Chapter 15 #2
“I’m not going to calm down. Would you give up Juliette?” I ask Harrison about his wife, whom he’s head over heels in love with.
He drops his head and shakes it side to side.
“I didn’t think so, so don’t expect me to move on when I’ve had over a decade longer to love Maddie.” I wipe an angry tear that falls. “Don’t you get it? This is it for me. I’d rather be alone the rest of my life than live a lie with someone else.”
“You can’t be serious,” Seb mutters.
“Without Maddie, I will never be whole again. The void is too big to ever fill. This is my penance for my mistake…loving her from afar.”
Leo crouches in front of me, shaking his head. “Not going to happen. Timing has never been on your side, but we will fix this. I’m going to fix this. Tell me what to do.”
I reach for Harrison’s drink and take a large gulp. “What could be done?”
“You stop the fucking engagement,” Harrison suggests.
“Or,” Leo cuts in, “you finally get your chance to explain. You make it so she has no other choice. Remind her how much you love her.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing for all these years, Leo?”
He pushes me in the chest. “No, stupid. You won’t do anything, let me do this for you. I’ll get her here and make it so she can’t resist.”
“And how will you do that?”
He grins, eyes lighting up. “I offer her a job at M-Squared that she can’t turn down. I’ve always wanted her to work with us. She’s brilliant.”
“She’s perfect in every way.”
“Whatever you say,” Leo chuckles, stands to help me up, then brings me in for a bear hug.
I glance between my brothers, and fuck, I love these guys.
It doesn’t matter that Seb hasn’t said much; he rarely does, too much in his own head. But him being here by my side is enough.
Harrison, a grumpy pain in the ass on the outside, but on the inside has the softest heart, and Leo, my best friend, is the funniest fucker between us all, but when it comes down to it, I can rely on him for anything because he’ll always have my back.
I couldn’t imagine a better family if I asked for one.
But getting Maddie back and making her mine again would be the only thing to make my family complete.
Maddie
“You’re all packed up.” Addie flops back onto my bed in an exaggerated manner. “NYC, here we come.”
I sigh happily, falling backward next to her. “I’m finally doing it.”
My eyes drift around my now-empty Atlanta studio apartment, letting reality sink in. The timeline might’ve been off, but the dream I chased for years is finally happening.
I’m moving to New York City, and just the thought makes my insides flutter with excitement. A small part of me wishes I’d made this move in my twenties, but honestly, I think I appreciate it more now. I’ve worked my butt off and earned a job among the very best.
“Yeah. Finally. I thought I’d be old and gray by the time you got your act together.”
I pick up a strand of her hair. “Hmm. I think I see a gray or two already.”
“Oh screw off.” She swats my hand away, then sits up abruptly. “If I lie down any longer, I’ll be out like a light.”
“We can leave in the morning,” I suggest.
I’ve hired a moving company to move most of my belongings to Mase’s penthouse, where I’ll be staying for now, but Addie and I are driving up my more fragile possessions that I wouldn’t trust with strangers.
“Nah. We should leave soon and see how far we get. Aim for Richmond, Virginia. If not, at least Charlotte.”
“Sounds good.” I follow her lead and stand to do one more walk-through.
“Where’s the tape? The box of your glass-making material isn’t secure enough.”
“Here.” I pass it to her. “Oh, forgot to tell you I found an art studio near the office where I can rent time to make my pieces.”
“That’s good. But I think it’s time you invest in your own studio. It’s not like you can’t afford it.”
“How would I explain it to everyone?”
“Why do you need to explain anything? And why are you still hiding this? You’re practically famous.”
“Maybe one day I’ll go public. But I’m not ready to expose myself.”
I bend to tie my shoes, smirking as the full weight of my secret life flickers through my mind.
Over the years, I’ve perfected the craft of glassblowing, even venturing into lampwork using a torch to manipulate the glass. Eventually, I added kiln casting to the mix, where I design and sculpt my own molds and pour molten glass into them.
This technique unlocked a new level of creativity for me, and my love for the art has grown exponentially.
I’ve expanded my craft from jewelry making into sculptures, and I’ve become more addicted than ever.
Two years ago, Mase saw a piece and asked if I wanted to donate it to his team’s charity auction. I said yes, of course, on the condition that my name wasn’t attached, so on the spot I made up an alias—Cherry, one word.
The meaning, we’ll pretend, is not significant.
The piece raised over four hundred thousand dollars at auction. Since that night, “Cherry” has become an elusive artist people are obsessed with learning more about.
