Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“I get to wear lipstick to school today,” Lark added.
Madden’s eyebrows went up. “Well now. What color?”
“Pink!”
“And here I thought you’d say blue.”
Lark trapped a giggle behind her hand.
“Kids, um . . .” Realizing she was still wearing her dove gray silk, lace-edged shorts, and a matching tank top she’d worn to bed, Eve crossed her arms over her breasts. “Go finish getting dressed, please. Don’t forget socks and shoes.”
“Don’t forget the toast!” Landon shouted, running full speed to the bedroom, his sister hot on his heels. “And don’t burn it again!”
Eve took a comically deep breath, attempting to distract herself from Madden’s presence. An impossible feat—and she knew that by now, didn’t she? If he was in the room, he absorbed 100 percent of her focus. Just sucked all of it in like a big, muscular Irish sponge. “Let’s not talk about the fight.”
“I specifically came here to talk about it,” he countered, no hesitation. “Or what caused it, anyway.”
Eve squinted an eye. “I’d rather not.”
“I’ll make the toast.” He glanced sideways toward the door, a muscle flickering in his jaw. “Would you mind putting on a sweater or a robe, so I can think straight, love?”
It took her approximately five seconds to complete a swallow, the blooming sensation between her thighs was so intense. And so tied to this man, the only one who got this reaction out of her. God, it was so useless. “No need. You were just leaving.”
“You’re not running away from me this time, Eve.” Madden gave her a firm nod. “Now. It’s a proper conversation we’ll be having this morning.”
Her nerves fluttered. “Why?”
“We’ve things to sort out, you and me. And . . .” A line appeared between his brows as he dropped his head forward. “I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Why?” she asked hollowly, knowing she sounded like an echo.
“I’m leaving for New York this afternoon. I’ve been picked up by the Yankees.”
Chapter Three
Four Years Earlier
Madden sat on the back steps of the Page house, hovering on the periphery of the noise, like he always did. A giant white tent had been erected in the backyard, the interior lit by strings of lights and large brass lanterns. Local friends overflowed onto the lawn, reminiscing, making plans for the summer.
A celebration in honor of Skylar’s high school graduation.
In the fall, Madden would be starting his third year at Brown, along with Elton. Although Brown wasn’t a far journey from where he currently sat, he hadn’t been back to Cumberland in over a year. Not since his aunt Fiona passed away and he’d come back to make her final arrangements.
A memory came meandering in, as this particular one was wont to do.
On a daily basis.
Eve standing beside him at the wake, being pointedly ignored by his aunt’s friends from church. A seventeen-year-old girl judged for her father’s chosen livelihood. Madden had been in such a state of shock to have his aunt gone without any warning and overwhelmed by the social pressure of a funeral that the rebuff of his friend hadn’t quite processed right away. Not until she’d slowly slipped out the back door and disappeared.
To this day, that haunted him.
Still in his suit and fresh from the burial, he’d looked for Eve everywhere. He’d called her with no luck. Knocked on the back door of Cat Fight, visited her house, enlisted Elton to help him. But . . . nothing. Obviously, she hadn’t wanted to be found.
He hadn’t seen her since. In over a year.
She’d helped him plan the funeral, along with the Pages. Made the uncomfortable phone calls to his parents to inform them of his aunt’s death, so he wouldn’t have to resurrect those old ghosts. He could still remember the way Eve had tried to remain stoic while the phone was pressed to her ear, as though he couldn’t overhear their toneless response to the passing of the family black sheep. Instead of asking him why he didn’t want to speak to his parents or why they didn’t even consider making the trip to Rhode Island for the funeral, she’d kept her no-nonsense demeanor and helped him track down a suit and tie, giving him exactly what he’d needed at the time.
Then she’d cut him off.
It still confused Madden somewhat why he’d allowed that to happen.
Eve was his friend. Eve meant a lot to him.
There were times during high school when he’d worried she meant too much to him. As they both got older and his heart started to beat faster every time Eve came around, he’d wondered if some distance between them wasn’t wise. He’d aged into adulthood before her and had no right to look for her around every corner, conjure her in every dream. As wrong as it felt, he’d allowed that distance to yawn when he left. He’d gone to school, done his best to put sixteen-year-old Eve out of his head, and lived the lifestyle of a college athlete. Parties and women and blurred recollections.