Latte Darling: Book Two of The Darling Series
Latte Darling: Chapter 26

I cross my arms over my chest and stare out at the scene before me.

When I was here before it was late at night and dark out. But now, with the sun streaming through the glass doors that lead from the living area to Maddie’s back porch, I have a perfect view of Darling Lake.

There’s a stretch of marshy land between here and there, tall cat tails waving in the breeze, but just beyond is the shimmering surface of water.

It’s beautiful and calming and I’m glad that Maddie lives here. Glad she gets to wake up and see this every morning.

I look over my shoulder towards her bedroom door, tempted to wake her but also wanting to let her sleep.

A warmth spreads through my chest remembering what it was like to wake up with Maddie still in my arms. Her soft naked body pressed against my rough one. It was warm. A little sweaty. But wonderful. And her quiet snores were the cutest thing I’d ever witnessed.

Cute.

Good god, I’ve never called anything cute. Or adorable.

What has this woman done to me?

Turning away from the view and thoughts of Maddie still asleep in her bed, I pace across the hardwood floor.

On the far side of the living room is a small fireplace and a mantle covered in photographs. The frames are all different colors and styles, but they look good together. And like the rest of the house, the collection feels very Maddie.

My eyes skip over the landscape photos and slow as they pass over what must be Maddie with her parents. There are several and as my eyes bounce around between them, I decide she’s probably an only child, as there’s only ever the three of them.

Maddie as a small child in a unicorn costume, her mom as a witch and dad in a clown wig.

Maddie in that nearly teenage phase when she’s all braces and wild hair sitting in a boat wearing a bright yellow life jacket.

Maddie and her parents all dressed up in front of a Christmas tree.

Maddie in her cap and gown, the school colors of Darling Lake prominent in the diploma she’s holding, her parents on either side.

I don’t notice I’m clenching my jaw until my teeth start to hurt.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that Maddie’s close with her parents. I know photos only show a snapshot, but they look like a happy family and she wouldn’t have this many of them displayed if she didn’t care about her family.

And I don’t want to mess that up.

I want to be with her. Date her. Whatever she wants to call it. But I don’t want to meet her father. I mean I really really don’t want to meet her father. Obviously these photos are older, but it looks like her parents had Maddie young, meaning I’m probably only a few years younger than they are. But, there’s no avoiding it – the awkward meeting. Especially if they still live around here.

The sound of a mattress creaking snaps me out of my contemplation and I turn away from the mantle. I can hear dresser drawers opening and closing and a moment later Maddie shuffles out of her bedroom, wearing a robe and holding a bundle of clothing.

Her eyes dart around the living room until they land on me.

“Morning,” I greet her, loving how low the neckline of her robe goes.

“Oh, um, good morning.”

I take a step towards her. “You look surprised to see me.”

“Well…” Her arms tighten around the bundle. “You weren’t in bed.”

I take another few slow steps, “I told you I’d be here.”

Her shoulders start to relax as a small smile pulls at the side of her lips. “You did.’

“I’ll never lie to you.”

She wets her lips and I watch her throat move in a swallow. “Okay.”

I nod, not sure why I said that, or why I need her to believe me so much, but I do.

Wanting to touch her, I take another step but Maddie hurriedly takes a few steps sideways down the hall.

“Where are you off to?”

She changes her grip on the clothes and lifts a hand to cover her mouth, “I need to brush my teeth.”

“Better hurry,” I growl as I take a quick stride in her direction.

She lets out a little shriek as she turns and rushes the rest of the way to the bathroom.

Chuckling, I turn back into the kitchen.

I always have a small duffle in my trunk with a change of clothes, toothbrush, and deodorant. There’s been too many times over the years where I’ve found myself at work for way too long, crashing on the couch in my office. And I’ve never been more grateful for my preparedness. Clean shirt, clean boxers, and clean teeth do wonders to make a person feel human.

I’m standing in front of Maddie’s complicated coffee maker when she reemerges from the bathroom.

