part of fucking up their lives.”
“Oh, so I’m fucking up their lives now, am I?” I shot back in anger.
The skin on my face felt hot.
Hell, my whole body felt hot.
“Maybe,” Dante shrugged.
“I’m fucking up their lives.” I repeated, stalking over to the desk.
I grabbed up my cell, scowling at my best friend.
“You want me to tell him?” Turning it on then quickly unlocking the screen, I dialled Matt’s number as Dante regarded me with an unspoken challenge shining from his eyes.
“You and me,” I exhaled as the phone rang in my ear.
“You and me, we’re done. You’re the bloody coward. You said you had my back. You’re a liar-” My words broke off when Matt answered the call.
“I’m 25 weeks pregnant,” I said into the silence after his hello.
“With twins. They’re yours.”
Everything seemed to stop the moment I uttered those words.
I could see Dante’s shoulders relax, could see the relief on his face.
I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears, feel the air trapped in my lungs.
I definitely heard Matt’s sharp intake of breath before he said, “We need to talk.”
Yeah, those four words never led to anything good.
“Would you have ever told me?” Matt kept his eyes on her.
“How could you keep this from me? How could you lie to me?” He lowered his gaze to the ultrasound picture he held before returning it to her face.
“I can’t believe you would stoop this low. Not only am I disappointed in you, I am appalled and- ”
“Well, you know now.” she interrupted from across the room.
“Am I supposed to be grateful?” Matt asked, incredulous over her demeanour.
He shot Dante a crazed look.
“You fucking bastard-”
“Hey,” Madison unfolded her arms.
“Don’t even start that crap. The only reason I told you is because of him .” She glared at Dante, who stood in the opposite corner of her living room.
Matt could sense the seething undercurrents between them, and it perplexed him.
Madison and Dante were as close as two people could be, but even he could plainly see the rift between them.
“You lied .” He took a step in her direction, barely able to contain the rage he felt, wanting nothing more than to shake some sense into her and wipe that look off her face.
“For months, mind you. You’ve been lying to me for months. How could you do that? Why would you-”
“Why?” she cut him off, eyes narrowed into brown slits of fury as she folded her arms once more over her stomach, blatantly protective.
Matt’s gaze lingered on her round stomach, it was much more visible with her clutching herself, and he was swamped with a mixture of overwhelming emotions.
Right now he could only focus on his growing anger at her deception.
“Because you chucked me,” She turned to Dante.
“That’s the correct word?”
Dante nodded once and Madison turned her attention back to Matt.
“You chucked me for something I didn’t do!” she half-shouted before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, the virulent blaze was gone, replaced by a cool neutral mask.
Matt knew she was faking the calm visage, he knew she was trying to keep things from escalating.
He knew all this yet her pretence at having a collected head pissed him right off.
She was the only person who could push him to the limit of his patience, the only person he could want to strangle yet smother with kisses at the same time.
“That’s no bloody excuse.” he hissed.
“You deliberately lied to me about my unborn children! That’s unforgivable-”
“Unforgivable?” she shrieked, then took another deep breath.
“What you did was unforgivable but I forgave you. You chose to believe crazy-ass Medusa and her dodgy pictures, you thought the worst of me instead of trusting me. I was your wife,” her voice shook.
“I was your wife and you couldn’t wait to get rid of me, like…like garbage.”
Matt unclenched his jaw as guilt temporarily engulfed his anger.
He spared a glance at Dante who maintained a quiet observation of his pregnant ex-wife.
God.
Twins.
She was pregnant with his babies, not Dante’s.
The guilt vanished as he thought of the past few months, of the secret despair he had suffered.
All for nothing.
If she had been honest – fucking hell.
Would they have even gone through with their divorce?
His anger returned with vengeance.
“I made a mistake,” he ground out in a low, cold voice.
“I’ll admit it was a damned idiotic mistake on my part, but you,” Matt took another step towards her.
“Your decision to hide this from me is despicable. I never thought you of all people could be so treacherous-”
“Bollocks.” She stomped halfway across the room, nearing where he stood and wearing a sneer on her face.
“You were quick to believe I was sleeping around on you, quick to think I was a slut, slag, whatever-”
“I made a fucking mistake.” Matt bellowed.
“And I’m sorry. Christ, I am so fucking sorry, but you lied . You could’ve told me months ago, you should’ve told me the moment you found out you were carrying my babies.”
