Family Baggage
Maddox
All the time.
I hadn't been joking. For months, Delaney had been on my mind. I couldn't explain it. I only knew that during our brief time in Chicago, I'd felt at ease in a way like never before – right until she'd looked at me like I was some kind of monster.
That had felt all too familiar.
But that was my fault, not hers. And now, I was happy as hell to get the chance to make it up to her.
When I was with her, I felt like somebody else – somebody better, without all the family baggage.
And when she smiled – really smiled – it was damn near impossible not to smile back.
But here on the plane, her smile faded as she glanced toward the window and asked, "What if they're not happy to see me?"
"Ryder and Tessa? If I know Ryder, he'll be thrilled. And hey, Tessa's your sister."
"So?"
"So, it should be a good surprise, right?"
At least, Tessa should be happy. And yet, I couldn't help but recall how happy my own family was whenever I showed up. Sure, they always wanted me there – right until I did something they hated, like toss a lecherous drunk out on his ass.
In the seat next to me, Delaney said in a quiet voice, "Actually, I didn't mean Ryder and Tessa. I meant Tessa and Maisie."
Maisie. Her former best friend.
During the flight, Delaney had mentioned her friend a couple of times, saying that Maisie was the reason she'd spent so much time on the island.
Apparently, they'd become best friends in college – a fact that had remained constant until early last year, when Delaney had pulled back out of concern for her friend.
No wonder Delaney was nervous.
From Ryder, I knew that Tessa and Maisie were now thick as thieves. And with Maisie dating Griff, everything had fallen neatly into place – for the four of them at least.
It suddenly struck me that Tessa and Maisie getting so tight might be an adjustment for Delaney. Absently, I tried to imagine Alexander becoming close with Ryder.
Or even Griff.
Yeah, right.
My brother had a lot of fine qualities, but there was no way he'd ever hang with either of those guys. Sure, both of them had plenty of money, but they were still rough around the edges – which made them perfect friends for me.
With them, if I tossed out a troublesome drunk, they'd probably applaud. Or help.
My mother would've called them uncivilized while questioning their pedigrees, which she surely would've found lacking.
Then again, she'd tried to pair me off with Sloane, whose money was so new, the ink was practically wet.
Sloane. By now, she'd been missing for over ten days. In the beginning, I'd been absolutely certain the whole thing was a scam – some twisted PR stunt to boost sales of her book.
But now, with every passing day, doubt was starting to creep in at the edges. Whenever that happened, I reminded myself that there was no way on Earth Sloane Hayworth would go missing within miles of where my dad had drowned decades ago.
It was just too damn convenient.
Yes, it made for one hell of a story.
But I didn't believe in coincidences.
Deliberately, I pushed Sloane out of my mind and turned once again to face Delaney. The plane was moments away from touching down, and I still hadn't replied to what she'd said about the possibility of Maisie and Tessa not being happy to see her.
As the wheels hit the pavement, I reached for Delaney's hand. "You know what?"
She was looking a little pale. "What?"
"Everyone will be thrilled."
From the look in her eyes, she wasn't so sure. "But what if they're not?"
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Then it's their loss, not yours."