was supposed to be in the car. They even hunted me, but I changed foster homes too much.”
The doors opened and we both stepped into the entryway to the apartments.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t put past Allister Sparrow. I’d say killing a child—his child—is low even for him, but I can’t. He also ran trafficking like McFadden. Together they provided the city of Chicago with any sick, perverted fantasy.”
My father?
“I can’t say that Allister wouldn’t do that.” Patrick reached for my shoulders. “I can say that Sparrow, Sterling, the man upstairs wouldn’t and hasn’t. It was the first thing he stopped when he took over from his father.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know that what they told me was true. I never knew if what Andros said was true or not.”
Patrick clasped my hand and led me toward the middle door. “You were quiet at dinner.”
“No. I was overwhelmed.” Thoughts of the dinner we’d just consumed were dominated not by the delicious food but the atmosphere. “I keep expecting the other men who heard my story to look at me, well, such as I am.”
He stopped and with one large finger turned my cheek toward him. “They are, Maddie. As you are is a strong survivor who is also my wife and Ruby’s mother.”
I shrugged. “And the women…the way they all interact. I’ve never…” A weary smile came to my lips. “I haven’t had a female friend…” I shrugged. “I can’t remember. I always tried to be nice to Andros’s staff, but that’s not the same thing.”
Before opening the door, Patrick asked, “Who was Cindy?”
My face snapped up to his. “Why would you ask that?”
“Ruby asked me if I knew a Cindy. You named Ruby’s middle name, Cynthia, after her. Ruby said she was your friend.”
“She was. May I tell you another time? I’m a little worn out by memories.” I lifted my arms around Patrick’s neck. Stretching on my tiptoes, I stared into his blue orbs. “For tonight, can we live in the present?”
His powerful arms snaked around my waist, fingers splayed upon my lower back, and making their way under the sweater, he pulled me closer against his hard chest. “Yes. Only the present.” His lips came to mine. The fire he’d rekindled at the hotel flickered. The ghosts of memories past evaporated like smoke as sparks ignited into flames, its heat smoldering beneath my skin. Warmth flooded my core as my nipples hardened.
I pulled back, looking up. I recalled his declaration on the plane days ago. “What you said about not making love to me, not until you had all of me?”
He ran his hand through my hair, momentarily fascinated with the dark strands. When his gaze returned, it swirled with emotions. “I want to make love to my wife. I want to spend tonight in the security of our tower and comfort of our bed, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that our daughter is safe. I want to take you to the brink of pleasure and watch as your body surrenders, imploding from within, time after time. I want to spend one night without thoughts of the past in either of our heads.
“I know you have more to tell. And when you’re ready, Maddie, I’m here. I’ll always be here. I vowed that seventeen years ago, and I pledge it tonight. You’ve shared enough for me to understand where those clouds originate. That said, don’t let them ever be brought on by worry about me. Nothing you revealed, nothing you shared or will share, can now or ever scare me away.
“I want you more right now than I did when we were on the plane, in the club, or the hotel. I have my wife back. I have a daughter. With you back in it, my life is more than I ever imagined.” He reached for my hand, kissing the palm, and laid it upon his wide chest. “My heart is beating in triple time because as much as I want to do all of that, I need to know you want it too, want me. Because while I can’t erase the past, I will never give you reason to relive it. If you’d rather talk, watch TV, or even sleep in one of the other bedrooms, it will fucking kill me—death by unsatisfied erection—but I will support you.”
Beneath my hand, his racing heart brought a smile to my lips. “I want you, Patrick. I always have, as my friend, my lover, and my husband. I