12. Maddox

Chapter 12

Maddox

I get over to Emma's house around mid-morning. I no sooner get in the door and figure out that Emma has left. "What do you mean she's gone?" I ask.

Kate seems a little surprised. "She didn't tell you that she was leaving earlier this morning instead of this afternoon?"

I shake my head in frustration. "No, she said she wasn't supposed to leave until later. What happened?"

Kate looks at me almost angrily. She puts her hands on her hips. "Maddox, I want you to be honest with me. How do you feel about my daughter?"

I look at Bull and then back at Kate. There's no way I'm going to lie about this. "I love her. I've loved her since she was 18."

Kate crosses her arms over her chest. "Now, why does she think you don't like her?"

I think back to the night before and how I just left her. I no sooner got out the door and I was regretting it. I know I up fucked up again, but I was on edge last night, and I knew that if I came back, I wouldn't be able to resist touching her.

I thought I could cool down and we could talk about everything today. I point at Bull across the room. “I'm respecting his wishes.

Kate gasps and looks at Bull, "What did you do?"

Bull just shrugs his shoulders, not showing any remorse at all. “I told him to let her graduate before anything happens between them."

Kate throws her hands up in the air. "Are you kidding me right now? Bull, you saw her when she left here. She loves him and she thinks he's playing her."

I put my hands up, "Wait, she loves me?"

Kate shakes her head and looks at me like I'm crazy. "Yes, she loves you. She has for almost four years now.”

I look at Bull with determination. There's no way that I'm just going to let this go.

Kate walks over to Bull and points at me, "Tell him, tell him it's okay. She's a grown up. She doesn't need us butting in."

Bull looks down at his wife. "I know I'm only her stepfather, but she's my daughter in every sense of the word. I just wanted to protect her."

Kate tilts her head to the side and looks at her husband lovingly. She puts her hands on his chest, "I know you do, and she loves you too. But part of that is letting her grow up, make her own decisions. She loves him, Bull. You can't stand in their way."

Bull loops his arm around his wife's shoulders and looks at me. "Fine. If she wants to be with you, I'm fine with it. She's graduating in a few months and whatever you two decide, I'm fine with, but the condition still stands. You don't hurt her."

"I won't hurt her. I won't," I say, but even as the words, leave my mouth I know that I already have, and I don't know if she'll come back to me again.

All I can think about is last night, she must have thought that I had changed my mind about us and that's not true. "I'm going to go see her."

I don't wait for them to respond. I leave. Get on my bike and gun it out of the driveway. She may not want to hear it, but I'm not going to fuck this up again. She's going to be mine.