Chapter 3
Chapter Three
EVIE
"Just go ask him, Eves," Lou whines from her spot at the table.
Lou and I have been trying to fix the water heater unsuccessfully since this morning, and we're both exhausted. Both of us know absolutely nothing about water heaters and twenty DIY videos later we still know nothing. Although Joe is going to kill me for not telling her, I couldn't burden the woman with anything else. She has already insisted I rent the place for peanuts.
The boys have gone to Joe’s for the night, something she did at least once a month to give me a "breather." I refused until they begged me to go one night, and looking at those big hopeful eyes, I couldn't refuse. I didn't sleep a wink worrying about them, waiting for the call something horrible had happened, but it never came. Finally, after their fourth overnight stay, I settled down and slept a few hours.
"Evie", my best friend groans. "Vic isn't home, my back hurts, and we're both exhausted. Just ask the damn man! Put on the most innocent smile you can and say, 'Please, Maddick, come clean out my pipes,'" she says, twirling a lock of pale blonde hair around her finger.
"It's the water heater, not the pipes, and Bash called him that to his face last week Lou!"
Lou begins laughing so hard that tears come down her face. "I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that!"
Putting my hands on my hips, I cut my eyes at her. "I bet you would."
Lou stops laughing immediately, causing me to laugh. The heifer can dish it out but can’t take it. "What is it? Cat got your tongue?"
She smiles solemnly like it's the best and worst thing she's ever heard. "You know that's what my daddy would say to me? Because, believe it or not, I wasn’t always the charming bitch you know and love today. I was once quiet as a mouse."
It breaks my heart to see my strong friend looking so glum. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, giving her a tight hug. Sometimes words aren't needed. Joe taught me it's better to lend comfort with actions than words because when you lose someone you love, it’s the nastiest form of torture to your heart, and nobody wants some jackass in their face offering empty words.
"Okay. Fine," I tell Lou as I pat her hair. "I'll go ask moody ass Clark Kent to come to clean out my pipes, but I'll have you know he better have a huge wrench, or I'll be highly disappointed."
Pulling out of my embrace, she smiles at me. "It's a snake—plumber's snake pipes to clean them out."
"Tomato, potato."
Before Lou can notice the tremble in my hands, I stalk out the back door. She doesn’t need to know how much the man both terrifies and intrigues me. She'd worry and she already does enough of that.
While crossing the yard to Maddox's house, my stomach clenches with nerves. Taking a deep breath, I raise my hand and knock twice. The front door swings open and there stands a shirtless man with golden blonde hair and olive skin. The smile on his face is natural and he easily looks like the love child of Matthew McConaughey and Farrah Fawcett.
"Well, hello, beautiful," he says, propping an arm on the door jam and the other on his hip.
"Is Maddox here?" I ask, nervously fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, slowly edging back getting ready to bolt at any minute.
"No, but Mercy is."
"Who?"
"Me, baby." He winks at me, "I'm Mercy. Mercy Wilder."
I can't help the smile that slowly spreads across my face. While Mercy didn't possess Maddox's electrifying pull, I can tell the man standing before me is a force all his own.
Taking a deep breath, I tuck my hair behind my ear. "I'm Evie, Maddox's neighbor."
"Honey, if you were my neighbor, I'd be licking sugar off you all the time," he says looking me up and down with sensual brown eyes.
My face, I'm sure, resembles a tomato. "Don't you mean borrowing some sugar?" I chuckle nervously at him.
"No, licking is definitely what I meant." For some insane reason, I find myself at ease in this flirty man's presence and not on the edge of having one of my episodes.
“MERCY!”
The loud bellow startles me, making me jump back into Mercy. "Are you okay, Sugar?" Mercy asks his voice full of concern.
Looking down at the end of the short driveway, I see Maddox glaring my way. His arms are crossed, his jaw is clenched, and his eyes are blazing with anger. It’s clear he’s not happy to see me here, and he's not making any effort to hide it. I involuntarily take a step back into Mercy again.
“Sugar?" Mercy’s question makes me realizes I’m standing flush with the man. My ass is notched right at his crotch.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Maddox barks while stomping up to the porch.
"I—just leaving." Stepping away from Mercy, I sidestep Maddox's looming figure giving us a wide berth, and hurry to put as much distance as possible between us.
"Hey, sugar, hold on a second." Mercy appears beside me as soon as I reach my mailbox. "My apologies about the jackass. My mama insists we're brothers, but I’m only sure of that twenty percent of the time.”
