Page 25

I just missed Ace’s call, but I don’t want to hear how fun the fucking party is. I don’t want to hear about Matt hitting on Maddie. I don’t want to hear Knox in the background telling me how happy Maddie is without me around. I don’t want to hear any of it.

Which is why I’ve driven almost three hours to get to this party. I’m sitting outside of the house inside of my truck, psyching myself out. There are too many vehicles here, and I don’t want to make a scene because truthfully, I have no idea what’s going on in there. I’ve barely spoken to Maddie. The entire three hours of driving had me overthinking and wondering if I should turn around and head back home. And I almost did about twenty different times. But I’ve reached the destination, and all I need to do is walk into the fucking house.

Get your two feet out of this truck. Get your ass off of this seat. Walk to the front door and fucking open it.

When I do, it’s not quite like the college parties I’m used to. There are little humans running around with men and women happily watching them. The conversations fill the air more than the music does. There are no keg stands, no beer pong, and no drunks jumping into the jacuzzi. It’s mellow. It feels like a family party.

I’m only a few hours late, but the food is almost gone. There’s not a piece of trash in sight. Everyone is being respectful in this Wilder household, and I dig it.

Ryan greets me as I shut the front door behind me.

“What’s up, Cress? I’m glad you made it. There’s food over there. Honey Badgers are in the back. You can introduce yourself to some of the guys.” Ryan pats my chest, and my heart is fucking racing because this encounter is the complete opposite of our last talk. I thank him and he smiles. “Between you and I, Cress, Maddie told me everything. Just do the girl a favor and don’t mess with her heart.”

I observe him. Beer in hand, happy as can be, clean and cut, and too fucking nice of a man like always. He’s easily the nicest guy I’ve ever met.

“Tell her how you feel. She’s convinced right now that you’re not coming. You know what? Go down the hall, second door to the left. I’ll have her meet you in there. Go.”

I do as he says, keeping my eyes peeled to see where she is, who she’s talking to, what she’s doing. I don’t see her, but I catch a quick glimpse of Matt in the backyard with Harvey.

I step into the quiet room and notice her bag is in here along with a few others. I steal a glance through the blinds and wait a few minutes standing around. My heart’s fucking racing. I don’t know what to do with my hands, or my body. It suddenly feels hot in here. I’m just standing around because Ryan told me too, and if he said Maddie told him everything, what the fuck does that mean? Like everything ?

I hear voices down the hallway. “What is it, Ryan? You’re stealing me away from the party right when I was starting to have fun. This better be good.”

Maddie opens the door, and my heart stops beating. She’s not even looking at me yet, but the color of her hair throws me for a loop. Maddie in brown hair is shockingly gorgeous, and not that she wasn’t before, but I see every bit of her face in a new way. Her cheekbones are high, her nose is perfectly pointy, and her lips are full. But hell, her eyes. They widen when they spot me across the room. I’m stunned by how different she looks, so nothing comes out of my mouth. Not even a simple hi . I’m in shock.

She pushes Ryan, whisper yelling at him. He forces her shoulders into the room that she clearly doesn’t want to be in.

Ryan peeps his head in and says, “Keep it PG.”

I nod and wave as he shuts the door behind her. She turns to it and hits it. She grunts and then slowly turns to me.

“I’m not tying you up and starving you,” I mutter, staring at her face that is fucking beyond gorgeous with brown hair. Is it the contrast? “I promise.”

She is too quiet, and it’s making me nervous.

“You came,” she finally says. And I nod, watching her carefully.

“Your hair. It – uh, looks really good.”

“Do you like it?” she asks, grabbing it.

“Do you?” I ask because I feel like this is a trick question. I don’t think she knows how beautiful she is if she’s asking that question.

She nods. “Yeah, I look grown. And it brings out my eyes.”

I nod, staring straight into her eyes. “It definitely does. And you’ve always looked grown .”

“Okay,” she jokes. “Pick up your jaw now.”

I touch my jaw to make sure it’s not on the floor.

“Tell me why you’re here. Did my brother put you up to this?” She points at me, vividly suspicious.

I shake my head. “I came willingly. It was my own idea.”

“Why didn’t you answer Ace’s call?”

I laugh. “You were calling me from Ace’s phone?”

“Maybe,” she smiles.

“I didn’t want to hear about the party, so I didn’t answer. But how is it?” Our eyes connect, and my heart is still hammering in my fucking chest. I am doing all that I can to not visualize my fingers in her hair and on her hips. “The party?”

“The record was set straight, thanks to Ace. He’s a good one to have on your side. Crew mentioned last night about Poppy, you, and the stairs. Not in that order. But it definitely made me think our text messages. You know… the one about our deal being broken.”

I stare at her, unable to find words.

She continues, “Matt reiterated that same story. But Ace was there and thank God he was because he knows you the best. I had to tell Matt that I’m completely done. Again. And it’s so ridiculous because Crew was asking me why didn’t I just tell Matt that in the first place. Nobody seems to believe that I’ve told the guy a million times and he keeps trying. And then I’m overthinking about you and Poppy because, like I said, our text messages. I don’t come home for one night and you’re so quick to run out and get laid. So, what actually did happen with you, Poppy, and the stairs?”

