Maddie was leaving. In less than two hours, my girl would be gone.

Another city. Another state. Over four hundred miles away.

Goddamn it!

I couldn’t do this.

I told her I could, but there was no way. It just wasn’t possible.

How dumb could I have been?

Life without Maddie? Hell no.

Beside my bed, I paced. Back and forth. Back and forth.

My eyes were bloodshot, my hair in disarray. I hadn’t slept all night. Not a single wink. All I’d done was hold Maddie close and watch her rest. I didn’t want to miss a moment of being with her. God knows I was about to miss a hell of a lot of moments when Keith packed up his truck, loaded her in the cab, and drove her away.

Straight to Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt University.

College. 

How the hell am I supposed to do this?

We’d never been apart. Not since we were seven and eight years old. I wasn’t sure either of us could stand it—could survive it.

But we had to. I had to. Because I’d made a promise.

Goddamn, why had I promised?

Because it’s her dream, you fucking idiot!

I kept pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Maddie continued to sleep, completely unmoving and oblivious to the world crashing around me. Around us.

The sun had yet to rise, but it didn’t matter. It was coming. And with it, her departure.

I stopped pacing and looked down at her. She was beautifully spread out on my bed; her chestnut hair fanned out over my pillows. I’d waited so long to see her there, exactly the way she was right then. Now that I’d been given a taste of how sweet it all could be I didn’t know if I could live without it.

But I had to, because in a matter of hours, I’d have to let her go.

My entire reason for existing was leaving.

For. The. Next. Four. Fucking. Years!

From the nightstand, my cell phone rang. I lunged for it, grabbing it before it could wake her up. I silenced the ringer and glanced at the caller ID.

Keith Davis.

Shit. It was Maddie’s dad.

Giving her one last look, I walked out of my room and into the hall before answering. If I let the call go to voicemail, he would beat down my door in two minutes flat.

That’s the last thing I wanted.

Accepting the call, I answered. “Yeah.”

I heard papers rustling in the background. “Got an interesting story for you, Hendrix.” I listened. “Left the station early so I could get home to make sure Maddie got everything packed and loaded into the truck on time.” Fuck! “Imagine my surprise when I went upstairs to check on her and she wasn’t there. Her bed hasn’t been slept in all night. You know anything about that?”

There wasn’t any point in lying. He already knew the truth. “She stayed with me.”

“I figured as much. And what would my daughter be doing at your house in the middle of the night?”

Did he want the truth or a lie? I wasn’t one to lie, but in this situation, I didn’t think he’d be pleased to hear about all the dirty shit I’d done to his little girl the night before. So, instead, I went with, “Sleeping.” Technically, not a lie. “What else would she be doing?”

“Don’t really want to think about it. All I know is that you better have my daughter on my front porch within the hour. If not, you can kiss your chances of getting into the Fire Academy goodbye.”

Dick.

I tugged at the ends of my hair in frustration.

“I’m not kidding, Hendrix. I know you. Know you’re beside yourself trying to think of a way to stop this, but don’t bother. You both decided she would accept the full ride Vanderbilt was offering her. It’s too late to back out now. You’ll just have to deal with it, and find a way to make it work.”

Just deal with it.

Find a way to make it work.

Future father-in-law or not, Keith Davis was lucky he wasn’t standing in front of me. If he was, I would have knocked his teeth down his throat. He had no idea, no damn idea, how hard I was trying to find a way to deal with it and make it work. Asshole.

“Yeah. I got it, Keith. Don’t worry; I’ll have my girl home within the hour.”

I didn’t wait for him to reply before I hung up.

Maddie may have been his daughter, but she was going to be my wife.

It was high time he understood that.

My head pounded; my blood pressure through the roof.

Turning on my heel, I stormed back into the room. Once through the threshold, I stopped in my tracks. “Hey, baby.”

Maddie stood beside my bed. Naked.

“Was that my dad?”

I nodded, words failing me. Her hair was a mess, her eyes sleepy, and imprints left by my pillow marred the side of her face. Still, she was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen.

“What did he say?”

I stared.

And then I stared some more.

Maddie shifted, one hand going to her hip and the other covering her chest. I didn’t like that one bit.

“Hendrix.”

She stepped forward, closing the space between us. “What did he say?”

I heard her speaking but didn’t comprehend what she was saying.

“Damn it, Hendrix.” She huffed, stepping closer and grabbing my wrist with her hand. “What did he say?”

I shook my head, trying to dispel the thoughts running through my head. How was I supposed to think, much less talk, when she was standing not even three feet in front of me with no damn clothes on?

“He wants you home.”

Her face dropped. “How much time do we have?”

I gritted my teeth and my temple pulsed. “Less than an hour.”

“That’s just enough time.”

“Enough time for what?”

Maddie smiled. “Enough time for me to cook you breakfast. But first,” she said, turning in a circle, “I need my glasses. I don’t know how I managed to make it all the way over here last night without wearing them. I’m surprised I didn’t fall on my face.”

She dropped both of her arms and walked over to my nightstand. Pulling open the top drawer, she sifted through the contents.

I stared as she continued to dig, searching for the spare pair of glasses she kept there. But then it hit me. She wasn’t supposed to be in that drawer!

