Page 85 of Between Regrets and Promises (Between Us Trilogy #2)

Sophie tenses.

“Wait, are you two not together?” Aunt Sylvia’s eyes ping-pong between us. “I know you said you’re roommates, but…I’m not blind.” She snickers, and it grows awkward.

“It’s a technicality right now,” I explain and silence her with a hug and thanks for dinner. Sophie repeats my words as Aunt Sylvia hugs her next. The two of us climb in and wave as I back the truck out.

“What?” I ask with a laugh after watching Sophie grin the past fifteen minutes.

“Nothing,” she singsongs.

“Oh, you’ve got to tell me now.”

She pretends to zip her lips, but a smirk takes over and is replaced with out of control laughter. “You wanted to be a ballerina.”

“I was five!” I exclaim.

“Maddie is gonna lose her shit.”

“You better not tell her. Soph,” I playfully warn.

She shrugs. “We’ll see.”

We pull into the driveway, and I’m thrilled to see Sophie in high spirits. The past few times we’ve gone out have given me hope that things will eventually go back to how they used to be.

“Thanks for taking me with you,” she says, carrying our food as we walk toward the house.

“I wouldn’t have gone without you,” I admit, and time freezes for a moment. The only thing that pulls us away is the sound of laughter on the other side of the door.

“Is that…”

“Maddie.”

Both confused, we walk inside and find her and Liam playing cards on the couch. By the sounds of it, she’s kicking his ass.

“What the hell?” I ask. “What’re you doing here?”

Maddie glares at me, then smiles at Sophie. “You brought me dinner?”

Sophie narrows her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Standing, Maddie comes over and grabs the containers from Sophie’s hands, then goes to the kitchen and returns with a fork, already eating from the Tupperware. Manners? I’m not sure she has any. “This is delicious!” she says loudly.

“You should share that,” Liam whines. “Aunt Sylvia may be a weirdo, but she’s a damn good cook.” He holds out his hand, waiting for Maddie to share. Instead, she pulls it away from him.

“I was bored sitting in my dorm, so I came over to visit, but then realized you two lovebirds weren’t home, so Liam let me in, and we’ve been hanging out while I waited for Soph.”

I arch a brow at Liam as Sophie takes the other container into the kitchen.

He shrugs helplessly. “I couldn’t tell her to go away. Her ride had already driven off.”

“Mmhmm.” I doubt he’s been hating it either.

“It’s the truth,” he snaps when Sophie walks back in, and she’s smirking at the way Liam’s all flustered over Maddie. I grab a beer from the fridge, and Liam follows.

Liam crosses his arms with a glare. “I don’t know why everyone has something to say about me being nice to her. Better than being a dick and treating her the way you used to treat Sophie.”

I glare at him. “Yeah, well. I actually liked Sophie. What’s your excuse?” Popping a brow, I dare him to admit he likes her, but he shakes his head and heads back into the living room. When I walk behind him, I notice Maddie purposely puts her legs up on his lap after he sits down next to her.

“This is everything,” she says with her mouth full. Yep, she’s officially disgusting.

Sophie sits in the recliner. “So. How’s the millionaire quest going?”

Maddie shrugs. “Still working on the listing. I ordered a new bikini for some new photos. Then I’ll work on my sales pitch, which they probably won’t read once they click through my photos.”

I snicker at her humility. “Want me to take the pictures for you? I do take them for my job and all.” Granted, they’re for crime scenes, but still.

“Don’t encourage her,” Sophie scolds, but she knows Maddie’s stunt is all an act.

I look at Liam, who tenses as Maddie talks about selling her virginity nonchalantly like it’s an antique piece of furniture she can sell for top dollar.

“Well, you have to go on dates if you want to find someone.”

Maddie snorts and straightens, putting her feet underneath her.

“I have! I’ve gone on a handful of them, and they’ve all ended badly the moment I don’t let them hit a home run.

It’s all fun and games until I tell them no.

