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He hesitated for a long minute as his gaze ping-ponged between me and her, but he finally nodded as he strolled towards me. "I'll be inside if you need me." He dropped his head, pressing his soft lips to mine. That one kiss said so much. It told me I had nothing to worry about and that he was mine. It said he was in love with me. That kiss sent a wave of confidence washing over me, confidence in myself, in him, and in our relationship.
He disappeared inside the house.
"What is it, Casey?" I held her gaze. "If you're worried I'm going to ask Maddox to let you go; I'm not."
"No." She shook her head, a sincere smile spreading across her face. "I wanted to apologize. It's part of my job to protect Maddox's reputation, but I overstepped with you. It wasn't my place to get involved in your relationship."
I didn't have it in me to hate her, not that I really had a reason. What happened between her and Maddox was before me, before us, and I couldn't hold that against her. "Apology accepted." I doubted she and I would ever be besties like me and Maddy I, but I thought we could manage a friendly relationship. "Are you sure that you can keep the relationship professional?"
She nodded. "Yes. Maddox made himself clear tonight. He's in love with you, and I assume you are in love with him?"
"I am. I have been. Even when I wanted to, I never stopped loving him."
"Then I assume you'll want what's best for him, too." I nodded. "So, no more fundraiser sex." A laugh bubbled up that turned into a full fit of laughter, and she joined in. She was right. We needed to be more careful. Neither of us wanted our bare asses to go viral.
"Deal."
"I should go." Casey pulled her expensive handbag higher on her shoulder. "Let Maddox know I'll be in touch sometime this week to discuss his upcoming events." Flashing her a smile, I nodded. She returned the smile, mutual respect shared between us as she passed to leave.
I waited until she was gone and then pulled out my cell phone and clicked on Maddy's picture.
"Hey," she squealed into the phone after the first ring. "How's Florida? Omigod, how's Maddox? Tell me everything."
Hearing her voice made me realize how much I needed a friend and even more how much I'd missed her. Since she moved to New York, we hadn't gone more than two, maybe three days without seeing each other.
"I need a friend."
"Girl, that's all you had to say. I'll be there tomorrow morning."
"Really?"
"Yes. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just need some retail therapy." Retail therapy was Maddy's thing. She usually called me once a week, and even though Maddy loved to shop, it was really a reason for us to hang out and talk about everything in our lives. She'd vent about her job and love life, and I'd vent about the last sports gossip or my latest terrible dating experience. It was just our thing.
She laughed. "You hate shopping. It must be serious. I'll get my flight booked now and text you the info. Send me a few hotels in the area, and I'll get one booked."
"I'll take care of your sleeping arrangements." If Maddox didn't want her to stay here, I'd take a personal day to stay with her.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
We disconnected, and I couldn't help but smile. Who would have thought that Maddy Taylor would be the person I'd called when I needed a friend?
Maddox and I hadn't talked much about Maddy, but I knew how he felt about her. She was a sore spot for him. He blamed her for what happened in high school. He blamed her for me leaving, and he had every right to because if she hadn't been part of sending those pictures out, I never would have left, but high school was a long time ago, and it was time to squash it and move into the future because I didn't want to have to choose between them.
I wasn't sure how he would feel about her coming to town or how he would react when I told him she'd be here tomorrow, but this wasn't about him. Maddy was my friend, and I needed her right now. So, much had happened in the short time since I'd come to Florida with Maddox, and I needed someone to organize my thoughts with. Someone who didn't have an opinion on the matter.
I knew Maddy was still rooting for Maddox and me to end up together because she believed in her heart that he was my person, and I did, too.
I finished setting up my iPad on the patio, adding a ring light for a little extra because the moonless sky made it a little darker.
The sliding glass door opened, and I peered up as Maddox stepped out.
"You ready to make this official?" He handed me a water bottle before dropping into the seat beside me.
I pushed the enter button on my iPad and leaned back in my chair. "I need to talk to you before we do this."
He drew in a deep breath as his body tensed and his brows knitted. "Okay?"
