Chapter 10
Maddie—Age Twenty-One
Nate—Age Twenty-Two
Four and a Half Years Later
May
Nate
The intense sun beats down on my skin as I step off the boat, fresh from winning our final match race as a USC student.
I’m going to miss the SoCal sun.
There’s something different in the air here than there is on the East Coast. The saltwater feels a little less drying, and the laid-back energy is something I never thought I’d get used to as a New Yorker.
But after five years, I can officially say it. I love the West Coast.
It’s not home. Never will be.
But damn, the serotonin boost out here is no joke.
“Davenport.”
I turn at the sound of my name. Elliot, one of my teammates, jogs up, grinning.
“What’s up?”
“Spoke to my dad. You’re in.”
“No, shit. Thanks, man.” I shake his outstretched hand, caught off guard and a little stunned. I just got invited to try out for one of the most prestigious boating teams on the East Coast.
Elliot’s dad is a legend.
He retired after winning the America’s Cup and went on to coach professionally.
Although now that Elliot’s shifting gears and is headed to law school, his dad’s stepping down, too, launching a competitive rec team based out of New York.
And I get to try out.
It’s the best of both worlds. I’ve been dreading the idea of giving up competitive sailing.
Sure, I’ll always have my boat in the Hamptons, which is perfect for clearing my head, but nothing compares to the adrenaline rush of a race.
He scans the lot, frowning. “Where’s Maddie and your brother?”
I laugh. “Told them not to come. Who the hell knew we’d win? We haven’t beaten San Fran in over a decade. Maddie’s best friend is in town, so I told them to hang back.” I nod toward my car. “You need a ride?”
“Nah, I’m sticking around for a while.”
“Sounds good.” I pat his shoulder. “If you make it back to campus soon, meet us on the great lawn. We’ll probably be there for a few hours.”
He salutes me, then runs off to catch up with some of our teammates.
Forty-five minutes later, I pull up to campus. I’d love to say that the traffic was a fluke, but that would be a lie, and it reminds me why I wouldn’t want to live in LA.
I jog across the quad toward the great lawn. It’s packed with students tanning, soaking up the rays before school ends. Music blasts from every direction, and there is a faint smell of weed in the stoner section.
God, I’m going to miss it here.
My eyes scan the crowd, and I spot my girl instantly.
She’s the best view on campus.
No contest.
I slow my roll and lean against a tree lining the edge of the grass, just to take a second to watch her.
Green eyes, long, dark hair, and a body that kills a few brain cells every time I stare at her. But what turns me on more than anything is her tenacity and smarts.
When Maddie started at USC, her dedication blew me away.
She was already brilliant, but she works harder than anyone I know.
Now she’s top of her class, four-point-oh, baby, and she will undoubtedly get a job at whatever firm she wants when she graduates.
It’s the ultimate middle finger to her parents, who never supported her a day in their lives.
Even if she swears her mom’s turned a corner in the last few years, I’ve yet to believe it.
Maddie turns to Adelaide, her face lighting up with a smile so bright it flashes her dimples from across the lawn.
Addie’s in town for a visit, and I’m happy because Maddie’s been missing her like crazy.
Addie graduated last year, along with everyone else who started the same year as me and Leo, but architecture majors go through a B.Arch program that lasts five, not four, years.
So, Maddie, Leo, and I are still here. Though Leo and I graduate in three weeks, Mads will finish up next year.
After that, we need to be in the field for at least three years before we can test to apply for licensure.
I’ve already lined up a job with a firm in New York. Usually, being across the country from Mads would suck. However, my little overachiever has an interview in two days for a summer internship in the city.
She’s flying back with Addie first thing tomorrow.
If she gets it, we’ll have the summer together. After that, I’ll fly between NYC and Cali until she finishes school.
Her parents aren’t stopping us this time.
And I don’t care what she says—it might be excessive to bounce back and forth, but I’d do it a thousand times over for her.
There’s no way we’re going months without seeing each other like we did her senior year.
I’ve got the funds. Why wouldn’t I use them?
She still can’t wrap her head around how much money Harrison and I inherited. I don’t spend much of it besides spoiling her when she lets me and flying private when it makes sense.
The rest? I’m investing. Everything my grandparents left me is going into a firm one day with Leo.
That’s our endgame. Two brothers. Fifty-fifty split.
My thoughts are cut short when Maddie’s booming laugh echoes across the lawn.
She falls forward, unable to hold herself up from her laughter.