“I’d’ve made a pot but-” I’m shrugging my shoulders as I look over and – just like every time I see her – my breath gets stuck in my throat.

She’s pulled her hair in a bun on the top of her head, her eyes are bright and awake, and her lips look a little pinker than they did just a few minutes ago, either from brushing her teeth or applying something, I don’t know. However they got that way, they look kissable as hell.

Her teeth catch her bottom lip as my eyes drag down over the rest of her. A lowcut tank top, exposing the top of her pink sports bra, her big, glorious tits peeping out of the neckline begging me to put my face right fucking there. And the bottom half… Hell. From the waist down she’s covered in tight black leggings. And fuck me, my cock is wide awake, coffee be damned.

Then she moves closer, and I notice a slight hesitation in her steps.

“Are you sore?” I ask, before I think of a more delicate way to put it.

She lifts a shoulder and glances away. “I’m okay.”

With three strides I close the distance between us. “Maddie.” She tips her head back to meet my gaze. “I’m gonna ask you that again, and you’re gonna tell me the truth this time.”

Her cheeks start to heat and I’m once again reminded that she hates arguing.

I’m not arguing with her, but I know some people just hate any sort of confrontation. So I lean in closer and gently grip her wrists.

“Is your pretty little cunt sore from being stretched around my dick last night?”

Her lips part and she pulls in a ragged breath before answering, “Y-yes.”

“Alright.” I drag my hands up her forearms, past her elbows, and up to her shoulders as I straighten. “Then I’ll wait until tonight to fuck you again.”

A puff of air pops out of Maddie’s lips and she sags forward, resting her head against the center of my chest. “Jesus, Axel.”

My arms encircle her, pulling her into my body. And just as I’d hoped, she wraps her arms around me in return.

“I’m still a little surprised you like hugs,” she mumbles.

I squeeze her tighter. “I like your hugs.”

She makes a humming sound, “No one else’s?”

“Nah. No one else hugs me, Baby Girl.”

Her arms do their best to squeeze around me. “No one else hugs me either.”

It takes a moment for Maddie’s words to sink in.

“No one?” I think about the photos on the mantle. “What about your parents?”

I feel her body tense against mine, but when I go to pull back, she hugs me tighter.

Her parents look like huggers. My mom’s still around, but she’s never been a cuddly woman, waving her hellos and goodbyes. But those photos…

“Maddie?” I say her name softly.

“I’m okay.” She says it like she’s trying to reassure me, but she sounds off. “It’s just… Well…”

My hand slides up and down her spine.

I’m not sure what she’s about to tell me, but I already don’t like it.

Beneath my arms, her body shudders with her next exhale.

“Baby,” my own voice feels strained.

What’s happening?

What’s bothering her?

Is it the age difference?

Or… fucking hell… are they abusive?

“I don’t know why I’m being like this.” She turns her face enough for me to hear her.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I tell her, even though I don’t mean it.

My mind is racing with the worst possible scenarios. If something’s wrong, I need to know. Because I need to help.

“My parents-” she takes another deep breath, “they passed away a long time ago.”

The hand rubbing her back stills.

No.

Pain fills my chest and I close my eyes against the discomfort.

Except instead of blocking out the horror or her statement, my vision is filled with photos of a happy Maddie and her smiling parents.

I thought I’d imagined the worst scenarios, but I was wrong. I hadn’t even considered…

A small sniffle snaps me out of my frozen state and I release my hold on Maddie just long enough to change my grip, lifting her into my arms.

She lets out a small noise of surprise, but her arms automatically loop around my neck, her legs circling my hips.

I move us through the living room and drop onto the couch with Maddie in my lap.

“I’m so sorry,” one hand slides up her spine, cupping the back of her head. The other stays locked around her body, keeping her firmly against me.

“I’m okay. Really.” Maddie does that cute nuzzling thing she does, brushing her nose against the side of my neck. “I don’t know why I got so upset just now.”

My fingers rub against her scalp, “It’s a big deal. The biggest.”

She sighs, “I know. But it happened so long ago. I really am okay, I promise.”

