#Blessed by Malakai, page 14
Falling for. Love. Lifetime. Keywords from the last few things he'd said floated around my brain as the room around me grew dim so that the only two people who existed where he and I.
“Are you saying you’re falling for me?” I asked. I was pretty sure that’s exactly what he was saying, but I wanted to be sure.
Instead of responding to me, he leaned his head down and pulled me in for a kiss that was so appetizing, it made my knees buckle. Yet, true to his nature, Malakai was right there by my side, holding me closer to him so that I wouldn’t melt to a puddle on the dance floor.
Eventually, my hands made their way around his neck as I pulled him even closer, deepening the kiss. In my Malakai lust fog, I heard a few whistles and catcalls from others in the bar, but I didn’t pay them any mind. The only thought on my mind was Malakai’s admission that he was falling for me. Now all I had to do was gather my courage to tell him that I was falling for him right back.
Seventeen
Avery
* * *
“Do you mind if you have company?”
I glanced up at Mrs. Madden and shook my head. “Not at all. I didn’t think anyone else was still up.”
“These old bones won’t let me sleep sometimes.”
I smiled. I’d only gotten to chat with Malakai’s parents for a little while, but I’d taken an immediate liking to his mom, Cynthia.
“I see you’ve already boiled some hot water.”
I looked toward the kitchen. “I hope that’s okay. I noticed some chamomile tea on the counter and I couldn’t sleep.”
Cynthia waved her hands. “Don’t worry about it, I’m glad you made yourself at home.” She poured herself a cup of tea and took a seat across from me at the large dining room table. “We didn’t have much time to talk, but I wanted to tell you that I’m glad you were able to make the trip to Arkansas.”
“I’m glad Malakai invited me.” I took a sip of my tea. “Your bed and breakfast is beautiful and so cozy for such a grand space.”
“Thanks sweetie. My husband Mason and I work hard at making this a place that feels like family to anyone who may be traveling to our town or for our family who may pay us a visit.”
I glanced around at the elegant, yet vintage, décor. “I can fit my entire New York apartment in half of this room.”
“I remember when my boys, Malakai and Crayson, were sharing a one bedroom apartment in New York years ago. Mason and I came to visit them and all four of us could barely fit in there.”
I laughed. “I can’t imagine Malakai and Crayson sharing such a small space.”
“They sure did sweetie.” Cynthia sipped her tea and got more comfortable in her seat. “I think they rented that place for a couple years together.”
“I would have paid good money to see that,” I stated.
“It was a sight to see since those two could barely fit in the space, but they made it work like they always do.” Cynthia gave a half-smile. “You see, out of all my sons, Malakai and Carter were always the hardest to read. Malakai always viewed life differently than anyone else, which meant, you had to communicate with him differently. While Carter had Caden, Crayson was the one who connected with Malakai on a level the others couldn’t. Crayson was like his shadow and when Malakai reached a point in his life when we knew times were difficult for him despite the fact that he didn’t want us to know what was going on, we found comfort in knowing that Crayson would be there for him.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to Mrs. Madden reminisce about stories of Malakai when he was younger. “He always seems so comfortable in his own skin,” I stated. “Even though I’ve heard him talk about the struggles he went through to try and find his own place in school and life, in some ways, the artist in him has always seemed to be confident to walk his path.”
Cynthia squinted her eyes. “Did you know my son before he hired you to be his image consultant?”
I was sure my face looked flushed as I answered, “Not really, but I’ve followed his work and I admire him as an artist.”
Judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t buying my answer, but it was the truth. I hadn’t had the pleasure of knowing Malakai before he’d hired me. Of course, I’d known about him through research and being a fan of his work all these years, but I hadn’t known the real Malakai. At least, not like I was getting to know him now.
“He’s really talented,” I continued, taking another sip of my tea. I didn’t know why she was making me so nervous, but my anxiousness reached an all-time high when Cynthia asked, “Did you realize you were in love with my son before or after he hired you?”
I spit my tea across the table, grateful that I didn’t get any on Mrs. Madden, but embarrassed that her question had caught me so off guard, I’d basically become a human water hose.
I immediately ran to the kitchen to get some paper towels to clean up the mess. “I am so sorry Mrs. Madden. I didn’t mean to do that.”
In my embarrassed dash to the kitchen, I hadn’t noticed that she was laughing with tears streaming out the corner of her eyes.
“Don’t worry about it.” Cynthia wiped the tears from her eyes. “I take that to mean you were in love with him before he hired you, which is what I predicted. But sweetie, I know you aren’t like the consultants he hired previously.” She placed her hand over my fidgety one that was still wiping off the contents of my tea. “The reason I asked is because I haven’t seen Malakai this happy in years and I know you contributed to calming his state of mind. So thank you for making my son whole again. Mason and I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.”
I tried to slow my breathing, but my heart was still beating fast. “Malakai is an amazing man and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him more. But we … But I …—.” I sighed, unable to put my words together. “I care for him much more than I should, but the situation is so complicated.”