“When?” She fumed, still clutching her stomach.
“You didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“We spoke when you barged into my boardroom-”
“I didn’t know I was pregnant then.” she retorted belligerently.
Matt levelled a fearsome scowl in her direction.
“When I sent Collins to-”
“I tried to tell you,” Madi now placed her hands on her hips, matching his scowl with her own.
“But you wouldn’t listen, you never listened to me.”
Matt blinked a few times, replaying their heated conversation that day in his mind.
She’d been babbling nonsense and he’d been shocked with the new knowledge of her pregnancy.
“You should have tried harder.” he spat out.
“You should have made me listen. You should have…I want a paternity test done.”
The flash of pain across her strained features was fleeting, Matt would have missed it if he hadn’t been staring right at her.
“Surprise, surprise,” she muttered, casting Dante a sideways glance.
Dante shifted in discomfort, clearing his throat with an awkward cough before finally speaking.
“I’ve read the ears are fully formed by now, they can probably hear you.”
Matt stared in sudden awe at Madison’s expertly hidden tummy.
The loose folds of her top and the covering cardigan masked it well.
He wondered why she wasn’t much bigger.
What if this was some sort of – he stole a glimpse at the forgotten ultrasound picture in his hand and the air caught in his throat as Dante continued speaking.
“You don’t want their first introduction to your voice being a shouting match,” Dante said.
Taking a calming breath, Matt gave Madi the weight of his gaze.
In as composed a tone he could manage, considering the circumstances, he stated his warning.
“You’re having a paternity test done. Once it’s confirmed they’re mine,” He stared at her tummy.
“We’ll be discussing the next steps forward, legally speaking that is.”
Her lower lip quivered for a second before she caught it between her pearly white teeth.
Dante looked at him, then he looked at Madi.
A strange, unspoken communication occurred between them, it put Matt’s guard up almost immediately.
Was this some attempt of extorting money from him?
She had refused any form of settlement in their divorce.
Did she now regret that decision?
A paternity test was a must.
He would not be made into a fool again.
“It’s late,” Madi said.
“And I’m tired. Can we continue this discussion tomorrow?”
Matt opened his mouth, preparing to tell her off; but she rubbed her left temple and passed her right hand over her side.
His eyes were once again drawn to her stomach before they travelled up and down her frame.
She did appear tired, the obvious circles around her eyes making them more prominent.
Her curls were piled atop her head in an untidy bun with some stray strands falling past her shoulders.
Why wasn’t her stomach bigger?
If she was carrying twins, she should be bigger.
Matt recalled Hannah’s pregnancy with his nieces.
She was much bigger than Madison, in fact, Matt remembered him and Adam teasing his sister into such a state she banned them from her sight for a month during her pregnancy.
He noticed the desperate shine to her sad brown eyes as she tried to hide her face from him, turning sideways to peer unhappily at her best friend.
Even now, with his anger simmering, even now the sight of her made his heart twist with hidden desire.
Her shoulders slumped with weary defeat, she did look exhausted.
“I’ll return at 7am.” Matt conceded, terse and unrelenting.
“Not a minute later.”
Madi nodded once.
“Ok.”
Reverently slipping the ultrasound photo into the pocket of his coat, he glared suspiciously at Dante then shook his head in her direction to convey his disappointment.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Matt wanted it known how deplorable her actions were.
“No matter what mistakes I made,” He shook his head again.
“You should have come to me the moment you knew for certain. I am disappointed in you, Madison.”
Distress and shame flickered over her face before a look of pure outrage settled in.
She took a deep breath, mouth tightening into an angry line as she lifted her chin and sent Dante a vitriolic side-long glance.
Her shoulders lowered as she exhaled slowly and smoothed all emotions from her face.
It was impressive, the serene facade she now wore, and eerily similar to his mother’s when she was pushed past endurance but determined to maintain the required etiquette.
“Duly noted,” she said with a pleasant smile while unclenching her recently formed fists.
“We’ll discuss our options in the morning.” Madi gestured to her front door.
“Goodbye, Matthew.”
Not wanting to leave, but having no other choice, Matt headed for the door.
With one more threatening look he left her property and hurried to his car.
In a state of shock he drove away on auto-pilot, unable to fully process the unexpected turn of events.
When he had called her earlier on in the day, it had been to plead his case and convince her to meet him.
Since discovering Louisa’s treachery last week – Matt’s fingers curled around the steering wheel in anger.
