“Let’s go today,” I suggested, ignoring his last words, sure it was just a way of speaking.
I had nothing to do at his place. Once I left the hospital, we would go our separate ways. Even if he decided he wanted to see where this, whatever it was, could go, I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. My last encounter with Daniel had left too many scars, most of them not even physical.
He shook his head. “Not until the doctors say it’s okay.”
A gentle knock at the door warned us we had company. The door opened, and Madeleine entered, carrying a duffel bag.
“Good, you’re up. I was afraid I would wake you up,” she said with a wary smile. She handed Jayden the bag. “Here’s what you asked me to bring,” she said.
“Thank you, mom,” he grabbed the bag, kissed her cheek, and disappeared into the bathroom.
I wasn’t sure who was more surprised, Madeleine, or me. I was sure he didn’t often kiss his mother, and her reaction confirmed it.
She cleared her throat before she turned to look at me. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thank you.”
The woman wriggled her hands and paced the room for a few minutes. “You must be wondering what I’m doing here…” she mumbled, finally breaking the silence between us.
I smiled. “It crossed my mind,” I admitted.
“Jayden called me last night and asked me to come and keep you company. Apparently, he doesn’t trust you’ll stay put if you’re alone,” she explained, amused.
“He knows me better than I thought,” I said, scowling.
“I hope you don’t mind. He has a crucial meeting at the office,” she added.
“One I couldn’t solve by Skype,” he said, coming out, his hair still wet from the shower, wearing black jeans and sweater. “I’ll only be away for a couple of hours,” he promised, walking to the bed and kissing me gently on my lips. “Be a good girl.”
I showed him my tongue. “Please, take all the time you need,” I told him as he walked out of the room.
Madeleine took a seat on the small couch, not far from the bed. “I heard Jonathan is painting you,” she said with a genuine smile.
“Well… he was…” I replied, grazing some of the bruises on my face.
“Sweetheart, nothing would make him give up on that. I’m sure he will tell you that himself when he comes by later. He has been so worried about you,” she told me with a slight frown. “We all were when we realized you had been taken away.”
I frowned. “You barely know me.”
She shrugged. “Sometimes, all it takes is a look, a word, even a gesture… for you to know the kind of person you’re dealing with,” she said, intuitively. “How long did it take Jonathan to ask to paint you?”
“A few minutes, I think…”
“He was still talking about you when I got to the art show that same night. He was blown away by your exquisite beauty… his words, not mine,” she assured me. “And believe me, he wasn’t talking about the way you look.”
“You didn’t seem happy when you met me,” I pointed out.
She sighed. “Going against Jayden became a bad habit, something I couldn’t seem to avoid,” she confessed. “The truth was… I was bewildered. I had never met any of his girlfriends. He would go to the most incredible lengths just avoid introducing them to me. So, you can imagine my surprise when he took you home.”
Matty had mentioned something of the sort, but I hadn't quite believed her.
“I see…”
“All I said was meant to annoy him. There wasn’t an ounce of truth in the things I said.”
“Why say them, then?”
“I grew used to making his life a living hell. Blaming him for my sorry life was a lot easier than dealing with my problems and acting like the adult I’m supposed to be,” she confessed. “He never reacted… not even when he was a child. He used to stay there, still as a statue, listening to my rants,” she added, wiping her cheek. “At some point, I realized what I was doing, but I didn’t know how to stop. I guess I preferred his indifference to his disdain.”
