38. Maddox

THIRTY-EIGHT

I should probably feel bad about crashing Hannah's mom's birthday party. But I also have a feeling that without her mom's insistence, I'd still be standing outside.

The small entryway opens into the main room, with a living room— jam-packed with furniture— on my right and a dining room on the left.

A bouquet of flowers sits in the center of the round table, and a pair of balloons is tied to the back of one of the chairs.

The house is probably a century old, with scuffed wood floors and archways between every room, making it feel small. But it's cozy.

The floral-patterned rugs and curtains don't exactly strike me as Hannah's taste, but I never even saw her dorm room, so I can't really claim to know her style.

A woman, who must be Hannah's mom, walks into the dining room from what I'm guessing is the kitchen on the far side of the room.

She's the same height as Hannah, with similar honeyed hair, only hers is mostly gray.

"Hi, Mrs. Utley. I'm Maddox Lovelace."

The woman stops midstride, and her eyes widen. "Mad Dog?"

My smile is genuine. She's not exactly my usual fan demographic. "That's me."

I hold out my hand, and she moves closer to take it. "So nice to meet you, dearie. Hannah used to talk about you all the time."

"Mom!" Hannah snaps from somewhere behind me.

We both ignore her as I grin. "Oh really?"

Mrs. Utley smiles up at me, letting my hand go. "Made me watch all your games with her."

"Mom." Hannah tries for a sterner tone.

"Really?" I glance over my shoulder at a scowling Hannah.

"Really." Her mom agrees. Then she leans around me to look at Hannah. "Oh hush. Young love is nothing to be ashamed of."

Hannah groans as my brows raise.

She talked to her mom about me? About love?

I probably shouldn't preen over that information, because if Hannah talked about me, I'm sure she said some bad things too.

"Call me Ruth."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruth. Happy birthday."

"That's sweet of you." She reaches up to pat me on the arm. Then she does it again, giving my bicep a squeeze. "I thought you retired."

"Jesus Christ," Hannah mumbles behind me.

I lift both arms, flexing for my crush's mom.

"Okay." Hannah reaches up and pulls one of my arms down. "That's enough." She tugs on my wrist, turning me to face her. "Let's go talk so you can be on your way."

"You two can talk after dinner," Ruth answers for me.

I came here with feelings of guilt and hurt and confusion twined around my neck, hoping for a heart-to-heart conversation where we could clear the air about what really happened fifteen years ago. So I should be on my best behavior, playing nice and doing whatever Hannah asks of me.

But teasing her is just too much fun.

"Yeah, Hannah." I grin down at the pretty woman staring at me with fire in her eyes. "It can wait until after dinner."

"Good." Ruth spins on her heel. "I'll grab another place setting."

Hannah and I watch each other as her mom retreats.

"Maddox." She says my name quietly.

"Bunny," I respond at the same level.

She purses her lips and balls her hands into fists. "If you're just here to fuck with me—"

"No." I cut her off. "I came to talk. And potentially apologize."

She watches me, looking all over my face for tells. And she must see something that makes her believe me.

Her shoulders drop as the tension around her releases, and she rolls her eyes. "Potentially. You're such a jerk."

There is zero heat behind her insult.

"I promise I won't do or say anything to make this dinner weird." I hold up a hand like I'm swearing an oath.

She narrows her eyes. "Doubtful."

There's a knock at the door.

Hannah starts to turn, but I step past her. "I'll get it."