“Then un-complicate it.” Cynthia pinned me with her motherly eyes. “Sweetie, you can’t fight what’s in your heart no more than my son can fight what’s in his. We may not have gotten to truly talk until now, but I’ve been watching you interact with my son and the town since you arrived and I’m very impressed by what I see. You’re a special woman Avery.”
I smiled. “Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Madden. It means a lot to me.” I refilled my cup of tea before returning to my seat at the table. “I just wish I could see the future sometimes.”
“I know sweetie. Don’t we all.” Cynthia tapped soothing strokes on my hands. Soon, I began to calm down. “But I think I can see you and Malakai’s future.”
My eyes widened in curiosity. “What do you see?”
I expected Mrs. Madden to say she could see us dating or married. Maybe moving in together. However, the last thing I expected her to say was, “Kids. I see six kids in your future just like Mason and I had, with the first one being born next year.”
And just like that, half of my new cup of tea flew from my mouth and landed across the table again.
Malakai
* * *
“Is this a good idea?”
I glanced back at Avery, noting the worried look on her face. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. I used to come here all the time as a kid.”
Avery looked back at my parent’s large barbecue as we ascended up the small hill. “I just don’t want anyone to be upset at us for missing any of the festivities.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t get to see you all morning, so the town can wait.” When we reached our destination, I removed large branches that were blocking our path. “Here we are.”
Avery squinted her eyes. “And where is here exactly?”
I pointed to the shed. “This shed has been here since my parents brought the place and it also serves as the best hide out on the property because no one ever comes here but me.”
I opened the door and pulled Avery inside of the dusty interior. She coughed as the dust filled the air. “Pretty interesting hideout spot."
I laughed as she waved her arms in the air to clear out the dust. Before long, I was coughing too. “Don’t worry. I only came in here to get something I’d hidden an hour ago.” I grabbed the picnic basket I’d stashed and led us back into the fresh air.
“Did you really pack us a picnic?” Her eyes lit up and I couldn’t help but smile at how easily she got excited.
“I did.” I opened the basket and pulled out the red blanket that I laid on the grass in front of the shed. After Avery and I were seated, I pulled out two sandwiches and water bottles. “It’s not much, but if we get too full my Mom will kill us.”
Avery laughed. "Yeah, she would. But this is perfect." We perched our backs against the outside of the shed. "This gives us a bird's eye view of the party."
I nodded. "I used to always sit out here and people watch. It was nice to see what was going on without anyone knowing you were up here."
“I could spend all day on this hill.” She took a bite of her sandwich and scooted closer to me. “Did you ever paint up here.”
I nodded my head. “You know me too well. I used to spend hours painting here. In a house full of people, it was the only place I could get some real privacy.”
“I bet,” she said with a laugh. “Since it was only me and Vanny as far as siblings go, I had a lot of my own space because of our age difference.”
At the mention of her sister, I wanted to ask if she’d talked to her, but I didn’t want to pry. “Must have been nice to have your own space.”
“It was.” She took a sip of her water. “I meant to tell you that I took your advice and I called Vanny.”
“You did? How did it go?”
She smiled. “It went good. I’ve really missed her and I wasn’t sure how much until we FaceTimed. We made a promise to try and talk at least once a month, if not more. And she also told me she’s one month pregnant.”
“That’s great news.” I leaned over to give her a quick hug. “I’m glad the conversation went well and I’m glad she’s expecting. You mentioned that she really wanted to have kids.”
“I’m happy for them. Vanny deserves this and I can put my differences aside to re-build my relationship with her and to have a relationship with my niece.”
When her eyes looked away from the party and met mines, I held her gaze. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.” She studied my eyes. “Every time you look at me like this, I have to remember to breath.”
I smiled. “That’s funny because every time I look at you like this, I forget whatever it is we’re talking about.”
She laughed. “I’m sure you say that to all the ladies.”
My face grew serious. “Not all. Just one.” I placed my right hand on her cheek as our faces inched closer together.
“Your eyes evoke the same feelings in me as your paintings,” she whispered. “Each brush stroke evokes emotion. Every color seems to have been handpicked to dance on the canvas.”
Damn, that mouth. Every time she talked about my work, she did so in such a poetic way, that it made me speechless. “Avery, I could paint you a thousand times and never be able to capture the raw makeup of your beauty and character. You talk about how my art inspires you.” My eyes dropped to her lips. “But it’s you who inspires me.”
I kissed the smile off her lips as we forgot about the sandwiches and indulged in a kiss that left me wishing we were somewhere more private where I could do what I really wanted to do to her. Patience, Madden. You need to have patience. I had a surprise for Avery that I couldn’t wait to share with her, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. As badly as I wanted to strip her naked on this blanket, Avery was worth the wait. She’ll always be worth the wait.
Eighteen
Avery
* * *
“Where are you taking me?” I asked as I glanced around the abandoned warehouse. When Malakai had knocked on my door in the wee hours of the morning and asked me to join him for a short drive before brunch, I hadn’t known that a short drive actually meant an hour-long drive outside of town.
