"I heard he"s thinking of opening another club," Ian said.
Alex nodded. "Gabe loves a challenge."
Ian rested an elbow on the counter behind him. "Speaking of Madison-"
"We weren"t." Alex scowled.
"Are you making any progress on that front?" Ian asked, ignoring him.
Since the smirk didn"t leave the other man"s face, Alex wasn"t sure how to take the comment. "Are we really doing this? Discussing my love life like you give a s.h.i.t?"
Ian shrugged. "Maybe I do."
That gave Alex pause, and he lifted his beer for a sip, a.s.sessing the other man and deciding to take him at his word. "Progress comes in many forms."
Ian nodded and gestured for the bartender. "Macallan on the rocks," he said to the man.
"Put it on my tab," Alex called out.
Ian c.o.c.ked an eyebrow, then nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem."
"Riley"s worried about Madison," Ian said.
Aah. Now the inquisition made more sense. "I"m not going to hurt her again."
"Good because apparently she had a rough childhood. I think that"s why she and Riley bonded so quickly."
Alex muttered a noncommittal response, not wanting to admit to Ian that he knew less about the woman he cared about than he"d like. He"d been such a self-centered a.s.shole before. Alex shook his head in disgust.
"What?" Ian asked.
Alex didn"t plan on elaborating on that. "You"re probably right. Both their childhoods sucked. Riley"s father was an abusive a.s.shole, and Madison grew up in foster care."
The bartender set Ian"s drink on the counter and discreetly walked away.
Ian raised his gla.s.s. "Sucks to be left by a parent in any manner, but who the f.u.c.k takes a kid to the mall and leaves her there for good?" Ian shook his head and took a healthy swig of his drink.
Alex choked on his beer.
Ian"s eyes opened wide. "Oh s.h.i.t. You didn"t know?"
Alex pulled in a deep breath. "No. Can"t say I left many openings for her to confide in me the last time we were together." Admitting his failings out loud sucked, but somehow, at the moment, it felt right.
Alex loved his younger siblings, but they were closer with each other than with him. Mostly because football had occupied all his time. He knew that explained why he"d sought a bond with Ian when he"d discovered he had a sibling with whom he had something in common. He needed to change the situation with his brother and sister. Just like things were changing with Ian.
Ian slapped him on the back. "Give it time. It isn"t easy to change. Ask Riley. h.e.l.l, ask me. We were both closed off before we found each other."
Alex rolled his stiff shoulders. "Madison doesn"t want get-to-know-you time. She just wants s.e.x," he muttered, staring at his beer bottle.
Ian burst out laughing.
"What"s so funny?"
"If you could only hear yourself, complaining that Madison only wanting s.e.x is a bad thing," Ian said, still chuckling.
Alex scowled. "This time around, I want more."
"And she"s making you work for it?"
He shook his head. "She doesn"t play those games." And that was the problem. Madison meant what she"d said. He"d hurt her, and she"d withdrawn into herself, unwilling to give him a chance to do it again.
At least now he knew more about what made her tick. "Her old man really abandoned her in a shopping mall?" he asked, his stomach churning at the notion.
A little blonde girl, crying, searching for her father in a monstrous, huge place filled with strangers. He shuddered.
"Ian Dare?" A waiter strode up to Ian with his packaged order.
"Thanks," Ian said, accepting the bag.
"You can pay up front."
Ian nodded and turned back to Alex. "I"ve said enough already. I guess I should just leave you with what Riley told me. If you"re really invested in Madison, you"re going to have to be patient and dig in for the long haul."
Alex tipped his head in acknowledgment. "Hey, man. Thanks."
Ian gave him a grim smile.
An awkward silence ensued. "Guess I better get my wife her food."
"Congratulations. Sorry I didn"t mention it earlier. Guess I"m still working on the self-absorbed thing."
Ian grinned. "I hear it"s part of your charm."
"a.s.shole," Alex muttered.
With a laugh, Ian walked away, leaving Alex alone with his newfound unsettling knowledge about Madison.
Madison arrived at her foster mother"s house early Sunday morning, intending to help her move to the nursing home a few short miles away. In her possession, she had the doc.u.ments permitting her to take Franny with her in case Eric arrived to cause an argument. She hoped he wouldn"t, as upheaval and loud noises only upset his mother. But it would be good for Franny to have her son by her side when she entered someplace brand new.
She decided to spend some time with Franny and see what kind of day today was before putting her in the car. In the meantime, her aide would pack up the car.
"Franny?" Madison walked into the kitchen.
Franny sat dressed, staring out the window behind the table. She turned and looked at Madison. "Gracie, what took you so long to get here?"
Madison sighed. Gracie was Franny"s sister who"d pa.s.sed away five years earlier. "I hit a little traffic," she said, knowing it was easier to keep Franny settled and calm than upset her with what she didn"t remember.
"We"re going to take you to your new home today."
Franny didn"t answer.
Madison settled into a chair beside her. The other woman"s hair, brown streaked with some gray, had been brushed and her clothes chosen by the aide. Madison worried Franny would miss Linda once she was in the home, before reminding herself Franny likely wouldn"t remember the aide soon anyway.
"The walls are pale blue, like your room is now. You said that"s one of the reasons you chose the place."
