AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course not,” I said with a gasp. I shared a lot of things with my siblings, but some things were off-limits. And my kiss with Maddox was just for me.
“Well, it’s interesting that he gushed about how pretty you are.” Cage put the car in park.
“He’s drunk. He told me that the coffee mug was pretty before you walked in.” I rolled my eyes because he hadn’t said that, but I didn’t need Cage getting in my business.
“He does seem to like you a lot, Georgie.” Finn glanced over from the front passenger seat and waggled his brows at me.
“You’re ridiculous.” I pushed out of the car.
They both knew there was something going on. But was there? Nothing had happened aside from one kiss.
One glorious, sexy kiss.
I hurried across the driveway and typed in the code to the garage keypad, and we all made our way inside. Maddox was walking now with one arm around Hugh.
I went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, and we all sat there for the next hour as we watched this beautiful, big, broody man sober up. He was quiet, and I knew he was mortified that I’d called my brothers. But he sipped his coffee and listened as Hugh, Cage, and Finn all made small talk.
Maddox sat forward and ran a hand down his face. “Thanks for getting me home. I’m sorry about that. I got some news from my father, and I lost my shit for a minute. I’m sorry for involving your sister. I honestly thought she’d gone home.”
“You don’t need to apologize, man. We’ve all been there. You’re a friend of Georgie’s, which makes you a friend of ours.” Hugh clapped him on the shoulder.
“She didn’t know we were all coming, so don’t be too hard on her,” Cage said, as he turned and winked at me. He could be sweet when he wanted to be.
“I’m not going to be hard on her. I shouldn’t have put her in this situation. That’s on me. You guys can head out. I’ve taken enough of your time. I’m fine now.”
“You got plans for the holidays?” Hugh asked.
“Yep. I’m heading to the city tomorrow.”
“Well, if anything changes, there’s always room for more at the Reynolds’ house when it comes to food. Our mother makes enough for a small army, and everyone is welcome.” Cage extended a hand to Maddox.
“Thank you. I think my grandmother would lose her shit if I didn’t show up, but I appreciate the invite.”
“Here. Unlock your phone for me,” Finn said as he pushed to his feet and handed Maddox his phone. Maddox handed it back to my brother, who quickly typed into the device. “I just put my number into your phone in case you need anything.”
“You have a nice Christmas, all right?” he said as he wobbled a bit when he pushed to his feet. “Thanks again for cleaning up my mess.”
Hugh did that half-dude hug, and Finn did the same before they all three made their way to the front door.
I stood in front of him. “Have a safe trip home, okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry for ruining your night.” He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “Merry Christmas, Tink.”
“You didn’t ruin my night,” I said, reaching for his hand as we stood there staring at one another. “You can call me if you want to talk.”
He cleared his throat, and his gaze moved beyond me, where my brothers had all just walked out the front door. “You’ve done enough for me. I’ll see you in a week.”
My chest ached when he pulled his hand away. I hadn’t gone more than a day without seeing him since I’d started this job. He’d always found things that we needed to do at least one day on the weekend, and we spoke several times a day. But the way he was talking sounded like he wouldn’t be in touch for a while. I still hadn’t given him his gift. It was in my trunk, but my brothers were waiting outside, and I could tell Maddox was ready for me to leave, so I’d give it to him when he got back.
“Okay, safe travels.” I held up a hand awkwardly because I wanted to wrap my arms around him and make him talk to me.
I wanted him to beg me to stay.
But I knew better. Maddox wasn’t going to do that.
I made my way outside, fighting the lump that had settled in the back of my throat.
Because somewhere along the way, Maddox Lancaster’s pain had become my pain.
