Page 76 of Finding Fate

I feel defeated. I have to fix this somehow. There has to be a way to keep both. There has to be a solution. A loud noise makes me jump, sending me into overdrive. I grab whatever the hell I can find at a quick pace to cover my body, still dressing as I rush out the door to shouting, my face already soaked from my silent cries, because I have no damn clue what I’m going to walk out to, and that’s the scariest thought of all.

Forty-Three

Riggan

Istand in the middle of the great room staring at ourguestwith my arms crossed over my chest, taking him in. Everything is dark from his hair to his eyes and skin. I have no idea how he bred a blonde daughter. Doesn’t make sense. That much dominant DNA hardly ever gets left out. I’d question if she was his biologically if their eyes didn’t match in a creepy way. They’re replicas of each other. With his strong chin and chiseled jawline, I would imagine he’s used to being feared. I tip my head, studying the way his eyes are inspecting everything he can see as if he’s sizing up who his daughter is hanging around. Prick.

I’m assuming his clothing is supposed to be casual since he’s not in a suit, but he reeks of money with the tucked in collared shirt. Even his jeans look expensive. His leather shoes look like something fancier than even shit Maddox would wear to church. Never imagined I’d say that before. I was always the idiot that thought all jeans basically looked the same. I can smell his designer cologne from here.

He hasn’t said a word since he outed his identity seconds after the door opened. He wasted no time before asking for her, like he was collecting his lost property. I can tell he wears a mask, though. With his voice calm and collected you can’t tell whether he’s angry, worried, or indifferent.

Konnor and me were playing the game system and drinking a few beers while the girls started decorating the Christmas tree. We had barely just sat down from putting the damn massive thing together in the corner of the room when a knock sounded on the door. They’ve had it since Black Friday and just now got us both together to help. Why any woman needs an indoor tree this big I’ll never know. Fucking twelve-footer. Took a ladder, and since they’re both pregnant, we’ll be hanging shit at the top, no doubt. I wanted to kill Maddox for getting out of it, but I kept my mouth shut when they got excited the second the tree lights came on. Sayler lit up like a little kid, and since I’m addicted to that look, I became her little bitch boy and whistled while I worked, pun intended.

The Christmas music got cut the second he was inside, and boxes of ornaments are scattered where they were left. The entire vibe in the room is off. It’s suffocating to be such a big space. Sayler moves in close to me, her swollen belly brushing my side, reminding me I only have to wait a little while longer to slide the other ring on her finger, and in a couple months I’m going to be someone’s dad. That’s still weird to say in my head, let alone out loud.

Gabby’s dad grabs one wrist with his hand as he links his arms behind his back, seeming bored and a little agitated; most likely because his daughter is upstairs with her legs spread for the one boy he despises. I hope Maddox loaded her up with cum right before she walks down here. It’d be a bonus if she smelled like sex. The grade-A dick. Abby nor Sayler’s dad ever came close to treating me like he’s treated Maddox, and I’m a lot moodier and would actually somewhat understand with all my visible tattoos and dark style and piercings. Clothed Maddox is preppy and clean cut in the way he dresses. He’s respectful of his elders. He doesn’t deserve it. And it’s not like it’s one-sided with them. Gabby wants him just as much. Just goes to show you can’t force someone’s heart.

Memories flood in of my best friend and everything he became the second it all came out. Doesn’t seem like it’s been that long ago. He changed almost overnight. Threats were made. Secrets were revealed. Everyone got involved. Maddox and Gabby’s business was spread all over town. Two normal teenage kids unraveled quicker than I’ve ever seen. He was a ticking time bomb through the whole thing.

Maddox was made out to look like the bad guy all because she was only fourteen. If she was old enough to sneak out late at night and lie to be with him, she was old enough to do it publicly in my opinion. Consent is consent unless you’re a fucking young kid being brainwashed and shit. There were rumored twelve-year-olds having sex when I was in school, and the mental gap between twelve and fourteen are more like ten instead of two.

Knowing Gabby now, how she looks and all, I can’t fault him for it. I can’t say I’ve ever seen any girl that looks quite like her, to be honest. She has this all-American girl thing going on with her blonde hair, petite frame, and outgoing personality. She has enough pigment to her skin to know she’s mixed withsomethingaside from being your typical European descendant white girl. But her eyes are exotic in a way I can’t explain, and even slightly hypnotic in the way she can look at you. If I ever envisioned a god-like creature it’d be her. She’s too beautiful to seem human, and I don’t mean that in a sexual way like I would referring to Sayler. Like Greek mythology, where each God was created for a purpose, to rule over a specific thing, which is ironic considering her family is from Greece.

All that bullshit was a pretty dark time for Maddox. She’s had him wrapped since the beginning, and no one saw the extent of it except me and Micah. He texted me many nights after Maddox went to live with him worried about him. Maddox without Gabby is not a good combination. He’s reckless. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get him back to himself. And for a while, after Abby died, it was hypocritical of me to even try with my own issues. He got better at pretending to be normal, but he never was. I didn’t see the real Maddox until she showed back up and they were right again.

