30. Maddox

I lifted the steaming mug of coffee to my mouth, slurping the bitter liquid so it wouldn’t burn my tongue. Ryan left a few minutes ago, and now I was sitting in the quiet of my kitchen, figuring out what to do about Yates fucking with my family.

I had to hand it to the douchebag. He’d taken shit further than I ever thought he would. He seemed like the kind of guy who backed down when threatened, who ran home to daddy sniveling about life being unfair. But he surprised me when he found Russell, and when Ryan handed over the picture of my mom and brother last night? I was fucking floored.

So many emotions spiraled through me. I was fucking pissed, worried, and I didn’t know what to do about my mom and brother. Russell could fuck off as far as I was concerned. There was absolutely nothing I wanted from him. But did I want something from them?

My front door opened and closed, whoever it was not bothering to knock. I glanced away from the wall I was staring at to catch Connor striding across my house. “I heard you and my girl got into some shit last night,” I prodded without so much as a fucking hello. I was still pissed at him for not, at the very least, giving me a heads up.

“Your girl is a complete badass,” he said as he pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. “See for yourself.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped a few times before sliding it across the table to me.

Picking it up, I hit play and watched as Ryan beat the absolute fuck out of Yates. My chest swelled with pride every time her knuckles connected with his face. But when he pulled her hair and punched her in the face, I clenched my jaw so hard I thought I heard a tooth crack. “He hit her?” I asked, my voice deadly calm, but the murderous rage was simmering inside of me. He fucking put his hands on her, and I wanted him dead.

“Yeah, but keep watching.” Connor nodded back at the phone gripped tightly in my hand.

Ryan proved time and time again she could defend herself. “Wow.” I slid his phone back and shifted in my seat, trying to hide the sudden hard-on I was sporting because Ryan pummelling Yates was hot as fuck once the anger subsided a little.

I still wanted the motherfucker to disappear in a shallow grave somewhere in the fucking expanse of north Texas. My mind wandered to all the ways I could make it happen.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. She’s got a bigger set of balls on her than a lot of men I’ve met. And that was all her idea. She was mad as hell when she saw how exactly Yates was coming after you. She had this fire lit in her eyes, and I’m sure you’re not exactly thrilled that I didn’t stop her from going after him alone, but she’d made up her mind. No one was going to stop her from doing this. The best I could do was go along and make sure she didn’t get hurt.”

My shoulders deflated a little. “Thanks for that,” I mumbled, taking another sip of my now lukewarm coffee.

“I’ve got good news.” Connor stood from the chair and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, pouring himself some coffee.

“Better good news than Yates getting his ass beat by my sexy as fuck girlfriend?” I wondered with a smirk.

He nodded before sitting back down across from me. “Sebastian made the offer yesterday, and this morning he got the notice that Yates accepted it. Since you just went straight up cash, as soon as it clears escrow, the place is all yours.”

“So, he won’t be able to kick them out?” I wanted to be sure.

“No. He must’ve signed everything before Ryan confronted him because if she’d done that before, I bet he would’ve hung onto it a few extra days just to give her one extra fuck you .”

“Well, that’s a fucking relief,” I sighed before a smile crept up on my face. “I can’t wait to tell her and see the look on her face.”

“Dude, I can’t believe you’re so gone for a girl. I never thought I’d see the day,” Connor noted, leaning back in the chair, his bulky frame making it creak ominously.

“Believe it. I buried that shit deep, deep down when I was a kid, but now all the feelings are out, and I don’t want to put them back. She’s incredible, and I’m never letting her go again. I was such a fucking idiot.”

“Hell, you better hold onto her tight because women like her are one in a billion.” He sounded almost wistful. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if I needed to worry about him hitting on my girlfriend.

He held up his hand in surrender, a smirk on his face. “I’d never lay a finger on your girl. Unless you asked.” My glare melted into a low chuckle. It’d been a while, but it wasn’t like we hadn’t shared before. Unfortunately for him, I’d never share Ryan with anyone.

