Chapter Thirty-Eight
Everly
I watched with a grin as Lacey struggled to get Belle in a thick, unfashionable jacket.
“Mom, no one else is going to be wearing this,” she argued. Lacey groaned in frustration and gave Belle her best mom look. I yawned. It was barely 7 in the morning on a Saturday, and any other Saturday I would have been lost in a deep sleep still.
“Belle Winters, get this jacket on right now, or you’re not going to the amusement park today,” she demanded.
“Everly isn’t wearing a coat,” Belle said and pointed at my striped sweater. I shrugged; she wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t as cold as it usually was this time of the year, and I wanted to savor the weather.
“Well, Everly can just catch a cold and die from a fever,” Lacey said. “I’m wearing a coat too, see?” She gestured at the ugly brown leather jacket.
Apparently, Belle had been self-conscious all week after hearing that she would be spending the day with Maddox and Abby. It was endearing; Belle didn’t have many friends, and she was nervous about meeting another child. She almost never acted up, so she must have been even more nervous.
“Belle, Abby is probably going to be wearing a thick coat, too,” I said. Belle looked at me.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah, Maddox is super overprotective, and Abby doesn’t like her coat, either. But I think if you wore yours, she would feel better about hers.” I gave an encouraging shrug. “What do you think?”
Belle glanced at the thick coat in her mom’s arms. “I’ll wear it, but only to make Abby comfortable,” she said.
“Thank you.” Lacey mouthed as she helped Belle slip it on. “Can you put the dishes away? Maddox and Abby will be here soon.”
“I can do the dishes,” I said. “It’s my apartment.”
“Shush,” Lacey said as Belle started bringing our breakfast plates to the sink. “This is the best part about kids. You’ll learn soon.”
I rolled my eyes.
“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Lacey said. She was staring as Belle cleaned the dishes. A teardrop appeared in the corner of Lacey’s eyes, and she wiped it away. “They’re not for everyone, and I’ve never once judged you for not wanting to have children.” She paused and tilted her head to the side. “As long as you were certain, and wouldn’t grow up regretting your decision, then I would have gladly accepted it.”
“I know,” I said. “I’ve never had to worry about you judging me, Lace.”
“So it is awful of me to be so incredibly happy that you found this family?” She ran a hand through her dark hair, short and styled as always, and sat at the table. “I feel so selfish, because it’s not my life that’s about to change.”
I sat across from her and covered her hand with mine.
“That’s not true,” I said. “You’re my family, you and Belle. Which means that if I’m going to be a part of Maddox’s family, then you are too. If anything changes, it’ll change for all of us.”
“I think I’m just worried for Belle,” Lacey said. “I don’t want her to get attached to anyone, not after my failed dating life.”
“Your dating life isn’t a failure,” I argued. “And I think it’ll be good for Belle and Abby to meet. They might be seeing a lot more of each other in the future.”
“I just hope she drops this whole diva act soon,” Lacey said and glanced at Belle. “She’s still a sweet angel 95 percent of the time, but that 5 percent? God, if this is a teaser for her teenage years, I might let Maddox adopt her.”
I laughed. “Well, you and I were pretty awful, and Mom survived.”
“Barely,” Lacey said just as the doorbell rang. Belle fixed her coat as she rushed to answer it.
“Hello,” she said as Maddox and Abby stood on the other side. I was surprised to find Nick slouching behind them, hands buried in his pocket. Belle’s posture was so stiff and formal as she greeted the three of them that I was half expecting her to bow.
“Belle?” Abby asked. Belle nodded. “I’m Abby.”
They shook hands, and all of the adults in the room exploded in laughter.
“Damn, kids are more polite than us,” Nick said as he followed Maddox and Abby into the room. Maddox shot him a glare, and he apologized. “Sorry, I guess Abby’s used to my potty mouth.”
“Belle’s heard quite a few words,” Lacey said. “And repeated one too many.” Lacey was eyeing Nick up and down, her interest evident in her expression.
“I’m Nick.” He held his hand out to me. “We haven’t really officially met.” His blond hair was cut short, similar to Maddox’s, and his eyes were blue and as bright as a sunny day. He smiled, and I could practically hear the flutter in Lacey’s heart.
“Everly.” I shook his hand. “This is Lacey, my sister, and her daughter, Belle, is currently showing Abby all of her Shopkins.” I realized that the two children were making quite the mess in the middle of my living room, but it was good to see them getting along so well. “We might be here a while.”
Maddox was sitting beside them asking Belle about her various Shopkins.
“We can leave within the hour,” Maddox said. He wore a light blue sweater with white cuffs, and dark pants and leather shoes. His gray eyes seemed brighter with the light color of his sweater, and I realized I was having a difficult time not staring at them.
He offered me a small wave, and I blushed as I returned it. I really did feel like a high school girl with a high school crush.
