Choosing Happy (Madison Square #2) (5 page)

***

I woke up to the shrill sound of my cell phone. I reached for the phone on the night stand, swiping my finger across the screen without looking to see who it was.

“Hello,” I said, my voice groggy.

“Hey, Maddie Bear.”

I sat up in bed, looking down at my phone to make sure I heard right. Yep, I sure did.

“Michael, it’s late,” I said, looking at the clock. “Is everything okay?”

A thousand things ran through my mind at once. Did something happen to his parents? Was he in trouble? There had to be a logical reason for my ex-husband to be calling me in the middle of the night, right?

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I was just looking for my lucky tie. You know, the one with the purple stripes. Have you seen it?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I thought I might have left it behind. I have an important meeting in the morning, and I need my lucky tie.” The irritation was clear in his voice.

The man called me, his ex-wife, in the middle of the night asking where his tie was, and he was irritated with
me
? What an idiot!

I sighed. “I’ll keep an eye out for it, okay? Good night, Michael,” I said and hung up the phone. I dropped my head back to pillow. The nerve of that jackass. He was unbelievable. My phone started to ring again. I didn’t even check who it was. I just switched it to silent, pulled open the nightstand drawer, dropped the phone inside, and slammed it shut. Helping him find his tie in the middle of the night wasn’t part of the divorce settlement.

Chapter 6

Sean

Around lunch Drew stuck his head over the cubicle wall. “Hey.” He came around the small partition and dropped into the chair next to my desk.

“Hey.”

“So, poker’s been moved from my place,” he said. “My apartment looks like someone set off a pipe bomb in the offices of
InStyle Weddings
.”

“Alex gone Bridezilla?” I asked.

Drew laughed. “I’m tellin’ her you said that. I didn’t realize how much went into planning this shit.”

“Didn’t Dave warn you when he went through it?”

“Yeah, but I figured he was exaggerating.”

I looked up from my computer, raising an eyebrow at him. “Apparently not,” I scoffed. “So poker’s cancelled on account of tulle?”

“No, game’s still on. We’re just changing the location. Liam offered to host tonight, so we’re headed over to his place at seven.” Drew reached for the stress ball on my desk and tossed it over his head, catching it easily in one hand then tossing it again.

“Wait, we’re playing with Liam?” I asked, turning to face him.

“Yeah, Dave invited him,” he said, his brows drawing together. “That a problem?”

“Not for me, but dude’s got issues.”

“His only
issue
is that you keep hitting on his sister,” Drew said

“Well, he’ll have to get over that shit,” I said, turning back to my work. Liam was the least of my worries. I was on a deadline and had to get this web design done and ready for beta testing by five.

“Why don’t you just back off? Liam’s a good guy. The bar runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to him, and Pop’s been able to take it easy. He’s even talking about retiring. Maybe you should give him a break and lay off his sister.”

I shrugged off his question and kept my focus on the screen in front of me.

“Look, man, you’re family and I love you, but if you do something to piss off Liam and fuck things up for Papa Jack, we will all come down on your ass.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said.

“Whatever, dude. Had to be said. So, Liam’s at seven. I’ll text you the address,” he said, patting my shoulder.

“Seven, got it.” I gave him a small wave over my shoulder as he headed toward the door.

“Wait,” I called. Drew turned back to look at me from the doorway. “Think she’ll be there tonight?”

Drew tossed the stress ball at me, and I caught it just before it slammed into my forehead. “Fucker,” he muttered before heading down the hall.

I turned back to my work, but I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face at just the chance of seeing her again.

***

We sat around the thick oak table as Liam dealt the next hand. I was playing like shit because my head just wasn’t in it. I’d been here over an hour and still no Madison. Disappointment sat heavy on my chest as I checked my watch for the third time in the last half hour.

“Hot date?” Liam asked, watching me over his cards.

“Yeah, your mom’s stopping by for a quickie,” I said.

“Wait, his mom too? I thought you were banging his sister,” Drew said.

