3. Maddie

Maddie sat on the toilet in a daze. She had returned back to feeling blank and numb. She'd cried more in the past several hours than she had in her entire life, and she was exhausted. Luckily, Ian seemed to be in take-charge mode, and she wouldn't argue. It was easier to follow his directions and let him take care of her, even though she felt guilty because he had just gotten the news of Cam and had his own emotions to deal with.

Ian walked in while she was still sitting on the toilet, and even though she knew she probably should have screamed or freaked out, she just didn't have it in her.

"Do you need help, baby?" he asked patiently, studying her.

She shook her head, and she could see him nod before turning around.

"Go ahead and finish. I'm not looking."

Cleaning herself up, she stood and pulled her leggings back up. When she turned on the sink to wash her hands, he turned and walked over to stand next to her.

"I couldn't find a toothbrush in your luggage, so I grabbed a new one from my bathroom."

Ian opened the packaging on the toothbrush and ran it under the water before putting toothpaste on it for her. After she'd dried her hands, she reached for the toothbrush. He hesitated briefly before handing it to her.

He stood and watched as she brushed her teeth. It might have felt awkward if it had been anyone else, but it was Ian, and he had always seemed to be watchful over her. He also didn't really have a sense of personal space at times.

When she finished, he followed her out to the bedroom. He had already unpacked her stuff into the dresser and had laid out a pair of her footie pajamas on the bed, along with her Stitch stuffy. Maddie tensed, thinking he might have seen her pacifier, then remembered that she'd packed it in a pouch in her purse.

"Get changed into your jammies, and I will be right back to tuck you in. Do you need anything?" he asked.

She shook her head, still not meeting his gaze. Ian sighed and left the room, closing the door behind him. Maddie changed into the pajamas that he had set out for her, feeling a flutter low in her tummy at the thought of Ian picking out her pajamas.

Don't be silly. He is just trying to take care of you because you're in mourning and are a complete mess.

After she had changed, Maddie crawled under the blankets that he had turned down for her and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She still needed to listen to all the voicemails that had come in.

Maybe tomorrow.

Ian walked in and eyed her as she set her phone back on the table. When she met his gaze, he gave her a small smile. Just that tiny smile was enough to make her breath catch. She'd fantasized about him hundreds of times, but her fantasies never truly captured how broad his shoulders were, how sharp his jawline was, or how sexy his eyes were.

He came and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, and suddenly, his scent surrounded her. Bergamot and musk. He smelled edible, and she would bet that he was pretty yummy.

Setting a bottle of water on the nightstand, Ian turned toward her.

"I want you to stay in bed and sleep for as long as you can," he said firmly.

She stared up at him as he reached over and grabbed her Stitch stuffy, handing it to her. Stitch had been a gift from Ian when she went off to college. He told her she needed something to remind her of him while she was away from home, and every night after that, she had gone to bed and squeezed it tightly while thinking about the man that she was already head over heels for.

"Are you listening to me, Madison?"

"What?" she asked, realizing she'd zoned out.

Ian leaned closer to her and smiled, "There's my girl."

His girl. If only.

"I want you to rest. I'll bring you breakfast in bed tomorrow. Have you talked to anyone about arrangements yet?"

No, she hadn't because she was a twenty-four-year-old woman who had no idea how to live and survive in the real world.

"No. I have some voicemails that I haven't listened to yet that I think are from the funeral home. The hospital said they'd reach out to me. I didn't want to listen to them because if I did, it would mean that all of this was real," she said, her voice breaking at the last few words.

Ian nodded, "I know, baby. I know. I will take care of it. Just let me take care of you, okay?"

Maddie nodded, using the palms of her hands to wipe the tears forming in her eyes. Ian began tucking the blankets around her.

"Just sleep, baby girl. I'm going to take your phone so that I can return the voicemails."

He stood and turned off the lamp on the nightstand, leaving only the glow of the string lights that he had strung around the large body mirror in the corner of the room. Ian had decorated the room perfectly for her when he bought the house, and she found it endearing that he'd gone to such lengths to make sure she had a comfortable space to sleep when she visited. It was one of the many reasons she loved him so much.

Leaning over her, Ian kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well, Maddie-Rose."

Leaving the room, he left the door open slightly. Closing her eyes, Maddie felt herself relax for the first time in days. Ian would take care of everything. That knowledge and his lingering scent were enough to make her fall into a deep sleep.