Tiffany wiggled in his arms, so he set her down. She ran back to her room, already over the thrill of her Maddoth coming over.
“Besides.” He held out his arms, and I gladly stepped into his embrace. “There’s something I want to tell you. Saturday, after dinner. If we’re going to continue with this relationship, I want to be perfectly honest with you about me and my life.”
My heart instantly squeezed with worry. What had he kept from me? Was he married? Used to be a woman? I could deal with that, but it would’ve been a shock. Married was a no-go, of course.
“No, don’t look worried,” he said, speaking quickly. “It’s okay. I just want us to start our relationship on an open, honest plane.”
That didn’t do much to quell my fears. He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Really. It’s all going to be fine.”
I opted to believe him since he’d never given me a reason to doubt him. But it didn’t make me less nervous.
18
Maddox
As soon as I walked into Bethany’s house on Saturday evening, I knew something was wrong. She was visibly upset. “What’s wrong?”
Artemis went on high alert. We’d been worried about telling her our secret, but something else was going on. I had to figure out what and fix it if possible.
She rolled her eyes. “More calls from Kyle’s parents.”
They must be stopped.
Artemis was right. “You need to let me serve them with a restraining order,” I suggested. “Have you been reporting the calls to your lawyer?”
Bethany gave me a flat look. “Of course. And they are harmless, if persistent. I don’t need a restraining order.”
I didn’t want to argue with her, so I tried to let it go. “Okay. You ready?”
She nodded. “Almost. I just need to grab Tiffany’s shoes.”
Tiffany followed Bethany out of the room. I waited patiently, or at least I tried to. Artemis kept bugging me to protect Bethany and Tiffany.
“You could change your number,” I said.
Bethany stopped in her tracks with Tiff’s shoes in her hand. “Maddox, stop. I don’t need you to constantly suggest what I should and shouldn’t do.”
“I don’t mean to overstep. I’m sorry. It was just an idea.” I knew she didn’t like being told what to do, but I thought our relationship had progressed to the point that I could be an active member of her life. “Hang on.” I held up a finger. “Why are we in a place where I can tell you I love you and you can tell me, and we’re thinking about building a life together, but I can’t make suggestions without you getting angry with me?”
She stared at me for several seconds before responding. “I’m not used to someone telling me what to do like I’m a child.”
Never did I think she was a child. “That’s not what I did. Not at all. I’m a cop, and I want to be a lawyer. And I’m your...” Mate, but I couldn’t say that. “Boyfriend or whatever we are, and it’s my responsibility to protect you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Responsibility? Why isn’t it my responsibility to protect you?” She tossed her hair as if she’d made some big point.
“Because I’m a cop,” I exclaimed.
Tiffany ran into the room. “Are you fighting?”
“No,” Bethany said sharply. “We’re having a conversation.”
Tiffany didn’t buy it, but she sat on the couch and stuck her feet out. “Shoes, Mommy. I want to go see Ava.”
Bethany sat beside her. “Maddox, I’m a strong, independent woman. I’ve relied on myself for a long time, and I’ve been relying on you too much. I don’t need a man to do anything for me.”
“You may not need me to, but isn’t it nice to share the responsibilities with someone?” I pointed out. “I want to help. I want to be a part of your life. Why is that so galling for you?”
She took a deep breath and patted Tiffany’s leg. “Let’s drop this for now and go have dinner.”
Well, at least that was a good sign. She didn’t want to cancel or break up because we were having one argument.
Although, if we were this upset over one argument, what would happen when it was something bigger? Only time would tell, but it didn’t bode well for us.
Stop upsetting her. This is a big day.
I’d been so excited about today. I was going to tell Bethany about Artemis. I hadn’t meant to upset her. And Artemis kept going back and forth. I couldn’t protect her without upsetting her, apparently.
Why were women so confusing?
Tiffany chattered all the way to my parents’ house, helping break the tension up a bit. We talked to her and smiled at each other. I knew we’d figure this all out, but the night had a bit of a sour tint to it now. I just wished she’d stop fighting me at every turn.
Bethany drove, and Tiffany’s car seat was behind the passenger seat, so when she parked the car in my parents’ driveway, I hopped out and got Tiffany out. She’d fallen asleep on the drive. She held up her arms, a little shy. I’d noticed it took her a few minutes to warm up, but once she did, she was a firecracker.
I picked her up and was again reminded that if I decided to go to California, I wouldn’t just lose Bethany, I’d lose Tiffany, too. Probably, Bethany and I would reconnect later. That was the nature of mates. But I’d never gain the same trust and relationship with Tiffany when she was older.
My attachment to both of them had grown pretty damn strong. I really loved them. As Tiffany clung to my neck and went back to sleep with her head on my shoulder, I hugged her and waited for Bethany to catch up. Today wasn’t about California, anyway. The more time went by, the less I wanted to go. Today was about Artemis and Bethany. The other stuff would
