2. Ian

He froze at her words. Accident? Cameron? Died? He had just seen him less than a week ago. How? Maddie was crying so hard that she was nearing the point of hysteria, and if he didn't get her to calm down, she was going to hyperventilate.

"Baby, shh… take a breath. Come on, baby girl, slow down."

Ian rocked her against him.

"He d-died, Ian. Cam is go-gone," she said between sobs.

"Okay, calm down, baby. Breathe and tell me what happened."

He could feel himself shutting down inside at the thought of his best friend being gone, but he needed to take care of Maddie first. She was more important than his own needs. As she continued to cry in his arms, her breathing slowed to a normal speed, but she looked awful. He'd noticed the moment that she had walked in that she'd lost weight and had dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was paler than usual, and he was pretty sure she would have collapsed onto the floor if he hadn't reached her in time. Ian waited patiently for her to calm down, even though everything inside of him was screaming, needing to know what the hell had happened.

Maddie took a deep breath, "I got a call the night Cam was supposed to come home. He got into a car accident when he was driving home from the airport," a loud sob escaped, "A semi-truck crossed the center line. He died when he arrived at the hospital."

She began crying hysterically against him again until he started rocking her gently. Cameron was dead. He had died days ago, and she was just telling him. What had she been doing for the past four days? It was evident that she hadn't been taking care of herself. She probably hadn't been able to. He would have caught the first flight out if he'd known. She'd needed him, and he had no idea. Why hadn't he stayed in more constant contact with her?

Because you are always keeping your distance from her.

"Shhh… I'm here, baby. I got you."

She sniffled and raised her head to look at him. Ian had never seen someone look so defeated, and it broke his heart. Reaching for the end table next to the couch, he grabbed several tissues and wiped up her tears before cleaning up her nose. She stared at him with those brilliant green eyes that could make a man fall to his knees, yet this time, those eyes were wet with sorrow, and it made him ache.

Ian stared back at her, not knowing what to say. His own heart had begun processing what she'd said, and the pain of losing his friend was becoming almost too much to handle. He needed to find out more information. He also needed a drink. He couldn't leave Maddie, though. She needed him more than ever. And if he were honest, he needed her too. Leaning against the back of the couch, Ian pulled her back with him, pulling her into his chest again.

They sat like this for a long time. Every so often, Maddie would start crying, and he would rub her back and whisper to her until she quieted again. His own tears came silently, but he wiped them away quickly. He needed to hold it together for Maddie. She needed him. She'd already lost her mom and now her brother. The only family she had left was him, and he would take care of her. Always.

"I need to go to the bathroom," she whispered.

Shoot. He should have thought of that. She needed to use the restroom frequently, and he'd been holding her for nearly two hours. Ian stood with her in his arms and walked to his private bathroom.

"I can walk."

"I got you. Let me take care of you," he said softly.

She sighed but didn't say anything more. He knew Brenda had already left for the evening, so they would be the only ones on the floor. Walking into the bathroom, he set Maddie on her feet in front of the toilet. She stood awkwardly, not making eye contact with him.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"What? No! I need you to go out," she snapped.

Ian couldn't help but smile. His sassy girl was still there.

She's not yours, so stop thinking that. You can't have her.

"Ian! Get out! I need to go."

Nodding his head, he stepped out and leaned against the wall across from the bathroom. Running his hands over his face, he felt a heaviness on him that he wasn't used to. His best friend was gone.

They'd been inseparable when they were younger. Wherever Cam was, Ian wasn't far behind and vice versa. Even after Cam and Maddie had moved, which had broken Ian's heart, he and Cam had still stayed in contact almost daily. If he hadn't been so busy with work over the past few days, he'd have realized he hadn't heard from Cam at all. It wasn't unusual that one of them would get busy with work and not talk to the other for several days, but guilt still plagued Ian that he hadn't been checking in with Maddie more frequently.

A headache thumped at Ian's temples as he tried to figure out everything that needed to be done. He needed to take care of everything, so Maddie didn't have to worry, and she could just focus on grieving. He needed to move her in with him so he could watch over her and make sure she was okay. Cam would want that. The thought of her living under his roof made him wince. He knew it would be difficult to be so close to her all the time, but he would have to get over how he felt about her and make it work.

Maddie opened the bathroom door and widened her eyes when she saw him standing there.

"You didn't have to wait for me. I can go to the bathroom without an escort."

Ian gave her a small smile, "I know you can."

Even though her tears were gone, her eyes were swollen from crying so much, and her nose was still red from wiping it.

