“Nothing… nothing. Luna scratched me, that’s all.” I set the furball next to me and lifted up my shirt to investigate the damage. Her razor-sharp nails had poked through my cotton shirt. My wound was bleeding so I put the phone on speaker to remove my top.
“Aww, I’m sure she didn’t mean to.”
I reached for a tissue on the end table. “No, she didn’t.” I dabbed the blood, regretting what I’d done to myself. I should’ve called Maddy before I pulled out the lighter and cigarette. Dammit, all to hell. Why hadn’t I called her?
“Is it bad? Break any skin. If so, you need to clean it really well. You don’t want to get that cat-scratch disease or an infection.”
“Is that a real thing? Cat-scratch disease?” I should have bought a book on raising a kitten.
“Yes, it’s real.”
“I’ll wash it and keep an eye out for infection.”
“So you got a kitten today. Did you do anything else after you left school?”
“Like what, Maddy? Is there something you want to ask me?” Because I knew her all too well, I prepared for the question I wanted to avoid.
“You went to see him, didn’t you?”
I rolled my eyes at the confidence in her tone. “Yes.”
“And?”
“And nothing to report. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him.” Well, after he told me he didn’t want to be with me and would never love another woman. Maddy didn’t need to hear that part. It’d only make her sad and me look pathetic.
“You what?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I might’ve lost my head over Hero after the whole Hunters debacle, but I’m over it. Back to being myself.” My lonely, unlovable self. “I don’t do relationships, remember? That’s you, Mads.”
Men only hurt me.
“Don’t talk like that. I know you want a family.”
I do. I want one with Hero, but he will never love me. Told me so himself.
If I told Maddy that, I’d sound even more pitiful.
“Luna is my first baby. I don’t need a man to be happy.”
“You’re right. You don’t. But the right man will add to your life in wonderful ways. Beyond sex. I’m talking about emotional intimacy, friendship, and support.”
“Love isn’t for everyone. Some of us will remain single our whole lives. It’s not a bad thing, you know. I’m happy, Mads.” I was also a liar. If she was here, she’d see I was lying through my teeth because apparently, according to Maddy, my eyes revealed the truth.
She sighed into the phone. “I only want you to be happy. No one needs to have another person to enjoy life and be fulfilled. I just thought… Well, I thought you’d fallen for Hero.”
I snorted as if she was ridiculous for thinking such a thing. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Don’t get snarky with me. I’m over the top hormonal and you’ll make me cry.”
My chest tightened. The baby wasn’t the reason for her hormones. Well, not entirely. Madeline had been highly emotional since the kidnapping. It didn’t take much for tears to spring from her eyes. She hated it. Hated to show weakness. A trauma like what she’d been through left side effects beyond her control.
Madeline might look sweet and innocent… like an angel. But my girl was stronger than me. I’d seen her strength first-hand many times while dealing with her abusive ex. And more recently, when she’d sacrificed herself to protect the rest of us. Maddy was a fighter, relentless at giving into her emotions and fears, refusing to let the Hunters and that fucking Miller take anymore from her. The abject humiliation and abuse she endured would’ve broken me beyond repair, yet here Mads was persevering on. Not lettinganythingstop her from living, loving, and blissed-out happiness.
I wished I was more like her.
“Fine,” I muttered just to sass her, but really, it was to keep her from dialing into my own torment. I lifted myself off the sofa and took the phone into the kitchen, where I kept the first aid kit.
“Hey, wanna go out this weekend? Get some of our teacher friends together for karaoke. It’ll be fun. You can sing.”