Page 243 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs
Corbin shook his head and chuckled. “I can tell you one thing—Maddox has got to be one tough cookie to put up with you. Or a long-suffering sucker.”
She was about to tell him off, then saw the laughter in his eyes. He tipped a smile. “Love you, sis.”
“I love you too,” she admitted. She held out her hand, eyeing him. “The keys please?”
“Go ahead and give them to her,” Pops urged, “before she changes her mind.”
A laugh rumbled in Addie’s throat. “I’m not changing my mind.” She lifted her chin. “Not this time.”
“If I give you my keys, we’ll be stuck here,” Corbin lamented.
Pops chuckled. “What’re you talking about? You haven’t left here for days. A few more hours won’t hurt you.”
Addie leaned forward, sniffing. “I thought I smelled something.”
“Hey,” Corbin protested.
When Pops gave himthe look, he sighed. “Fine. But don’t be gone too long. And whatever you do, be careful with the Lexus. Delaney’s particular about her car.”
She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Delaney’s particular? More like you are. Don’t worry. I’ll be careful,” she chimed. When she got a few steps away from them, she turned. “Hey, would you be a good boy and text me Maddox’s address?”
“Ah-ha! I knew you couldn’t remember how to get there.” He smirked. “You can’t find your way out of a bathtub.”
It was true. She was terrible at directions. “Oh, put a cork in it.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “I need it for backup, just in case.” She turned to rush away.
“Hey, Addie.”
She stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. “Huh?”
“Good luck.” Corbin gave her a genuine smile. “You’ve got this.”
Those were the same words Delaney had used. They had the power to melt her heart as she returned his smile, realizing in that moment how much she truly loved her big brother. “Thank you.”
Anticipation licked through her veins. Delaney and Corbin were right. She had this! For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was running to something instead of running from it. She smiled a little, remembering how those were Maddox’s words about joining the SEALs.
She quickened her pace, anxious to get to Maddox as soon as possible.
Chapter Nineteen
Maddox was bone tired, every inch of his body aching. Part of his weariness was from physical exhaustion. The other, larger part, was his frustration over Addie. Now that the job was wrapping up, he would have to come to terms with the fact that he’d lost her. He’d stayed at the hospital long enough to say a few words to Corbin and Wallace before darting out. The truth was, Maddox hated hospitals. They reminded him of B. J. and how helpless he felt watching his childhood friend fade away to his death. Added to that was the guilt of it being his fault because he’d dared B. J. to jump the creek. He pushed aside the dark memories, knowing they weren’t helping matters.
His condo had an empty, lonesome feel.Well, better get used to it Maddox, he told himself.It’s your life now. His phone buzzed. For a split second, he hoped it might be Addie, but it was his mama. He’d not spoken to her in a week. She had no idea that he’d left San Diego and gone to Colorado and back. He made a practice of keeping the details of his job to himself so as not to worry his family.
“Hello,” he clipped as he reached into the fridge and pulled out a water bottle.
“Maddox, darling,” she drawled. “How are you?”
“Good.” Not true. He was lousy. Life sucked right now! He plopped down on the couch and removed his shoes. “How are you?” he asked mechanically.
That’s all it took for his mama to launch into a ten-minute monologue about the club, how busy Maddox’s daddy was at the firm, and every detail she could think of about his siblings’ lives. “What’re you up to?” she asked a few minutes later.
“Oh, nothing much. You know, just work.”
“When are you planning to come home for a visit? We miss you.”
He reached for the remote, turned on the TV, and began flipping through channels. “Christmas, maybe.”
“I was hoping you’d come for Thanksgiving too.”