“The lines are going to be long,” Lacey mentioned. “It’s honestly not that cold for once.”
“Good thing Maddox hooked us all up with those VIP, front-of-the-line wristbands,” Nick said. “No lines, no worries.”
“No lines?” I asked. “You didn’t mention that.” He shrugged.
“I’m not one for bragging, you should know this by now,” he said.
“Can we take some of them?” Belle asked Lacey and gestured at the various ingredient items on the floor. Maddox had made several recipes, and he and Abby were looking for the Shopkin to complete a chocolate fudge sundae.
“Yeah, can we?” Abby asked, only this time she looked at me. I shared an expression with Lacey, who nodded.
“Promise you won’t lose them?” I asked. Abby and Belle both nodded. “Okay then, take two each, but if you lose them, we’re not replacing them.”
Nick whistled behind me. “You really don’t know how this whole aunt thing works, do you?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“He means that as an uncle, or aunt, you’re supposed to spoil the kids rotten,” Maddox said and walked toward me. I slipped my hand in his, and he squeezed. “Nick lets Abby do whatever she wants.”
“She loses a Shopkin, you best believe I’m buying her the entire store,” Nick said.
“That’s how a kid grows up spoiled and rotten,” Lacey argued. Nick smirked at her.
“Exactly, and that’s the parent’s problem, not the uncle’s.”
“We should probably head out now,” Maddox said. “I have a lunch booked at one of the restaurants around 11, and I want to make sure we work up an appetite.”
“Don’t tell me you have all our morning rides planned out.” Nick groaned.
“Of course I do,” Maddox said. “And the afternoon rides, this way we make sure we get everything done and have time to ride the favorites two or three times.”
“A man after my own heart,” Lacey sighed. “Good luck trying to get Everly to plan out anything, much less a vacation.”
“It’s more fun when you just go with the flow,” I said. “But I don’t mind a planner, either.”
Nick gestured his thumb toward Maddox. “Yeah? Well, try going to Disney with this guy. He schedules our bathroom breaks,” Nick teased. Maddox rolled his eyes but didn’t argue against him.
“You’d learn a thing or two from planning your life,” Lacey said to Nick.
“I haven’t planned a thing, and I think my life is pretty damn good,” he said.
Maddox and I glanced at one another as Lacey and Nick bickered. It seemed as if a small spark was beginning to flame.
“Are you girls ready?” Maddox asked Abby and Belle. There was something about the way he spoke to them that softened my heart.
“Yes, Daddy,” Abby said. They picked out their respective Shopkins and we left for the amusement park.
Nick wasn’t joking about the front-of-the-line wristbands. We rode everything we wanted, our favorites twice even, by 2 in the afternoon. Lunch had been a little cozy restaurant nestled in the corner of the park, and I had shared a tuna sandwich with Belle and Cajun mustard fries with Abby. They both had clung to me throughout the day, and I was forced to take turns riding with each of them. Nick and Lacey were usually left to ride together, and Maddox took his turn between sitting next to Abby and Belle.
Belle grew quiet every time Maddox neared her, and Lacey and I were beginning to recognize the patterns of a child’s crush. She got along great with Abby, at least, and Abby absolutely adored Belle. The few moments Maddox and I spent together were walking hand in hand in between rides until the girls would pull us apart.
“This might be the biggest tease of them all,” Maddox said to me once as we were waiting to be let onto a dark ride.
“What?” I asked and leaned into his arms. Nick was showing Belle and Lacey a few of his paintings on his phone, with Abby pointing out the paintings that she had helped with.
“Your brown sweater,” he whispered into my ear. The warmth of his breath did nothing for the goosebumps on my shoulders. “It makes your eyes even greener.”
I frowned. “And that’s a tease?”
“Your eyes are a trigger for me,” he murmured. “I’ve never been more turned on in my life than when you look at me.”
I shuddered against him as the train arrived. It was a track ride in a dark cavern, and each cart was capable of fitting two adults and one child. I wanted to be in our own cart, but I had to force myself to behave. Still, Maddox kissed my lips just as it was our turn to enter.
“We’ll continue this conversation later,” I said and entered the cart. Maddox sat beside me, and Abby crawled in between us. It was the first time I truly felt like a family.
“Hey, Everly, could you put up your hair?” Nick asked. I tied it up into a bun and turned behind me to apologize. Belle sat in between Lacey and Nick, and I couldn’t help but notice that their knees were touching at the very tip. There was a light blush across Lacey’s face, and a cheesy smile on Nick’s.
“We’re pretty good matchmakers,” Maddox said. So, he had noticed it as well.
Abby slipped her arm in between ours and shuddered.
“This is scary,” she whined.
“This is the third time we’ve been on this ride,” Maddox said. “You can’t still be scared of it.”
“Abby, it’s like that one movie we watched where the girl gets trapped in the cave,” Nick said from behind us.