“Nice, asshole,” Liam said. Drew shot him a grin and slid two cards face down across the table to him. Liam passed Drew two more cards from the deck and looked at David. “Your bet,” he said.

“Five,” David said, tossing his chip in the center of the table.

“Call,” Drew added, tossing in his own chip.

I heard a key slide into the lock and the door swung open with a loud
twack
as it slammed into the wall beside it.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“Madison?” Liam asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“I’m gonna give her a hand,” I said, quickly getting to my feet.

“It’s your bet,” Drew said.

“I fold.” I shrugged and tossed my cards down on the table and heading for the front door.

She was loaded down with grocery bags, trying to kick the door closed while balancing a case of beer under one arm. I smiled and stepped forward, taking the beer out of her arms and a couple of the grocery bags.

She exhaled in relief and looked up at me, her eyes going wide. “Sean? What are you…”

“Hey there, beautiful.” I smiled down at her, and her lips twitched.

“Hey,” she said, shifting her remaining bags in her arm. I couldn’t help but watch her. Fuck she was gorgeous. Clear blue eyes, soft pink lips. That adorable pink color flooded her cheeks, and my smile widened.

I stepped to the side to let her through, and she headed down the hall to the living room, where the guys were.

Liam lifted his head when she came in. “Hey, sis,” he said. “You remember Drew.” Drew raised his hand in greeting without taking his eyes off his cards. He’d been playing worse than me, and by the look on his face his unlucky streak wasn’t getting any better.

“This is Drew’s brother, David,” Liam said, gesturing toward Dave.

David pushed out of his chair, standing to shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said with a smile.

“She brought beer,” I said, lifting the case as proof.

“Thanks, Maddie,” Liam said. “We were running low.”

“Sure. I’m just gonna go put this stuff away.” She lifted the bags in her hand and headed toward the kitchen as I followed close behind her.

I put the beer in the fridge and she dropped the bags on to the counter, emptying them and putting the items away one by one. I watched her pull open the cabinet above the stove, reaching up on her tiptoes to put away the crackers. I slid behind her and braced a hand gently on her hip, pressing my body against her back as I took the box from her fingers and placed it easily onto the shelf above her head. Her body tensed with the contact, and she slowly lowered her hand.

I should’ve stepped back and given her some space, but I couldn’t move. Her body, warm and soft, was pressed against every hard line of mine. She shifted, turning slowly to face me, her hip rubbing against the fly of my jeans, and I swallowed thickly, trying to ward off the hard-on that would be difficult to explain to her brother in the other room.

I moved back a little, giving her enough room to turn, and braced my hands on the counter beside her hips. She looked up at me, her beautiful face a mixture of nerves and arousal. She swallowed thickly and flicked her tongue out to wet her lips. It took every ounce of my willpower not to lean in and taste her lips for myself.

We were close. Very close. Her soft, full breasts pressed against me with every breath she took. I could practically see her resolve breaking. I was slowly chipping away at the walls she’d built to keep me out.

“Why are you fighting this?” I asked, gripping her chin and running the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. She sucked a breath in through those perfect pink lips and closed her eyes.

“You feel it too,” I said. “I can tell.”

She swallowed and turned her head away from me, but she couldn’t hide the blush that crept its way up the smooth skin of her neck. I leaned down, my lips barely brushing against her ear.

“Say yes,” I whispered.

The sweet floral scent of her skin was intoxicating. Before I knew what I was doing, I pressed a soft kiss to her neck and was rewarded with a long exhale as her body leaned into me. My hard pressed against all her soft as I looked into her beautiful eyes.

She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, drawing my attention back to her lips. I wondered what they tasted like, how they would look wrapped around my…

“Sean,” Liam called from the other room. “Grab me a beer.”

I froze. Panic filled her features. Fucking Liam. I took a step back and opened the fridge, taking a deep breath to clear my head before I had to face the guys in the living room. I grabbed a couple of beers, closed the door to the fridge, and turned back to Madison, who was slumped against the counter, staring down at her feet.

I stepped in front of her and lifted her chin with the tips of my fingers. “Let me know,” I said, then turned and headed back to the game.