Plus, most of them wouldn’t know how to treat a woman right even if it was spelled out for them.

I’m not trying to get taken advantage of by some idiot who can’t spell Mississippi.

This way, I can be in charge of my own body, and it will strictly be a cash transaction.

No feelings, no dates, no disappointments. ”

Liam tenses and I wonder if it’s because Maddie’s never discussed dating anyone.

Maddie continues, “I nearly castrated one guy who didn’t understand that no meant no. I’m not kidding. I’ve never pulled a knife off a counter so quickly. I wasn’t afraid to use it either.” She holds her hand up like she’s about to shank someone.

Sophie looks horrified.

“Oh, the stories I could tell,” Maddie goes on between taking bites . “One douchebag thought he could get me drunk, but I didn’t take a sip of anything he offered because I had a feeling he was trying to drug me, which he was .”

“You’re not dating the right kind of guys,” Liam interjects. I can tell he’s pissed, but hell, so am I.

Maddie turns toward him with an eyebrow popped and a fork in her mouth. “So what kind of guys should I be dating? Strong bounty hunter bad-boy types?” She puckers her lips, daring him to argue.

Maddie’s a firecracker and gives zero fucks about being blunt. She’ll cross boundaries anytime she feels like it, which is why shit’s always interesting when she’s around.

He shakes his head, then stands. “I’m done with this conversation. I’m going to bed. Night.”

With a pout, Maddie tells him good night. Once he’s out of sight, she looks at Sophie. “Think I pushed him too far?”

I chuckle. “I think you did.”

“Do you want a ride home?” Sophie asks, yawning.

“No, I was thinking I’d stay. You’re a bed hog, so I’ll sleep out here. You have an extra pillow and blanket?” She teases, but she’s not joking when she stretches her long legs out until her feet touch me. I look down at them and am terrified. They’re what nightmares are made from.

“What? You’ve never seen a ballerina’s feet before?” Maddie giggles, wiggling her toes and trying to touch me with them. “Man, these springs might kill my back. Think I could share Liam’s bed with him?”

Sophie stands, shaking her head. “Oh my God. Bad idea,” she tells her before going to her room to grab an extra pillow and blankets.

“You’re pushy as hell,” I scold Maddie.

She shrugs. “Gotta be, especially when he treats me like I’m his little sister.”

“You kinda are.”

“I am not . You all treat me like I’m a child when I’m a grown ass woman. Just because you’re a few years older than I am doesn’t mean anything. Age is just a number, and neither of you guys knows what I’ve been through.”

I can tell she’s getting upset, and I give her a soft smile.

“We’re just in a different place in our lives than you, Mads.

He’s five years older and has a tough and demanding career.

He’s been through a lot too, and relationships aren’t easy for him.

You’re still in college. Your age doesn’t discredit anything, but you have to realize where Liam is in his life right now.

I mean, what do you expect, to get married before your twenty-first birthday? ”

Sophie returns and notices Maddie’s expression, then hands her everything.

“I don’t expect wedding bells. Just a chance and not to be treated like a kid. To be looked at like the woman I am.”

“You’ll always be my little sister. You’ve still got a lot to learn about relationships,” Sophie says, sitting on the couch next to her.

“I know,” she says, then looks at me. “Sorry. I’m just sexually frustrated.”

I burst out into laughter. “Aren’t we all?”

Sophie tenses, and I take it as my opportunity to leave them to chat. As I’m climbing the stairs, she talks to Maddie and I freeze.

“You don’t need to rush into anything. Seriously, one of the biggest mistakes I made in my life was rushing into a relationship.

Let everything happen organically, and if it’s meant to be, it will happen.

I promise you,” Sophie says so sweetly and patiently.

“You’ll find a nice guy, someone who treats you right, and when you meet him, you’ll know he’s the one without a doubt. ”

It goes quiet for a second, then Maddie speaks up. “I knew the moment I met Liam.”

And not even I can argue with that because when you know, you know.

Just as I know Sophie’s the one for me.