Chapter Sixteen
Josh was out cold by the time we got on the interstate. Maddie looked back at him and grinned. “I can’t thank you enough for today, Noah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy or excited.”
“I’m glad he had a good time. I want to thank you guys, too.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t have had the courage to call my dad if it hadn’t been for you guys,” I said.
“Then I’m glad we could help. Your dad seems like a really nice guy,” Maddie said.
“Yeah, he does.”
Maddie was quiet for a minute. Always playing the peacemaking Dr. Phil she asked, “Do you think you can forgive him?”
I took one of my hands off the wheel to rub my eyes. Once again, she was totally intune with what I was thinking and feeling. I kept wondering myself if I could forgive Joe and move on—if he could actually have a place in my life as a father. “That’s a hard one.”
“Yeah, forgiveness is a hard,” Maddie murmured.
I sighed. “I really want to forgive him. I mean, he is totally changed from the jerk who knocked up my mom and ran off. It would be nice to have him in my life. I guess we can start over.”
Maddie smiled encouragingly at me. “It’s never too late.” As she turned to stare out the windshield, her expression momentarily darkened. “Sometimes it’s easy to forgive. It’s forgetting that’s harder.”
I raised my eyebrows. I wanted to know if she might be talking about Jake, so I pressed her for information. “Who have you had to forgive?”
Maddie didn’t answer me. She stared ahead into the dark night. “Maddie?” I prompted.
“My brother Will.”
“Oh, I see.”
“He’s hurt us all so much—my parents especially. Sometimes I want to hit him really hard for what he’s put them through.” She glanced down at her hands folded in her lap. “But in the end, I always forgive him…I just can never forget everything bad.”
“I’m sorry.”
She turned to me and smiled. “Thank you.”
We spent the rest of the drive in silence with only the muted sound of the radio filling the car. When I pulled into her driveway, Maddie’s house was still dark. “Where are your parents?”
“My dad had a wedding tonight. They won’t be home until around eleven, I guess.”
I hopped out of the Jeep and pulled Josh to me. He snored slightly as I carried him up the front stairs. Maddie held the door open for me. At the thoughts of taking him up the flight of stairs to his bedroom, I groaned.
Maddie must’ve read my thoughts because she giggled. “Just put him down here on the couch. He sleeps better there than he does in his own bed.”
I nodded and eased him down. When I turned around, Maddie was gone. She returned in an instant with Josh’s pajamas.
“Can you help me?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
I pulled Josh into a sitting position. Maddie lifted his shirt over his head and then eased the pajama top over him. She noticed my hesitation at his shorts, so she unbuttoned them and slid them off. I had to bite my tongue from laughing. He was wearing Scooby Doo underwear.
Once she was finished, Maddie pulled the blanket over him.
A noise in the kitchen caused us both to jump. “Wait, I thought you just said your parents weren’t going to be home until eleven,” I whispered.
“They’re not.”
I grabbed the poker off the fireplace and started for the kitchen. Maddie was right behind me, her hand rested on my belt loop. When I flicked on the light, a disheveled-looking figure stood with the refrigerator door open.
“Hey Maddie,” a slurry voice said.
I glanced over my shoulder at Maddie. Her eyes widened. “You’re not supposed to be here!”
“Who is that?” I demanded.
Maddie blushed. “It’s Will.”
Speak of the devil. I stared in disbelief at the ragged figure before me. Somewhere in his dirty face I saw some semblance of Josh. I couldn’t believe he was really standing in front of me.
She shook her head. “You have to leave, Will.”
Cocking his head, he challenged, “Now is that any way to treat your big brother?”
“But you know the rules. Until you get clean, you’re not allowed to be around me or Josh.”
At the mention of Josh, Will’s face flooded with concern. “How is he?”
Maddie sighed. “He’s better. The doctors think the treatment is going to work.”
Will bit down on his lip a minute before he finally replied, “That’s good to hear.” He then turned his attention to me. “Who’s this? Another punk playing you to get a little ass?”
Maddie gasped, and I stepped forward. “Hey don’t talk to her that way!”
He raised his eyebrows. “Wow, another chivalrous little douchebag, huh? Just like that last f*cker. What was his name? The one who blew himself up.” He chuckled harshly. “What an idiot!”
“Don’t you f*cking say a word about Jake!” I shouted, shoving Will with all my might. His dark eyes narrowed at me. “Easy, you don’t want to get me riled.”
Breathing harshly, I countered, “If you say or do anything to Maddie, I’ll break your head it.”
Will quirked his brows at me before turning to Maddie. “He must really be wanting you bad if he’s willing to take up for you.” He then gave me a wink. “I wouldn’t waste my time, ace. Her legs are locked together at the knees like a good little girl!”
“You bastard! Don’t you dare say anything shitty like that about my Maddie!” My anger momentarily faltered as I realized my slip-up. I’d called Maddie mine. Was she mine?
My thoughts were interrupted by Maddie’s cries. Her sobbing pierced through to my soul. With clenched fists, I stepped forward. “Look, she asked you nicely to leave, and now I’m telling you. Get out!”
“F*ck you!”
Maddie gasped and stepped in front of me. Tears streamed down her cheek, and she was trembling all over. “Please don’t do this, Will? Why do you have to be this person? You’re breaking Mom and Dad’s heart!” she cried.
