Unconditional

Henry knows Christmas means so much to my mother. For him to just not come, means he’s probably not sure that he’ll be able to keep his temper in check. “He’s not? Are you okay with that?”

“Your brother makes a point to disrespect the man I’ve chosen to spend my life with at every turn. If he wants to stay home, he can. I don’t want drama on Christmas.” She points at me as if to say, if he shows up, keep it together. “Anyway, when is my partner in crime moving in?”

I groan and rub my forehead, the headache forming again at the thought of all the trouble Maddie and my mother could get into. “Listen, Thelma, keep Louise out of trouble. Do not let her drink.”

“Hey, you have your way of parenting and I have mine.” She shrugs before giving me a pointed look.

When I get home, Maddie is still sleeping, which isn’t surprising. If she woke up and realized I wasn’t home, she would have called me immediately. I stand in the doorway of my bedroom and watch her sleep for I don’t know how long. She’s on her stomach, her hair splayed out over my pillow, her naked body warm and covered by blankets. I pull my shoes, coat, and most of my clothes off before I climb into bed with her. I trace the features of her face with my fingertip and she sighs in her sleep which sends a spark to my dick that has already taken notice of her naked body. I turn her on her back and lower the blanket to reveal her perfect, taut body. I trail my lips up her skin, taking time to adequately kiss her pussy and her nipples before pressing a kiss to her mouth.

Somewhere around me sliding my tongue through her folds she began to squirm so by the time I get to her mouth she’s almost awake.

“Mmmm, Cal,” she mumbles. “Touch me.” She sighs and I know she’s fighting the last few moments of sleep, on the precipice of dreams and reality when her eyes flutter open. “Hey.”

“Good morning, beautiful.” I rub my nose against hers before placing a kiss on it. “Merry Christmas.” I hold up the small box in front of her eyes that I’d retrieved from one of my safes. “This is for you.” Her eyes light up and she sits up, wrapping the sheet around her naked chest. Her eyes dart to mine and I shake my head hearing her unspoken question. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

She runs her finger over the red box and traces the script on the top. “Is it a ring?” Her mouth parts and I can see her pink tongue peeking through her teeth.

“It’s a ring.” I nod with a smile. Some things never change. Maddie always asked what something was before she opened it. She got one guess and if she guessed right, I had to be honest.

She opens the box slowly and stares at the ring that I’ve had for a few weeks. Her eyes well up with tears before she blinks them back. Her breaths are labored and ragged and I see the goosebumps popping up all over her skin. “It’s so pretty.”

It’s a white gold band that forms an infinity symbol in the center with diamonds. The inside has our initials with the words “I’ll love you forever” on the inside. Simple and to the point as those four words encompass everything I’ve ever felt for Madeline Shaw.

“It’s engraved,” I tell her as I slip the ring out of the box. She reads the words aloud and then she’s lunging for me, wrapping her naked body around my half-dressed one.

“I love you so much…forever,” she whispers into my neck. She pulls back and I grab her hand, sliding the ring onto her right finger before kissing it.

“I said it’s not what you’re thinking because asking you to marry me—while it’s what I want,” her breath hitches and for a second I think stars explode in her eyes, “it’s not time. You still need to graduate and go to college and—”

“You’re going to make me graduate college before you ask me?” She frowns.

Her words make my heart race at the thought of making her mine. “I don’t know yet, but we just started this and it would be easy to get caught up in the sexiness of all of it and get married to tie you to me forever, but I want to make sure we are making the right decisions at the right time. I’ve always put you and your well-being first and that will never change.”

“So, is this…a promise ring?”

“Yes.”

“A promise to what?”

“To love you forever, Maddie. No matter what happens between us.”

She frowns and I cock my head to the side. “Don’t let Aria get in your head, Cal. Don’t think you have to push me away and give me space because you think it’s the only way for me to figure out what I want. If you think it’s best for us, then I’ll move out. Just…just promise I can come back?”

“About that, Maddie…” I trail off. She tenses in my arms and her grip tightens on me. “I talked to Margie.”

She nods. “Okay…”

“You’ll be okay with staying there?”

“For how long?”

“End of the school year?”

“And then I can come back?”

Her eyes are a combination of hurt, worry, and fear. She thinks I wouldn’t come back for her. She thinks my feelings will change. “Yes, of course.”

“You promise?”