The Scottish Bride (The Brides of Holland Springs Book 5)(13)

Cadence stared at him as she sat up, swinging her legs over the sides and letting them dangle there. Her boots didn’t touch the floor.

“Later that day, I went to see Jude. I went to apologize, and I thought,” he began, swallowing hard. “I thought if Jude didn’t look as bad as my imagination pictured, then I could apologize to you, my love.”

Her hazel gaze turned bright, and her cheeks flushed the loveliest of colors.

“But when I saw him... he didn’t look like the man I knew, the boy I’d grown up with. Then your parents came in the room... They bloody hated me. Especially your father. Your mother... she was torn because I was like a son to her, or so she said. But at that moment, I was the enemy. I was the one who had turned their boy into a monster.” Maddox dropped his gaze to the floor. “I could hear him every night—cursing, moaning, and shouting with pain when they changed his bandages. They couldn’t figure out why the meds weren’t working.” He shivered at the memory. “I wish it were me and not him, my love. Believe me. I would gladly take his place, but since I can’t... Since I couldn’t, I ran. I came here to start over.”

“Without me,” she stated.

He nodded. “Without you.”

“How’s that been working for you?” Cadence asked, crossing her arms over her perfect breasts. The tank top offered little coverage. That was something he’d be talking to the PA about.

“I’m fucking miserable.”

“Good.”

He clenched his jaw and fisted his hands. Life was so bloody unfair. The woman of his dreams was here in New York City. Yet, she was so far away that he couldn’t touch her. Especially not her heart.

But that was the punishment he would endure while the lawyers sorted things out. The only reason he hadn’t gone to jail, he reasoned, was due to his fame and fortune... and the fact he was banned from driving in Scotland. Hell, he hadn’t driven here in the city either. Public transportation was the only way he traveled, even if he could well afford a car and parking.

Apparently, it was time to move to another place. He didn’t need to work, so this time, he would pick an island. Maybe the one where he was born. He and Cadence had spent two erotic weeks there.

Had it only been four months ago? It seemed like a lifetime.

“Thank you for the honor of inking you, Ms. Romanov.” He stuck out his hand.

Cadence eyed him, crossly smacking his hand away. “Oh, I’m not leaving yet, not until I’m done.”

“What else is there to do?”

She hopped off the table and marched up to him. “Bring you home.”

***

Cadence rather enjoyed the look of shock and awe on Maddox’s face. She might not have the Romanov temper, but she did have their flair for the dramatic.

After a beat, she couldn’t take the silence. Apparently, she’d inherited their impatience as well. “Did you hear what I said?”

His mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious.”

“I can, and I am.”

He ran a hand through his hair, mussing his short, black curls. “Did you listen to my story?”

“Yes.” She had, with bated breath and anticipation sending her heart into her throat. Her entire being was thrilled with the knowledge that he hadn’t left her because he didn’t need her. He had left because he was hurt, embarrassed, and didn’t want her to have to make the choice between siding with him or her family. “This is where you finally get my side. I stayed away far too long, Maddox Stewart. I shouldn’t have let you push me away. There was no deciding between my family and you, and if you had stayed long enough, then you would have learned the truth.”

“The truth? We already know the damned truth. I nearly killed your brother from choosing to drink and drive.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Only because God had other plans for Jude,” he grumbled. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“You didn’t push Him away, huh?”

He gave her an annoyed look. “My faith is the only thing that has kept me sane. It’s the only thing that’s kept me grounded. Always has.”

“Until me. You were most definitely not sane when you rejected me,” she pointed out. Cadence didn’t begrudge Maddox the fact he embraced something they both had in common. “And it was my faith that kept me from completely giving up on you.”

His face softened. “I don’t deserve it.”

She grabbed his hand, which was still covered in latex. Her shoulder pulled a little, and she winced. “You didn’t hurt Jude. You’re not responsible for him either.”

“But I am. I—”

“Hush.” She rose on her tiptoes and brushed her mouth across his lips. They were warm, smooth, and full. His beard tickled her skin. “If you had bothered to stick around... or answered your phone, maybe even your emails, then you would know what the investigators discovered.”

“What’s that?” he asked, his voice husky. He wasn’t rejecting her now.

“That Finn was the one who was driving—not you.”

Maddox let go of her hand and stumbled back. Even the camera crew gasped. “No way. No fucking way.”

She nodded. “Yes. He admitted it. After they found the bruise on his chest anyway—the one in the shape of a steering wheel. It even had the emblem for your car in the center.”