544Madison sat quietly on her bed and looked at the luggage that was sitting next to her door. Her father had already gone to the airport and would be waiting for them there. Ethan seemed to have trouble getting himself ready after breakfast since he got a few phone calls about work related business.
As for her own personal business, it seemed incomplete but there wasn't enough time to finish nor did she have any ideas on how. She thought about the night she had spent with Darick and knew that it was a mistake. If Ethan ever found out then it would hurt him in ways that nearly broke her own heart to think about.
"You alright?" Ethan sat down on the bed when he hung up his phone. He had been concerned about her all morning long and it showed in both his expressions and the way that he spoke to her.
"Huh?" She turned her head toward him and gave him a blank stare, before she realized what he had asked her. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You seem a little distant this morning. Your father and I had to twist your arm to get any conversation out of you over breakfast." He wanted to sound playful, but he was honestly concerned by how far away she seemed.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I just feel very much like I did the first time I left here, as if I am leaving things unresolved once again."
Placing his hand on her shoulder, he gently squeezed. "Sometimes in life we don't get closure; that's for story books most of the time."
"I realize that. I guess I had high hopes for this trip and now there is no time left." She frowned. "I'm not talking about Darick either. I didn't get to spend enough time with my family or Brianna. I felt like I didn't see any of my old friends, and those I did see didn't seem that interested in speaking with me. I felt somewhat like a black sheep."
"You are talking about Darick's friends, aren't you?" He seemed to relax his body when he asked the question as if the conversation had gone a way that he hadn't expected. She wondered if he thought she was on the verge of breaking up with him or staying here. Of course, she would never do that as she had her own work to get back to and she also had him.
"Right." Madison quickly tried to erase her frown and gave a smile to her fiancé. "I am just disappointed that's all. I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted, so instead of cutting off the fat I tried to give a small amount to each which wasn't satisfying."
"Lesson learned, I suppose." Once again he tried to lighten the mood with a playful tone, but Madison didn't seem to be interested. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Did I ever tell you that you are the most beautiful woman to walk the Earth?"
A gentle smirk curved her lips. "Am I?"
He nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, of course. Not only beautiful, but intelligent and seemingly wise."
"Seemingly?"
"Well, not so wise that you seem old, but wise for your age." He acted like he was trying to dig himself out of a hole.
Madison giggled. "Are you trying to butter me up for something?" She crossed her arms and jokingly glared at him.
"Me?" He snorted. "I would never do that." Quickly, he went in for a peck on her lips, before jumping off the bed.
Madison followed him up and tried to grab his shirt, but missed him. For a moment, they both ran around the room with Ethan being chased and Madison always missing to catch him. It was a game that they had played since middle school. When she finally got him in a corner she began to laugh.
"What do you plan to do with me now that you've caught me?"
Stepping back a little, Madison folded her arms and brought one hand to her face where she used her index finger to tap her chin. "Hmm, I'm not entirely sure anymore. I don't know why I began chasing you to begin with."
"Because you want my body." He joked.
Rolling her eyes at him, she turned back around and grabbed the small bag she would be carrying onto the plane. It was a private jet, but they still didn't bring all their luggage aboard. Though they could access it if they wanted to during the flight since their was no underbelly storage.
"Are you sure you are ready to go? No last minute calls you want to make?" He looked at his watch. "It's ten, so most people will be awake by now."
She shook her head. "I said my goodbyes to everyone that I wanted to. We should get to the airport, before William grows impatient."
"If you are sure." He reached for her carry on bag. "I'll have them take your luggage down to the car."
She let him take her bag and smiled at him. "Thanks for brightening my mood." She kissed his cheek before heading out into the hallway. "I'll say goodbye to Jack and then I'll meet you downstairs."
He gave a nod as he headed down the opposite way in the hallway. Madison went to her cousin's bedroom and knocked on the door. Perry opened it and grinned.
"On your way out?" He asked.
"Yes, is Jack here?"
He gave a nod. "She's laying on the bed." Perry stepped out into the hall to allow her in. "I will let you two be alone."
Madison made her way to the large lump in the center of the bed and sat down beside her cousin. "I am leaving now."
She pulled the blanket off her head. "You'll be at my wedding, won't you?"
"Yes, and you can come visit me during holidays or just on weekends, you know?" She patted her cousin's leg.
"Don't be surprised when I just show up then."
Madison giggled. "I won't be. You aren't going to send me off?"
Jack shook her head. "McKenzie is gone and now you are leaving. It'll just be me and Perry in this place. I'm not really sure how I will handle it."
"Think of it as training for when you are overseas."
She sighed. "Bye, Madison." She held out her arms and hugged her cousin as she continued to lay on the bed. "I'll miss you."