The bitch had ruined his marriage.
He huffed loudly, easing his grip on the wheel and taking a moment to try and calm down.
In that moment his conscience decided to make an unwelcomed appearance, reminding him of his own role in the demise of his marriage.
The colossal failure to trust his wife, irrespective of Louisa’s actions, was the cause of his marriage’s breakdown.
Matt should have trusted his wife.
What sin had she ever committed to be undeserving of his complete trust?
None, and he should have never doubted her.
There was, of course, his secret envy of her unbreakable bond with Dante; which was down to his own character flaw and not something she should have been penalized for.
And the McGregor incident, but Madison was soft-hearted and na?ve when it came to people she considered friends.
Matt snorted in derision.
Na?ve?
Soft-hearted?
Yet she had deliberately misled him for months.
He was going to be a father.
The thought alone was enough to give him pause.
It was indescribable, the mixture of joy and fear waging a battle inside him.
He was going to be a father , of two not just one!
“Bollocks.” Matt mumbled as he remembered Madi’s facial expressions when he laid into her.
How could he possibly blame her for choosing to leave him in the dark?
He had no bloody right to rail at her like he did.
After everything he put her through…
it was understandable she would be terrified of confiding in him.
Matt pinched his nose bridge, grimacing over his continued appalling behaviour.
Had he not been wrapped up in his self-righteous indignation, he would have understood then what was becoming crystal clear to him now.
She was scared.
Swearing under his breath some more, he carefully checked his mirrors before risking an illegal U-turn.
Right.
Their marriage was over, but he’d be damned if he cocked up fatherhood.
The return trip to her house was completed in record time and he absent-mindedly locked his vehicle before hurrying up the path to her front door.
After pressing the doorbell twice, the door swung open to reveal a very harassed looking Dante.
Matt could immediately tell the man’s previous neutrality was gone.
The hard stare currently directed his way was eloquent.
“What do you want?” Dante growled from behind the half-opened door.
“To speak to Madi.” Matt replied quickly as he purposely step forward and nudged the door open further.
Dante bit his lip then stepped back to allow his entrance.
A yell came from the top of the stairs.
“Is it the taxi? You tell him wait. You stupid idiot. I never should have listened to you! We are done. This is why I didn’t – I’ll be down in a minute.”
Matt arched an eyebrow as he entered the house and closed the door behind him.
Dante folded his arms, scowling at everything in view, especially Matt.
“She’s upset.”
There were numerous thuds and bangs above their heads upstairs.
“Bloody stupid man! Matthew bloody Bradley, oh how I hate his stupid stubble.” came right before a stuffed overnight bag was thrown down the staircase.
What on earth was she doing?
And why was she babbling about his stubble?
A burst of unease steadily filled his frame and Matt turned to Dante while self-consciously rubbing his smooth shaven chin.
He didn’t have any stubble.
“I told you he would do this. Didn’t I say he would take them away? You’re a douche and you give stupid, douchey advice.” she yelled from the top of the stairs.
“And I know ‘douchey’ is not a real word.”
Dante unfolded his arms and sighed softly.
“She believes you’re going to take her kids away.”
Matt froze, then passed a shaking hand over his face.
“Are you?” Dante puffed up his chest and rounded on Matt.
“No,” Matt murmured before he stated firmly, “I would never do that.”
Another harsh tirade floated down the stairs from her.
“Now I have to go on the run! You are such a stupid man, Dante Palmer.” Her voice slipped into a falsetto tone.
‘ Oh, you should tell him, Madi, it’s wrong to keep it from him.
Stop being a coward.
’ Ha!
Now I have to go into hiding.
I can’t find my British passport.
Shit.
”
Dante wandered over to the sofa and sat down then said, “She hates me right now, and I don’t blame her. I pressured her to tell you the truth and now she’s stressed because you said…it’s a mess.”
Matt went over to take a seat on the opposite arm chair.
“Thank you. Thank you for-”
“I didn’t do it for you.” Dante interrupted tartly.
“I did it for her, for them. She shouldn’t have any more regrets, she deserves better.”
“You’re going to have to run the company in my absence,” She was coming down the stairs.
The dull, thumping sound of a suitcase accompanied her steps.
“But we’re finished, you and I. Can you search for my British passport and mail it to me? I’ll use the American one to fly – oh.”
Matt and Dante both stood up.
