And that was okay, wasn’t it?
Not every encounter she had with people was going to be like those men in the grocery store. Not every man was like they were, like her father had been. Maddox was proof of that. She needed to let go, to let him in, to be okay with the choices she’d made recently instead of fighting them so much they were flaring up her anxiety.
So what if Maddox got a phone call from another woman. She needed to shift her focus. She needed to talk to Suzie.
Though it was late here, she dialed her sister’s number. “What is going on with you two?” Suzie demanded the minute she answered.
“Um—what? What are you talking about?”
“I got off the phone with your husband not too long ago.”
Adelie’s jaw set. “Why did you call Maddox?”
“I didn’t call him,” Suzie said with a laugh. “He called me because he wanted to know how to reach you.”
Adelie’s jaw dropped. “He—he did?”
“Yes. He is seriously into you, Addy. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that husband of yours is falling in love with you. He wants to help you. To be close to you.”
Falling in love with her? Adelie’s stomach clenched. Her breathing turned shallow. She wasn’t sure what to think. “What do you mean he wants to help me?”
“I told him about Dad,” Suzie said, straightforward as always.
Shock overtook her. Enough time had passed that the memories that used to plague her didn’t lambast her like they once did. Even the pain of those memories had faded unless she really focused on them. Which she chose not to at all costs.
“You did what? He doesn’t need to know that, Suz. I’m a big enough wreck as it is without throwing our past into the mix.”
“He’s your husband,” Suzie argued. “He should know the nitty gritties about you, if you guys want any kind of relationship.”
“I’m not so sure he wants a relationship.” Hard as she tried, she couldn’t get past the way he refused to talk to his ex-fiancé in Adelie’s company and instead took the call at a far enough distance away he didn’t notice her leaving.
“Clearly, he does. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?”
Could she believe it? Did he really want to be closer to her? To have an actual relationship with her instead of a protective, bodyguard kind of a marriage?
“Let him in,” Suzie encouraged. “You never know. You might get hurt. Or you might hit the jackpot like I did with Fletcher.”
Adelie wished she could hug her sister. “Thanks, Suz.”
“You’re in the most romantic city in the world. Look at all the things he’s done for you, not all the ways it could go wrong. Remember the good and discard the rest. You can’t go through life focusing on the ways people might let you down. He’s already done so much to prove all of this to you, Adelie. Don’t betray yourself out of fear.”
Suzie’s final words resounded like a battle cry in her mind.
Don’t betray yourself out of fear.
Hindsight widened to become panoramic in her mind’s eye. She’d been so stupid. Suzie was right—Maddox had done so much for her. He’d shown her only kindness. Even in moments of frustration, like with his ex calling, like when she’d left him on the bridge, Maddox had kept his temper. He hadn’t lost control of himself like her father would have done.
He’d put his entire life on hold to protect her. The reality of that slammed into her with sudden force.
“Oh, my goodness,” Adelie said. If she wasn’t careful, she could push him away, and that was the last thing she wanted.
But she couldn’t just let every barrier she’d built down at once.
“You know I’m right, don’t you?” Suzie said smugly.
“Suzie, you’re the best. And I have to go.”
“Yep. You do.”
“Bye, Suzie. Thank you so much.”
Adelie’s sudden optimism was off-putting. It didn’t match how forlorn she’d felt for the better part of the evening. She shook her head, hoping Maddox wouldn’t fault her for the whiplash of emotions she was dealing with. She also hoped he was still awake. Steadying her breathing, she opened the door.
Maddox’s couch-bed was pulled out and roughly made. He sat against his pillow, in the dark, staring at the Eiffel Tower’s sparkling majesty through the window. It glittered and gleamed like nothing Adelie had ever seen before.
“Maddox?” she said gently.
He peered back at her.
She took another step toward him. “I hope this comes out okay, but can I stay with you in here tonight? Just to be close? I don’t want to be alone, and—” She wrung her hands. “And I think it might be good for us to talk.”
Wordlessly, he offered her a hand, and she took it, sinking onto the mattress beside him.
“It’s really stunning, isn’t it?” he said, returning his attention to the Eiffel Tower.
“It is.” She was mesmerized by its fantastic sparkle, by its ability to point upward and shine with never-ending confidence. Adelie knew it was only a building, but in her current mood, a deeper insight struck her. In a strange way, she saw herself reflected in it.
It was almost as if, with every new glow, the Eiffel Tower gave Adelie permission to be a light as well. To be herself—her real self—no matter who she was around.
Maddox’s arm slid around her, and she nestled into his side, allowing her head to rest against his shoulder. In the warmth of his embrace, the proximity, and prodded on by his heartbeat, Adelie saw herself in that magnificent structure.
She was different. Meant to stand out and be beautiful. She didn’t want the praise of others, but it was okay for her to