Will’s eyes flashed angrily. “What do you know of anything? I see you. You’re just a cardboard cutout—Mom and Dad’s beautiful little princess.” He snorted. “You make me sick.”
As the tears streamed down her cheeks, Maddie’s fists clenched at her side. “Get out!” she shrieked.
I took a step towards him. “You heard her. Get out, man. Right now before I call the cops.”
Will’s dark eyes gleamed. “Why don’t you make me?”
Before I knew what was happening, he’d lunged forward at me. I ducked. Then I popped back up, pummeling him once in the chin and then in the ribcage. He moaned and fell over.
“Now get out,” I growled.
When I turned to check on Maddie, Will lunged at my legs, knocking me to the floor. On the way down, I busted my lip on the edge of the table. We started kicking and scuffling on the kitchen floor.
The next sound I heard was the unmistakable click of a gun. Will and I both gazed up to see Maddie standing over us with pistol. “Get out, Will,” she commanded.
He shook his head before pulling himself to his feet. “Bitch,” he mumbled and then he stalked out the back door, slamming it behind him.
Maddie dropped the gun on the table. “Noah, are you all right?”
I wiped the blood off my lip. “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not, you’re bleeding!”
“It’s okay, Maddie. I’ve had busted lips before.”
“Wait, I’ll get you some ice.”
“Frozen peas or vegetables work better.”
She nodded and ran to the freezer.
I was finally coming out of my stupor. “Um, since when do you know how to use a gun?”
“Daddy made me and my mom take a gun class when we were living in Memphis. I was just fourteen at the time, but I was one of the best shots around.”
I pulled myself into a sitting position. It was certainly turning into an interesting night.
Maddie came back over to me. With shaky hands, she thrust out a bag of black-eyed peas. “Will this do?”
“Maddie?” Josh’s drowsy voice questioned from the doorway.
I exchanged a horrified glance with her before she replied, “Uh yeah?” She quickly stepped in front of Josh so he couldn’t see me on the floor.
Grinding his eyes with his fists, he said, “I thought I heard voices and fighting.”
With a nervous laugh, she went to his side. “I think you must’ve been dreaming. You better get upstairs and get into bed. You don’t want Mom and Dad to catch you still up.”
“Okay,” he replied.
I didn’t breathe, let alone speak, until I heard the patter of his feet on the ceiling above me. “That was close.”
Maddie rubbed her face with her hands. “Yes, it was.” Glancing over her shoulder at me, she grimaced. “You need cleaning up.”
She hurried over to the sink and then came back with a wet rag. “Here, let me.” Tenderly, she wiped the blood off my lip and cleaned the cut.
“I had no idea Will was that bad,” I said. At her surprised look, I replied, “I mean, I know you told me he had been in and out of rehab, but I just didn’t expect…”
Maddie gave me a tight smile. “For him to be so awful to me?”
“Yeah.” I gripped the bag of peas tight. “Even if he is your brother, I could’ve punched his lights out even more for the things he said to you.”
“My Knight in Shining Armor,” Maddie murmured.
“I guess.”
She shook her head sadly. “I hate you had to see him like that. He used to be such a good guy.”
“Yeah, that happens when you get hooked on drugs,” I said lamely.
Maddie didn’t say anything. I had wanted to wait for a better time to give her the money, but now seemed like the best opportunity. I reached into my wallet and pulled out the check my dad had slipped me at dinner. Once I’d seen the amount, I knew why he’d given it to me then—I couldn’t protest loudly in front of the others at the amount. I did a good enough job silently when my eyes bulged from their sockets.
“Maddie, I want you to have something.”
“What?” she asked.
“It’s some money from my dad—you know for your parents.”
I handed her the money. Her eyes widened. “But Noah, this is too much!”
“I know. But he wanted you guys to have it—we wanted you to.”
She shook her head wildly. “But it’s too much. We could never accept it.”
“Why not?”
“We just couldn’t!” she protested.
“But your family needs it.”
“I know….”
“Then take it. My dad was happy to do it, and I-I wanted to do something for you guys.”
She stared into my eyes. Then she leaned over and gently pecked my lips.
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What was that for?”
She blushed. “A kiss to make the bruise go away.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
Just as we stared each other in the eyes, contemplating taking things further, her parents came in the back door and found us on the floor. Thankfully, they made it in just after our kiss. I would’ve hated to miss even that brief instant of Maddie’s warm lips on mine, the heat radiating off of her body, and the smell of her perfume invading my senses.
At the sight of the mess in the kitchen from mine and Will’s altercation, Pastor Dan and Mrs. Parker both shot us questioning looks. Maddie merely held up hand and said, “Will.” We both then alternated from explaining what had happened to her parents. They were both very understanding and very appreciative that I was there. Of course, I was quick to remind them how level-headed, strong, and tough Maddie had been. Her face had flushed a deep maroon, but she had still given me an appreciative smile.
After I said goodbye to the Parkers, I got in my Jeep and headed home. It had been a rollercoaster day—meeting my dad, Will showing up, and Maddie pulling out a gun. I didn’t know how I was going to explain my lip to my mom. For some reason, I didn’t think it was right to tell her about Will. In the end, she was too interested in hearing about my day than to even ask.
***