Page 3 of Trust Me (Rivers Edge #1)

Avery

There is something about those intoxicating chocolate-brown eyes.

Every time I come face-to-face with Maddox Jackson I want to confess all my secrets.

His eyes are his best feature. And that’s saying a lot, considering the rest of him is perfection.

Maddox is almost as tall as Jake; I’d guess six foot two.

His coal-black hair is just long enough on the top to run your fingers through.

His shoulders are broad, his body is hard and chiseled, and his smile is panty-wetting sinful.

As he walks away toward the restroom, I glance down at his perfect rear fit snugly into a pair of worn Levi’s.

I almost audibly sigh until I remember I’m standing with Jake.

I glance at him and plaster on my best smile. He watches me with his eyebrow slightly raised, and I can tell his wheels are turning as if he’s on to me and my big secret. Not-so-subtly changing the subject and steering him toward the dining room, I ask, “How’s the job?”

“Good. We busted a meth lab on Friday. Stupid kids could have blown themselves and all the neighbors sky high.”

Jake and Maddox are local officers and have been best friends for as long as I can remember.

Following their high school graduation, both enlisted in the Marines for four years, excelling in shooting and becoming snipers.

It was no surprise when they returned home after their tour of duty and entered the police academy.

Jake and Maddox were teammates on the football field, brothers in the military, and now partners in the squad car.

We walk into the dining room as Mom is placing Brooklyn in her booster seat to the right of my chair.

As my brothers start to sit, I realize the only seat left open is the chair to my left.

Maddox walks into the dining room, looks around, and locks eyes with me as it dawns on him the only seat is smack-dab between the kid sister and Jake.

But in true Maddox fashion, I can’t read his facial expressions, and his face remains neutral as he walks toward me.

“This one must be mine,” he says as he sits down between me and Jake.

I give a nod and serve a little mashed potatoes and gravy on Brooklyn’s plate.

I add a bit of corn and a small slice of homemade meatloaf before handing her a small plastic toddler fork with a Disney princess on it.

She’s independent as all get-out and has gotten to the age where she won’t allow anyone to help her eat anymore.

More food will probably be on her face, in her lap, and smeared on her booster seat than in her little belly, but she’ll be happy and content, and honestly, that’s all that matters.

I load my plate with Mom’s meatloaf and all the trimmings and realize Maddox has yet to help himself to any food. “Aren’t you eating?” I ask.

“Ladies first,” he replies and hands me a homemade yeast roll.

I swoon inside at his manners and start handing him bowls.

After he’s piled on the food, he starts politely talking to Jake and my dad at the end of the table.

I take the opportunity to check out his features from the side.

Strong jaw, nose with a slight bump left over from defending his little sister, Jessica, at his senior prom when her date got a little handsy, and that jet-black hair slightly curling around his ears as if to confirm he’s overdue for a haircut.

I realize I’m practically staring and glance away before I get caught.

I look up across the table, straight into the questioning eyes of Nate.

Busted. He raises his eyebrow, as if daring me to deny the fact I was just ogling my brother’s best friend behind his back.

I quickly look away and tend to Brooklyn, who is happily smearing mashed potatoes across her face in an attempt at shoveling them into her mouth.

A smile creeps across my face as I watch her eat her dinner.

Mom is at the end of the table on the other side of Brooklyn, so I strike up a conversation with her to keep my focus on that end of the table and away from Maddox.

The conversations around the table are light and happy, like most Sunday night dinners at my parents’ house.

We’ve been getting together every Sunday since my brothers all graduated from school and started living on their own.

When Mom started this, we were off to a rocky start to the tradition.

They would constantly groan about Sunday night family dinners, but I know they secretly loved it because nothing beats Mom’s home-cooked food.

Not to mention they always leave with leftovers, and for a bachelor, that’s a heck of a lot better than takeout or microwave meals every night.

This is one of the rare times when all four of my brothers are here together.

Being an officer means Jake works every other weekend, though even when he’s on duty, he sometimes manages to swing by and grab a plate of food to go.

As dinner winds down, everyone begins to head into the family room for more Sunday Night Football.

After I scrub the remains of her dinner off her face, Brooklyn moves into the family room on Nate’s back.

Her absence gives me the chance to stay behind to help Mom with the cleanup and dishes.

Lord knows my brothers aren’t going to do it unless forced.

“How are things going, honey?” she asks as she hands me another bowl to place in the dishwasher.

“Good,” I respond.

“Have you seen any of your old classmates or school friends lately?”

“Not really. Most of them are still off finishing college or starting their lives somewhere else.”

I can already tell where she’s going with this entire line of questioning.

She’s beating around the bush about discussing the latest in what I like to call “The Drake Saga.” A few weeks back, during our Sunday dinner, she informed me she ran into Drake’s mother at the bakery.

His mom was ordering cookies for a dinner party she was hosting later in the week to meet Drake’s latest girlfriend, Kelsey.

Kelsey is a college junior and a fashion major to boot.