“Want to talk about it?” I ask, not sure if that’s the right thing to say or not.

Her body relaxes against mine and we lean into each other, her legs still around my waist, her feet on the couch behind me.

“It was a car accident, when I was 18.”

“Eighteen?” I croak.

Her lips graze against my skin in a movement that comforts us both. “Yeah.”

“Were you…” I can’t finish the question.

I feel her shake her head. “I wasn’t with them.”

“Good,” I whisper, more to myself than her.

Maddie’s in my arms – safe, alive – but I still needed to hear it. And thinking about her being there.

Goddamnit. I hug her tighter.

We stay wrapped around each other for a long moment before Maddie starts to speak again. “It was a month after graduation.” That cap and gown. I swallow down the lump in my throat. “It was night. And raining. They were coming home from a play in The Cities…” Maddie’s fingers grab at the back of my shirt. “There was a drunk driver.”

“Fuck, Baby.” I barely know this girl in my arms, but my heart is shredding for her. For 18-year-old Maddie. For 31-year-old Maddie. And for every year in-between.

She sniffles again, before shifting her weight, getting comfortable.

“I’m okay,” she says it again.

“I’m not,” I admit and she lets out a sad little laugh.

“See?” Her fingers reach up into my hair, giving a tiny tug. “You’re too nice.”

I grunt, “Only for you.” My hand starts to rub up and down her back again. “What did you do?”

Her shoulders lift in another shrug. “I was 18, technically an adult, so I didn’t have to do anything. There wasn’t anyone else, no siblings I mean, so my parents left everything to me. I stayed in the house for a while, but…”

A memory of the first time I was here seizes me.

I asked how long she’s lived alone, and an emotion crossed over her face. I couldn’t place it then, but I can now.

Sorrow.

“Goddamnit,” I squeeze her against me. “Goddamnit, I’m sorry.”

Her small chuckle surprises me, but I don’t let her go.

She pats me on the back, “You don’t have to worry about me, Big Guy. I’m okay, remember? I’m right here.”

“I remember.” I don’t let her go. “But 18 isn’t a fucking adult. 18 is a kid. And I can’t imagine-” I think of my own son, and how lost he would’ve been if me and his mom had both disappeared in the blink of an eye. “I don’t know how you did it.”

“I had Elouise, my best friend, and her family. And, well, my parents had a lot of life insurance. It didn’t make losing them any easier, but I didn’t have to worry about getting evicted or feeding myself or anything like that.”

An angry rumble leaves me. But instead of causing Maddie to tense up, her body relaxes even more.

“I don’t like upsetting you,” she says into my neck, “but I do like that you care.”

“Of course, I care,” I snap the statement without thinking. But it’s true. I do care about her. Probably more than any reasonable person should after such a short time together. “Did you stay in Darling Lake?”

“I did,” she nods. “I sold the house a year later, planning to leave. Maybe go to college, or something like that, but I couldn’t do it. Moving away, to live somewhere I didn’t know, with people I didn’t know, it felt too lonely.” She plays with the ends of my hair. “So I just kept working as a barista at BeanBag until the owners decided to sell and I decided to buy.”

“Do you like it?”

“I do. It’s my home away from home.”

“And this place?”

I can feel her smile, “It’s like a home away from work.”

Some of the tension seeps from my body. I’m far from okay. Really fucking far. But the fact that she can smile, and joke, tells me that she’s alright. That she has been for a while.

We stay sitting together. Letting the silence grow comfortably around us. Until it’s broken by my stomach.

Maddie snickers at the loud rumble and finally turns her head up so she can look at me. “Want me to make you breakfast?”

I crook my lips, “Makes me feel like a jackass if I say yes to that.”

She grins, all signs of tears gone from her eyes. “What if I say it like this- can I make you breakfast?”

My hands move down her back until I’m gripping her ass. “Yeah, Baby. You can make me breakfast. But first you’re gonna show me how to work that coffee contraption you have.”

“Deal.” Maddie leans in, sealing the agreement with a kiss.