“Hello,” Matt tried to smile at her crestfallen expression, but he couldn’t manage one.
She was trying to run from him.
Madi shook her head slowly, disbelief pouring from her eyes.
“You called him.”
Before Dante could deny her accusation she let go of the suitcase and it bumped down the remaining steps.
Madi turned around and raced up the stairs, all the while calling Dante a ‘Judas’.
“I’ll go talk to her,” Matt advised as he headed for the stairs.
“She’s scared.” Dante called out to him.
“She’s just really scared.”
Matt sidestepped the discarded suitcase and nodded in agreement.
“I know.”
He made his way upstairs, not yet certain what he would say.
An apology would be the best bet, but sorely insufficient.
Besides he’d been apologizing for the past week and it was wearing on his bloody patience.
She was in her bedroom, angrily stuffing clothes back into open drawers.
Matt closed the door behind him to give them some privacy and he noticed the stiffening of her back.
“I won’t let you take them from me,” she warned.
He shrugged his coat off, tossing it haphazardly over the chair by her vanity and asked, “Do you truly believe I would do that?”
Madi turned around, clutching a pair of tights.
“Yes, to be honest, it’s exactly what I’d expect you to do. Grumps said-”
“Hey,” Matt silenced her with a sharp voice.
“That’s unfair and you know I told the old man off for what he subjected you to that night.” Slowly, he made his way across the bedroom to where she stood.
“I have no intention of separating you from our children, but you’re mistaken if you believe you can keep me out of their lives.”
Tilting her head back slightly, she frowned, distrust shining from her eyes.
It hurt Matt more than he would ever admit, the way she now looked at him.
Gone were the days she afforded him her complete trust, it was ultimately his own fault, but it was a bitter pill to swallow.
He had been the engineer in the demise of his own happiness.
Matt hadn’t trusted her when he should have, he would willingly do anything in his power to regain her trust.
He ignored the bristling tension between them and casually picked up a discarded jumper before beginning to fold it.
“This must be some record,” he mused, expertly producing a neatly folded piece of clothing under his ex-wife’s hard glare.
“I was only gone 25 minutes, maybe half-an-hour tops, and you managed to pack a suitcase and a bag. It usually takes you forever to pack.”
“I had a pressing reason to get it done quickly.” she retorted.
Matt put down the folded jumper and picked up another piece of clothing, a t-shirt this time.
“What happened to the Cayenne? The back door is damaged.”
“Some idiot drove into it.” she grumbled.
“I woke up last Saturday and saw it like that. My insurance is handling it.”
“Mmm,” Matt finished folding the t-shirt and placed it on top the jumper.
“You’re not going to sweep in and control this,” she blurted out.
“You’re not going to control me.”
He remained silent, thinking over his next words carefully before speaking them.
Madi didn’t give him the chance, choosing instead to back away from his nearness.
“I’m different now,” she warned, nervously touching her stomach.
“I mean, you didn’t ‘control’ control me, I’m my own person, but you expect to get your own way all the time, and I want you to know that’s not going to happen. I’m not saying you’re a terrible person, sometimes you were a bit much, I was too, maybe I behaved a tad crazy, not all the times but,”
Matt kept his features impassive, although he wanted to grin at her nervous ramblings.
It reassured him, her inane babble, it reminded him she was still the same person.
“I want to touch you. May I touch you?” he asked bluntly, taking a step towards her.
“What?” she hissed, putting some more distance between them.
“Touch me? What’s wrong with you? Touch me how?”
“I meant your stomach.” Matt clarified when he observed the alarm growing on her face.
“Oh,” She relaxed, not much, but enough to halt her movements towards the bedroom door.
“Umm, ok.”
Unable to contain his excitement he hurried to her side and without hesitation placed one hand on her stomach.
Nothing happened.
Matt frowned and put his other hand on her stomach.
“They tend to rest if I’m moving about, it lulls them to sleep, I guess. Or I’m too busy to notice,” She inched back.
“They’re more active if I’m not doing anything.”
“I see.” Matt’s disappointment came through loud and clear and Madi rolled her eyes.
“Ok, wait,” she said, placing one hand over his and pressing down firmly.
A few seconds later she did it again and Matt felt uncomfortable at the level of force she was using.
A strong push came back seconds later and he jerked in surprise before his gaze dropped to her stomach.
This time it was he who pressed down on her stomach and he was rewarded with a couple more kicks.
“Wow.” He sought her eyes with the widest grin on his lips.
