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Chapter Twenty-Four
Maddox
It’sfunny.
After thirty-eight years, I’m finally in love. I finally got shot with the love bug and it’s for a woman who doesn’t want anything to do with me.
Not that I blame Ava.
I’ve fucked up many times in the past, with her and many other women. I’m not a good man, never have been. Might never be.
But for her, I’m willing to try my damn hardest. I’m finally willing to conquer the ultimate challenge. I want to be the kind of man that all those romance movies rave about because I know Ava deserves someone like that. She deserves someone who worships the ground she walks on.
Surprisingly, when it comes to her, that comes easily to me.
It seems that admitting to myself that I love her unlocks a whole bunch of shit inside me that has lain dormant.
There’s a whole lot I want to do with her.
I want to buy her a whole bouquet of flowers every day and deliver it personally to her doorstep. I want to hold her and bring her breakfast in bed, and dance with her in the kitchen and commission a painting of her dreamy face in the sunset, so I can stare at it all day.
And that’s the only thing that annoys me. Love is turning into me into a complete sap.
I manage to control the urge to follow her around for most of the conference. Once she joins me for the ride back home, though, I can’t help noticing everything about her, how she smells, the color of her cheeks, some increased confidence in her stature.
“Chloe says Sasha picked Mimi up earlier today,” she says as we drive. “They should be home already, so you can just drop me off there.”
“Mmmm,” I say. “Can I come see her when we get there?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Are you actually asking my permission for something right now?”
“Yeah,” I say. “You’re her mom, I don’t want to do anything you won’t like.” I can already tell how protective she is with her daughter, and know if I try to force my way into their lives, she’s going to balk entirely. But winning Ava over means inevitably bonding with her daughter too.
Shouldn’t be too hard. I’m not a kid’s person, but I’m growing fond of the little girl.
Ava’s surprise turns into thoughtfulness as she frowns. Then she shrugs. “I guess. I mean, she’ll probably be hurt if you don’t at least say hi. And she’ll be happy to see you.”
Her answer proves correct, because the minute we pull into the driveway, the door flies open and the little girl dashes out.
“Mommy!” she screams, and Ava is barely out of the car, before she’s throwing herself into her arms.
“Baby!” Ava laughs in a sound of pure joy as she swings Mimi around, before hugging her even tighter. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” Mimi giggles as Ava lays a series of kisses on her cheek, neck, ears. Mimi finally glances at me and waves.
“Hi Mr. Maddox,” she says.
“Hello Mimi.” I smile at her. “How are you?”
“Good.” She wiggles because wants to be let down. Her mother obliges. “Are you eating dinner with us? Sasha made pasta.”
I glance at Ava who opens her mouth to say something but is distracted by a teenage girl who also appears at the doorstep. The girl gazes at me, with wide eyes, blushes, and then starts retreating into the house.
“Excuse me,” Ava says as she heads in. “Mimi come on.”
“Okay,” Mimi says, turning around and following her mother in. I walk in after them and spot Ava handing over some cash to the girl, who is still red-faced. She glances again at me and I give her what I think is a friendly smile. She looks away again, and bolts out the minute the cash hits her hand.
Ava shares a look with me and shakes her head. “You really are too good-looking for your own good, you know that?”