"That prickly jackass doesn't scare me," I say a little too quickly, which causes the man before me to raise an eyebrow. "I just needed help with something that he offered to help with last night," I say, throwing my hand in Maddox's direction.
He looks over his shoulder at his brother, a look I can’t quite decipher crosses his face before turning back to me. "You need something?" He smirks at me. "I'm at your mercy."
I can't help but laugh. This man and his flirtatious nature instantly lift my mood. I've smiled more in his presence than I have all year. Screw it. Twirling a lock of hair around my finger, I give him my most innocent look. "Can you come clean out my pipes?".
Mercy throws his head back, laughing, his olive throat working up and down. "Oh sugar, we're goin' to get along just fine."
With that we head off to my house, leaving the rugged man to watch us from his porch.
The sun had gone down long ago, but Mercy has just left. Mercy had fixed my sink and was able to fix my washing machine and water heater. There’s no more running out of hot water in five minutes or starting the washing machine with a monkey wrench. He just asked us to jump in the shower and soap each other up as payment, swore he'd be a good boy and keep his hands to himself. Lou threatened to call his mama nipping that in the bud.
As playful as he was, Mercy had a heart of gold. He talked so lovingly about his mama and two older brothers but insisted he was the best-looking. Mercy had a way about him that made you feel like you've known him your whole life. After a while, I could see where he shared Henry's smile and his mama's sweet disposition. Magnolia Wilder was Joe's best friend, although I hadn't seen much of her in the past year, I knew her to be as full of life as her youngest son.
Mercy was passionate about two things: cars and women. He finished his second tour in the military and decided to come home and open an autobody shop in Thunder Ridge, which explains why I had never seen him around town until now.
While he refused any money for everything he fixed, the man didn't turn down a home cooked meal. Mercy didn't have the brawl to his build Maddox did, he was leaner with the body of a swimmer, but the man could eat. Lou and I whipped up a quick dinner while he finished the water heater, and when he was done, the man ate three plates, even taking some to go.
After finishing her beer, Lou says her goodbyes. She has an early morning at the bakery. "I can't believe you asked the poor man-whore to come clean your pipes! Evie Taylor, I knew you were full of fire," Lou says, kissing my cheek goodnight and with one last chuckle, she heads out.
Finally, soaking the screaming ache from my shoulders in a hot bath, I try to unwind. I groan when the insistent knocking on my door pulls me from its warm embrace. I quickly dry off before throwing my night shirt on before heading to the door. Lou is notorious for leaving something wherever she goes, purse, phone, keys. Always something. The knocking turns into full-out pounding.
That should have been my first clue.
"Hold your horses! I'm coming!"
An imposing stoic face and stormy eyes greet me as I open the door. "Well, you're not Lou."
He looks at me up and down, his gaze darkening as he takes me in. I slept in one of Vic’s old navy shirts that hangs to my knees, and I am immediately reminded how thin it is. Maddox clenches his jaw so tight I'm afraid he might crack his teeth. "Where the fuck are your clothes?"
"You asking me or my breasts, Big Guy?"
Maddox blows a frustrated breath out. "Why in the hell are you answering the door like that?"
I mean, he’s not wrong. Should I have answered the door like this? Probably not, but I wasn’t about to admit he is right. A girl has pride. “What are you doing here?" I throw his words from earlier back at him.
Leaning his brooding frame over me, he braces both arms on the doorframe, our faces inches apart. There is a mix of frustration and passion on his handsome face. "I came to apologize for earlier if you'd just fucking let me," he snaps, his expression darkening—the calm before the storm.
A storm I want nothing to do with. Panic settles over me as if someone dumped cold water over my head. What the hell am I doing sitting here challenging this mountain before me? I step back looking down at my feet. "O-okay."
Noticing my retrieval, he raises his eyebrows in confusion. Before he can ask or say anything, I shut the door in his face. Heart pounding, I lean against the door, hearing his heavy steps leave the porch. I let out my breath, willing myself to calm down.
Not every man is him, Evie . I silently whisper to myself over and over until the feeling of dread leaves me.
After the encounter with Maddox last week, I've been on edge. It was just the slap I needed to remind myself about what's important: keeping my boys safe. Safe from that damn devil because I know deep down, he won’t ever stop hunting for me, and I need to be ready when he finally finds us. I can't afford a distraction, especially one as moody and gruff as Maddox Wilder. The rational side of me knows I need to always keep my guard up around him, but the irrational side? Well, she's a crazy bitch whose panties combust in his near presence. I need to keep her on lockdown.