“I’m going to murder you,” Maddox said as Abby ducked her head into the crook of my elbow.
“What movie is that?” Belle asked.
“Nothing you have to worry about,” Lacey said, and glared at Nick. I lowered my head until I was near Abby’s ear.
“It’s not scary. You remember what happens here, right? We go fast, and then we go slow,” I said. “I thought you liked going fast.”
Abby nodded slowly.
“You know what’s really fun?” I asked. Her blue eyes looked at me. “Putting your hands up when we go fast. It makes you feel like you’re flying. Can you do it with me?”
I raised my arms into the sky just as the train made its first turn, and Abby giggled as she was pressed up against me. She raised her arms on the second turn, and soon, she was laughing the entire way. Maddox was smiling at me as we exited the ride.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” He shook his head. “You’re just incredible, that’s all.”
We ate dinner at a fancy restaurant in the middle of the park. Lacey was asking Nick about his paintings as Abby and Belle played with their Shopkins on the table, and my hand was firmly in the grasp of Maddox’s as we both browsed through the menu together.
“We could try the shepherd’s pie,” I suggested. “The girls might like it.”
“Everything looks amazing.” Lacey sighed. “We haven’t eaten at a restaurant like this since before Belle was born.”
“What’s a shepherd’s pie?” Belle asked.
“It’s like a pie, but for dogs,” Abby explained. “Uncle Nick told me that after Daddy made one.”
He cleared his throat. “That’s not exactly what I said, but close enough.”
Our waiter arrived, and Maddox ordered two bottles of wine and an assortment of appetizers.
“Let’s get a half serving of each entrée,” He said as the waiter took our dinner order. He walked off, and Maddox waved off Lacey’s thanks. “No problem; this way we don’t have to worry about what everyone likes.”
Our food arrived shortly afterward, and I helped Belle and Abby break open their crab legs. I realized Maddox was watching me with a soft smile, and I pulled back and wiped my face self-consciously.
“There’s nothing on your face,” he said. “I just like seeing you with them.”
“What’s for dessert?” Nick asked as we finished dinner. He patted his thin stomach and turned to the girls. “Come on, you both probably want ice cream, right?” They nodded with wide eyes.
“There’s an ice cream parlor across the street,” Maddox said. “Oh, and they have something else I wanted to get.”
He paid the check; it was the first time I’ve ever seen him get handed a bill, and we followed him into the ice cream parlor. Lacey and Belle shared a giant sundae and Abby and Nick each got their own double scoops of ice cream.
“This is what I wanted to share with you,” Maddox said as he brought a cake to our table. I smiled and dug my spoon into it. A thick layer of melted chocolate oozed out and mixed with the vanilla ice cream base.
“It’s not as good as the lava cake at Thad’s,” Maddox said. We both took a bite.
“It might be better,” I said.
We didn’t have much time left before the park was closing. “Can Belle and I go on the scary ride?” Abby asked.
Lacey and I both groaned. “I might puke if I ride anything else,” I said, and Lacey agreed with me.
“Nick and I can take them,” Maddox offered. I looked at Lacey.
“That’s fine,” she said. “Just don’t run off with my child or else you’ll be the ones getting stuck in a cave.”
We followed them toward the ride and separated as they went in through the exit.
“Nick’s a cutie, isn’t he?” I asked. Lacey blushed but didn’t acknowledge my words.
“They’re going to be so exhausted,” she said. “I’m glad Abby and Belle like each other, though.”
“Abby’s already asking to go over your house for playdates,” I said.
“Oh no, they live in a mansion, don’t they? Why would she want to go over to our tiny house?” Lacey yawned. “I’ll have to hire a cleaner.”
“I don’t think a 3-year-old is going to care,” I said. “Maddox isn’t raising her like that, at least. She’s pretty down to earth.”
“The kid of a man who went on a 20,000 dollar date,” Lacey said. “But you’re right; she’s a good child. Maddox is a great dad.”
I smiled, thinking of how gentle and loving he is with Abby.
“He really is,” I said.
“This might be the three glasses of wine talking, but I’m so proud of you, Everly,” Lacey said.
“What for?” I asked.
“For sticking it out and doing what’s right for you,” she said. “You wanted to run away, remember? But I’m so glad you didn’t. Maddox is a great guy, and he’s perfect for you. You did the right thing.”
I agreed with her. Maddox wanted nothing but the best for me, and I could never doubt that. He was patient, loyal, and so incredibly kind. He made me feel things that I never thought were possible, and if it weren’t for him, I never would have had the courage to face my fears.
Maddox and Nick appeared from the exit of the ride with Abby and Belle in between them. Maddox was laughing at something Belle said, his gray eyes twinkling like stars in the distance.
Lacey was right, I realized, as Abby grabbed Maddox’s hand and he squeezed it. They were both right for me.