Maddox slips under the covers with me, and when he molds himself to my body, he provides such soothing warmth to my back. He’s just wearing a pair of boxer briefs. Confused, I ask, “Don’t you have to go to the stadium?”

He kisses my shoulder and says, “Not going in. Talked to Coach, told him there’s an emergency here that I have to tend to.”

“You can do that?”

“Yeah. You know when they say a player has a strained big toe? He’s usually dealing with an emergency at home. We’re humans, the team recognizes that and gives us the time we need, as long as we don’t take advantage of it.”

“You don’t have to stay here,” I say, feeling bad that he’s not heading in. I know he doesn’t have to pitch today, but there’s still so much he does as a pitcher, and I would hate for him to mess up that routine for me.

“I do, Kinsley. I need to be here for you, to make sure you’re okay. Don’t push me away.” His voice becomes a bit strangled, startling me.

I slowly spin in his arms to look him in the eyes, and that’s when I see fear. Watery, scared eyes, an expression I haven’t seen in a very long time.

Even quieter, he says, “Please don’t push me away.”

And just like that, from those five, fear-filled words, my heart sinks. Any anger or resentment I felt is gone.

His hand falls to my face where he gently rubs my temple with his fingertips. “I love you, Kinsley.”

“I love you, too, Maddox.”

He shakes his head, swallows, and then flashes his blue eyes at me, a confession heavy on his mind. “No, Kinsley, I’m in love with you. I’m so fucking in love with you that I can’t think of anything else most of the day. Even when I’m pitching, you’re on my mind. And I’m sorry about last night, I really fucking am. It’s a fucked-up situation and I’m trying to work my way around it. I will share it with you, I promise. I will share everything. Just don’t shut me out.” He kisses my forehead and from where I’m lying, I can feel his anxiety, his fear.

“Maddox.” I stroke his hair as he holds me tight, not wanting to let go, to make eye contact. “Maddox,” I repeat, trying to raise his head. On a shaky breath, he lifts. “I’m in love with you, too, so much that I think it hurt more than anything last night that you didn’t want to share, when I’m having these massively strong feelings for you.” I search his eyes. “I’m sorry if I scared you, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m not shutting you out. You’re my best friend . . . my man.”

He nods and lets out a sigh of relief. “You’re my girl.”

“Good.” I reach up and kiss him on the lips. Such a simple act but it makes him cling to me even tighter.

“You didn’t give me your lips this morning. I was fucking terrified I really messed up, that you were pulling away.”

“No,” I say, trying to soothe his disheartened soul. “I was just trying to get out of the apartment before you could tell how much pain I was in, because I knew you wouldn’t allow me to go to work.”

“You’re damn right, I wouldn’t. I’m glad I came in to see you out of sheer desperation.”

“That’s why you were there, to get a hug?”

“Needed one before I went into the stadium.” He rubs his nose along my cheek, his warm body pressing against me, making me feel better by the second. I’m not sure if it’s his warmth, or the distraction of having him on top of me, but whatever it is, it’s taking away the pain and replacing it with something else: love. “I was sick, I needed to make sure we were okay. Fighting with you feels worse than any punch my dad tossed my way. I always need you to love me, to want me, be happy with me.”

I bring his mouth to mine where I lightly press a kiss to his lips, marveling in how gentle he can be, even when I can feel his body thrumming with need. “It’s going to take a whole hell of a lot more than last night to shake me away from you.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” I rub my palm over his firm pecs and say, “Can I lay on your chest?”

“You don’t even have to ask.” He rolls to his back and loops his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close where he holds me tightly and snuggles me close.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you, too,” I say on a contented sigh. It’s going to take some time to navigate through this new territory, but I know with persistence and strength in our connection, we can make it happen. We can make us happen, despite the baggage we’re carrying around. And also . . . because Maddox Paige is in love with me.

“Hey Mom,” I say, feeling incredibly nervous.