“That’s amazing.”
“Tell that to my kidneys.” Madi tried to joke while easing away.
Matt reclaimed the space she was attempting to put between them, both his hands cradling her stomach.
“Both boys?”
She snorted under her breath before correcting him.
“One of each.”
Matt’s grin widened, impossible but true.
“Incredible. Have you thought of any names? I don’t want anything too tasteless; good, sturdy names, perhaps-”
“Matt,” She cleared her throat.
“Nothing frilly,” he cautioned, already picturing her naming his children something along the hippy lines of ‘Tulip’ or – Matt raised an eyebrow.
“I am allowed to offer suggestions. Right?”
She nodded and patted his hands lightly before stepping backing.
He let her walk away without complaint.
“I apologize for not telling you,” she muttered.
“I was,”
“Scared,” he finished for her.
“I don’t blame you. Of course, I’m upset it took you this long to tell me, but I don’t blame you. I was a,”
“Nob,” she suggested while blinking her thick eyelashes at him.
“Wanker. Asshole. Tosser. Jackass.”
Gritting his teeth he nodded.
“Yes, but it’s all behind us now. We need to talk about the next steps forward.”
He could immediately sense her unease and the unconscious scratching she was now subjecting upon her little finger confirmed it.
With an attempt of false bravado, she tilted her chin upwards.
“I know you want a paternity test, I’m not going to fight you on that. It’s insulting, but I understand why you think you need one.”
Matt waved her words away with dismissive show of hands.
“That’s not the most important issue we need to address.”
She took a deep breath and held his gaze.
“I’m going to need a lawyer, aren’t I?”
Matt smiled, he liked the way her eyes lingered on his lips.
“I don’t believe you will, but I can arrange some representation for you if it will put your mind at ease. I was secretly horrified you agreed to the terms of our divorce papers without a solicitor acting in your interest. Were you that eager to be rid of me?” he tutted, making sure to exaggerate the sound.
“To be honest, I’m offended you didn’t try to get a huge divorce settlement, you had all my solicitors wondering what was so wrong with me you’d forego financial remunerations.”
“I can have Collins?” her voice picked up and she ignored his light-hearted attempt to lessen the tension between them as her gaze skittered away from his mouth before returning, unwillingly it seemed.
Matt chuckled and she focused more on his eyes than his lips now.
Winking at her, he shook his head.
“I feel terrible for what I’ve subjected you to, but not that terrible. Maybe a senior associate in his firm?”
She huffed and waltzed back to her bed where she resumed sorting her clothes.
Matt followed her and began to help once more.
She watched him from the corner of her eyes, her guard was still up.
“We’re doing this my way,” she finally said when they finished folding all the clothes she’d previously tossed during her frantic packing.
“And they’re keeping my surname. It’s hell to travel with your kids if you don’t have the same surname, saw it on the news a few months ago.”
“Ah, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he hedged.
“What we need to discuss is your healthcare, I fully support the NHS, but your healthcare is going to be private from now on.”
“I have a really nice mid-wife,” she began.
“She makes me laugh.”
“And you’re getting back a bodyguard, maybe two this time around.” He expertly balanced a pile of folded clothes on one arm as he headed for the dresser.
“I am not trying to take control. I just want you safe. Once it comes out you’re having my babies,” He beamed at her.
“Well, I just want to keep the media away from you. Ok?”
“You’re really good at folding clothes.” She bundled up her own pile and stuffed the clothes on a shelf in the opened wardrobe.
“I’ve never seen you do that before, not once during our marriage.”
“I have staff, there’s no need for me to do this.” he reminded her.
“And I’ve definitely folded your knickers before in the early stages of our relationship.”
Clearly uncomfortable with where the talk was heading, Madi let out a little cough and fidgeted on her feet.
“I should probably go check on Dante. We’re kind of fighting right now.”
“Madi,” Matt paused for a second, wanting there to be no misunderstanding between them.
“We can make this work. Trust me.”
A shutter came over her face as she flashed him a tight, perfunctory smile.
“Co-parenting is all the rage, right? I only want what’s best for them, nothing more.”
Matt nodded in agreement, but he wanted more than that.
He wanted a family, his family .
Bloody hell, it would take a miracle to win her back.
Giving her a winsome smile he silently vowed to earn her trust back, to earn her love back.
It was a difficult task, but he was Matthew Bradley and he always got what he wanted.