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 damned 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.
She nodded and he poured her a glass.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
“I took Franny to the nursing home today. I helped her home aide move her out of the home she’s lived in most of her life and into a strange place she picked out but didn’t recognize.” She swiped at her damp eyes.
“She was angry and mean, which is something that’s been happening more often lately. The doctor says it’s part of the disease but…” She paused, obviously pulling herself together. “I don’t know what’s worse. When she doesn’t remember me at all or when she’s throwing things and saying she hates me.”
Oh shit. He grasped her hand. “I’m sorry.”
She forced a smile. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Did your foster brother help?” he asked.
She shook her head. “He did leave me a loving phone message I got while I was waiting here. He said since it was my decision, I could deal with it and live with the consequences. The bastard.”
“That kind of behavior should help you in court.”
“I hope so. I just don’t know.”
She looked so defeated he didn’t know what to do to make it better.
“I appreciate you listening, but I should go. You probably want to shower, and I’m just in the way.” She rose to her feet.
He jumped up, determined to keep her here. “Did you eat dinner?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Lunch?” he asked, because she’d been busy taking care of her foster mom and not herself.
“No.”
He frowned, but he wasn’t surprised. “That settles it. I’ll order us dinner and I’ll jump in the shower. Okay?”
Madison nodded. “I’d like that,” she said softly.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be quick.”
She settled into the oversized couch, the one thing along with the massive television he’d moved from his old house. “Remote’s on the table,” he said before heading for the bedroom.
He showered quickly, wanting to get back to her as soon as possible. Madison was here, and he recognized she was at her most vulnerable. A turning point if there ever was one. He wouldn’t take advantage, but he would be there for her and make damned sure she knew she was no longer alone.
* * *
Madison rubbed her bare arms and cuddled farther into the soft velour cushions on Alex’s couch. She didn’t turn on the television because this was the first minute of downtime she’d had all day, and she wanted to just be. And savor the fact that, for the moment at least, she wasn’t dealing with life by herself. It felt so good to not be alone, she thought, closing her eyes and letting go.
She had no idea how much time had passed when the couch dipped with heavy weight.
“Hey,” Alex said in that sexy deep voice.
She looked up at him and smiled. “Hey.”
He wore nylon sweats, no shirt, and he smelled so good she wanted to crawl beneath his skin. She had no defenses left today to fight the attraction. She didn’t want to.
“Feeling a little better?” he asked, stroking her cheek with one finger.
“Yeah.”
“I’m glad you came to me.”
She smiled. “I’m glad I had somewhere to go.”
“Madison—”
The doorbell rang, interrupting him. “That’s dinner. I’ll get it,” he said.
A few minutes later they were sitting at his table eating Emilio’s pasta. To her surprise, she was feeling not only better but hungry.
She didn’t want to focus on her own life and problems, and he seemed to understand. They talked about work and Riley’s pregnancy and laughed over the fact that Ian was running to feed her pregnancy cravings.
“Are things really better between you and Ian?” she asked, hoping he didn’t mind talking about their relationship.
In the past, he’d always deflected questions about himself, causing her to do the same. She knew it was his way of keeping a distance between them, and the few times he’d slipped and revealed something intimate, he’d immediately rebuilt his walls. She didn’t really think she’d get far now, but she wanted to know and decided to ask. Besides, better to shine the spotlight on his family rather than her lack thereof.
“When I ran into him the other night at the restaurant, he seemed … more interested in my life. Of course it could be so he can have a few laughs at my expense. I’m never sure.”
She chuckled at his supposition. “From what I’ve seen, Ian is a man of few words. The ones he uses, he tends to mean. If he asks, he’s interested.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You think so?” He paused in thought. “You’re probably right. I’m interested in him. I always was. I guess that’s why it bothered me so much that he didn’t feel the same way. But I get why now.”
They’d finished dinner, and she pushed her plate aside, more interested in what he was revealing than cleaning up. Alex was actually confiding in her, and she was mesmerized by every word.
“The thing is, I didn’t have it bad growing up,” Alex continued. “I mean, I wasn’t stupid. I knew something was off between my mother and father. He lived with us, but my parents weren’t married, and we didn’t have Dad’s last name. That’s unusual by any standards.”
“Did you know why they weren’t married?”