Epilogue
Two years later
Madison
The night before I’d asked Max if I could sleep over at his house. He told me that he was busy and that he’d contact me the following day. In the two years that we had been together, he had never once told me that I couldn’t stay over. In fact, I spent more time at his place than I did at my own. I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t want me there, and I started to worry that perhaps he was getting sick of me. I felt dejected and downtrodden and had immediately called my sister for some advice. Naturally, she’d told me that I worried too much, and that Max was not sick of me. She made me promise not to worry and to wait for him to get in touch with me. Easy for you to say, I had thought, Dalton can’t get enough of you. I didn’t say it out loud, though. And even though she’d told me not to worry, I couldn’t help myself. He hadn’t even sent me a good night message, and I fell into bed that night feeling very sorry for myself.
All the fears went away the moment I woke up. A message was waiting for me telling me to be ready by nine that morning. I jumped out of bed when I saw that it was already eight thirty and hurried to get ready. I had battled to fall asleep and had then slept in way longer than I usually did. Max was at my door at exactly nine, as promised.
He grinned when he saw me and handed me a bunch of flowers.
“Happy anniversary, Madi.”
I took the flowers from him and smiled. We hadn’t even spoken about the fact that our anniversary was coming up. I had no idea that he had remembered. The flowers were a beautiful arrangement of different colors, and they smelled heavenly.
“Oh, Max. I thought you forgot.”
“You did? Why did you think that?”
“Because you didn’t want me to sleep over last night.”
He shook his head. “Well, I had plans. Come on; I’m taking you somewhere.”
I put the flowers in a vase and headed out with him, wondering what was going on. Max refused to tell me anything, and I was even more confused when we simply ended up back at his place.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
He smiled but didn’t say anything. I followed him inside he told me to wait in the living room for a little while. He ran upstairs, and a few minutes later he called out and asked me to join him. I wondered if he was going to be waiting for me naked on the bed, but I gasped when I saw what he had done. The entire room was lit with tiny candles. He handed me a bathrobe and slippers and told me to get changed into them. He grabbed one for himself and did the same. They were those big bathrobes that you usually get when you go to a spa. I’d told him once how much I loved wearing them, how they made me feel safe and warm, and he must’ve remembered.
He pulled back the covers of the bed and told me to climb in.
“Climb into bed?”
“Why yes, this is your breakfast table this morning. It’s our anniversary, and I figured there was nothing better than breakfast in bed.”
I giggled and climbed into bed. Max told me that he would be back in a few minutes and I heard him run downstairs. He came back moments later with a tray of croissants, muffins, and coffee. I immediately reached out for the coffee and took a sip.
“Whoa. This stuff is amazing.”
“It’s Italian,” he said.
“It tastes just like the coffee from our Italian café,” I said and took another sip. It was so good.
He smiled. “That’s because it is.”
“What do you mean? That café is way far away.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I convinced them to deliver. Obviously, I had to heat up the coffee now. But I made sure to order us two cups each, so we can have another one after this. The man told me that this was the furthest he had ever driven to drop off coffee.”
“I can’t believe this, Max. This is absolutely amazing. You went through so much effort. And there I was thinking that you had gotten bored with me and that’s why you didn’t want me to sleep over.”
He laughed. “You think too much.”
We spent the rest of the morning in bed together, eating, drinking coffee, and making love. We only got out of the bed to go to the bathroom, but other than that we stayed there until midday. It was wonderful, and possibly the most romantic thing that anyone had ever done for me.
“Thank you for the best anniversary ever,” I said to Max as I cuddled against his warm body.
“Oh, it’s not over. Not even close,” he said.
“It’s not?”
“We’re going out tonight too. I’m kicking you out later so that you can go home and get ready. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
I chuckled. “You’re amazing. I had no idea you would end up being so romantic. All those years with you as a partner, and I could’ve had this.”
“You see, you should’ve made your move long ago, Madi. I always told you that I was a good catch, but you just refused to believe it.”
“I really had no idea what I was missing out on. Although, I used to sit in that van and undress you with my eyes. You just didn’t know it.”
He laughed. “That’s not true. I used to drive you nuts.”
“You still drive me nuts.”
Later that day, Max really did kick me out. He dropped me off back at home and told me that he’d be by later. I quickly called Lyndsey to inform her about my morning, and she burst out laughing.
“I told you there was nothing to worry about. The guy is crazy about you.”
