Page 119 of Between Secrets and Obsession

Maddie

Jesus. Well, now Joel has a visual too.

Liam

Seriously? Keep your phone to yourself, woman.

Maddie

I did! He peeked over and got an eyeful.

Liam

Tell him it’s a guy from your stupid dating app.

Maddie

Don’t worry, I did. Then I explained I was breaking it off because the sex was mediocre. Then the teacher yelled at us for laughing. Oops. See you in 10!

I growl, shaking my head.

When she finally gets in the truck, I pin her with my eyes.

“What?”

“Mediocre?” I arch a brow.

Maddie giggles. “Don’t feel bad, Hulk. Joel says it’s perfectly normal for guys to be nervous and not be able to perform their best sometimes.”

Rolling my eyes, I grunt. “Remind me to thank Joel the next time I see him. With my fist.”

I take Maddie to get some food, but instead of going home afterward, I drive us to a used car dealership. I still have ten grand saved from when I tried to pay back the O’Learys, but now that it’s been forgiven, I can spend it on Maddie.

“What’re we doing?” she asks, glances around.

“Picking out a car for you.” I park my truck, then walk around to her door and open it. “Come on.”

“Wait, what?” She yanks on my hand. “What do you mean?”

“You need a car, baby. I have to go to Vegas next week and won’t be able to drive you around. Plus, I hate that you don’t have a reliable form of transportation. This way, you can drive home between your classes and after work.”

“Liam, I can’t let you do this.”

“Why not?”

“I-I don’t know. It just seems like a big deal.” She stutters over her words.

Maddie and I give each other shit a lot, even still being in a relationship, but the way she’s looking at me now—like I hung the moon for her—gives me the slightest hope that I’m not fucking this whole thing up between us.

I tilt her chin and wink since I can’t kiss her. “Let me do this for you. C’mon.”

She finally agrees and starts browsing. Three test drives and two hours later, Maddie picks out a cherry red Chevy Cruzethat’s perfect for her. I teach her all about theethicalways of buying a car and make sure everything is put in her name.

“What should I tell Sophie?” Maddie asks over the phone.

I’m driving my truck behind her and she’s testing out her car’s Bluetooth.

“What if you tell her I cosigned for a loan and you’re gonna be making the monthly payments on it?”