"You look exhausted. When is the last time you ate?" he asked curiously.

She didn't meet his eyes, "I had some candy on the plane."

"And when is the last time you ate before that?"

Maddie shrugged, "I don't remember. Before I found out about the accident."

Ian tensed. It had been four days since the accident, and she hadn't eaten anything but candy during that time? He didn't like that one bit. He wanted to lecture the hell out of her for not taking care of herself, but now wasn't the time.

"Honey, you can't go without eating. I'm surprised you even have the strength to stand."

When she didn't respond, Ian stepped closer to her and used his finger to lift her chin until she looked up at him. He hated the pain that he saw in her beautiful eyes.

"Let's go home."

"I'm going to stay in a hotel while I'm here. I didn't want to impose on you."

Like hell she's staying in a damn hotel.

"Madison Rose, you are not staying in a hotel. You are coming home with me, where you belong. And I better not ever hear you say anything about imposing on me again. Got it?"

His words came out harsher than he'd meant, but she should have known better than ever to try to stay at a hotel or feel like she was imposing on him.

She nodded, and his irritation dampened slightly.

"Come on. I need to grab my stuff. Where is your luggage?"

Ian packed his laptop into an over-shoulder computer bag and shut out the lights, locking the door to his office behind him.

"It's in my rental car," she answered, following him to the elevator.

"You're leaving the rental car and driving home with me. I don't want you driving."

She glared at him as he pushed the button for the parking garage, "I'm fine to drive. I can follow you."

"You're not driving. I'll have someone take your rental car back tomorrow," he said firmly.

He saw Maddie roll her eyes, and he had to refrain from smiling. She could be such a brat sometimes. And he loved that side of her—all fire and sass.

After muttering his disapproval about the small sedan she'd rented, Ian loaded her luggage into his SUV and drove them through the heavy Seattle traffic toward his house.

"I wish you would have called me right away when you found out. I hate that you've been all alone the past few days. I should have been there to take care of you."

Maddie picked at her cuticles anxiously, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I don't even remember driving home from the hospital. I've just laid in bed for the past few days."

"Jesus, Madison."

Tightening his hands on the steering wheel, Ian had to force himself to breathe. The fact that she couldn't remember driving home from the hospital pissed him off. She'd put herself in danger, and he could have lost her too, and that thought made him want to spank her bottom and then never let her out of his sight again.

The rest of the ride was quiet. She stared out of the passenger side window as he drove, and he was lost in his thoughts about Cameron. His heart ached for both his loss and Maddie's.

When they got to his house, he carried her luggage and took it up to the room she always stayed in when she and Cam had visited. Ian had made sure to decorate the room in colors and linens that he knew Maddie would like, and he always kept it that way, even when they weren't visiting. It would always be her room. It was the room closest to his bedroom at the end of the hallway, which he'd planned purposely so she would be as close as possible to him whenever she was at his house.

Walking back downstairs, he found Maddie curled up on the couch in the living room. She was staring off into space with a blank look on her face.

"I'm going to go make you something to eat," he said as he grabbed a blanket and covered her up.

She didn't look at him or say anything, only giving the nod of her head to indicate that she had heard him. If she hadn't eaten in several days, he needed to make her something bland that wouldn't upset her tummy. He decided to make oatmeal with a little bit of butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar. It was quick and easy and would fill her up, so hopefully, she'd be able to get some actual sleep.

Bringing the bowl out to the living room, he sat down beside her and scooped up a spoonful. Checking the temperature on his lip before he reached over and held the spoon to her mouth.

"Open, baby."

Maddie opened her mouth and took a bite. She had the blanket wrapped around her, holding it tightly closed. It killed him that she wasn't looking at him or speaking. It was as though she'd retreated into herself. Maybe she knew she was safe and that he would take care of her. And he would. He would make sure she got the care that she needed.

After four bites, Maddie shook her head when he held the spoon up again.

"A couple more bites. Come on. Eat for me."

She shook her head.

"Madison, open. More bites," he said sternly.

Sticking out her bottom lip in a pout, she opened her mouth and accepted another bite.

That's my good girl.

Ian was able to feed her five more bites before she shook her head again. He wasn't impressed, but he didn't push her. After taking the bowl to the kitchen, he returned and held a hand out for her.

"Come on, let's get you tucked into bed."

Slowly, she reached up to put her small hand in his and stood, following him up the stairs. He led her into her room then into the attached bathroom.

"Go potty. I'll find your toothbrush and be back."