Page 49 of False Start

But if that was the case… then why did she ask?

I couldn’t explain it, but it put all my senses on edge. It made me want to get her alone to talk, made me want to drag up that dark memory that clearly still hung over both of us.

It also made me suspicious.

Because all this time, I’d thought she’d turned her back on me.

But she asked whyI’dleft, as if it hadn’t been her to do so first.

And suddenly, all I could think was that I didn’t trust my parents. I never had.

And I was analyzing every detail of that day under a magnifying glass, looking for new clues.

When I turned back to face Madelyn, I held her gaze, as if I could look through those eyes and find the truth. “Once we get checked in, you can go nap, if you’d like,” I offered.

She chuckled. “Oh, God. I haven’t napped in years.”

“Really?” I smiled a little. “You used to love naps. And you’d wake up from them and immediately start writing, like your dreams would fade if you didn’t capture them right away.”

“No time to nap when you have a kid,” she said, looking down at her feet.

I tilted her chin up with my knuckles. “Hey, Sebastian is with your mom. He’s good. Andyouhave permission to relax this weekend.”

Madelyn’s eyes searched mine, a soft line appearing between them. Then, that gaze slid behind me, and she smiled a bit.

“I have a feeling there won’t be anyrelaxinghappening,” she said.

And before I could reply, I was tackled from behind, barely catching the heavy sonofabitch who mounted my back and clung onto my shoulders.

“Aw, shit! The party has arrived!”

I recognized Leo’s voice before I even shrugged him off me to confirm it. His feet had barely hit the ground before he hit me with a fierce hug, both of us clapping each other hard on the back.

“Damn, what are they feeding you up there in Washington?” he asked when we pulled back, punching my pec. “You’re almost as buff as me.”

“Please,” I scoffed. “I’ve always been bigger than you and you damn well know it.”

“Eh, depends on what we’re talking about,” he said with a salacious wink, and I rolled my eyes before pulling him under my arm and ruffling his hair like he was my kid brother. The motherfucker loved to brag about the size of his dick — one he let sling between his legs like a proud bull when we were in the locker rooms at NBU.

To be clear, I was just as cocksure and had no shame when it came to being naked. I was packing and proud.

But Leo Hernandez was a fucking freak of nature.

“No, really, it’s good to see you, man,” he said when I released him, and then his eyes slid to Madelyn, and both of his eyebrows inched up into his thick hairline.

He glanced at me, then back at her, and then shoved me out of the way.

“Excuse this rude motherfucker,” he said, extending his hand for hers. “I’m Leo.”

“Madelyn,” she said, taking his hand.

“Nice to meet you. Blink twice if you’re in danger or being held against your will.”

Madelyn smiled a bit at that, and I ground my teeth, gritting out a smile of my own.

It was a joke. This was what wedid. We razzed each other practically nonstop.

But fuck, I was tired of being the butt of this particular joke.