My phone buzzed on the table, and I groaned when I saw who was calling.

I pressed the phone to my ear. “No offense, but I’m getting real fucking sick of talking to you this week,” I answered, not bothering with any pleasantries. Whenever my publicist called, it meant some bad shit was happening, and I’d had enough of that lately to last me a few decades at least.

“Yeah, well, right back at you,” Harrison snapped, his British accent making him sound extra pissy. “What’s up with all of your family drama coming out of the woodwork this week?”

A cold sweat broke out immediately across my forehead at his words. What other family bullshit could there be? “What do you mean?”

“Your father the other night with his lovely interview, and now your long-lost mum and brother hitting the headlines? I’ve been working with you for years, and I never knew you had anyone but the guys in the band,” he noted, a question in his voice.

“Fuck. How bad is it?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. An unfamiliar emotion gripped me as my hands turned clammy, and my stomach churned. Ryan tried to deal with Yates, and it worked about as well as my going to his office and threatening him had. At least he wasn’t five million dollars richer.

“Not bad. At least not yet. But you may want to warn them because right now only one outlet is covering it, but it’s about to be picked up by them all. You know what that bloody well means for them, right?”

“A fuck ton of reporters all over them. Yeah, I’m familiar.” Especially considering that was how I pretty much lived my life every goddamn day.

“Good. So, I’m thinking we spin the reunion as you making peace with your estranged family, and maybe we do an interview or two? I think it’d actually help smooth the edges of your bad boy image,” he suggested.

“Is that something I need to do? Smooth the edges?” I tossed his words back at him. “I like my reputation just how it is. I’ve worked hard to build it so that people don’t fuck with me, and their expectations aren’t too high.”

“No, you don’t need to do anything. Like with your father-”

“Russell,” I spit out, hating the taste of his name in my mouth.

“Right. With Russell , you ignored it, and it’s mostly old news. There’s no reason you can’t do the same here. I don’t know what the person doing this is trying to accomplish.”

Sighing, I leaned forward, resting my elbow on the table to prop my phone up to my ear as Connor watched me with only mild interest. “He’s trying to hurt me the only way he thinks he can, by using my family against me.”

“Is it working?” I could hear the smile in Harrison’s voice. He worked in the right field, considering how much he lived for people’s drama.

“I’ll admit putting Russell on TV pissed me the fuck off. But I’m not sure how to feel about my mom and my brother. I don’t even know them.”

“Well, maybe now’s the time. I’ve gotta go. Hopefully, I won’t need to talk to you until you’re back in town with a new album to promote.”

“With any luck,” I agreed before ending the call.

“Yates?” Connor asked as if he already knew the answer.

“Is there anyone else who doesn’t realize how dangerous it is to fuck with me?” I countered, practically growling. I hoped this was the last card he had to play, and if it was, it wasn’t a very good one. What did I care if my mom got thrown to the wolves? She’d abandoned me and never looked back.

I didn’t like to admit that it still fucking stung.

Connor’s laugh was interrupted by my goddamn phone ringing again, a number I didn’t recognize. I usually just let that shit go to voicemail, but with everything happening, I decided to pick it up. “What?” I snapped into the phone, not really caring who was on the other end.

“Maddox?” A woman’s voice filtered through the line, and my mouth went slack as I inhaled sharply. I hadn’t heard it in years, but I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Mom?” I whispered before clearing my throat and straightening my spine. I wasn’t a helpless little boy anymore.

I heard her sniffle on the other end, followed by a soft sob. “I’m… I’m so sorry.” Her words rushed out, carried on her gentle voice laced with tears and regret.

“You’re sorry?” I didn’t know how to feel or what to say. My words were tinged with disbelief. I never understood why she left all those years ago and didn’t take me with her or even come back for me. I had a thousand questions all on the tip of my tongue.

“Can… Would you be willing to meet me? I’ll come to you. I just want the chance to explain, even if I don’t deserve it,” she begged, and my curiosity got the better of me.

