Her slender throat moves as she swallows against what I’m betting is emotion and confusion from my supportive words. It’s obvious she wants to hate me, but fuck if I’m going to let that happen. I know one thing after last night… I’m determined to see if there’s something between us still.
“Thanks,” she murmurs before pulling away from me. I let her go, although I could easily make her stay. I could hold her tight and we could talk this bloody nonsense out between us, but it’s really not the time.
We exit the vehicle, and I don’t bother locking it. I follow Joslyn up the wide porch steps and she gives a sturdy knock on the door. There’s a dog yapping inside—small by the sound of it—and a woman’s voice I immediately recognize as Madeline’s calls out, “I’m coming.”
The door swings open. Madeline Meyers—now Dawes—is standing there holding a furry white dog that’s wiggling with excitement to have visitors in one arm. She’s changed a lot in twelve years. Added a few pounds that actually look exceptionally good on her. She was always too fucking skinny I thought. The designer clothes are also gone, and she appears incredibly comfortable in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt.
Her eyes land on Joslyn, and she shrieks with joy. “Joslyn… oh my word… what are you doing here?”
I’m standing behind Joslyn so I can’t quite see her face, but if the ice in her tone is any indication, there’s no warm smile being given in return. “Sorry for the intrusion, but we need to talk.”
And that’s when Madeline notices me hulking behind her daughter. At first, she doesn’t seem to recognize me, merely tilting her head as her eyebrows draw inward with confusion. Then her memory kicks in and her mouth forms into a small “o” before she breathes out, “Kynan.”
“Madeline,” I return politely with a nod of my head.
I wait to see how she lets this play out. She has no clue what we know, and it’s a good opportunity to just take full responsibility before things get ugly.
I’m totally disappointed when she tries to play dumb for a bit, though. “Well… this is certainly a pleasant surprise. Why don’t you both come in, and we can do some catching up?”
Madeline moves back to let us in, bending over to put the small dog on the ground. It immediately runs up to me, sniffing at my leg. Ignoring it, I follow Joslyn and Madeline into a comfortable living room filled with masculine leather furniture and game trophies on the wood-paneled walls.
“Would either of you like a drink?” Madeline graciously offers, but I can hear the worry in her voice. She’s banking on the one-in-a-million chance Joslyn and I have reconciled without finding out about her perfidy.
Joslyn doesn’t want to draw this out. She merely states, “We know, Mom. That you gave me fake information about Kynan to make us breakup.”
I brace, expecting Madeline to start trying to lie her way out of this, but to my surprise, her face crumbles.
She walks to Joslyn, grabs her hands, and squeezes them hard. “I am so sorry, honey. I knew this might come to haunt me one day, and I prayed it never would. I have no excuse other than I thought I was doing what was best for your career.”
Frankly, it’s the best thing Madeline could have said, and I know it’s the truth. Hell, Joslyn does, too. We know she had tunnel vision when it came to her daughter’s path to show business, and there’s probably nothing she wouldn’t have done for her.
Doesn’t make it right, though.
Joslyn pulls her hands away from her mother before laying into her. “What was best for my career? Did you ever even think about what was best for me as a person? Did you ever even once consider Kynan may have been what was best for me?”
Madeline’s eyes fill with tears, and she gives a slow shake of her head. “I didn’t. Not once. I thought because I was older and I was your mom, I knew best. I realize that’s not the case now. You see… I’ve learned some things these last few years since I quit managing you. I’ve found happiness again with Darren. I know my priorities were skewed.”
“Ugh,” Joslyn blurts with frustration, turning away from her mom. “Why do you have to be so insightful now? And so damn accepting of responsibility?”
I get where she’s coming from. Joslyn wanted this to be a little harder on her mom. She wanted to have the right to get rid of the rest of her anger, much of it I bet still directed squarely at me for last night. Instead, her mom is rolling over and baring her throat for Joslyn to move in for the kill.