I smiled. “I know. But sometimes it just feels too good to be true.”
“That’s what it’s supposed to feel like. That’s how I feel too. Breakfast in bed on your anniversary surrounded by candles? I must say, Madi, I had no idea that Max was so romantic.”
“He doesn’t let anyone see that side of him but me, that’s why. He’s not nearly as macho and serious as he makes himself out to be. I kind of like the fact that only I get to see that part of him, though.”
“Yeah, that makes it so much more special. So, what does he have planned for tonight?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Later that evening, I put on the same black dress that I had worn two years ago. I had actually forgotten about the dress and had since bought a few more to wear over the years. I hadn’t worn it since that night, and I was excited to come across it again. I put it on, and I was transported back to the beginning of my relationship with Max, when everything was still so new and uncertain. I would never have guessed that I’d be putting the same dress back on to celebrate my two-year anniversary with him.
When Max picked me up, he smiled.
“It’s my favorite dress!” he said. “You look beautiful, Madi, and you chose the best day to wear that.”
As it turned out, Max was taking me back to Quatre, the same place I had worn the dress to the last time. The whole thing just felt so incredibly serendipitous. I was excited to go back. We had spoken about going again since the last time, but we’d just never gotten around to it. It also didn’t help that the place was even more popular before and that the waiting list was so long. We walked into Quatre, and I frowned. Everything was the same as it had been the last time, the warm glow, the low lighting, the soft music. But there was nobody in sight. Not one person occupying any of the tables.
“Where is everyone?” I asked. “This is so strange. Are you sure you have the right date?”
Max smiled. “I have the right date. Tonight, it’s just you and I.”
“What do you mean?”
“I hired out the place for our anniversary,” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“You did? I didn’t even know that was possible,” I gasped. I couldn’t even imagine what hoops he had to jump through to make something like this happen. He took me to the same table that he had taken me to the last time, and a bottle of my favorite wine was sitting in the middle. They were small details that hadn’t gone unnoticed by me. He poured us both a glass and handed me one.
“Max, this is incredible,” I said as I took a sip. “I cannot believe we have the whole place to ourselves,” I said. “Is there anyone here at all?” I asked. I still had not seen one person. Not even a waiter.
He shook his head. “Nope. The food has all been prepared, and I just have to get it when we are ready. The manager will be in a bit later and will lock up after us, but for now, it’s just you and me. I didn’t to share our special day with anyone. And it really is a special day. Two years of absolute happiness.”
“Max . . .” I started, but I couldn’t find the words. Nobody had ever gone to so much trouble to please me before. What had I done to deserve someone like him? I felt myself choking up. I tried to talk again, but I was feeling too emotional to find my words.
“Madi, I know you think I saved your life, but it’s you who saved mine. You showed me what true happiness was all about. You are everything to me. You’re incredible at your job, and you put most of the men there to shame with what you are capable of. Everyone admires you, and for a good reason. When you set your mind to something, you do it, and you do it well. You somehow manage to be in control at work while still allowing everyone to like you. You were there for me when I was at my worst, and you’ve been there for me now at my best. But most of all, Madi, you get me the way nobody else can. We’ve always been a team, you and me. Even before we got together like this, it was us against the world. I used to hate working with other people because they just didn’t get me the way that you did. I love you, Madison, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” I watched in shock as Max pulled out a little box and opened it up to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. “Madison Hayes, will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive.”
Tears were streaming down my face. “Of course, I will. Yes! Yes! Yes!” I said. He handed me the ring and held it to the side in the candle light.
“It has a message on it,” he said.
I leaned in to read it clearly and laughed when I saw the words ‘Team Maverick’ etched inside. He put the ring on my finger and smiled at me. “I love you, Madison.”
“I love you, Max. I love you so much. This is the best night of my life,” I said. Then I remembered what he had done that morning. “No, actually this has been the best day of my life.”
“That’s good to know. That’s exactly what I wanted. So, here’s the plan: we enjoy a delicious meal together, we finish this bottle of wine, and then we go home and we finally play that game of Scrabble we never got around to finishing in the safe house. I mean, two years down the line and we still don’t know who the ultimate champion is.”
I laughed. I had completely forgotten about our Scrabble bet. “Deal. Winner makes dinner tomorrow night.”
“Ah, wonderful news. I’ve been looking forward to a good home-cooked spaghetti bolognese from you.”
