“I teach piano, too,” she replied, raising an eyebrow.
He laughed. A short, humorless laugh that made him wince. “That’s bullshit. You don’t get to have a talent like you do and hide it away. You have it for a reason. You should be out there, recording songs, putting them in front of the industry.” He turned, his eyes staring straight at hers. “I could help you.”
“I don’t want your help,” she told him, pulling her lip between her teeth. “I don’t need it. I’m fine here. I have a good life, people who need me. I can’t walk away from my responsibilities.”
“I got away.”
“You were lucky enough to have a big family who could take care of each other when you were gone.”
Maybe she was right. He never had to worry about who was going take his dad for doctor appointments or make sure he ate something every day. Gray got to travel the world and leave it to Gina and Becca and his brothers.
Maddie didn’t have that luxury.
“Your mom has Ash, too,” he pointed out, to himself more than her.
Maddie winced. “Ash has her own family. She shouldn’t have to look after us.”
“So how come she’s the one who left?” Gray asked her. It all felt wrong. As though she was throwing excuses out to cover something else up. “Didn’t you go to Ansell? Why did you come back?”
Maddie paled. “You know about that?” Her bottom lip wobbled, and he wanted to make it stop. God, he wanted so many things but had no idea how to make them reality.
“I heard you went there for a while then came back. You didn’t graduate?”
She swallowed. “No.”
“Why not?”
Maddie looked down at the sleeve of his jacket, her fingers twisting the cotton. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. He had to lean forward to hear her. “I’m here and this is where I’m going to stay.”
“So that’s it? You stagnate because your mom needs you? You’ll regret it if you do.”
Her head lifted and he could see the moon reflecting in her watery eyes. “Maybe I’d regret it more if I left. Not everybody succeeds, Gray. Not everybody gets the life they’ve always dreamed of. You might have gotten the fairytale, but there are nightmares out there, too. Sometimes it’s better to stick with what you know.” She stood and pulled his jacket off, holding it out to him.
“Keep it.”
“I’m heading home. Can you tell Tanner for me? And make my excuses to Becca?”
“Don’t you want to know if you won the contest?”
He took a step toward her, reaching out to cup her jaw. Her skin was as soft as he’d imagined. Warm, too, in spite of her shivers.
“You’re better than this,” he whispered, his thumb brushing her bottom lip.
“I’m not.” Her voice cracked. “I’m Maddie Clark. Ashleigh’s sister. I’m the girl nobody sees because there are so many better things to look at. I’m not you, Gray. I’m not star material. And I’ve come to terms with that.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek, her jaw, and it felt like somebody was twisting every muscle inside him. He wiped the dampness from her skin, his gaze dropping to her lips. God, they were perfect. Pink and full and slightly open.
“Maddie.” His throat was tight as he leaned closer. “Maddie Clark.”
Her lips were trembling. Her eyes were wide, full of questions he didn’t have the answers to. He swallowed hard, feeling the need to kiss her hot in his blood. He wanted to consume her until he knew all the answers. Kiss her until she understood every one. Pull her body against his until she knew how much he desired her.
He slid his hand around her neck, angling her head until her gaze met his. And for a moment he drowned in them. In her. Unsure if he’d be able to breathe again.
“I should go.” She pulled away, leaving his hand dangling in mid-air. “I’m sorry.”
Gray watched as she hurried across the square, his brows scrunched together as she ran through the gate and onto the sidewalk. Within moments she was gone, disappearing into the shadows, and he was all alone.
What the hell just happened? He wasn’t certain, but one thing was for sure. He didn’t like it one bit.