10. Ian

Ian stood in front of the full-length mirror in his walk-in closet and tied the solid navy-blue tie around his collar. Navy-blue had been Cameron's favorite color, so he had found it appropriate for the day. Pulling on his suit jacket, he walked out of the closet and out of his room to the doorway of Maddie's bedroom. The door was closed, and he hadn't seen her yet that morning.

He'd lain awake half the night worrying about her but also thinking about how close he had come to kissing her. It had been torture pulling away, and he'd seen the disappointment in her eyes which had made him feel like a piece of shit. She was mourning her brother and had been upset. The last thing he should have been doing was thinking about kissing her. Yet, that seemed to be all he could think about.

He knocked lightly and waited, worrying about how she would handle the day. It would definitely be difficult for her, and he knew he needed to stay extra vigilant so he could be there for whatever she might need. When she opened her door, he looked down into her green eyes and knew she had been crying already.

She stood in front of him with a black long sleeve wrap dress that dipped down into a V at the chest, showing the slight swell of her breasts. His eyes swept down the dress that ended at her calves and saw that she had paired it with a pair of black Mary-Jane heels. Her hair had been curled into beachy waves that fell around her shoulders, and the makeup that she had applied was mostly still intact, despite her wet eyes.

"Hi, baby girl. Are you ready?" he asked softly.

Ian reached out for her hand and squeezed it. Maddie gave him a sad smile and nodded. She grabbed her small black purse and slid her hand back into his, following him down the stairs. Ian helped her into the passenger seat of his SUV and then drove them toward the funeral home.

The ride was quiet. He wanted to say something but didn't know what, and he also didn't want to force her to talk to him today if she didn't want to. When he pulled into a parking spot and shut off the car, Maddie turned to him but didn't make eye contact.

"Thank you… for everything, Ian. I'm really glad I don't have to do this alone."

The weight in his chest felt as though it increased until he could barely breathe, but he smiled and patted her hand. He was just as glad that he had her there with him, so that he didn't have to go through it alone either.

"You never have to do anything alone, Maddie."

She nodded, "You look really handsome. Cam would have liked your tie."

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Ian got out of the car and went to the other side to help her out. She squeezed his hand tightly as they walked into the funeral home together.

The service was beautiful. The chapel had been nearly full of friends, colleagues, and classmates who had known Cam. He'd always been well-liked. Maddie sat in the front row with Ian and held his hand the entire time. He'd expected that she would cry and had loaded tissues into his pockets to offer her before they'd left the house, but instead of crying, she sat in sad silence the entire time, which concerned him.

At the end of the service, the pastor had announced that the reception would be at Ian's house immediately following. Maddie stayed seated until the last person left the chapel and then walked over to the casket, placing her hand on the outside. Ian watched her as she leaned in closely and whispered something quickly before she straightened and walked back towards him. He took her hand again, walked her back out to the car, and helped her in.

Ian already had a catering company at his house preparing food and drinks before they had left for the funeral so everything would be ready when people started arriving. By the time they arrived back at his house, several cars were already parked in the large driveway.

"If at any point you want to go up to your room or have some time alone, let me know first, please, so I know where you are. Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay. I don't want to leave you alone with all these people either, though."

He smiled, "That's very thoughtful of you, baby. Don't worry about me, though. I'll be fine."

As soon as they got into the house, Maddie was approached by people who wanted to give her hugs and condolences. He wished everyone would give her a bit of space, but she smiled graciously at everyone and thanked them for coming.

His parents appeared before him, and Ian smiled and hugged them both.

"Thanks for coming, you guys."

His mom patted his arm, "We loved Cameron, too. He was like a son to us."

His dad nodded at her words.

"He was a good kid. How is Madison doing?" his dad asked.

Ian shrugged, "She has her ups and downs."

He chatted with them for a bit before they told him that they were going to find Madison and give her their condolences. Ian nodded to several people who he was sure were Cameron's employees.

"Hey, man," Damian said from behind him.

Damian was someone that Ian had met at a BDSM club and had become good friends with. Damian had known Cameron through Ian, and the two men had also become friends, despite Cameron not being interested in the lifestyle.

Ian turned and opened his arms to hug Damian.

"Hey, thanks for coming," he said as he slapped his friend on the back.

"I wish it was under better circumstances. I was in shock when I got the news. Cam was a good man and will definitely be missed," Damian said sullenly.

He nodded and observed the crowd of people in his home.

"Yeah, he will. Let's get a drink."

Damian followed him toward the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?"

Ian turned his head at the sound of Maddie's heated tone and saw her standing in front of Cam's ex-girlfriend, Victoria.

"Hi, Maddie! Oh, I'm just so sorry about Cameron. He was the best guy I've ever known," Victoria said in a voice so fake that Ian wanted to gag.