“Oh, I’m so glad you answered. We’ve been playing phone tag for a bit.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Things have been a little crazy over here but loving the job. Did you get my care package?”

“I did. The picture of the three-legged dog was just adorable. He looks so handsome in a suit. What’s his name again?”

“Herman. He’s very sweet. I’ve become quite fond of him,” I say, as I stroke one of his long ears. “He’s a nice companion when Maddox is away.”

“Is that often?” I can sense the worry in my mom’s voice, so I keep my answer simple.

“Not too much. I’ve made some friends, and we’re going out to eat tomorrow night.”

“They’re not drug dealers, are they?”

“What?” I stare down at the phone for a second before bringing it back up to my ear. “Why would you ask that?”

“You never know. The nicest people could be peddling and you’d have no idea.”

“They are not peddling drugs, Mom. They’re actually in relationships with two of Maddox’s teammates—Cory Potter and Jason Orson.”

“Oh, well that’s nice. Did Maddox introduce you?”

“Yeah, sort of. He told the boys to have the girls introduce themselves. They surprised me one night at the apartment. It felt like we’d known each other for a long time. I like them a lot. We’re also going to go to Maddox’s game in two nights, which should be a lot of fun.”

“Uh-huh.” And those two words clue me in on my mom’s displeasure. She doesn’t have to say much, but the tone . . . she’s about to lay in on me with questions. “It seems like you’re spending a lot of time in Maddox’s world.”

Yup, just what I thought.

Growing up, she wasn’t a huge fan of Maddox. Not because of who he was as a person, but because of his parents. Word spreads fast in a small town, and it was no secret that the Paige family had a lot of issues. Everyone knew Marco Paige, Maddox’s dad, drank heavily. They knew his wife left him with two boys to raise, and they knew he was caught more times at the bar than being a dad. My mom was worried I was going to get hurt and encouraged me to hang out with anyone other than Maddox. But I stood my ground. He was my best friend, and I wasn’t going anywhere.

Even though I’ve seen his anger directed at me twice since I’ve been here, and both times I’ve been shocked . . . and surprised. He’s never shown that volatile anger with me. Only toward his dad.

Regardless, I’m still not going anywhere, even with that tone in her voice.

“My entire life has been spent in Maddox’s world, Mom.”

“Which is why I’m not entirely happy you’re in Chicago. You were doing great when he was far away. He’s a Paige, Kinsley. They’re violent people. Have you seen him on the field? He’s a menace and takes after his dad. I can see it in his eyes. I really think you should come home, or at least sperate yourself from the man, I don’t want you—”

“We’re dating,” I say, not wanting to hear her speak ill about Maddox anymore. She doesn’t know him like I know him.

“Excuse me?” my mom asks, her voice full of shock.

“We’re dating, Mom. And not only are we dating, but we’re in love.” I pause and take a deep breath. “I love him so much. In fact, I’ve loved him for a long time.”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone. I didn’t expect anything less. I probably just brought my mom’s worst fears to reality and letting that sink in is going to take some time.

“I moved to Chicago for me, to start a new chapter in my life, one that offered me independence and challenge. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love, especially with Maddox. He’s my best friend, I would never want to do anything to jeopardize that. But I—”

“Does he love you, or is he just using you for sex?” The bitter tone she uses reminds me exactly why I needed to move out of the house. I love my mom and I know she loves me, but she also always wants to control my life. Part of me wonders if it’s because her relationship with my dad seems practically dead, as if they’ve accepted they can’t do better, but don’t want to do better for each other either, so she focused all her efforts on me.

Taking a calming breath, knowing this is a lot for my mom, I say, “He loves me, dearly. He takes care of me, and we haven’t had sex, Mom. I told him I wanted to hold off and build on the relationship without the physical aspect. He’s respected that and has showered me with love.”

More silence.

I can practically see her pursed lips, the look of concern flashing across her features.

“He has a troubled past,” she finally says, pointing out the obvious.