I didn’t really understand his obsession with her until I met Sayler. There were times I thought he was better off without her if she couldn’t stand up for him when he did nothing wrong. But everything isn’t always as easy as it seems to other people, and I didn’t realize how crazy someone can make you until I found that kind of love. It all fucking made sense the second I saw them together. They are equally obsessed with each other.

Gabby’s dad—whose name I can’t remember—looks at his watch, further pissing me off. He’s in our house. “Late for something?”

He looks at me, a slight snarl present as he glances at my tattooed arms, making me smile.No, I don’t fit in this house, just like you don’t fit with the girl upstairs.He doesn’t speak, just as I didn’t expect him to. “I don’t like you,” I tell him, causing Sayler to squeeze my shirt in her fist, no doubt wanting me to shut up instead of instigating him.

He seems unfazed. “Can’t say that I care.”

Before anything else can be said, heavy footsteps hit the staircase so hard it sounds like it could come crashing down. Definitely not a girl. It draws his attention, and within a second his eyes turn hard as he stares past me. “Adonis,” Maddox grits in a tone so cold you’d think he had no soul. Anyone that knows Maddox Burns knows that’s not normal. I glance back at him on the landing, about to come down the bottom flight, finding it hard not to smirk over the fact that his jeans are hanging low like he jerked them up in a hurry and he’s shirtless. “It’s been a long time. I’d say I’m surprised to see you, but that’d be a lie. I knew it’d be a matter of time.”

Gabby’s dad starts rolling up his shirt sleeves, looking more like the devil than anyone I’ve ever seen. Fuck. With Maddox’s moral compass being so strong yet still having a temper with as much bite as bark, it’s like a reenactment of God and Satan going toe to toe before he was thrown out of Heaven for trying to overthrow God for power. This isn’t going to end well. I could understand this pissing contest for the girl if both were wanting her, but a father and her fiancé seems out of place.

I look down at Sayler, who’s staring wide-eyed. As if she can feel me looking at her, she meets my gaze. “Go in another room. Presley too. Get my baby out of here.”

“But—”

“Now,” I snap, but Presley is already grabbing her hand and leading her toward the master bedroom, because she’s likely already picked up the dark vibe in the room. I follow her with my eyes as they walk toward Presley’s room, not taking my eyes off her until she’s out of sight.

Konnor stands from where he’s been watching on the couch and walks around when Gabby’s dad takes a step toward Maddox, who’s stepping off the staircase. “I’m tired of you fucking my daughter. I thought I got rid of you, but you’re obviously too stupid to take a hint.”

“Whoa, bruh,” Konnor says, like he’s talking to someone our age instead of someone old enough to be our dad. Probably his love for recreational weed use talking. “Don’t insult my friends in my house.”

Maddox laughs sadistically, still walking forward, and all I can do is stare. It’s terrifying if you know him personally, because it’s out of character for him. Even at his angriest, he’s still the good guy with a temper. This version is dangerous, because I have no idea what to expect. He’s unpredictable, and with a guy of his size and temper, that’s not good. I’ve seen Maddox fight when he had nothing to lose and have never seen him come out on the losing end. With the way he’s acting, his love for Gabby being threatened, I’m afraid he’ll kill someone. “It’s cool, Konnor. It’s nothing more than salt on a wound. He cut me the day he said I raped her. Bet it pisses you off to know she jumped on my dick before I ever tried anything with her . . . Good pussy too. The best. Got me hook, line, and sinker before I even fell in love.

A-done-ai?Adonis swings out, his knuckles striking Maddox’s cheek bone, throwing his head to the side from the impact. “I should bury you alive, boy.”

Maddox hunches over, his back bowing out and muscles pumping up like he’s getting ready for a full-on fight. The one thing that holds true about Maddox—he never swings first. That way, he can ease his mother’s mind by telling her it was self-defense. But I really think it’s a trigger for his anger to take the first punch.

He comes running at her dad, throwing his back into the closest wall so hard it shakes, his forearm pushed against Adonis’ throat as he puts all his weight into it. “What’s the matter? Scared I’ll get her pregnant again?” He laughs darkly. “Too late. Already fucking done that too. Maybe you should have put her on actual birth control instead of manipulating her so you could keep tabs on her location without her knowing. Diggin’ a deeper grave, pops. I loved her right. We’ll always find our way back, only this time, I’m not a scared eighteen-year-old. You’ll be lucky if you get to lay your eyes on my kid through a goddamn window. Put a finger on it and I’ll be the one doing the burying.”

“You son of a bitch.” Her dad throws another punch, catching Maddox off guard enough to grab him by the neck, and places him in a headlock. “She was fourteen and pregnant, you little shit. On the verge of ruining her entire future. She clearly can’t think with you. She’s in too deep. She’ll amount to nothing and she deserves better! I did what was best for everyone.”

Maddox growls out and elbows him in the stomach, causing his hold to loosen from his neck, and with the extra space his body twists around until he drives his shoulder into Adonis’ body like a football player, forcing him across the room. “I’d give her everything! I love her.”