Maddox smiled at me. “I appreciate your apology, but I deserve a little bit of the blame, at least. I was condescending. I found myself overwhelmingly attracted to you and it was like I couldn’t say the right thing. I didn’t mean to come off like I knew what was best for you or how you live your life.” He took a sip of his water. “Most of all, I want you to know that I’m absolutely positive that you’re a good mother. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
His apology soothed the last of my worry about our date. The rest of the night went smoothly, to my delight.
“Tell me about yourself,” I said while we waited for our food.
“Well, I have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and I’ve been accepted to law school.”
I couldn’t keep my surprise off my face. “I just assumed you were going to be a cop,” I said. “That’s wonderful.”
He shook his head. “I see why you’d think that, but I’m technically only part-time at the Black Claw PD.”
The server dropped off our plates, so we spent a few minutes digging in. I moaned in delight. “I love this chicken piccata. Want to try it?”
He nodded eagerly, so I cut off a piece and slipped it onto his plate. “Bite of my steak?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said. “I’m a huge steak fan.”
As soon as he stuck a chunk of his meat out on his fork, I recoiled. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m not a big fan of rare steak.”
Maddox sat back and gave me an appraising look. “So you like beef jerky, not steak?”
“No, it’s just that I like to do more than walk my steak past the grill,” I teased.
Things flowed so easily after that I found myself telling him about Kyle. I didn’t know why I’d been so resistant to getting to know him. He was a great listener, and very sympathetic about what I’d gone through with Kyle, then he was very interested in my business and how I’d grown it.
After that, he asked me about Tiffany and what it had been like having her without Kyle. He smiled as I spoke. “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just sweet the way you light up when you talk about your daughter.”
Of course, that made me blush even more. But he wasn’t done.
“I feel like you love Tiffany the way my mom loves me, and that’s a pretty powerful thing.”
Knowing he had such a good relationship with his mother was a good sign. And I knew he lived in an apartment by himself, which meant his relationship with his mom wasn’t too good.
“How do you feel about kids?” I asked.
He paused and looked down at his half-eaten steak. “I don’t have any immediate plans,” he said. “Having a child right now would definitely throw a kink in the works as far as going to law school.”
At least he was honest with me.
“I do want kids one day, though,” he said. “For sure.”
So, was there any point to continuing this attraction and flirtation we had with each other? He didn’t want kids yet, and I had one. The ultimate downfall of single parent dating.
“I don’t think things are serious enough at this point that we need to worry, are they?” he asked. “We’re just having dinner and trying to become friends instead of being aggravated at each other.”
I nodded. “I can agree with that. I’d never pressure you into something you weren’t ready for. And you’re right. It’s nice to have a date, especially with no obligations.”
We moved on after that, though knowing he didn’t want kids yet left a slightly sour taste in my mouth.
By the time our dessert came, I was comfortable enough to ask him a potentially embarrassing question. “Why do women fall all over you?”
Maddox stared at me with a bite of chocolate cake in his mouth and a fleck of chocolate on the corner of his lip. “Um.” He swallowed audibly and I burst out laughing.
“I’m just kidding,” I said. I knew damn well why they did.
We both dug into our desserts and when we finished, Maddox asked about Kyle’s parents. “You told me about the accident, but not about his parents. Has anything else happened?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t heard from any lawyers, so that’s a good thing, right?”
He nodded. “I take it they blame you for Kyle’s death?”
“Oh, yeah. For sure.” I wiped my mouth on my napkin and put it on my plate. “His dad calls me often to tell me just how much they blame me.”
Maddox looked outraged. “He can’t do that. That’s harassment.”
I shook my head. “They lost their son. I can’t change them. It ruined their life.”
“Do you think they’ll really sue you for custody?” he asked.
I wished I knew the answer. “I have no idea.”
“Well,” he said. “I’m not a lawyer yet, obviously, but I’ve done some studying independently. Make sure you document any other encounters with them. If they call, write down what they say, the date and time, and so forth. Make a running log of anything, even if it seems insignificant.”
“Thank you.” I appreciated the advice. “I guess I need to consult a lawyer, just in case. Be prepared.”
He pulled out his phone and tapped at it, and in a few seconds, mine dinged in my little handbag. “I sent you the names of the two lawyers I’d use if it was me.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “It’s nice to have someone in my corner.”
“No matter what happens between us, I’ll be in your corner,” Maddox said. “You can count on that.”
The waiter brought our check, and Maddox didn’t blink an eye when I slapped down a twenty to cover my portion. He put a fifty down and told the server to keep the change. My jaw dropped.
“What?” he asked. “I’m not trying to show off. We just made that guy’s night on a fifty-dollar tab.”
I grinned at him and once again tried not to shiver as we walked out. He had his
