My voice was a whisper when I finally could speak. “That’s really what you think?”
“You know I’m right. You guys together would be a huge fucking mistake. You’ll never be able to stand up to him. He’ll just bulldoze his way through your life until you’re agreeing to everything he says. It’s what he does. He’s trying to do it with me—giving me all kinds of shit about my life. He just pushes and pushes until he gets his way.”
“Come on, that’s not fair.”
“Which part?” Dylan raised an eyebrow.
“All of it. Any of it.” Who was this stranger standing in front of me? He sure as hell wasn’t my best friend, the boy I grew up with. “Nathan’s not the same angry man from the start of your show.”
“Come on, Maddie. You know what I’m talking about. He’s gonna walk all over you. You’re too weak to stand up to him!”
“Wow, Dylan. Thanks. It’s nice to know what you really think of me. And Nathan has every right to give you shit about your life right now. You made some seriously bad decisions. Of course he’s going to have some not-so-nice opinions about it.”
Dylan shook his head and looked away. Much the way my childhood dog, Ella, used to when we caught her doing something she wasn’t supposed to. Guilt. It was written all over Dylan’s face.
“Because you told him about the Kings, right? You promised me you were going to.”
“You’re the one fucking my brother! I thought you were smarter than that!”
I flinched. His words echoed around the condo. It felt like he’d just slapped me.
Dylan shook his head. “He’ll crush you and you know it. He’ll take over everything, like he always does. Slowly, inch by inch, until you don’t know who you are.”
“This. This right here is why I waited so long to tell you.” I walked to the door and ripped it open. “You’re a shitty friend, but hey, now I know, right? I’ll come get my stuff later.”
“Maddie, wait!”
“I’m leaving before I say something I might regret, but I’ll tell you what. Nathan has never made me feel as bad as you have right now.”
I slammed the door shut behind me and almost ran into Ryan.
A beat later, Fliss screamed from inside the stroller.
And just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse.
Hope bent down and pulled a crying Felicity from the stroller. Ryan sighed and turned to me with tired eyes. “Really?”
“I’m sorry. But your brother is an asshole.”
“Which one?” Ryan asked with a slight smile.
Hope frowned, her attention torn between me and Fliss. “Everything okay, Maddie?”
“Dylan is pissed off that I’m dating Nathan, and I’m pissed off that Dylan is an asshole.” I blurted it all out because I had zero fucks left to give.
“Right.” Ryan sighed. “Well, he’ll come around.”
“Seriously?” Hope all but squealed, slapping her fiancé’s shoulder. “That’s all you have to say? How long has this been going on?”
Ryan shrugged. “A few weeks.”
“You’ve known a few weeks?” I boggled.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Hope cut in. “Either of you?”
“You two aren’t as stealthy as you seem to think you are.” Ryan gave me an apologetic shrug before he turned to Hope and took the baby from her arms. “And Nathan asked me not to say anything. He wanted you to be the one to make the decision to tell us.”
“Still. I’m your fiancé. You should’ve told me.” Hope said with a frown. “And you.”
I raised my palms. “After the way you and Sabrina went after me at our last book club? It didn’t make me want to confide in you guys.”
Hope winced. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.”
“Sorry you said something you didn’t mean or sorry you had to tell me the truth?”
“Right.” Ryan stepped between us with a hiccupping Fliss in his arms. “I’m just gonna let the two of you duke this out and take our daughter inside. I’m happy for you and Nathan, by the way. Mostly so you can stop sneaking around and slamming doors maybe. Although it has been fun watching Nathan try to be stealthy. Aunt Wendy knows too, by the way.”
“What?” I blinked at him in confusion. “How’d she find out?”
“Something about going into the wrong bathroom last weekend?” Ryan laughed. “Maybe lock the door next time. Take your time, Hope. I’ll put Fliss down. See you inside, beautiful.”
I closed my eyes in mortification. The bathroom. At least we’d kept our clothes on. I was just shocked that Wendy knew and hadn’t said anything.
“So,” Hope said.
“So.” I raised my eyebrows.
“I really am sorry, Maddie. For what I said and the way I said it. I was just… It’s no excuse, but Sabrina came over an hour before you and we drank a whole bottle of wine. We were commiserating over some of our shit. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I love Fliss and Ryan to bits. It’s just hard. And so different. And Sabrina’s going through stuff with grad school and her volunteer hours and money.”
“Why wasn’t I invited to the pity party? Out of anyone I have the most to whine about: no apartment, and my job is probably disappearing. Why didn’t you guys call me?”
“We meant to and then we started drinking and talking, and we just forgot. I’m so sorry. Being a mom and holding down a part time job is hard. So I guess I kinda took my bad mood out on you.”
“Does that mean you don’t think I’m a doormat?”
“I…”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes and started for Nathan’s condo.
“Maddie, wait! It’s not that you’re a doormat. I didn’t say it in the most eloquent way. I blame the wine.”
I paused but didn’t turn around. “There’s no wine here and now. You think I’m a weak, people-pleasing fool.”
“No! I’d never say that.”
I turned around and shook my head. “But you’d say something similar but nicer than that? But still essentially the same thing.”
Hope sighed. “When we were talking about