“We’ll see about that!”
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BEST FRIEND’S BROTHER
BOX SET
By Alycia Taylor
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.
BEST FRIEND’S BROTHER #1
Chapter One
Alexa
You know those moments in life when you think: I’m always going to remember where I was and what I was doing when this happened? Today was going to be that day for me. It started out normally. The alarm on my phone was screaming at me at seven a.m. and I spent at least a full minute banging on it before I found the button to silence it. I would have done better, had I opened my eyes, but I knew that the room would be filled with light. I could feel it already pressing down against my eyelids. I’d forgotten to close the blinds last night. Not a big deal at night, really. My dorm room is on the third floor and it doesn’t face anything but some old basketball courts that no one uses any longer. But in the morning, it’s a different story. I hate mornings and until about ten a.m., I curse the appearance of the sun. While I laid there and tried to think of a logical excuse for not getting out of bed, my alarm started screeching again.
I slapped it and opened my eyes. I squinted in the bright sun as I sat up and decided then and there that closing the blind would have to be part of my nightly routine no matter how I was feeling. I opened the nightstand drawer next to the bed and pulled out a black kami and matching panties. It wasn’t like anyone was going to see them, but I always worried that I’d be involved in some kind of accident and when they took my body to the hospital the first thing the nurses and doctors would say was: Her underwear doesn’t match. Stupid, I know…but it makes me feel better.
I stood under the warm spray of the shower for too long. I hadn’t been feeling very well and the steam helped open everything up so I could breathe. By the time I got out of the shower, I had to hurry and my long, red hair was going to have to go into a ponytail or a braid because there was no way I had time to dry and straighten it. I decided on a braid and then I put on a tiny bit of foundation and some mascara so my light red eyelashes weren’t completely invisible. I slipped on my jeans and then my pink Fox t-shirt last. My shoes and book bag were by the door and as I slipped them on I grabbed a cereal bar off the desk. I wasn’t going to have time for breakfast and I didn’t want my stomach growling in the auditorium where it would echo across the room. Finally ready to go, I dashed out the door.
The first thing I noticed when I stepped out into the hallway was that it was too quiet. This dorm houses over a hundred and fifty college-aged women. It was never quiet. I would have asked someone what was going on, but there didn’t even seem to be anyone around. Hopefully I didn’t sleep through the zombie apocalypse. I was sleeping pretty hard last night. I felt like crap and on top of that I have a test today that I studied for until the wee hours of the morning. I better pass because I gave up two things that I love for it…sleep and a night out with my best friend.
I finally saw signs of life when I hit the ground floor. No zombies, but a lot of gloomy looking people. I saw a girl I know named Maddie and said, “Hey! What’s going on? Why does everyone look like their dog just died?”
Maddie said, “I’m not sure what happened exactly but there was a report on the news this morning that a girl was killed in a car accident. They didn’t have any details yet, but they found a student ID in the car and they think she may have been a student here.”
“They didn’t give her name?” I don’t know why, but a sudden surge of panic forced itself into my chest.
“No they wouldn’t say yet. The news said the name of the victim was withheld until they notified the family. It’s just so sad. Someone our age…just gone like that.”
“Yeah, that is sad.” I looked at my phone. It was ten minutes until I needed to be on the other side of campus. “I have to get to class. I have a big Soc test today. Let me know if you hear any more.”
“I will,” Maddie said.
I jogged more than walked to my class. Dr. Freitas, my sociology professor didn’t tolerate tardiness. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t let me take the test if I got there five minutes late. I made it with two minutes to spare and found my usual spot. Dropping my bag down next to me, I dug out my pencil and my scan tron. I was really glad I made it on time when I saw Dr. Freitas go over and lock the door at eight o’clock on the dot. He went over the rules for the midterm and the he passed it out. My phone was in my lap, but the ringer was off and he couldn’t see it under the little desk in front of me. If he saw it…he would make me leave. He was old school like that.
The test was two pages long and as I went from one question to the next, I realized that I’d over-stressed about it. I probably could have gone out with Emma last night and still passed it. She was going out to hang out with a friend of ours at her house who was having some people over. It sounded like fun…but on top of needing to study, I hadn’t felt well so I’d flaked on her. I was on the last page of the test when I felt my phone vibrate in my lap. I glanced down in Dr. Freitas’ direction. He was walking back and forth, watching. I left it alone and finished the test before I picked up it and my bag. He told us we were excused when we finished and I didn’t want to have to go back up and disturb everyone while I got my bag. I took the test up front and handed it and the scan tron to him.
