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He nodded. “Yep. The three of us were thick as thieves growing up. Dad was traveling for work most of the time. Her favorite thing to do was to go out on our balcony at night, under the stars and stare up at the sky. It was something she’d started with us when we were really young, and we’d do it every night before we’d go to bed. It was what she looked most forward to when she was sick. I’d push her out on the balcony in her wheelchair.” His eyes were wet with emotion, and he cleared his throat.
“I love that. What would you look for?” I asked, watching as his face softened when he spoke of his mother.
“We’d look at the different sizes and shapes, and my mom would see patterns that Wyle and I didn’t see. She’d claim that she could see a heart in the stars, or a fairy, and we’d both be desperate to see it, you know? But mainly, we’d point out the planets and she’d talk about how the heavens were shining down on us. My mother had an amazing imagination. She’d worked with my grandfather for several years at Lancaster Press before she got sick because reading was her passion.”
“So, she was close with your grandparents?” I asked.
“Yes. They adored her. She’d arranged for Wyle to move in with them for his last two years of high school after she passed. She knew my father wouldn’t be there, and she wanted me to go to college. I think she feared that if she had made it another year, I wouldn’t have left.”
“Was she right to worry about that?”
“Yes. I would have stayed with her until the end.” Maddox shrugged. “She was loyal and kind and just—” He looked away for a minute. “She was good to the core. And everything fell apart after she was gone. I mean, with my father. The anger settled with Wyle and me, and we couldn’t stand to be around him.”
“It sounds like your mom was the glue that held you all together.”
He nodded. “She was.”
“Hey, I have an idea.”
“You always do, Tink. Let’s hear it.”
“You got all these desserts, and you have this beautiful view. What if we go sit out back and eat them?”
“Under the stars,” he said, his gaze searching mine.
“Yeah. I bet it’s the place you feel closest to her.”
He studied me for a long moment. “I never sit under the stars anymore, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Come on.” I pushed to my feet, missing the feel of his arms around me the minute I pulled away.
“It’s freezing outside,” he said.
I moved to the couch and grabbed my coat and hat and started covering up. “We can bundle up, and you have a fireplace out there. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the cold.”
He was up now, shaking his head as he reached for his coat that was sitting on a barstool in the kitchen, and he slipped into it. He pulled a navy beanie over his head and grabbed the bags filled with desserts off the counter.
“There isn’t much I’m afraid of, Tink. And I like the cold.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. Unlike you, I prefer traditional sports. You’d have a hard time keeping up with me on the slopes.” He glanced over his shoulder and smirked.
Once my gloves were on, my hat secured on my head, and my coat zipped all the way up just beneath my chin, we made our way outside.
Maddox had the fire pit up and blazing within minutes, and we were settled on the cozy L-shaped couch. He handed me a plastic fork and started opening all the containers.
We sampled each one, both agreeing that the peach cobbler was the standout, although the butter cake was a close second. He told me about his family vacations to different ski resorts all over the country, and I could just picture him racing his brother down the mountain.
This side of Maddox was so vulnerable. So genuine and raw. I loved that he trusted me enough to share it with me.
“Show me how to stargaze,” I said, as I tipped my head back to look up at the gorgeous sky. Twinkling lights sparkled overhead, and he shoved the desserts out of the way, placing the containers in a pile on a side table. He pulled me close, sliding my body along the couch until my thigh was touching his, and he wrapped an arm around me. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we both looked up.
“You see the ones that aren’t twinkling?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Those are planets.”