“When?” I knew I was being short, but she’d fucking abandoned me. I wasn’t going into this with any illusions that we’d be one big happy fucking family. But still, the prospect of getting answers to questions I’d had most of my life piqued my interest enough to agree to a meeting.

“This afternoon? I can be there in two hours.”

“Fine. Come to the old house.”

Her sharp intake of breath told me she hated this place probably more than I did.“Russell’s gone so you don’t have to worry about that, and I remodeled, so it doesn’t look the same.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to comfort her.

“Fine. I’ll be there,” she agreed before hanging up.

I scrubbed my hands over my face. “What a weird fucking day.”

“I’ll text Ryan.” Connor’s fingers were already flying over his phone. My mind was spinning in so many different directions, I couldn’t focus. I needed her, and he was smart enough to see it.

I sat staring blankly at the wall for what felt like hours but must have only been a few minutes. When the back door opened and closed with a soft click, it broke me out of my trance, and my gaze settled on Ryan walking across the room toward me.

She kneeled in front of me, a soft smile on her lips. “Hey, Romeo. You look a little lost.”

I pulled her to me, breathing her in as my body instantly relaxed. She was better than a fucking Xanax. “I love you so fucking much, Freckles,” I murmured against her hair.

“I love you, too,” she chuckled, rubbing my back. “Come on, why don’t we sit and you can tell me what happened?” she offered, pulling me up by my arm and lacing her fingers with mine as we walked to the couch. She guided me to sit and then sat beside me, pulling off her boots and draping her legs across my lap. I rested my hand on the rough denim material covering her smooth skin.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Yates leaked the picture of my mom and Griffin,” I sighed.

Her eyes narrowed into slits. “That mother fucker. I swear to god if I get my hands on him-”

“Whoa, Freckles. I saw the video, I think he got the worse end of the deal. That’s not the part that has me spun out.”

Her eyes softened as she reached up to play with the short hair at the back of my neck. “Then what does?”

“My mom called me.”

The silence stretched on as she stilled. “ Monica called you?”

I nodded.

“Whoa.”

“I told you,” I chuckled softly, running my palm up and down her thigh. “Know what’s even crazier?”

“Crazier than your mom calling you after pretending you don’t exist for twenty-two years? Sure.” Her lips were pursed, and she was so fucking cute. I almost forgot to be weirded out about the situation. All I wanted to do was kiss her and not think about any of the other shit going on.

“She’s coming here. Today.”

“What?!” Ryan asked, bolting upright. “Today? When?”

“In about an hour and a half,” I answered, checking the time on my phone.

“Wow. How do you feel about that?” Her eyes were now filled with concern as she watched me for any signs of distress. After what she’d done to Yates yesterday, if I hadn’t known it before I knew it now, Ryan was protective as fuck of me just like I was of her. We were equally matched in our defense and possessiveness of each other.

Shrugging, I moved my hands down to pick up one of her feet so I could massage it. She groaned as my thumbs pressed into the arch. “I don’t know how to feel. I guess I’m looking forward to hearing why the fuck she abandoned me. And I’m a little bit curious about my brother,” I added.

“Is he coming with her?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t think to ask.”

She sat up, pulling her foot from my grasp and running her fingers up the side of my face. “Do you want me to be here with you when she comes?”

Warmth bloomed in my body, starting in my chest and pushing its way out to my limbs, filling me up with comfort and love. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to go through something alone. Ryan would be here with me. I could lean on her strength if I needed to and fuck if that wasn’t a weight off my shoulders. I nodded, and she grinned before tucking herself up against me, resting her head on my shoulder as we both sat in the quiet, lost in our own thoughts.

My heart hammered furiously in my chest as I listened to the knocking sound on the front door. I knew it was coming. I watched almost every minute tick down on the clock. I’d also seen the car pull up the short driveway and park. And I’d seen the two figures stepping out and moving toward my porch.

Not only had my mom come, but she brought my brother.

