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Madden stops in front of a white house, switches off the truck, and turns to face me. His jaw is tight, and it’s impossible to miss the uncertainty in his eyes.
“I’m going to introduce you to someone,” he says. “She’s important to me. And I know you’ll have questions, but I don’t know how many I’ll answer. So I’m just going to tell you this. I served in the Marines with her father. Before he died, I promised him that I would always ensure she was taken care of, no matter what. For now, that’s all you need to know.”
He leaves those words to settle between us for a moment, and I force myself to nod even though I still feel like I’m not sure I belong here. Madden doesn’t give me more time to consider it before he gets out of the truck and comes around to help me out.
We walk up the sidewalk together, but the door bursts open before we even reach the steps. A little girl with dark hair and brown eyes comes bounding down the stairs and straight for us.
“Madden!” She flings herself into his arms and shrieks with excitement.
“Hey, rascal.” He scoops her up and hoists her into the air, making her burst into a fit of giggles.
A lump of emotion swells in my throat, because when I look at him, he’s smiling, and I’ve never seen him smile.
He sets her back on her feet and ruffles her hair with his palm. “I brought someone I want you to meet. Her name is…” He pauses to look at me, and I offer him a weak smile.
“Lyric,” I finish for him.
“Hi, Lyric.” The little girl beams up at me. “I’m Zoe.”
“Hi, Zoe,” I answer, feeling oddly shy as her eyes move over my face in curiosity.
“You’re really pretty,” she tells me.
Warmth blooms on my cheeks, and I can’t help my nervous laughter. “Thank you. So are you.”
“Alright, now, Zoe.” A woman with silver hair and glasses calls out from the doorway. “Let them come sit down, will you?”
I meet the woman’s gaze, noting that hers is on me too. She doesn’t look curious, but something else. Guarded, perhaps. I’m not sure, but before I can give it much thought, Madden settles his palm against my back and urges me forward.
“Go ahead. I’m going to grab something out of the truck. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I swallow as Zoe peers up at me. “Do you like cookies? We made chocolate chip.”
“I love cookies,” I tell her.
“Zoe will show you where the patio’s at,” the woman at the door says. “I’m Jackie, by the way.”
I introduce myself as Lyric, and she stares at me for a long, tense moment. It isn’t hard to figure out that she thinks I’m Bianca, which means she probably assumes I’m lying to her. To my relief, she doesn’t give voice to her thoughts, and Zoe breaks the tension between us.
“Come on. You can see my playhouse.”
She leads the way through a gate around the side of the house, which opens up to the patio overlooking a backyard. It’s a cute little setup with flagstone pavers and wicker furniture. Zoe doesn’t waste any time giving me a tour, pointing out her swing set and playhouse and other things she tells me Madden bought for her.
He joins us a moment later with a box in his hands, and it doesn’t take long to capture Zoe’s attention when he sets it on the table.
“What is it?” she asks, her body practically vibrating with excitement.
“Have a look,” Madden tells her.
She opens up the box and peeks inside, and a huge smile cracks across her face. “You brought the paint. Can we make it today?”
“You’re going to spoil that girl.” Jackie opens up the screen door to see the commotion. “Let me get them a drink first, child.”
Before she can escape, Madden stops her and points at a wicker chair. “Have a seat. I’ll get them.”
She looks up at him, and something passes between them as she settles her palm on his cheek. “You’re a good man.”
“So you tell me,” he says quietly.
“And I’ll keep on telling you,” she harrumphs as he guides her to the chair.
It occurs to me as I watch them how frail she looks. I’m not sure of her age, but it’s apparent Madden is concerned about her overexerting herself, and I have to wonder how she keeps up with Zoe.
“Don’t think I forgot about you, either.” Madden retrieves a small tin from his pocket and hands it to her.
“Thank you.” Jackie smiles up at him. “You take such good care of us. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
He returns her smile, but there’s sadness behind it, and I feel like I’m missing something as he disappears into the house. Zoe pulls out the cans of paint to examine the colors, and Jackie moves her gaze to me.