It doesn’t surprise me Drake is dating a college girl.

In fact, each time he cheated it was with someone younger.

Drake is three years older than me, which makes him twenty-five now.

I hope for Kelsey’s sake, she wises up before she finds herself pregnant and alone like I did.

My mom watches me as I finish stacking the plates in the dishwasher.

“You know, Mom, I’m over him. It took a while, but I got there.

It’s his loss he’ll never know how wonderful his daughter is, but that was his choice, not mine.

And I’ve made peace with that. I don’t need him or his money in our lives.

He made the choice to leave me and our unborn child four years ago, and it looks like he hasn’t lost any sleep over it. ”

I finish loading the dishwasher and turn to look at my mom.

She watches me with that motherly look that leaves no question in my mind that she supports me in the difficult decisions I’ve had to make.

“I’m okay with being alone right now, Mom.

As bad as it hurt, at least I found out before we got married.

That’s the important part. Plus, I got the best out of that relationship the day I had Brooklyn. I don’t need anything else.”

A throat clears and we both look over at Jake and Maddox standing in the doorway.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I think Bean is getting sleepy,” Jake says sheepishly, after walking into what he would define as an “uncomfortable conversation.” Anytime there’s “girl talk,” Jake takes off faster than a racehorse heading toward the finish line.

I look over at my daughter curled up on Maddox’s chest, doing everything she can to fight closing her eyes.

Seeing my daughter curled up against his big, broad chest causes my stomach to flutter, and my insides give a little quiver.

My heart stops and then speeds up again like I just finished running a half marathon.

“It’s getting close to bedtime. We better head out,” I say, glancing down at my wristwatch, hoping no one notices my words were slightly breathless.

“I’ll help you gather her stuff,” Jake says and turns to go collect Bean’s belongings, most likely strewn from one end of the house to the other.

“I’ve got leftovers bagged up for you too, honey.” Mom reaches into the fridge and pulls out a bag of delicious goodies.

Maddox strolls through the front door, still holding my baby girl in his arms. Jake already walked through the door a few moments before and has started piling the travel bag and leftovers in the seat of the Wrangler.

As I lean forward with my hands extended to take Brooklyn from Maddox, I breathe in an intoxicating whiff of his cologne.

It’s a combination of the outdoors and a wild musk that makes me want to wrap myself around his body and run my nose down his neck, inhaling the deliciousness.

I feel an uncontrollable shiver rake through my body at the intense reaction I have to him, to his scent.

“I’ll put her in her car seat,” Maddox’s voice breaks into my naughty little daydream.

“Okay. Thank you,” I say, and it comes out a little squeaky.

As Maddox buckles Brooklyn into her seat, the rest of the family starts filing out of the house and approaches my Jeep. I offer a round of hugs to my parents, Will, Nate, Travis, and even Clint.

“See you next week, baby girl,” Dad says giving me another big, all-consuming hug.

“I’ll see you soon, honey,” Mom chimes in as she kisses my cheek. I join her at the bakery during my lunch hour almost every day. I enjoy spending that little bit of time with her without too many customer or family interruptions.

I climb into my Wrangler and give everyone a wave goodbye.

The family drifts back into the house as I start up my vehicle and shift into reverse.

Glancing back to the front door one more time, I see Maddox standing there, watching me go.

He gives me a small, sexy half-smile before he turns to head back into the house.

That smile.

“Well, damn,” I say out loud with a sigh. I pull out of the driveway and head back toward Rivers Edge, picturing the beautiful smile and chocolate-brown eyes that will surely be filling my dreams tonight.

*****

I decide since Brooklyn is trying to sleep in the back seat, I’ll take a little detour and drive past my favorite house in Rivers Edge.

I am drawn to this house like a moth to a flame.

It’s a beautiful two-story home with a tan-colored brick on the bottom level and tan siding on the top.

Bay windows beside the front door overlook the large front porch.

There’s a hand-paved stone walkway, with a beautiful flower border that blooms in the spring and early summer, and a privacy fence around the large backyard.

A two-car attached garage with a shop area on the back sits toward the rear of the lot. This house is my dream home.

I park at the curb and stare into the darkened house. When I close my eyes, I can see the kids running up and down the front steps, riding bikes in the driveway, and swinging on the swing set in the backyard. I picture the barbecues in the backyard and quiet nights on the back patio.

I have no idea what the inside looks like because I’ve never actually been inside the house.

It’s a fairly newer home, built within the past ten years.

The couple who built it relocated somewhere north for work but didn’t sell the house.

Rumor has it, they kept it exactly as is so when they are ready to move back, it’ll be here waiting.

It’s a shame for such a beautiful house to sit empty.

I sit in my Jeep in front of the house, lost in my daydream for a little bit longer.

Finally, I sigh and put the Jeep in gear, heading home.

Someday. Someday, I’ll be able to give Brooklyn this kind of home with plenty of room to play and run.

Maybe I’ll even fill it with the sounds and laughter of a larger family.

Someday.