I bend down to gather my mega snowball and realize I can no longer hear her laughing. Confused, I straighten and look in the direction she was standing, only to find it empty. There weren't even any footprints to indicate anyone else was in the yard. What’s going on? She must be hiding again. I drop the snow and walk around to the back of the house, then around to the opposite side and return to the front of the house. She was nowhere.
“Wendy! This isn’t funny, come out!”
She doesn’t respond. She’s nowhere in sight. And just like that, my love is gone.
Chapter Seven
Taylor
As soon as Maddox closes the door, a new wave of tears washes over me. I’m hormonal, emotional, and sad. I know he hates me. I miss my parents. It’s been a long time since I’ve broken down and it's embarrassing beyond belief that it’s happening here, but I can only be so strong for so long. Who knows what Maddox thinks of me now. He’s probably praying this storm will pass as soon as possible so he can get rid of me. I can’t show my face to him. Not right now, anyway.
Deciding to stay in my dark cocoon, I wrap the quilt around me tighter and then climb under the blankets on the bed. I wasn't about to ask Maddox to make a fire for me. I want to fall asleep and start all over. I close my eyes and let the darkness swallow me up, hoping to wake up in a lot better mood.
I fall asleep for a while, and I shoot straight up, screaming. I look all around me and notice I'm surrounded in darkness, and a huge man is sitting next to me on the bed. Still, in panic mode, I slap him across the face and struggle to get out of my prison of blankets. I feel his arm on me as I struggle and just still. I'm dead. This is it. Tears are streaming down my face, and I'm trying to wrap my head around what is about to happen.
“Taylor, it’s me. It’s Maddox. Wake up, princess.”
His words are soft and comforting. I blink a few times in confusion as I look up at the man talking to me. I look around once more and start to recognize the room I'm in. Maddox. The snow storm. That's right. I take a few deep breaths and wipe the tears from my eyes.
“Sorry. I must’ve been having a bad dream.”
“Bad dream? You were having a nightmare.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I have them sometimes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Maddox searches over me.
“Definitely not!” I pull the blanket closer to me while I try to compose myself. Maddox doesn’t try to move and is lightly rubbing my back for comfort. Surprisingly, it's helping. How embarrassing. First, he sees me crying my eyes out, and now he has witnessed a full-fledged nightmare. What else could go wrong? When I know I'm fine; I calmly unwrap myself from the covers.
“Um, do you think you’d make a fire for me? I’m just going to take a few moments in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, sure.”
With that, Maddox gets up and leaves the room. I make my way to the bathroom and lightly close the door. I turn on the light and look in the mirror. There are times when I don't recognize the face staring back at me, and this is one of those times. My eyes are red and puffy from crying, and my hair is all over the place. My skin is pale, and I look like death. Hoping some warm water will bring life back to my complexion, I splash some over my face and lightly pat dry with a towel. I fix my hair, so it isn't quite as crazy, but decide to leave it up. Peaking in the drawers of the bathroom, I'm relieved to find some lotion and rub a little into my cheeks and around my eyes. I start to feel a bit better and take a deep breath before opening the door.
When I come back into the bedroom, Maddox is on his knees and just finished lighting the logs. Once the fire comes to life, he stands and looks at me. I know Maddox's watching me, but I'm not ready to see him yet, so I stare into the flames with my arms wrapped around my middle. Without saying a word, he moves to the bed to gather the quilt and brings it over to me. Almost as if he was approaching a wild animal, he holds the blanket out to show his intentions. When I don’t move, or make a sound, Maddox closes the distance and wraps the fabric around my shoulders and lightly rubs them in an attempt to help warm me up.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Are you feeling a little better?”
“Yes. I’m sorry you had to see that. I don’t know what came over me. I think I’m just homesick.”
“I just needed to know if it was something I did.”
“No. Nothing. In all honesty, you’ve been great. Even when you’re grouchy.”
With that, he chuckles a little. The room is quiet once more as we try to find a way out of this uncomfortable situation. Not able to stand it, I break the silence.
“What time is it anyway? How long have I been sleeping?”
“It’s about three thirty. Actually, I fell asleep too. Are you hungry? You never ate breakfast.”
“I'm starving.” I smile. Just the mere mention of food has my stomach rumbling. Maddox must’ve heard it because he lifts his eyebrows and laughs.
“Alright, let’s grab some grub. I have the stuff to make sandwiches.”
“Sounds perfect.”