Take a Chance on Me(99)

“Maddie, open up!” It was Sophie.

Mitch growled. “For God’s sake.”

“Go away, Soph!” Maddie yelled, pressing her finger to her temple.

“Are you okay?” came Penelope’s soft but firm voice.

“Something tells me I’m not their favorite person.” Mitch plastered a hand against the bathroom door as if he expected them to break it down.

Maddie shrugged. “I might have cried a little.”

“I’m sorry, Princess.” He brushed a finger over her cheek. “Forgive me.”

“Leave them alone,” Shane said, his words muffled through the wood.

“No. She’s been up half the night,” Sophie said.

“We want to make sure she’s okay,” Penelope said.

“What is your problem?” Gracie demanded.

“Would everyone calm down?” Even through the door, James sounded exasperated.

Mitch opened the door to a sea of faces hovering in the hallway and bellowed, “Would you all just shut the f*ck up?”

There was a moment of absolute quiet before they all started pointing fingers and talking over each other.

This was getting ridiculous. Maddie put her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. The sharp, piercing sound filled the air and all of the chatter dropped off. She turned to her family and friends. “I love you all, but enough is enough. I appreciate that you want to protect me and I feel grateful to be so cared for, but I assure you I’m quite capable of making my own decisions. I can speak for myself. My life is not a democracy. You all don’t get a vote. From now on, if I want your help, I’ll ask for it. Understood?”

Collective nodding.

“Good. This is between Mitch and me. Leave us alone.”

She glanced at Mitch to find him looking at her mom. He cleared his throat. “Sorry for swearing, Mrs. Donovan.”

“I expect clean language in this house.” Her mom did her very best to look disapproving, but Maddie didn’t buy it—not with the twinkle in her blue eyes.


“It won’t happen again,” Mitch said, sounding so polite that Maddie would almost believe he was a choirboy.

Then he slammed the door on all of their faces.

A bubble of laughter welled in Maddie’s chest and she pressed her lips together.

Mitch eyed her. “Are you laughing?”

She shook her head.

The chorus of voices began again and the first chuckle spilled out. What did she expect? It would take months of constant reminders before they stopped meddling.

Another snicker escaped.

“Jesus, Maddie,” Mitch said, shaking his head. “I love you, but they’re crazy.”

She exploded with laughter and couldn’t stop. She howled until her sides hurt, until tears streamed down her cheeks. Every time she thought she was under control, another attack of giggles shook her until she gasped for air.

Somewhere within the chaos of her outburst she realized what he’d said.

Her laughter died away, and she wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “You love me?”

“Yes, Maddie.” His reached for her, his hand curling around her neck. “I love you. I adore you. I can’t live without you. Please don’t make me.”

Her heart filled with joy, erasing the last hours from her mind in an instant. “I thought you hated me. I didn’t think you’d forgive me.”

He gave a sharp nod. “I was angry. I was hurt. And it didn’t matter. I loved you anyway.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body close to his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t feel like I had any other choice. I was wrong. I will never go behind your back again.”

He shook his head and trailed a path down her spine. “You’re right, I didn’t give you a choice. I shut you out. I didn’t fight for you. I don’t have a good excuse. Only I fell for you so quickly and I was afraid to let you go, for fear I’d ruin you.”

Confused, she searched his gaze. “Ruin me?”

“Every day that passed, I became more of a mess. Every time I turned around, something else was falling apart and I had no answers. Everything in my life was going to hell: my family sucks, I own a bar I hate, I couldn’t go back to the career I loved, and my father is being blackmailed. And worst of all, I couldn’t figure out a way to keep you. I have never felt so helpless.”

Tears flooded the corners of her eyes. “Mitch, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat as his fingers tightened on the back of her neck. “You were becoming the woman you needed to be. Every day, you got stronger. More confident. More sure of who you were and what you wanted. I couldn’t ruin it for you.”

She went to her tiptoes and kissed him, a soft brush of promise. “Don’t you understand?”

He shook his head. “I’ve never been so clueless in my life.”

She rubbed her thumb over his jaw. “You saved me. And I will love you forever.”





Chapter Twenty-Eight



Three months later, Maddie stood in the doorway of the bathroom, resting her shoulder against the wood molding, now gleaming, beautiful, and polished. Mitch fixed the knot of his tie, adjusting it in the mirror.