“Did you put your name on it?” he asked, without looking up.
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay. The door will open from the inside. Make sure and close it on your way out.”
“Okay, thanks.” He was finished with me. He still hadn’t looked up. I let myself out and pulled the door closed behind me before finally looking at my phone. It was a text from Sabrina, another friend of mine. The text simply said, “Did you hear about Emma?”
I text back as I walked down the hall towards the outer door. “Did I hear what about Emma?”
I had just hit the outer door and walked out into the fresh air when she text back, “Call me.”
My mind suddenly went back to what Maddie said about the car wreck…then the cryptic text…Did you hear about Emma? My stomach all at once felt like someone had tied my insides into knots and I got a chill that ran down my spine and across both of my arms. I didn’t want to call her back. I didn’t want to know what had happened to my best friend. I stood there, staring at the phone for several minutes before finally getting enough air into my lungs to convince myself that I was just being silly. I pressed the call button and Sabrina picked up right away.
“Alexa, I wish that I wasn’t the one who had to tell you this…”
“Then don’t,” I said. “Don’t tell me!”
“You do know.”
“I heard there was an accident last night. I heard the girl was dead. I know Emma was out last night and I was supposed to be with her but I flaked at the last second. Please tell me I’m wrong, Sabrina. Please tell me that girl wasn’t Emma.”
“I’m sorry, Alexa,” the other girl said. I could hear the strangled tone of her voice and I knew she’d been crying.
“She’s….Oh shit! She’s…dead?”
“Yes, I’m so sorry.” I hung up. It wasn’t Sabrina’s fault and I wasn’t usually one to shoot the messenger but I couldn’t listen to it for one more second. There was no way that Emma was dead. She was young and beautiful and funny and smart…I pulled up her number and pressed call. It went straight to voicemail. That didn’t mean anything, I told myself. She turns her phone off sometimes when she’s in class. I’m just being paranoid…stupid…Sabrina was a big gossip! She didn’t know what she was talking about and when I found Emma I was going straight over there and punching Sabrina in the face for upsetting me like this. I started walking to the dorm. I felt like I was in a fog…or a bad dream. The world was happening around me, but it didn’t seem real. As I crossed the campus courtyard I realized that people were staring at me. Why are they staring at me? I reached up and touched my face. It was saturated with tears that I hadn’t even realized I was crying. Why am I crying? This isn’t real! Emma is not dead!
I passed the people who were staring at me and even a few who were trying to talk to me. I ignored them all. I just wanted to be alone, so I could process this and figure out why people would even consider the possibility that Emma was dead. That was ridiculous…wasn’t it? I made it to my room and locked myself inside. I sat down on the bed and looked at my phone. The last text I had from Emma was after I’d text her, telling her I really didn’t feel well, and I needed to study and wouldn’t be able to go out. She had text me back and said, “Okay, but all work and no play makes Alexa a dull girl. Love ya!”
I hadn’t even text back that I loved her too. Why? It would have taken me two seconds…or less. Oh God! What if she was dead? What if I had that one last chance to be with her, or to tell her I loved her too and I had let it pass? The tears were running down the side of my neck now. I had to find some tissue…or just lie down on the bed and let them soak into the pillow…which was what I did. I lay there for a while, crying and shaking, rolled into a fetal position and I imagined what her family must be going through. Shit! Her family! I grabbed the phone and called my dad.
He picked it up on the first ring and said, “Alexa honey, I was just going to call you…” Dad’s voice was husky, like he was trying not to cry.
“It’s true?”
“Yeah baby. I’m so sorry.”
I let myself sob out loud then and my dad just sat quietly and let me. When I could speak again I said, “Do her parents know?”
“Yeah, I’m headed over there now,” he said.
“Oh God, Daddy! Oh God!”
“I know baby. Do you want me to come and get you?”
“I need to be home.”
“I know honey. I have to go see Emma’s parents and see if there is anything I can do. Then I’ll be there, okay?”
I’m not sure if what I said sounded like okay to him or not. To my ears it was just another strangled cry. I dropped back down onto the bed and sobbed. My poor Emma. I couldn’t understand why. She was so young…It’s just not fair!