When You're Mine (MINE #3)(10)
Some friend you are.
After a few deep breaths, I tapped FaceTime and within seconds, Maddie’s bright smile filled my screen. “Hey girl,” I greeted, returning her smile.
When I first met Maddie, I had no idea what to think of her. On the outside, her innocent blue eyes made her look timid and weak, but she was a spitfire on the inside. Smart and beautiful, she harbored enough sass to fill a dozen mason jars and a take no shit attitude to go right along with it. When she flew home to help care for her father after a heart attack last year, she came back in love. It happened in the span of a week and at first, I thought she’d lost her damn mind, but after meeting Holden and seeing them together… they made perfect sense.
“What cha doing?” Long locks of chestnut hair hung loose around her shoulders, curled at the ends. Those blue eyes were warm and wide.
I raised my glass of red. “Working on bottle number one, how about you?”
She laughed, lifting a glass of white. “Waitin’ on the hubby to cook me dinner.”
“Where is that gorgeous man of yours anyway?”
“Mowin’ the yard.”
“Lawn boy and cook? You’re one lucky bitch, you know that?”
“Right?! Trust me… he reminds me every day just how lucky I am.”
“So, are you excited?” Maddie asked.
“Hell yeah, I am…. only one more month until school’s out!”
With a little squeal, she beamed with excitement. “I can’t wait! Oh shit, I almost forgot, guess what?”
“What?”
“Archer proposed to Katy.”
“Shut the hell up.”
“Yep, bought her a huge chocolate rock, took her to Paris, the whole shebang. It was so romantic. They’re gettin’ married after the baby is born.”
“Hold up… what baby?”
“Katy’s five months pregnant. Bitch kept it from me until just last week. I had a feeling she was keeping something from me. But I had no idea it was a freakin’ baby. Five months and she’s hardly showing.”
“Damn girl, y’all move fast in the South.” I teased.
“Yeah, we might talk a little slow, but when it comes to matters of the heart… we don’t waste much time.”
Slick, shiny abs came into view over Maddie’s shoulder. I attempted to suppress my smile, but it was tough. Holden Brooks was crazy hot. One part country boy, one part southern gent, one part sex God.
Maddie’s words… not mine.
Holden’s sweaty face hovered next to hers. “What up, Tab? You ready to see how the better half lives?”
“Hi, Holden. Oh yeah, I’m ready.” Holden was not only devastatingly handsome, he was also honest, loyal, and madly in love with his wife.
“Seriously, Holden you stink. Go shower,” Maddie said, shoving at his shoulder.
“You know you love it when I’m all sweaty, babe.” He buried his soaked face in her neck.
“Oh my God, you’re so freakin’ gross.” she giggled, sparking my own laughter. “Ugh, get off!”
They were crazy about each other, and they drove each other crazy, too. It was the kind of relationship I always wanted for myself.
Real shit.
“Ok, I’m going,” he planted a kiss on her cheek. “See ya soon, Tab,” I heard him say as he walked away.
“Bye Holden.”
Maddie wiped her face with disgust. “Damn him.”
“I’m not sure how you even get out of bed to go to work, with that lying next to you.”
“He’s an *.”
“But you love that *.”
Maddie cocked her head with a lopsided grin. “Mama says it’s perfectly normal to plot your husband’s death on a regular basis. She says that’s true love.” she blinked.
I laughed so hard I nearly wet my pants.
We chatted a while longer, catching up on everything that had happened over the last week. I told her what happened with my father. And in true Maddie fashion, she made me feel better. “Leave the past where it belongs, in the past. You’re starting over, time to move on, that’s what you want right?”
Right.
The only thing I didn’t tell her about was Barrett, and the phone call I’d received two days ago.
I wanted to.
I tried.
I couldn’t find the right words. No doubt, telling her about Barrett would ruin our friendship, and no man was worth losing my girl over.
Not even Barrett Shaw.
Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.
~Michael J. Fox
It was a desperate feeling sitting heavy in the center of my chest. What had started out as a whisper was now roaring like a lion in a cage. I drew in a deep lungful of air. I hadn’t been able to catch my breath since the moment I laid eyes on her, and until she was mine, I was afraid I never would.
When she sent the text cancelling our date yesterday, I was more than a little disappointed. Honestly, I was downright pissed. I’d considered going to her apartment demanding a reason, but instead I buried myself in work. Reminding myself over and over that I did not need this distraction. This was exactly why I’d always kept my relationships simple, physical, and out of the realm of any emotional bullshit. But Tabitha was different. With her, I wanted more.