He grins and shakes his head at me. “Yeah, Birdie, no fucking dou
bt you could have, but do us both a favour and stay out of fights while Winter’s away. I like my balls where they are.”
I roll my eyes. “You guys are all so fucking attached to your balls. You need to live a little.” As he continues to shake his head at me, I say, “You want a burger?”
“Nah, I’m juicing at the moment. I’ll wait outside for you.”
“I’ll try not to tangle with anyone else,” I call as he walks out.
He doesn’t turn back, just shakes his head some more.
“You’re a fucking crazy woman,” Maddox says as I laugh at Memphis. “Those guys are—”
I look at him. “Those guys are boys who need to learn about the big wide world, Maddox. And part of that is knowing they can’t mess with you, because if they do, they’re messing with Storm.”
“What the fuck have I got to do with Storm? Just because my sperm donor was a member, doesn’t make me affiliated with the club.”
“Right, we do need to talk about that, but first, you’re with me now, which means you’re with Storm whether you like it or not.”
He stares at me for a long few moments before saying, “I’m ready to order.”
Talking with Maddox reminds me a little of talking with Winter. They’re happy to do it until the conversation gets too close to their heart. Maybe that’s why God introduced Maddox and me. I’m still undecided on this, but maybe God really is a woman, and thinks Maddox could do with some of my kind of love.
“Yes, let’s get food,” I agree as we get back in line. The manager is watching us like she’s not really sure what to make of us after the incident with Jay and Brad, so I smile at her, hoping to let her know all is good now. She returns my smile and walks away from the register.
We order and once we’re sitting in a booth, eating, I say to Maddox, “Where’d you get that bruise from?”
He finishes chewing the food in his mouth before saying, “I was wondering how long it’d take you to ask that.”
“Well?” I’m not sure what I’ll do if he says it was Eloise.
He slurps some of his Coke. “I got in a fight.”
“At school?” Please don’t say at home.
He nods. “Yeah.”
Relief washes over me and I exhale the breath I was holding. I want to ask him about the fight, but I can tell he doesn’t want to talk about it, so I don’t push. Instead, I focus on eating.
We eat in silence for a while, until Maddox surprises me when he says, “You’re a girl. Tell me what girls like to do on dates.”
I smile so big on the inside. Not so much on the outside, though, because I’m trying to appear cool and calm. Like it’s no big deal that he just asked me for advice.
This must be what it’s like to be a mother.
The thought whooshes through me, unexpected and overwhelming. In a good way. Boy, in a good way.
“I used to love going to the movies with boys,” I say.
He leans forward a little, like he’s hanging off every word I say. “What kind of movies, though? Do I have to sit through love crap?”
I laugh. “No. Girls like action movies, too.”
A text comes through on my phone.
* * *
Winter: I may not get a chance to call you today.