Ryan squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me. “I’ve got this,” she volunteered, moving to the front door and, with one last soft smile aimed in my direction, she swung it open. Ryan had been too young to really remember my mom when she left, but she was the only person in the world who knew everything about how I felt about it.

Once, when we were kids, I broke down one night after a particularly bad beating from my dad and told her everything. Every bit of sadness, anguish, and despair I’d felt when she’d left. The hope I held onto for years that she’d come back for me, and how every day it didn’t happen hardened my heart more and more.

Now, she was coming face-to-face with the source of my pain, and I didn’t know if I hoped she’d be welcoming or lash out. I had my answer a few seconds later. “Welcome, come in,” Ryan greeted my mom and brother, whose gaze lingered on my girlfriend a few seconds too long. “I’m Griffin,” he introduced, holding his palm out for Ryan. A cocky smirk not unlike my own crossed his face, and I stepped closer to her, pulling her into my side as they passed by.

“Ryan and this is Maddox.” She shook his hand quickly as I nodded my head at my brother. Fuck, this was like an alternate reality. I couldn’t believe I was standing face-to-face with my brother .

Once Ryan shut the door, we all stood staring awkwardly at each other; no one really sure where to start. My mom looked the same but different. She looked older, of course, but better. Healthier. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a bun, and she was dressed casually. She looked like she’d been crying, though. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and her face was pale.

Finally, my mom hurried forward and wrapped her arms around me. She was a lot shorter than I was, so her head only came up to my chest, but I hugged her back hesitantly as she cried softly. “I’m sorry, Maddox. So, so sorry.”

I was lost. How the hell was I supposed to react right now? She stepped back, and Ryan suggested we move to the living room, so we all followed her, taking spots around the sectional. “What are you sorry for exactly?” I asked, holding back the tsunami of questions wanting to pour out of my mouth.

“I’m not sorry for leaving. I’ll never apologize for that. Your father would have killed me if I stayed,” she began.

“What did you think he would do to me?” I countered, anger simmering underneath my words.

“I never planned to leave you here with him. I planned to leave, to get my life settled, and then to come back for you. It took me a lot longer than I thought. I didn’t have anywhere for you to stay because I lived on friend’s couches or in my car. At least here you had a roof over your head. You had food. You could go to school.”

“I didn’t have food, and I missed school all the time because I couldn’t hide the bruises.”.

A scowl crossed Griffin’s face, and he gripped our mother’s hand tightly. “I should have come back for you, but honestly, I was scared. I was scared of your father, and I was scared that you hated me.”

I softened a little toward the soul-deep sadness I saw in her eyes. It was finally sinking in that she didn’t hate me or regret having me. Russell had always told me that my mom never wanted me and that she wished I’d never been born. But looking into her morose gaze, I saw the truth, and something inside of me was set free.

“I never hated you,” I whispered softly, staring down at my hand held tightly in Ryan’s. “I only wanted you to want me.” The admission surprised me as it left my lips, but it felt right.

Her sniffles caught my attention, and I lifted my head to watch her as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Not one single second has gone by since I left that I didn’t think about you, that I didn’t feel an ache in my chest at the thought you could be out in the world needing me or hating me for what I did. I can never make up for the time we lost, and for that, I’ll never forgive myself. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d like the chance to get to know you.”

I glanced at Ryan, who was studying my mom intently. “If he lets you back in, you can’t just walk out again. Either of you.” She stared my mom down first and then turned her narrowed eyes on my brother.

“I just found out I have a brother. And not only a brother but also a fucking rock star, the bassist for my favorite band of all time. I feel like I’m in a damn dream,” Griffin gushed, and my lips twitched in an almost smile. “So yeah, if you want to let me hang out and get to know you, you might never get rid of me.”

“I… think I’d like that,” I admitted. “And you, too, mom.”

She smiled at me brighter than I think I’d ever seen, and something inside me clicked into place. I never thought I’d get this chance, and I didn’t want to let it go. And it was made all the better with Ryan by my side. With her, anything was possible.