Chapter Thirty-Seven
Maddox
Everly was still in my arms when I woke the following morning. She was sleeping still, and I took the opportunity to admire her flawless skin. The light dust of freckles across her cheeks, her thick eyelashes that I was tempted to brush, and even the pink lips that I wanted to kiss every morning for the rest of my life. She was even more beautiful in the early morning, and I wasn’t at all surprised in the least by it.
There was no doubt in my mind what my feelings were at this point. It was more than a physical or mental attraction; it was more than anything I’d ever felt. Everly completed me, whether she knew it or not, and I was determined not to screw it up.
Her face scrunched as she started to wake.
“Good morning,” I said. She blinked once, then twice, before finally looking at me with eyes that seemed greener in the morning sun.
“It’s so bright,” she said and held up a hand to her eyes. I had forgotten to close the blinds in the midst of our night together, which was a mistake, as my room faced the sun in the morning.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m used to Abby waking me up before the sun even rises. I forgot how bright this room gets.”
Everly rubbed her eyes and looked around. I wondered if she was recalling the night before, and as a faint blush mixed with the freckles on her cheeks, I grinned.
“Do you need me to remind you of anything?” I asked and scooted her body closer to mine. It reacted instantly, and I felt her thighs clench as I pressed my hips against hers.
“I think there’s one or two blank spots in my memory,” she said, and I kissed her. She climbed on top of me and pressed down on my shoulders.
“You did all the work last night,” she said.
“So, you remember that at least,” I teased. She bit her lip and playfully smacked my arm. My hands gripped her waist, and soon the bed was rocking back and forth as Everly took control of the situation. It was heaven inside of her, and I never wanted this time to end.
We took a shower afterward and spent a long moment standing beneath the triple heads pouring steaming water with Everly in my arms. I ran my hands over her soft flesh and kissed her bare shoulders.
“Let’s go back to bed,” she suggested. She pressed her tight ass against my cock, and it stirred, wanting to gain entrance.
“It’s tempting,” I said. “But I should make breakfast. Nick would starve if I didn’t send some over before noon.”
“Sounds like my sister,” she said. “Sometimes I wonder if she would ever eat if it weren’t for me.”
“What did they do the weekend we were gone?” I wondered.
“Lots and lots of takeout?” Everly asked. I agreed.
Still, even as we both knew we didn’t have the entire day to ourselves, we took our time in the shower exploring each other’s bodies. I couldn’t keep my hands off her, and she didn’t seem to mind. The hot water eventually turned lukewarm as I pushed her body against the glass door and lifted her beneath her legs. She straddled my hips, and we both moaned as I pushed inside of her once again.
We finished, and had to take another shower to clean ourselves.
Finally we prepared breakfast together, an assortment of crepes with several delicious fillings. Some savory, most sweet. Everly seemed to have a bigger sweet tooth than I expected.
We sat at the breakfast table and started eating.
“So, I guess now it wouldn’t be that weird if I took up your mom’s offer,” She said.
“Oh, the Broadway show?” I asked and she nodded. “She’s going to be so happy. She still asks about you; I’ll let her know later today. She might be the one person who’s actively trying to find Abby a mother.” I hesitated. “I mean, not that that’s the only reason why she likes you, of course. I think it just helps that Abby likes you. My mom is sort of overprotective of her anyways, especially after what happened.”
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Everly started. I sat my fork down. “What happened with Abby’s mother?”
I smiled softly. I knew it was a conversation we were bound to have; still, there was a part of me that was terrified Everly would leave as soon as she found out the truth.
“Her name was Chelsea,” I said, hating the name on my lips. “I wish I could say we were stupidly in love and made mistake after mistake until eventually life separated us, but the truth is that it’s not a romantic story at all.” I glanced at Everly; she was intimately focused on her peanut butter and banana crepe. “It was a one-night stand that I can’t even remember. We met in the bathroom of a club, and nearly two years later met again in front of my house. Only this time, she had a picture with her of a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby.” I could still picture the very moment that I saw her, her wide eyes staring up at me with pure adoration.
“Abby,” Everly whispered and I nodded.
“At first, I was worried that she wanted to be a family.” I laughed. “Can you believe that? I was worried that she wanted a family. But then it was obvious that she just wanted someone to support her and Abby, and at the time I was in the middle of opening Alaskan Way, so I paid her off. A couple million, and in exchange she would never bother me again or force me to spend time with the baby. Of course, at that time I only considered it a baby, not my baby. Not Abby.”
I paused and took a bite of my crepe. It was flaky and chewy at the same time, and I wondered how it would taste with a homemade hazelnut chocolate spread.
“And then?” Everly gently asked. I realized I had been daydreaming about the crepe instead of planning the words in my head.
“And then one day, after getting lunch with Nick, I arrived home to find a baby at the foot of my door, and a note saying she couldn’t do it anymore. I never heard from her again.”
Everly’s jaw dropped, but she quickly recovered.
“What a bitch,” she muttered. I laughed and agreed. Of course, I had called Chelsea plenty of worse names in the previous years.
“She abandoned Abby, and I’ll be honest, I hated Chelsea for the longest time. I hated her for forcing a kid on me, especially one that I never wanted. I didn’t have time for kids, I had sworn them off years ago. But over time, I grew to be thankful that Chelsea left. I can’t imagine my life without Abby, and if Chelsea hadn’t run off, I’m not sure if I would have manned up and taken responsibility for her,” I said. Everly was smiling at me, and I realized I was playing with the tablecloth. A nervous habit, I supposed. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had Chelsea stayed, actually tried to be a family. If maybe that would have been best for Abby.”
Everly stood from her seat and walked toward me. Her hair was still damp from our shower, and she smelled like my shampoo. She sat on my lap and placed my head in between her hands.
“Maddox, anyone who took the chance to get to know you would be crazy to walk away. If Chelsea left you, then she’s stupid,” she said, her green eyes as serious as Abby’s had been when she said the same words.
“Thanks,” I said. “So, you’re not itching to run away, then?” She frowned.
“What? Why would I do that?”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel after learning the truth about Abby’s mother.”
“Honestly, if anything it makes me feel better. This whole time I was picturing Abby’s mom as some rich and famous supermodel who was busy touring the world, but was planning on coming back one day to complete your family. Knowing she’s just a gold digging bitch makes her less of a threat now.” Everly smiled. I chuckled and kissed her.
“No one compares to you,” I said. “Are you busy this weekend?”
She tilted her head. “I don’t think so, why?”
“I’m taking Abby on her first trip to an amusement park. I was hoping you’d go.” I held my breath and waited for her answer.
“Can my sister and niece tag along?” she asked. I nodded. It was a wonderful idea.
“Abby would love that. She needs kids around her age,” I said. “So that’s a yes?”
“Yeah, we’ll go.” Everly kissed me on the cheek. “But I don’t do Ferris wheels or anything that goes upside down; just a head’s up.”
“Oh, but I thought I gave you the courage to do things you couldn’t do before?” I teased her. She rolled her eyes and shoved my arm.
“Don’t be an ass,” she said and kissed me.