Page 43 of Ravaged By Lust

I just can’t do it.

“You sound great, really,” Maddie replies, her hand on my knee. “You should continue. I would like to hear the rest.”

“I should save my voice for tomorrow,” I lie.

“Okay.”

“I know you just said you’re no musician,” I start, trying to change the subject. “But do you play anything? Sing? Dance?”

Maddie scoffs. “No. I wish. No one should hear me sing and I’m absolutely terrible with my feet and rhythm. I’m more than happy to simply watch talented people like you and Axel.”

I laugh. “And how’s the pregnancy coming along?”

Maddie rubs her not-showing belly. “Everything hurts. My boobs ache. I can’t remember the last time I had a shit. And, worse of all, I can’t even have a drink to help ease all the nerves. But this is the most amazing, miraculous, and magical thing to ever happen to me, and I would not take the surprise of it back for all the money in the world. Even if I’m randomly craving cinnamon donuts all the freaking time. Although I don’t know if any of that is because of the pregnancy or just because I’m a moody person.”

She’s so cute that I just reach over and give her a big hug. “I can’t believe you’re going to be part of our family,” I say.

“Me too,” Maddie replies. “When you came over yesterday, I instantly knew I was going to get on well with you.”

“Yesterday seems like a lifetime ago,” I reply. “I’m sorry that I kinda just skipped out on you two.”

Maddie narrows her eyes. “Look, I know this isn’t my place, but is there something going on between you and Bishop Hayes?” she asks quietly. I can tell she’s been waiting to ask this the minute she walked in through the door. “I tried to speak to Axel about what happened between you all yesterday, but he’s not saying a word to me. My Spidey Sense is tingling. I don’t mean to pry, though. It’s just that you could cut the tension yesterday with a knife, and I would have to be an idiot to not see something…”

“It’s okay,” I reply. I trust Maddie. “Bishop and I go back… a long way.”

“Ah.”

“We were both teenagers in love.”

Maddie nods. “I suspected as much.”

“We hid it from my brother and everything.”

“So you met through Axel?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, that must’ve been so much fun,” Maddie giggles. “All those taboo glances across the room. Secret looks in hallways.”

I shake my head. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. At first.”

“And then what happened?”

“I thought we were going to be together forever. Maybe I was just being a naïve teenage girl who’s watched too many Disney princess movies, but I really did think he was the one for me. But then he acted like a total dick and ruined my self-confidence for a very, very long time.”

I don’t want to go into the details with her, so I tell her what she needs to know. The abridged version of events.

“Well, he clearly still likes you, Chloe,” Maddie replies softly. “I saw how he acted with you yesterday. But if he’s been shit to you in the past, then screw him. Did he apologize for what he did to you?”

“Nope.”

“Then, really, fuck him.”

We both fall into a burst of shared laughter.

“I’m guessing my brother wasn’t the easiest guy to fall in love with,” I remark to my new sister.

“Oh.” Maddie gives me the funniest look. “He was a nightmare.”