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She is survived by her parents, Linda and Barry Dunham, and sisters, Olivia, Penelope, and Charlotte. Maddie was an animal lover, often found on her parents’ farm working hard or playing with the animals, and if she wasn’t there, you could find her with her two best friends, Valen and Jade, living life to its fullest.
VALEN
Hearing Reed’s footsteps come up the stairs and down the hall brought a smile to my face.
“Hey! I was just about to pour a glass of wine,” I called out before he appeared around the corner. “You want something?”
He hooked a finger in his tie, tugging it free from around his neck and placing it on the counter. “Yeah, coffee would be good.”
I raised my eyebrows but didn’t question why he was in need of a coffee at the end of a long workday. Though he did look tired and a little dejected, his confident shoulders were somewhat shrugged. “Bad day?” I questioned, grabbing a mug from the cupboard and walking over to the coffee machine in the corner next to the refrigerator.
“How come you never told me about Maddie?”
I froze, my hand gripping tight to the coffee mug.
Reed and I had spoken about Maddie.
He’d heard the story of what had happened.
Hell, I’d even shown him the news report with the video of me being handcuffed and forced into a police car. But there was something I hadn’t mentioned—that I never mentioned to anyone who didn’t know—because I was still scared the more I talked about it, the more real it would be.
Fucked up, given it had been very fucking real for years.
“What about her?”
“What happened—”
“I told you what happened,” I cut in, shaking my head. “Someone attacked her, and I—”
“What happenedafterthat,” he corrected, an edge to his voice, but it wasn’t sharp or angry. It was almost… sad. “Look at me, Valen.”
I swallowed hard, gritting my teeth as I gently placed the mug in my hands onto the counter and stepped back so I could turn and face him. Things were clicking, falling into place—the main one being the look on Reed’s face, letting me know I didn’t need to say the words because he already knew them.
He knew.
But somehow, I managed to say them anyway, “She overdosed,” I whispered, my body physically aching as I said the words, having not spoken them out loud for years. “She couldn’t live with the memories anymore.”
He cleared his throat. “I tried to look her up,” he started, reaching for my hand and linking our fingers. Twisting them together, he continued, “I thought maybe she’d have a lead on Jade. Or, if not, I figured talking to your best friend would still be a good way to learn more about you. I had these big plans to have her come to Boston and surprise you. I assumed—”
“You didn’t assume,” I interjected, shaking my head. “I led you to believe that Maddie was alive because I don’t speak of her as if she isn’t.”
“I’ve heard you talking to her. I’ve heard the phone ring, and her pick up.”
I swept a couple of tears from my cheek, forcing a smile. “It’s her voicemail. Her sister keeps her phone charged for me so I can call her and leave voicemails. Tell her about my day. Update her on my life. And just so I can hear her voice. I know it seems a little fucked up, but it is what got me through losing her, and the habit has never stopped.”
I talked to Maddie’s voicemail every few days. It was like a diary entry I could never hear back from or a therapist who never spoke or gave advice. I would just talk, tell her everything, and at the end, I would feel like I was lighter. Maybe it was just that simple, speaking my problems into the universe, or maybe she was really out there listening.
Reed began to back up, holding my hand tight and pulling me with him as he headed for the living room. He took a seat, and I followed suit, turning my body to face him.
“Tell me about her,” Reed said simply. “I want to know everything.”
I let out a loud laugh but felt this sudden warmth flow through me at the idea I had the chance to share another piece of my heart with this man. “She was quiet, thoughtful. The one who kept Jade and me in line and who talked us through our problems. And we had a hell of a lot of them, the both of us coming from fucked-up homes while Maddie’s family was so freaking wholesome and loving and supportive.”
It wasn’t even an exaggeration.
Maddie’s family was practically perfect.
Her mom was this amazing cook, determined to solve the world’s problems by bringing people together with food. Her dad was a veterinarian, so their farm was filled with stray animals whose families didn’t want them or didn’t think they were fixable. So he would bring them home, and not a single person would question him, knowing his heart was too big not to do something.
