Page 68 of Made
Ace nods. Like I’ve passed a test. Ellie spoils the male bonding moment by grabbing each of us by the elbow. “Guys, I’m right here. And I’m perfectly capable of caring for myself, so how about we give the alpha male bullshit a break, huh? How about a little more Gaia and a little less Ares?”
Ares. Greek God of War. Ace softens at her words, and he pulls her in for a hug. “Okay baby girl. I’ll be on my best behavior. But we love you, and we’ve never done this before, so give us a break, okay?”
I’m aware I’m the first guy Ellie has ever brought home. The first boyfriend. It’s a privilege and a lot of pressure, but nothing I can’t handle. Nothing I don’t want to handle. Her family is asimportant to her as mine is to me, a vital part of her. And I want to know everything about her. Every inch of her body, every corner of her mind, every piece of her past, present, and future. That makes me sound fucking obsessed.
Which yeah, I suppose I am.
We head off to her room to freshen up, and after that she shows me around the house.
“So, what do you think?” she asks, as we finish the tour and wander hand-in-hand through the gardens.
“It’s lovely here, baby.”
“And my family?” she asks, looking nervous. “They haven’t, uh, put you off?”
I pull her in for a kiss. It starts tender and ends like an inferno. I have a hard-on that makes me glad we’re alone. She’s clinging to me to stay upright. My hands roam her ass, and I nip at her neck. “Nothing could ever put me off you, Ellie. And your family are fantastic. Fuck knows you put up with enough from mine.”
“Not true. I love your family. Anyway, you haven’t met all of them, I’m afraid. We have dinner with one of my uncles tonight. He’s one of Kee’s brothers. But don’t worry, he’s the nice one.”
“Does she have not-nice ones?”
That makes my girl laugh, and I feel like there’s a joke I’m not in on. “All of her siblings are nice, they’re just… Well, they’re hard to explain. You have to meet them first, and then you’ll see.”
Now I’m all kinds of intrigued.
We’re eating outside,having a barbecue in the evening sunshine. Romeo is manning the grill like a pro-pitmaster, butI also get in on the cooking action, making a marinade for the steaks from fresh herbs from the garden and whipping up some homemade lemonade. The dogs are hanging around, looking alert just in case anybody drops a crumb, and the children are running wild. I played ball with them earlier, and it felt good to stretch out my body doing something so innocent and simple.
Kids and dogs know how to live—in the moment, enjoying the simple pleasures.
Now, the food is ready, and the beer is flowing. I stick to my lemonade and nobody comments, so I guess Ellie warned them in advance that I was sober. I wonder how they feel, knowing that their girl’s boyfriend is an addict? An addict in recovery, yeah, but that’s not the same as cured. It’s probably not on the wishlist of most parents, but I don’t sense any hostility from them. I’m guessing they’ve all experienced plenty of shit in their own lives, and they don’t judge.
The dogs woof out big, booming barks, and Zeus gallops down to the end of the driveway. Milo, being a Lab, stays where the food is.
Zeus chases the big black SUV all the way in, obviously a game he’s played before. When it finally pulls up, he jumps at the door, eager to greet whoever is inside. Ellie’s uncle and his family, I assume. The children gather round, and Romeo gets a beer from the mini-fridge.
The door to the car opens, and Ellie runs over to meet them. First out is a dark haired little boy of about nine or ten, who zooms straight over to the others with Zeus hot on his heels, quickly followed by a slightly older girl who looks a lot like him, and who I assume must be his big sister. She shouts out to Melody who responds with an excited shriek. Next is a pretty blonde woman in a sundress holding onto the hand of another boy, his hair not quite so dark as his older siblings. She smooths down his hair and gives him a kiss on the cheeks before he runsoff to join the others. Ellie leans into the vehicle and emerges with a baby in her arms.
Damn me, if it’s not the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. She walks towards me, beaming. “Maddox, meet Alessandro. Alessandro, meet Maddox.” I peer into the little bundle, smiling at the screwed-up face and the tufts of thick black hair. The baby reaches up, grabs one of my fingers, and holds on with a surprisingly fierce grip. All of my insides melt. “Well, hi there, little guy. Aren’t you the cutest. And so strong, too?”
“He is,” says his mom, fanning her face. “But don’t be telling him that too much. There are enough alpha males in this family already.”
Right on cue, there’s the sound of breaking glass, and the older kids look sheepish. I’m guessing a football just crashed into something it shouldn’t. “I’m hoping for a poet this time,” she sighs. “Not another ruffian.”
The indulgent smile on her face makes it obvious that she wouldn’t change a thing. “Speaking of which, your uncle Loz was just finishing a call,” she says to Ellie.
The driver door of the SUV opens, and a tall man steps out. He’s wearing a casual linen suit and sunglasses, waving as he comes to join us. He looks vaguely familiar, but it’s not until he gets close that I realize who he is. He takes off those shades and meets my eyes.
We stare at each other for what feels like forever, and I’m only vaguely aware of Ellie telling her uncle that this is her boyfriend, Maddox, and that he should ‘go easy’ on me.Fuck. I feel like my stomach is in my ankles. My heart is pounding, and adrenaline shuttles through my system. My worlds are colliding, and I don’t know how to survive it.How can this be happening?
He recovers faster than I do. He holds out his hand for me to shake, keeping his face neutral. “Hi. Nice to meet you. I’m Lorenzo. Lorenzo Moretti.”
I place my hand in his and feel like I’ve gone back in time.
Chapter 28
Maddox
14 YEARS AGO