Maddie scowled at the woman, her eyes in a tight glare.

"If he was the best guy that you've ever known, you wouldn't have treated him the way you did. You need to fucking leave. Cameron wouldn't want you here, and neither do I."

Ian stepped forward, walking toward Maddie. He definitely didn't want that bitch, Victoria, there, but more than that, he didn't want Maddie getting into it with her and getting even more upset.

Victoria gasped, "Of course, he would have wanted me here. He loved me. If he didn't have such a spoiled bitch for a sister at home, he would have had more time for me, and maybe I wouldn't have-"

"That's enough!" Ian barked.

Victoria jumped at the force of his words. He came and stood beside Maddie.

"Ian! It's so good to see you. I've missed you," Victoria said sweetly.

Victoria reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away.

His stomach rolled, and he couldn't hide the disgust in his face. Before he could respond, Maddie's arm slipped around his waist, and she practically plastered herself up against the side of him.

"Well, I can assure you, Ian did not miss you. He's been too busy with me. Now, run along and get out of our house."

Ian looked down at Maddie in shock before quickly straightening his expression and looking over at the horrified face of Victoria with a smile on his face.

"You… you two?" she pointed towards them, from one to the other.

"Yep. That's right. Now, the door is that way, Victoria. Don't ever speak of my brother again, and stay the fuck away from Ian. You are not wanted by any of us."

The woman opened her mouth and closed it before looking up at Ian. He smiled down at Maddie and kissed the top of her head. Victoria made some inaudible noises before stomping away to the front door, slamming it behind her as she left. As soon as it slammed, Ian felt Maddie's body tremble against him.

"Hey, what's going on, baby?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her tighter to hold her up.

Maddie looked up at him, "I just hate that bitch. Cameron deserved so much better than her."

"I know. She is truly an awful person. He deserved so much better… and he had so much better because he had you, and you were the most important person to him."

She gave him a warm smile and hugged his waist.

"Thank you for saying that. He was the most important person to me, too."

Ian realized that Damian was still standing in the kitchen and turned Maddie, so they were facing him.

"Maddie, this is Damian. He is a friend of mine and Cam's. Damian, this is Maddie, Cam's sister."

Damian smiled down at her, "It's nice to meet you, Maddie. I'm so sorry for your loss. Your brother was an extraordinary man. I feel fortunate that I was able to be his friend."

She clutched herself tighter against Ian, which made him feel like a king. She gave Damian a small smile in return.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well."

"I better get going. I am in the middle of a job, but I wanted to make sure to stop and pay my respects," Damian said.

Ian shook his hand before he left, and Damian said he would call him later in the week to schedule a session together in the ring. Damian also loved to box, and he and Ian were well matched together.

People came and went from the reception. Ian could tell by the time it was winding down that Maddie was exhausted and emotionally drained. He was too, but her needs came first, and then he would crash. After saying goodbye to the last group of people, he walked back into the kitchen to find her cleaning up.

"There are people here to do that. Come on, upstairs. I'm going to run you a bath and get you tucked into bed. It's been a long day. I didn't see you eat very much today, so after your bath, I'm going to bring you up something to eat."

Without argument, she followed him upstairs into her bathroom. He started the water and plugged the tub before pouring in a generous amount of her peach-scented bubble bath.

"I'm tired, Ian," she said quietly from behind him.

He turned around and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"I know, baby. I will take care of you and get you ready for bed. Come on, let's go potty."

Leading her to the toilet, he flipped open the lid for her and stepped back, expecting her to want her space. When she didn't move and didn't say anything, he looked down at her and saw the blank look on her face. He stepped forward and touched her arm.

"I'm going to help you, baby. If you want me to go away at any time, just tell me."

When she didn't say anything, he nodded and bent forward, slipping his hands up under her dress to pull her panties down. Once they were around her knees, he lifted the back of her skirt and helped her to sit down.

"Go potty."

He stepped back and checked the water running in the bathtub. When he looked back over at the toilet, Maddie was still sitting there, resting her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. Ian went over and knelt in front of her, pulling her wrists gently.

"Did you go?" he whispered.

Maddie looked at him and nodded, "I think so."

He didn't like that she wasn't even sure if she had gone to the bathroom. Maybe she was in shock. Or perhaps she really was just completely exhausted. He pulled some tissue off the roll and held it out for her. When she stared at his hand for longer than a moment, he stood up.

"Lean forward and hug my leg, baby."

She didn't move right away, and he thought that she would reach for the tissue until her arms slowly reached out and wrapped around his thigh as she leaned forward. He quickly cleaned her up and helped her stand before flushing the toilet.

Ian washed his hands and then shut off the bathwater. He stood in front of her and used his finger to tilt her chin up, so she was looking at him.

"Do you want my help getting into the tub, or can you do it by yourself?"