It wasn't tough to ignore him because I had hardly seen the man but a handful of times before our heady moment in my foyer. He just moved back about a year ago and has been devoted to building his gym, The Boxing Den . Vic told me someone had bought the empty house and was moving into the neighborhood over dinner one night and left it at that. Vic was fiercely protective of us and wouldn’t let just anybody move into our neighborhood, so I didn’t feel the need to ask questions.
Maddox, however, would ask questions that I was in no way ready to answer. I buried that part of my life. The only proof I had lived that life were the scars that remained.
“I own you, fucking own you, Petal, and these scars are my proof.”
"Coffee to go."
With a loud yelp, I jump away from the counter, clutching my heart. Lost in my thoughts, I never even heard the man approaching.
Today he's in black running shorts that sit just above the knees showing a peep of his thick muscular thighs, a loose black muscle shirt with The Boxing Den logo printed on it, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses sits on his face—looking every bit of an angry Clark Kent in the flesh.
"W-what?" I stammer.
"Coffee." His stoic expression never wavers, and he doesn't apologize for scaring me.
Unable to take his intense gaze much more, I quickly pour his coffee and sit it on the counter in front of him. He stares between it and my shaking hands. I brace myself, ready for him to bring up the other night, scrambling to come up with a plausible excuse.
"Come to the gym.” Not ask. Demands.
"Why?" I deadpan, expecting him to comment on my weight. Trent made me work out five days a week to keep a somewhat slim figure, and I fucking hated it. Trent prepared all my food. I had a list of what I could and could not eat. I ate the same dinner for years: boiled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes, no dressing allowed.
Whoever the fuck thought to boil a chicken breast and eat it was off their rocker. If I asked for something else, I'd get a belting. If we went to dinner with his friends, I had to tell them I ate a big lunch and was still full. Somedays I only ate breakfast, I'm never going back to that life. I love food and I'll eat what I want, whenever I want, and if you don’t like that you can go fuck yourself.
"For that." He points at my shaking hands.
Slipping my mask in place, I laugh. "Oh, that's nothing! I didn't sleep much last night and am just a little jumpy today."
"Don't do that." The harsh tone of his voice filling the empty diner.
"Do what?" I ask, my voice unsteady as I slowly back away from the hard-edged man and his undeniable allure.
"Try to hide from me," he deadpans, his gaze piercing through me. "You can't hide from me, Evie Taylor, because I fucking see you."
With that he grabs his coffee and storms out of the diner. The man just took the mask I worked years to make and mold to perfection and stomped it into a thousand pieces. Leaving me absolutely rattled.
Maddox's words stayed with me all night. I tossed and turned, turning them all over in my head. If he could see through me so effortlessly, could everyone else? Could everyone see how pathetic I really was? Was it so easy?
"Mama! We’re out of milk!" I hear Bash bellows from the living room. I didn't even realize the little sneak had woken up. I look at my phone. It's after seven o'clock.
While I get up, Charlie pokes his head from the pile of covers on the bed. "It's Saturday, Mama," he says groggily.
"I know, baby. You can sleep a little longer if you want."
Yawning, he disappears back under the covers. The boy loves his sleep, unlike his brother, who never sleeps past seven o'clock, even on weekends. Hearing Bash rummaging in the kitchen, I set off to see what he is in the mood for breakfast.
Walking to the kitchen, I notice a mixing bowl full of cereal, the dog’s bowl full of cereal, and Bash and the dog both standing in front of the open refrigerator as if expecting milk to appear magically.
"Sebastian James, why on earth does the dog have a full bowl of cereal?" I ask while kissing his cheek.
"Well, he told me he was tired of that nasty dog food and wanted some cereal."
"How do you know the dog food is nasty?" I asked him, trying my hardest to stifle a laugh.
"Mellon Collie dared me to try it one time." He looks at the dog as if daring it to tell me a different story. Laughing, I go about making myself some coffee. "How about we head to town and grab some donuts from Sophie’s after the cereal is cleaned up and the dog has his own food for breakfast?"
"YES!" he shouts, hugging me tightly while jumping up and down.
"Go get sleepyhead up, and we'll get ready to go." Flashing a gappy smile, he races off to wake his brother up.