"I love blue. It"s my favorite color. It was Daniel"s too," Franny said, and Madison realized she had her foster mom with her again.
"Everything you"re used to having around you, the pictures, and mementos, they"re all coming with you."
She patted Madison"s hand. "You"re so good to me."
Madison swallowed hard. "You"ve been good to me too." She smiled.
"Are we ready? I don"t want to spend any more time here wishing I didn"t have to leave," Franny said.
Madison stood and held out her hand. Franny placed her smaller weathered hand inside hers, and they walked out to the car.
Eric never showed up, which left the burden of the transition entirely on Madison. But her home aide had already packed up Franny"s most important possessions and necessities, and once Madison brought her to the car, the trip went easily.
Getting Franny settled didn"t go as smoothly. Once they entered the new surroundings, Franny became argumentative and belligerent. It wasn"t something that happened often, but her aide had reported it was occurring more lately. It had led them to push ahead with the move sooner rather than later. Madison hoped the older woman would settle in with her new caretakers easily once she left.
After meeting with the director, she returned to Franny"s room to find her foster mom ranting and yelling at her new nurse, who"d delivered her dinner on a tray.
"Franny, this is Sharon, remember? You met her when we arrived."
"Get out!" Franny yelled.
Madison stepped closer. "Listen-"
"It"s your fault I"m in here. I hate you," Franny yelled, grabbing the food tray and throwing it at Madison.
She ducked, and the nurse grasped her arm, leading her out of the room.
Shaking, hurt, and upset, Madison leaned against the wall in the hallway.
"I"m sorry," Sharon, the middle-aged nurse, said. "This often happens more during the adjustment period. Give it some time, and she"ll settle in.
Madison swallowed hard. "I hope so. Please call if you need me."
"We will." Sharon patted her on the shoulder.
Madison left the home, depression surrounding her like a shroud. She climbed into her car and started the motor, resting her head on the steering wheel before starting her drive.
If she were smart, she"d drive home and go straight to bed. But she needed a shoulder to cry on. Riley was pregnant and sick, busy with her new husband and life. She"d promised herself she wouldn"t rely on Alex, but his shoulder was the only one she wanted.
And he was the only person she had in her life who she could imagine turning to.
FIVE.
Alex hit the gym on the top floor of his building. He might not play football any longer, but he refused to let himself get soft. Ian gave him access to the gym at the stadium, but working out with the Thunder players still felt like being surrounded by the opposition. It helped in his new job that he practiced what he preached, but he kept fit for himself. He finished his workout and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.
After gathering his things, he checked his phone and saw a number he didn"t recognize. Whoever it was had left a message. He waited for the elevator and hit play.
"Hi, Alex. It"s Rachel Bradley." His college girlfriend.
The one he"d thought he"d been in love with. Before she"d hurt him badly. "I know it"s been a while, but I have something to discuss with you. I think you"ll find it worth your while to call me back." He ended the message without waiting for more, memories of his time with Rachel coming back to him.
They"d hooked up early on at UF, and they"d stayed together for four years. He"d thought they had a future. She"d never had any intention of marrying a football player or living a life that involved long stretches out of town and female fans flocking around him. Of course it would"ve been nice if she"d told him that at any point during their time together when he"d brought up the future. She hadn"t. But she had broken up with him after graduation.
The Rachel he remembered hadn"t been a mean girl. She hadn"t used people to her advantage. She"d just never worked up the courage to tell him he wanted more than she did. And he"d felt like an a.s.s for exposing his heart to someone who hadn"t wanted it at all.
He shook his head, not even curious about why she"d be calling him now. She"d done enough damage and taught him the one solid lesson he"d kept with him ever since, setting the stage for the non-relationships that had come after her. Since Rachel, he"d never been tempted to let anyone in.
Until Madison.
He shook his head, knowing revisiting the past would only work him into a frustrated state. He"d grown up enough, been through enough women to trust that Madison wasn"t the type to hide her feelings from him. She said what she meant and meant what she said. He understood who she was and why. He was going out of his comfort zone to pursue her despite knowing how heavily she was trying to resist him. He didn"t need messages from Rachel s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with his head, he thought, and hit delete on the call.
He took the elevator to his apartment, surprised to find Madison leaning against his door.
"Madison?"
She raised tear-filled eyes to his.
"Hey." He held out his arms, and she stepped inside his embrace.
He had no idea what had brought her here and hated seeing her upset, but the fact that she"d come to him opened up a world of hope he hadn"t been feeling. He was sweaty, and he probably smelled from his workout, but she didn"t seem to mind as she burrowed in close, her head against his chest.
His heart ached as he held her, telling him these feelings he had for her were only getting stronger. That he wanted to ride them out and not run said a lot for the changes that d.a.m.ned injury had wrought. He wrapped her into him and let her release whatever she"d bottled up inside until eventually her quiet sniffling eased.
"Come inside," he said, letting them into the apartment.
She nodded. "I"m sorry to just show up and then fall apart like this."
"It"s not a problem." He locked the door behind them and tossed his keys onto the nearest counter.
She followed him into the kitchen, where he grabbed a cold bottle of vitamin water from the fridge. "Iced tea?" he asked, gesturing to the bottled brand she liked.