She’s nervous. Her hand gestures are all over the place. I think I hear her voice tremble. And the rambling. It’s cute as can be. Too bad it’s about a rumor.

“Do you care if something happened with Poppy?” I ask, needing to know where she stands with this.

She inhales and her shoulders tense. That’s all the confirmation I need to know that she does care. But for one reason or another, it’s not enough. I need to hear her admit it.

“I care about the truth.” She nods, happy with that answer.

I plant my feet where I am, even though I am so fucking tempted to walk over to her and brush my fingers through her beautiful hair out of her face.

“You think I broke the deal we had?” I ask.

She licks her lips, and I wish she wouldn’t. I stare at them, needing to know what her pretty mouth is about to say.

“I think I broke the deal, and you felt free.”

I scoff, not meaning to. I probably look like an asshole. But she thinks she set me free? It’s been quite the fucking opposite. I’ve been torn in a way I’ve never been before when she ghosted me. I say, “We had a good time the night before, and then you disappeared on me. What happened?”

“My eyebrow lady was sick with the flu, and then I had to take the only open option, which happened to be someone from campus, so she was very inexperienced. I looked like I had two tattoos for eyebrows, and I could not let you see me like that.”

I look at her eyebrows now and she covers them with both of her palms.

“Why?” I ask with a smile. “Why couldn’t you let me see you with two black eyebrows?”

She’s turning red. “Because… it looked so bad. I have pictures of what they looked like at first. It was worse than they are now, but I don’t want to show you the pictures. I’ve been scrubbing them every day and night to lighten them. It has finally lightened.”

“Okay, so you kept ghosting me because of your eyebrows?”

She huffs in frustration. “I heard you hooked up with Poppy. I can’t freaking compete with Poppy, are you kidding me? Her hazel eyes are so pretty and the makeup she does. She’s really good at it. Maybe she would make a good brow artist. And plus, the cool clothes that look so good on her. I cannot blame you for wanting someone like her.”

I gulp down my pride before it stops me from what I’m about to say.

Instead, she keeps rambling, “And it’s fine, you know, if you actually did sleep with her last night because I know you’ve said a dozen times that you would never have sex with me. You probably needed that because I’m not someone you’re into, so –”

“Wait, wait,” I cut her off, and she’s dead silent staring at me with big eyes. “Before you go on. I did not sleep with Poppy.”

She exhales. “Okay.” She nods. “I figured that because of what Ace said earlier. But you had me questioning it again. Don’t do that to me.”

“We didn’t do anything. I took her upstairs to tell her that I won’t be hooking up with her anymore.” I nod. “She flipped out on me. I left the party because I couldn’t be there anymore. Truthfully, I thought you were done with me, and I thought I could –” I pause, staring at the ground.

She shrugs. “What?”

I sigh. “I thought I could hook up with someone to try to forget you. But I couldn’t do it. When Poppy threw herself all over me, I fucking took her upstairs to get her to stop. I didn’t want her causing a scene and making a fool of herself in front of the entire party.”

Maddie nods like she understands. The room falls silent as our eyes connect.

“What did you say before?” Maddie asks. “You wanted to forget me?”

“Did I say that?” I question, wondering what the hell I said to make her think I implied that. “I didn’t mean that I wanted to forget you, no. I meant it like I couldn’t shake what I felt. Poppy sat on my lap or whatever the fuck she did, and I realized right then and there, it wasn’t you. I desperately wanted it to be you.”

She smiles shyly. “Really?”

I nod. “You ghosted me,” I smirk. “Remember? And now you have brown hair. And your brother is being nice to me. It’s like I don’t even know who you are right now.”

She smiles brightly. And she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. How can she be so fucking perfect to me in so many ways? I don’t fucking get it. My heart is pounding because I have no idea what she’s thinking. I wish she would tell me everything she’s thinking.

“So,” I say, stepping closer to her. This makes her smile drop. “I’m going to ask you,” I take another step and another. “Again. Why did you ghost me?” I stop until I’m inches from her face. She peers up at me as I brush her hair from her beautiful face. “Hm?” I lick my lips as I look down at her mouth. “Is it because I asked you if you liked me?”

Her eyes flutter for a moment, and it’s endearing to see my effect on her.

“Madison Wilder,” I mutter. “If you don’t answer me…” I can’t even finish that sentence because all my threats will be empty. She can have every part of me. But if she tells me that she doesn’t want this, then I’ll have no choice but to leave her alone.

“What?” she breathes, observing my face.

I whisper, “I’ll have to start phase two and tie you up.”

She giggles softly with shaking shoulders. And then she covers her mouth to hide the obnoxious laugh I know is coming.

“And not let you go, but I’ll still feed you.”

“Okay, that’s good.”

I sigh. “Why are you ignoring the question?”