Her full, voluptuous breasts are on display, forcing my gaze to drop down to the barely there skimpy gold bikini, the kind she never would’ve worn a few years ago.
But California’s changed her, and her confidence has grown by miles.
“Heads up,” someone shouts.
A football rockets toward me, nearly clipping my face. Luckily, I have catlike reflexes.
“Sorry, man!” I recognize our quarterback the moment he runs up to me.
I toss back the ball with a nod. “No worries. Just get that aim locked in for next season, yeah?”
He laughs, running off, but I’m not joking. Our last two seasons were rough, and Mase never lets us forget it.
Mr. First-Round-Draft-Pick is killing it in Baltimore.
Maddie leans back on her elbows, her whole body on display, and I’m not the only one looking. Two guys nearby are locked in, eyes trailing over her like she’s on a damn runway.
Yeah… not happening. Not on my watch.
“I know that look.”
“Fuck’s sake, Leo. Where the hell did you come from?” I give him a once-over. “What are you wearing?”
He has a shirt and tie on the top and shorts on the bottom.
“I had a call with my new boss, and I wanted to hang out with everyone after, but I wouldn’t have had time to get to our house and then get back here. So…” He holds out his arms, “Business on top, party on the bottom.”
He starts undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. “Let’s go. I need a tan, and those meatheads are making their move.”
My eyes snap back to Maddie, and I see red.
She grabs my attention before I make a scene, and her soft, loving smile calms my nerves.
“Come here.” She holds out her hand, pulls me down beside her, and pecks my lips, pulling back far too soon. “They’re not worth it.”
“They don’t get to look at what’s mine,” I growl for only her to hear, and she rolls her eyes, ignoring me, turning her attention back to Addie.
I lean over and kiss her hello, then pull back, taking in Addie’s dangling earrings. “Did you make those?” I ask Maddie.
She nods excitedly and asks, “Do you like them?”
Adelaide beams with an over-the-top smile, turning her head so we can all get a good look. They are glass strawberries hanging from a small string of lighter red beads that I know Maddie made to match Addie’s strawberry-blonde hair.
“Wow, Maddie,” Leo mutters before I can respond, adoration laced through his words. “People would spend a lot of money on these.”
Addie claps her hands. “Yes. Tell them. Tell them!”
We turn our gaze toward Maddie, and a pink blush creeps up her neck. “What’s going on, Mads?”
“Well, do you remember Ms. Green, the environmental systems professor?” Leo and I nod, both taking her as well in junior year. “She caught up with me today and asked if she could commission something. She said she always admired my jewelry and never knew I made it all myself.”
I reach forward, cup her cheek, and then kiss her dimple. “This doesn’t surprise me. You amaze me every day,” I whisper. “Congratulations, Mads.”
“Oh no. Don’t sell yourself short,” Addie interrupts. “Tell them what you’re making.”
Maddie bites her bottom lip. She hates talking about herself in any capacity. But the sparkle in her eyes and the way her dimples pop, I know she’s holding in her excitement.
“Come on, babe. What is it?”
“She asked me to make two sets of earrings for both her and her daughter. It’s for her daughter’s wedding next year. It’s going to be her something new.”
“Aaaaand…” Addie drags out.
“And she wants to pay me one thousand dollars for them,” Maddie spits out so fast like she can’t even believe it herself.
“Holy shit, Maddie.” I pull her into my side. A deep sense of pride hits me hard in the chest, a tear might have even worked its way up. “You are fucking incredible, Goddess.”
“One thousand is some serious cash. She must really love your jewelry,” Leo adds.
Maddie shrugs. “She said in Beverly Hills, there is a designer who does glasswork nowhere as unique as my pieces, and they sell for thousands sometimes.”
I pull out my chain and roll the small bead Maddie made me at camp. It was her first piece of glasswork, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.
“Before you get famous, maybe you need to make me another piece.”
She squints her eyes. “No way. It would lose its sentimental value.”
Maybe she’s right.
I look down at the small anchor dotted along one side of the bead. If she only knew how much this one tiny bead means to me.
She made it with the decorative anchor for my love of boats, but I wear it every day because I feel anchored to her in ways I’ll never be able to understand myself.
Every morning I take that extra second to be mindful of how lucky I am that my life has turned out so much better than I ever thought imaginable, and Maddie is a huge part of that.
“You okay?” Maddie scoots over and positions herself between my legs with her back to my chest.
My arms instinctively wrap around her bare stomach, pulling her in closer.