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“The baby is craving mint-chocolate chip ice cream.”
Oh.
Her midnight cravings. “Ice cream?”
She hummed. “Mint-chocolate chip, specifically.”
Mint-chocolate chip…
Lila’s favorite…
I rubbed a hand over my face. “Dairy Queen is probably still open. I’ll see if they have that flavor.”
“Thank you.” I could hear the smile in her voice. I sure as hell didn’t know pregnant chicks were this much work. I hadn’t been prepared for it. The cravings, mood swings, the extra emotional drama.
“Okay,” I said.
She was silent for a second, and I was about to hang up, when she softly called out, “Hey, Maddox.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you,” she whispered, like we were sharing a secret.
I growled and hung up.
“It’s strange to celebrate Christmas without Maddox,” Gran said. She handed me a cup of hot chocolate, and I reluctantly took it. The moment she started speaking of Maddox, I wanted to run upstairs and hide. They didn’t know that we had broken up… yet.
They knew about Maddox’s father. And so, I let them believe that Maddox was with his parents… hence why he hasn’t visited us… and I haven’t gone to him. Yet.
I only came back to my grandparents’ yesterday. Tonight was Christmas Eve. Maddox used to always spend the night with my family. He’d sleep on the couch (sometimes he’d sneak into my room) and we’d wake up, early in the morning, to open our presents. We’d have breakfast together.
Spending Christmas without him was another reminder of how quickly our relationship went from one hundred to zero.
This would have been our first Christmas as a couple. I grinded my teeth, feeling so hopeless… so helpless…
I remained silent, giving the TV all my attention. The movie ended. My grandparents said their goodnights and went upstairs to their room. The digital clock read 8PM, but they had a habit of going to bed early. Old age, they’d argue.
My eyes landed on the bowl of mixed party chips and loneliness clawed at me. Maddox would always separate my favorite kind from the rest and feed them to me. It’s the little things…
That was what I missed the most.
The little things.
A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. When another knock came, I got up to answer the door. I didn’t know what I expecting, but it was definitely not him.
Agape, I sputtered, “Grayson?”
He looked different. Older, wiser… and a tad more handsome. He now had a beard, was still wearing glasses, and appeared to have gained more muscles. “Hey, can I come in?”
“Um, yeah, sure!” My voice came out squeaky. I haven’t seen him in years. After he broke up with Riley, we lost all contact.
Grayson came inside but stayed by the door. It was then I noticed the file he was holding. “I’ve tried calling Maddox, but he isn’t picking up. This is important and couldn’t be delayed.”
“What is?”
He squinted at me. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Well, shit,” he muttered under his breath. “This is awkward. I thought he told you already.”
“I haven’t talked to Maddox in weeks.”
His eyes rounded big, and he stared at me, agape. “You’re shitting me, right?”
I put my hands on my hips, glaring up at him. “Do I look like I’m joking?” I hissed.
Grayson raised his hands up, in mock defense. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to continue. He shifted on his feet, suddenly looking less serious and more nervous.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know exactly where to start…”
“Start at the beginning?” I prompted.
Grayson swallowed and nodded. “You might want to sit down.”
He followed me into the dining room, and we settled at the table. Courteously, I offered him a glass of water. I watched, as he rubbed his chin, looking everywhere but at me. He took a slow sip of water, and I waited patiently, as he licked his lips and finally made eye contact with me. “About eight months ago, Maddox approached Simon.”
Simon Manchester. Grayson’s adopted father, who also happened to be a well-respected judge. What would he see Simon for?
“Maddox has been digging into your accident. He’s been trying to reopen your case.”
My heart skipped, and my breath caught in my throat. My stomach dropped, and the world… ceased to exist.
The colors faded away.
Black and white… and then, I was violently thrown into the darkness.
“Lila? Lila! Hey, Lila!”
Grayson snapped his fingers in front of my face. I choked on my breath, and goosebumps peppered my flesh, as I stared at him, too stunned to move or to speak.
“Shit,” Grayson swore. “I shouldn’t have been the one to tell you this.”
“Why?” I croaked.
“What do you mean why?”
I blinked at Grayson. No, this wasn’t possible. “Why would he try to reopen my…case… Christian is his childhood friend.”
“That’s a question you should be asking him, not me. Because, I don’t have an answer for you. I can tell you what I know, though.” He patted my hand, a comforting gesture. “The Carmichaels are rich and protected by the law, in a way. They have way too much money and way too much power in their hands. Christian’s father is a well-known, albeit, corrupt lawyer. He knows how to go around the law and how to get it in his and his son’s favor. That’s what he did before. The judge that handled your case? That was his best friend. These people, they run in the same circle, Lila. There was no way you would have won your case.”
