DARE-TO-LOVE-TRUTH-AND-DARE-DUET-COLLECTION-by-Lylah-James-pdfarchive

Maddox had spent the day with us. Gran even dragged
him to church, and he went without complaint. I never
pegged Maddox as a religious person and neither was I, but
I humored Gran every Sunday and let her drag me to
church. Sure, I did believe in God, but if He really loved
me, my parents would have still been alive. So yeah, God
and I didn’t share an amicable relationship.
We had brunch together, then went over to the grocery
store for inventory day. After we closed for the night, Pops
invited Maddox over for dinner and football. If I had to
guess, Pops was a tad lonely, missing a buddy to talk with
and he was making a truce with Maddox.
“I think they’re best friends now.”
My eyebrows rose, turning to Gran as she helped me put
the dishes away. “They are?”
“Your Pops doesn’t laugh like that with just anyone.” She
smiled, glancing back at them. “Trust me, I’ve known him
for too long time and been married to him for decades.”
Well, yeah, it was Maddox after all. He could easily win
anyone over. That was my best friend, ladies and
gentlemen.
The men hollered from the living room, and I was
guessing it was probably a touch down for their team. I
grinned, watching the two most important men in my life
finally bonding. Maybe if my dad was here too…
My chest ached, and I rubbed the spot, trying to
alleviate the pain. Somedays, the skin around my scars
would itch and the scar itself would hurt, like I was pouring
kerosene on already burning skin. The doctor said it was all
in my head. The pain wasn’t physical anymore, but my
brain and body were used to it, and sometimes, they liked
to remind me of the pain.
I thought of the day I showed Maddox my scars. It was
weeks ago, although it felt just like yesterday, the memory
still fresh in my head and my skin still burning from his
touch.