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Swallowing hard, I nodded. Reaching out for her, I pulled her into me. "If you need a minute, I can wait outside," I whispered. "And tonight, I'll go through everything with you."
"No." She sniffled, pushing off my chest and turning back to her mother. "I got to say my goodbyes before she left." I swiped the tear off her cheek with the pad of my thumb. "I want to go." I nodded, wrapping an arm across her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" I asked as we walked out of the hospital.
"Yeah." She sighed. "I think I'm still in shock." I nodded. "Thanks for staying." Her gaze flicked up to me, and I smiled. There was nowhere else I would be right now. Everything would sink in in the next few days, and she would need a friend.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, opening her car door. She hadn't eaten anything all day.
"No," she shook her head, sliding into the car. "But if you are..."
"I'm good right now." I slammed her door and jogged to the driver's side, quickly sliding in. "Where do you want to stay while we are here?" Her gaze snapped up, meeting mine; a brief flash of confusion flickered through her eyes like this was the first time she'd thought about that. "We can stay at your mom's, or we can stay in my old apartment above the garage, or I can book a hotel room."
"I don't want to stay at my mom's," she said, her gaze flicking out the window. "Not tonight anyway, and I don't want you to pay for a hotel, so your place if that's okay."
"Yeah." I smiled, shoving the car into drive.
I was taking her back to stay where it all started. Her first kiss, our first kiss. This could go really good or dredge up all the bad memories and go terribly wrong.
FORTY-TWO
ADDISON
Rounding the corner, my gaze caught a glimpse of Maddox's bare torso coming out of the stairwell as I used a dark blue towel to dry my damp hair.
"I got food." Maddox smiled, holding up the plastic bag filled with black food containers. I wasn't hungry, but I forced a smile. He dropped the bag on the counter before opening and digging through it. "I figured we could eat and go over your mom's paperwork if you wanted to."
"I don't need to go through the envelope," I said, sliding onto the barstool across from Maddox.
He froze, his gaze narrowing on me. "How will you know when the funeral is?"
"My mother didn't believe in funerals," I answered, crossing my arms over the cold granite countertop. "I already know what I'll find in that envelope." I shrugged.
"There was no funeral when your father passed?" Maddox asked.
"No." I shook my head. "She believed funerals were just something to throw money at, and at the time, she didn't have that kind of money." I cleared my throat. "So, he was cremated and put into a two-compartment gold urn, and since the urn had a place for her ashes, I would assume that was her final wish." Maddox nodded, shoving a box of food across the countertop. I flicked the box open. "The only thing I'm unsure about is what happens to the urn. Do I pick it up, or did she buy a plot to bury it?"
"I'm sure it's in the papers," Maddox said, strolling around the counter and sliding onto the stool beside me. "If you want, I can go through them for you."
"Thanks," I muttered, pushing the fork through my food. I couldn't explain why, but I wasn't ready to open that envelope even though it was time-sensitive.
Sitting quietly at the counter, a wave of déjà vu washed over me like I'd been here before in this situation.
I had four years ago. Not this exact situation, but here at this countertop eating with Maddox. The first time Maddox brought me here. Memories of my first kiss pushed forward, the first kiss that happened right here on this countertop. It had been everything I'd dreamed of at the time. My chest fluttered at the memories. The feelings and emotions of how he'd made me feel all flooded to the surface. I cut a sideways glance at Maddox, curious if he even remembered.
Flattening my palm over the cool granite, I slid my hand over the smooth surface. The surface where he'd grabbed me, picked me up, and put me right before he kissed me. A rush of heat surged through me at the vivid memory.
"It's weird, right?" he muttered, not looking up from his food. "Thinking about what happened on this countertop all those years ago." Swallowing hard, I squeezed my eyes closed. He did remember. Opening my eyes, I nodded. He had been all I ever wanted. My gaze flicked up to meet his pained stare. His deep blue eyes scanned mine, but I wasn't entirely sure what he was searching for.
"Thanks for being here," I said. "I'm not sure what I would have done if you hadn't been." I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to truly trust Maddox again, but maybe being friends was a start. It would never be like it was, but maybe starting over, it could be something else.
"Are you tired?" Maddox asked, closing up his food container. Staring at my food, I shook my head. "Do you want to watch a movie?" I thought about the question for a minute. It wasn't that I didn't, but there was something I felt like I wanted to do more.
"Actually." I smiled, sliding off my stool. My gaze flicked up to meet his. "If you're up for it, there's somewhere I want to go."
Sliding off his stool, he reached over the counter, grabbed his keys, and tossed them to me. "Let's go." They weren't the keys to the rental. They were the keys to his truck. The same truck we'd spent so much time in. The same truck I'd given my first blow job in.
"You're going to let me drive?" I asked, a smile spreading across my face. He nodded. "Okay, you ready?"