I jumped forward and slammed the drawer shut, almost taking off her fingers. Didn’t matter though. I was too late.

She’d already found it.

Fuck!

Maddie turned around, her face whiter than a ghost, a little square box clutched in her right hand.

“Hendrix.” Her voice was sweet. Quiet. Unbelieving. “What is this?”

She knew what it was. Maddie wasn’t stupid. Hence the full ride academic scholarship to Vanderbilt. I crossed my arms over my chest. That is not how I wanted this to go, but it was what it was.

“You know what it is.” 

She turned around, blowing out a breath. “When… When were you planning on giving it … t-to me?”

She was so flustered she could barely speak. Hopefully that was a good thing.

“Today. Before you left.”

She nodded. The movement was so light it was barely noticeable. “Can I see it?”

Her eyes left the box, and she looked at me. Tears swam in those shining green depths.

“Yeah, baby, you can.” I walked over to her, extending my hand. “Give it here.”

With shaking hands, she gave me the box. I took it from her and she dropped her hands in front of her, clasping her fingers together. I looked around the room, not knowing how I was going to do this. Like I said, this was not how I planned for this to go.

Maddie deserved better. But what could I do?

“Come here, pretty girl,” I said, taking her by the hand and leading her to my desk chair in the corner. “Sit here.”

She lowered herself into the chair. Still naked, her heavy breasts swayed with her movements. I chuckled. I was about to propose to the girl I’d loved all my life with my cock and balls hanging out and her tits in my face.

Yeah, not how I saw this going.

Wasn’t really complaining though.

Maddie knew it was coming, she had to have, but she still gasped when I dropped to one knee in front of her. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer, begging God not to let me fuck this up like I did everything else.

She deserved for this to be perfect.

Well, as perfect as it could be under the circumstances.

“Maddie, you know how much I love you.”

She nodded. Lifting her hands to cover her mouth, she looked down at me. Her tear streaked eyes were filled with hope. “You’re my everything. My girl. My best friend. My entire world.”

Tears. There were so many tears.

“I’ve fucked up countless times, but you’ve loved me through it all. You’ve never left my side even when you probably should have.” I was not on the verge of crying. Those were not tears forming in my eyes. Nah. “And when I kiss you, I swear I can taste the next sixty years of my life on your lips. But what’s more important, when I look at you, I can see it.”

“See what?” she asked from behind her hands.

“Everything. Marriage. A house. Kids.” I paused. “I can see our future. Together.”

She dropped her hands and her head dipped towards me. “Ask me, Hendrix,” she sobbed. “Ask me so I can say yes.”

“Marry me, pretty girl... Marry me so I can spend the rest of my life showing you how much I fucking love you.”

Jumping from her chair and slamming into me, Maddie knocked me backwards. My back hit the floor, and she landed on top of me. Her legs straddled my hips. Ring box still unopened in my hand, I laughed. “Yes!” She shouted, raising her hands to the ceiling. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” She clapped her hands together. “Now gimme my ring!”

Fuck. This girl. Sitting up, my chest pressed against hers, I popped open the small, satin lined box. “When I saw it, I knew it was the one.” I pulled the ring out and grabbed Maddie’s ring finger.

“Oh, my God,” she gasped. “It’s beautiful.” It was beautiful. Just like her.

Sliding the ring down her finger, I pushed it over her knuckles and secured it in place. It was a perfect fit.

“I looked at a couple of diamonds but they were too plain. This ring, though, was perfect.” White gold. Emerald. Princess cut.

“You seem to be obsessed with all things green.”

I shook my head. “Nah, baby. I’m just obsessed with a certain green-eyed girl.”

“Kiss me, handsome.”

Her request was simple. Just three words. But I felt them all the way to my soul. Leaning forward, I kissed her. My lips touched hers and her breath fanned over my chin and jaw. Dropping the box, I ran my hands up her back, stroking her sides as I went. She loved it when I did that.

She responded by arching her back and moaning into my mouth.  She pulled away, her lips breaking away from mine. “Hendrix.”

“What do you need, pretty girl?”

She exhaled, closing her eyes. Her head dropped back, her long hair falling over my hands on her lower back. “You. I need you.”

My cock hardened, and she rocked in my lap. Back and forth. Up and down.

“You have me.”

She shook her head, her wild hair whipping around her in a torrent of brown waves.

“No. I want you to make love to me.” Back and forth. Up and down.  “One last time before I leave.”

Picking Maddie up in my arms bridal style, I stood up. She was light, weighing no more than a buck thirty-five. Easy for me to carry. “Hold on, pretty girl.”

She did, wrapping her arms around my neck. Walking over to the bed, I laid her on the mattress and followed her down. My body blanketed hers. “You want me, Maddie?”

Kissing my jaw, her hands massaged the sides of my neck. “Yes.” She bit my ear lobe. “Make love to me, Hendrix.” Her hands slid down my chest and her thumbs caressed my nipples. “Make love to your fiancée.”

If possible, my cock grew harder. My fiancée.

“Make love to your future wife, baby.” She bit my shoulder. “Make love to me.”

And I did.

I made love to my girl, my fiancée, my future.

I made love to the love of my life.

I made love to Maddie.

My Maddie.