“You do realize that dragging me to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere is really creepy, right? Especially after you dragged me to an empty shed yesterday morning.”
“Stop overreacting.” He unlocked a door that led to a stairwell. Walking up the stairs, I didn’t even try to hide my appreciation for the way his ass looked his jeans or the way his broad shoulders stretched under the simple white tee he was wearing.
“I’m not used to seeing you dress this casual, but I like it,” I said.
“Thank you.” He glanced back to look at me. “You’re looking mighty good in those blue jean shorts and pink tee. Almost didn’t make it out of your room when I got you after you’d gotten dressed.”
I lightly swatted at his back. “You’re such a flirt.”
“You bring it out of me.” When we reached the top of the stairs, he pulled out his keys.
“How do you have keys to this warehouse? Isn’t it abandoned?”
“Not exactly,” he replied, unlocking another door. “I own this building.”
“Really? Then why does it look like no one owns it? Did you just get it?”
“I bought it a few years ago, but I’m not sure what I want to do with the lower level yet. I bought it for this top level.” He opened the door, revealing a gorgeous loft that rivaled the beauty of the one he had back in New York.
“This is amazing.” Spinning around, I took in all of the artwork and exposed wood and pipes throughout the place.
He turned on a few standing fans that were in the living area. “I used to come here back in the day with some friends from high school when it was an old candy factory. The factory shut down years ago, but the owner hadn’t wanted to sell. When the owner passed away three years ago, his son sold it to me. I pay a local boy in town to check on the area every other week and clean up. Caden has him check on a property he has a mile down the road, too. If I give him notice, he even makes sure the fridge is stocked when I get to town.”
I walked past the kitchen and into one of the sectioned off rooms. A lot of the pieces in the room seemed similar to pieces that I’d seen in his gallery. Different since Malakai never painted the same piece, but still within the same realm of his other work.
Walking across the hall to the other room revealed more art pieces and a few sculptures. “Did you have these walls added to the loft for privacy?”
“No, it was like that when I brought the place,” Malakai yelled from the front room. “The previous owners used to rent this space out from time to time. I did some renovating, but I tried to keep a lot of the loft authentic to what it was before.
“Great choice.” Stepping over the white tarp covering the floor, I walked over to the huge king bed in the corner of the room. Right above the bed was a beautiful oil painting with rich, cool colors. Yet, it wasn’t the painting that made me pause. It was the words underneath the painting that made me hold my breath. For what reason, I wasn’t sure. I was still trying to figure it out why when Malakai came to stand inside of the door entrance.
“That oil painting is similar to one of the first pieces I ever sold for a large sum of money,” he said. "I honestly wouldn't even have made the sale if it hadn't been for my ex-girlfriend who'd convinced me to sneak into this ritzy art gallery party in New York one day. I guess you could say, she jump-started my hustle."
I smiled. “Sounds like she helped you out quite a bit.”
“She did.” He glanced up at the oil painting. “When we’d first met, she was in a bad relationship, but she and I would often frequent the corner store in Harlem. One day, we got to talking and then every week for about three months, we would meet and talk about anything we wanted. Life. Our careers. I was a starving artist and she was an aspiring singer, so we both were trying to make it.
“I remember the day she told me she’d left her ex and wanted to be with me being one filled with excitement and happiness. She knew I was interested in her and for me, she was one of the first people who truly believed that I could be the Malakai Madden I am today besides my close family.”
“She sounds pretty great,” I said, studying the sadness in his eyes. “How long were you together?”
“I was with her for almost four years. It was in the third year that her ex started back contacting her and popping up everywhere we were. He said he was a changed man and he wanted her back. I remember Crayson coming down to New York when he was thinking about moving here too and me introducing them. He said he liked her, but after staying with us for a week, he was worried she was going to hurt me because she still seemed hung up on her ex. A few months after they’d met, I came home one day and all of her stuff was gone. She’d completely moved out with nothing more than a letter saying she was still in love with her ex and had gotten back with him. She thanked me for the past few years.”
I blew out a breath.
“Can you believe that? All that time we’d spent together and the only thing she could do was tell me thanks, not I’m sorry for breaking your heart. Just thanks.”
Stepping closer to him, I placed my hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I know what it feels like to be cheated on.”
“I was pissed for a long time,” he said. “They married a few months after she left me and I only found out because she’d told the owner of that café we used to go to who told me. To this day, Crayson is the only one who knows about her. For a year, I didn’t hear anything from her, and then out of the blue, she contacts me and tells me that she is in trouble and that her husband is mentally and physically abusing her.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “That’s so horrible. Did she leave him?”
“She didn’t,” he said. “She tried to, but he always found her.” His eyes went back to the oil painting on the wall. “Crayson had finally moved to New York, and I was headed to my first art gallery release that was featuring one of my pieces when she called me for help. She’d been calling me for months, but every time I would show up, her ex would be there and she’d claim that everything was fine. I missed a lot of opportunities dropping everything for her, just for her to claim she didn’t need me. I had to get my life back and I needed to let her go.”