“What took you so long?” Liam asked, glancing at me over his cards. I handed him a beer and took my seat.

I shrugged and took a long drink from my beer, smiling to myself. Drew caught my eye, and I winked at him. He just shook his head at me and took the cards Liam slid across the table toward him.

***

I was headed to the Den the next day after work when I walked past a yogurt place and stopped dead in my tracks, a smile spreading wide across my face. Madison stood in front of the machines inside, tapping a spoon against her bottom lip.

I headed inside and stopped directly behind her. “Must be my lucky day,” I said against her ear.

She jumped and spun around, catching me under the chin with her elbow in the process. My head snapped back and stars burst behind my eyes as a shock of white hot pain radiated through my jaw. “Fuck!”

“Oh my God,” she said, her eyes wide with panic. “Are you okay?” She winced as I rubbed at my jaw.

“That’s one hell of a hook you got on you.”

“I’m so sorry. You surprised me.”

I laughed. “Yeah, won’t make that mistake again.”

She bit her bottom lip, cheeks flooding with color. Lucky for me, the place was relatively empty except for a couple of teenage girls huddled over by the window, giggling at our little show.

I worked my jaw back and forth. No real damage besides a dull ache. Madison watched me closely, her clear blue eyes full of concern. I smiled, and she took a step back.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I wanted something sweet,” I said, taking a step toward her. “Looks like I found it.” I grinned down at her, and her lips twitched as she fought to keep the smile from her face.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as the smile she’d been fighting finally broke free. “Do lines like that really work for you?”

“Sometimes,” I said with a shrug.

“I would never fall for something that cheesy.”

“Maybe not,” I said, pushing my hands into the pockets of my jeans, “but I did get you to smile.”

She scoffed and turned back to the machines. I stepped beside her and looked over the choices. “You know,” I said. “I think you can tell a lot about a person by the flavor they choose.”

She rolled her eyes. Even annoyed looked cute on her.

“Think about it,” I said. “Classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla are safe, predictable. People who choose flavors like that are stuck, too scared to take a risk and try something different.”

“Maybe they just like vanilla.”

“That’s because they’ve never tried anything else,” I said with a smirk.

Her lips turned up in a shy smile as she studied me, trying to decipher my end game. I thought I’d made my intentions perfectly clear, but she still seemed to be doubting my interest.

“What about toasted marshmallow?” she asked, the challenge clear in her voice.

I narrowed my eyes and tapped my finger against my lips while I thought it over. Her eyes followed the movement of my finger, focusing on my lips. I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth and she swallowed hard, her eyelids fluttering as she watched me. It was easy to see how much I affected her, and it was driving me completely insane.

“In touch with their inner child,” I said. She jumped at the sound of my voice. Seemed like she was a bit…distracted.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, taking a moment to clear her throat. My smile widened.

“Toasted marshmallow,” I repeated. “Seems to me to enjoy something like that, you have to be in touch with your inner child.”

“Right. Yes,” she said, still a little flustered. “I guess that makes sense.”

“You okay?” I asked, trying to stifle a chuckle.

“Yes,” she said, “I’m…I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and faced me with a polite smile. I instantly hated the sight of it.

“Come on,” I said, nudging her with my elbow. “You try. I’ll pick a flavor, and you tell me what type of person would choose that.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s ridiculous.”

“You could use a little bit of ridiculous.” She looked up at me, her sad blue eyes narrowed. “What about…” I looked over the flavors, trying to find one for her. “Creamy mint cookie?” I said, gesturing toward the sign.

She looked toward the machines and thought for a minute. “I don’t know,” she said. “Former Girl Scout.”

I frowned, not sure where she was going with that. “Girl Scout?”

“Yeah, you know thin mints, right?” she said. “Creamy mint cookie.”

She looked up at me, waiting for my approval. My heart clenched in my chest. I know that look. It’s the same one I’d seen in Emily’s eyes a million times when her insecurities would take over and the self-doubt took control. This was just a game. There wasn’t a right or wrong answer. It killed me that she thought she needed my approval.