My pieces are sold for tens of thousands of dollars, and my social media following is in the millions.
The only person who knows about any of this is Addie.
Mase and Mama don’t follow art, so they’re completely in the dark. I’m incognito, and it feels exhilarating to have this secret life.
“So are you ready for Monday? You’ll be okay working at M-Squared?”
I nod confidently. “I’m a professional, and working beside Leo is a dream job.”
“And what about Nate? The one whose name you keep avoiding saying.”
“Leo assures me he’ll be in the London office for the first few weeks and that I won’t have to work with him. I barely ever saw upper management unless on a project with them while working here in Georgia.”
“Oookay.”
“What does that mean?” I narrow my eyes, mimicking her words in her drawn-out tone. “Oookay.”
“You worked for a global company with thousands of employees. Of course you didn’t see your bosses. M-Squared is a boutique firm. Why are you pretending that won’t change?”
“Have you ever heard of denial?” I arch a sarcastic brow.
“What else am I supposed to do? I don’t want to acknowledge what I’m walking into, because there’s no other option.
I’m an adult who has to face her past. I’ll get over it, because if I don’t, I’d be turning down a dream position as a senior architect. In my dream city.”
She hums, unconvinced. “And what about Corey?”
“What about him?” My eyes are drawn to the small table in the corner of the room, where the light shines down on the diamond ring, illuminating the wall.
It’s gaudy and big enough for a queen. Except a queen would never wear something so ostentatious.
“Hmm, I don’t know? You just got engaged, and now you’re leaving for New York. He’s cool with this?”
I’m two-for-two in the denial department. But right now, my only focus is my new, more prestigious job position. I can’t afford to think about anything else.
“He’ll visit, and I will go home often. It’s Atlanta, not Africa.”
She gives me a skeptical look but keeps her mouth shut as she continues to pack the rest of her belongings into her duffel bag.
“Why are you giving me the silent treatment?” I finally ask.
“It’s not my business.”
“Since when?” I narrow my eyes. “Spill, or this sixteen-hour road trip is going to get real awkward.”
She drops her bag and turns to face me fully. “Can you do me a favor and explain what you’re doing in life? Because I don’t get it, Maddie.”
“I-I…” I don’t have the words, shocked at her tone. So I stand staring at her, just as confused.
“Fine, if you don’t know the answer to that, then at least tell me why the hell you said yes to Corey when he proposed. We both know you have no business being engaged to him. Just last month, you were considering ending it.”
I throw my hands up. “He asked in front of everyone. Mama was thrilled, and his parents were crying. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, Ads.”
“You say no, Maddie Grace. You fucking say no.”
“It’s not that simple.” My voice rises in frustration.
Like saying no didn’t cross my mind, but Corey has a way about him that makes it easy to forget reality.
“You have to tell him you can’t do this.” Addie’s voice is urgent. “You can’t marry him, Madeline.”
“Adelaide…”
“Maddie Grace Wadsworth…sounds fucking terrible.”
God, it really does.
“I wouldn’t take his last name. I’d keep Cunningham.”
She mumbles something under her breath.
“What was that?”
She straightens toward me, her eyes holding mine. “I said, Davenport sounds a lot better.”
“Don’t go there.”
My heart hammers against my chest…and guilt eats me alive.
Why am I guilty?
Because if I were marrying Nate, I wouldn’t hesitate to take his last name.
I’d be proud to be a Davenport.
She crosses her arms, annoyed. “No. Don’t you. I’m so tired sitting back waiting for you to get your head out of your ass.”
I freeze. Now she’s crossing the line. “Excuse me?”
“You get one love like yours and Nate’s. It’s once in a lifetime, and you’re throwing it away for fucking Corey because you’re too stubborn to forgive Nate.”
My lip quivers at the weight of her words. “Why are you being like this?”
She sighs, taking me in her arms for a hug.
“Because I love you. And sometimes, tough love is the only way things get through to you. I’m worried you’re making a mistake.
I’ll drop it for now if you promise me you’ll have a long, hard look at life once you settle in New York.
Don’t live in this denial bullshit you mentioned. You deserve more than this.”
“Promise,” I whisper, and kiss her cheek when I pull back. “Now let’s hit the road, because I’m starving and you promised me a Taco Bell pit stop.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
I glance around, then snatch my cherry lip balm off the dresser.
“Not that! Oh. My. God. I can’t with you.”
I roll my eyes. “Then what?”
She grabs the engagement ring off the table and slams it into my hand. “This!”
Oh.