One dozen donuts later, we make our way through the grocery store. After a while, I have this nagging feeling that I'm being watched. I glance over my shoulder eyeing the people around me skeptically. Not noticing anyone suspicious, I make sure the boys both still have a hand on the buggy before continuing my shopping. A few minutes later, it happens again. Without alarming the boys, I ease the taser from its case in my purse and hold it tightly in my hand.
Vic never could talk me into carrying a gun, but a taser I can do. Vic always says tase first and asks no questions because I don't owe anybody shit if they try and come at me.
I love that man and his no-nonsense attitude something fierce.
"Well, if it isn’t my lucky day. I'd ask how you are, but sugar, I know you’re fine." The way the word fine is drug out has me turning to meet the flirty gaze of Mercy Wilder. He's leaning over his buggy on his long arms with a lazy smile on his face. I let go of my taser, breathing out a sigh of relief.
"Hey, Mercy," I say, trying not to sound super relieved. He cocks an eyebrow at me, letting me know he caught it. Damn. Guess he sees through me as well.
"Who you got there with you, sugar?" He nods towards my boys.
"These are my sons, Sebastian and Charlie," I say, giving him a proud smile.
"Who are you?" Charlie asks quietly, sizing up Mercy.
"Mercy Wilder, I'm a new friend of your mama."
Charlie says nothing else and continues to look at Mercy as if he's mold he found growing on a piece of bread
Bash rolls his eyes at his brother. "I'm Bash," he says, sticking his little hand out. My heart swells with pride.
Mercy leans over and shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you both," Mercy says, looking between Bash and Charlie .
Charlie has one blue and one brown eye just like me and is standing with his arms crossed over his chest between Mercy and me.
"You cookin’ anything good tonight, sugar?" he draws in a sugary voice.
"She isn't going to invite your sorry ass for dinner," Maddox says walking up carrying two cases of water on one shoulder, easily not even out of breath.
He's dressed in the same outfit as the other day, which is what I assume he wears when training at his gym. I’d love to run my hand through his thick curly hair that always looks disheveled, but in a sexy way. His corded arms flex with every step he takes, making my mouth water.
I brace myself for whatever Maddox is feeling today, pushing the thought of running my fingers through his hair out of my mind. His stormy gaze locks on me, looking me up and down. He pauses for a second on my thighs, and I note the little flair to his nostrils before he meets my eye.
I’m dressed in cut-off shorts and a Thunder Ridge High T-shirt that I cut the neckline out of when I was pregnant, which puts one shoulder on display. It isn’t the sexiest outfit, but it shows more skin than I usually do. Maddox immediately takes notice his gaze lingering on my exposed collarbone for a brief second before adverting his gaze.
His words run through my head. 'I fucking see you.' Yeah, well, see this big guy.
I look at Mercy, smiling at him. "Dinner will be ready at 6:00 p.m. Hope you like fried chicken."
Mercy flashes me a flirty smile. "Sugar, I’d eat snails if you cooked ‘em.”
"You wouldn't let me pay you for everything the other day, so the least I can do is feed you," I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, Maddox's hot gaze tracking my every move .
"You got to bring something. Mama says you don't show up anywhere empty-handed," Charlie says from beside me.
"That's a good mama you got there," Maddox tells him, his eyes never leaving me. The unexpected compliment brings a genuine smile to my face. I cherish my boys above all else and it’s the first nice thing I think I’ve ever heard the man say.
"Yeah, she is," Charlie says quietly.
"Can I bring my brother?" Mercy asks, pointing at Maddox.
"No!" Bash and Charlie say at the same time.
"Boys," I start, but Mercy gives me a wink and an all-knowing look. "Why not?"
"Because he," Charlie points at Maddox, "cursed at my mama! Twice!"
Mercy's infectious laugh fills the aisle. Before I know it, I'm laughing right along with him. Leave it up to my kid to call out somebody ten times his size. Looking up at Maddox, my laughter dies instantly.
The man is looking down at Charlie with a full-out smile. The scar across his lips takes nothing away from the man when he smiles. It's as if the dark shroud that usually surrounds him dissipates. Something in me shifts just a little seeing the man whose face is generally set in a permanent scowl grinning ear to ear at my baby.
Maddox glances at me, his smile vanishes from his face, and all traces of happiness disappear. Yeah, you may see me, Maddox Wilder, but I see you too.