"I will miss you too." Madison sat back up. "I will see you again soon and you can call me anytime just like before."
Darick looked down at his cell phone and the over twenty messages that McKenzie had sent him since the wedding. He could tell when she had been on the plane because the messages had stopped for a time and then restarted the moment she was on the ground again. They all warned him that this would be his last chance with Madison that there was no getting her back after she left. She also informed him of which airport and terminal he could go to in order to find her.
He inhaled through his nose deeply as he sat on the floor of the balcony and looked through the rails at the garden in the back. He did want to go and say goodbye but he knew that he might cause a scene by trying to kidnap her. Sometimes he didn't even understand the things he did himself and feared his own actions.
"Jack called and said she just left the house." Abigail leaned against the frame of the sliding door. She had a worried look upon her face that she didn't even try to keep from him. "Are you alright with this?"
He turned his eyes to her. "No, but she has made her selection and I was never in the running to begin with." As soon as he spoke he returned to looking out over the garden as he had been.
"Darick, I think..."
"You should move back home." His words were empty of any emotion though with a hint of seriousness.
A look of shock swept over her face and she clenched her chest briefly. "What? What are you talking about?"
He turned his attention back to her. "There is no way that I could ever come to care for you the way you want. Our relationship would be like Brad's and Lydia's. Is that what you want?"
She opened her mouth several times to speak, but each time shut it until she finally found the words. "No, but you promise you would try..."
He shook his head. "I know what I promised, but I am trying to save you from the pain I feel now."
"It's my decision to stay and be hurt. I don't blame you." She stepped out onto the balcony when he didn't respond. "For everything that I have done for you, don't you think I should be able to say when enough is enough. Isn't that the least you can allow me to do? After all you've made all the decisions about us up until this point and I just sat here and took it."
"Don't you feel embarrassed for yourself."
"Why would I?" She folded her arms and tried not to express the annoyance she was feeling for such a comment.
"You sound so desperate and clingy. No wonder Madison wanted to be as far away from me as possible." He snorted. "I was her Abigail."
A deep frown formed on her lips briefly, but she quickly erased it. "Not as such."
Darick looked into her eyes.
"At least there was a time when she had feelings for you in return. I've never experienced that side of you and I know odds are I never will."
"Then why stay?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess the moment I give up hope is the moment I feel pain and begin to hate myself for time wasted." She gave a gentle smile. "Maybe it's the same reason you are thinking about going to the airport, but are holding yourself back."
"We are done here, I think. Pack your belongings and go home."
"This is my home and I will stay here as long as I wish." Abigail snapped before she spun around and headed for the door. She didn't want him to get the last word in.
Once she was out in the hall, she was met with Maxine's own worried face. "Is he alright?"
Abigail nodded. "He is just sitting on the balcony staring into oblivion. He wants me to move out and cancel the engagement."
"You didn't agree, did you?"
She shook her head.
"Good girl. His mother would throw a fit if she found out he canceled it without at least someone else in mind."
Those words didn't make Abigail feel very good about herself as if she was just a breeding mare for the Mitchell's and it didn't matter who Darick picked as long as she was well bred.
"I didn't mean it that way." Maxine tried to recover when she realized what she said and saw the look of hurt on the other woman's face.
"No, it's fine. I understand what my position in this family is. I was never disillusioned enough to think I was an important member or anything." She watched as Maxine extended her hand and placed it on Abigail's shoulder.
"You are an important member. I just sometimes spout things that I shouldn't. I am very sorry if I made you think that you were just some place holder."
She smiled. "Thank you, but as I said I know where I stand." She released a long sigh. "Darick has made it clear on more than one occasion."
"Then why stay?"
Abigail barely shrugged her shoulders. "I used to tell myself it was out of love for Darick, but I am beginning to wonder if I am just comfortable here now and don't want to upset the way things are."
Darick's bedroom door opened and the two women watched as he marched down the hall. They both gave each other a look before following him to the front door.
"Where are you going?" Maxine was the first to ask.
"Airport."
Abigail grinned lightly. "Good luck."
"It's not what you think. I just want to say a proper farewell to her and give her back this." He held up the tortoise charm that was now on a new chain. "It's her's."
They watched him step out of the house and both hurried to the window to watch him leave in his sports car.
"Do you think it'll work?" Maxine asked.
"No." She gave an answer that sounded disappointed. "I think Madison has made her decision, but maybe that's all he wants to know for certain if she is sure."
"Will he accept it?"
"Will he have any other choice? Madison has never been one to allow him to push her around, which is why he loved her in the first place." She stepped away from the window and leaned her back against the wall.
Maxine nodded her head and looked away from the disappearing car to Abigail. "Will it work between you two?"
"Probably not, but I will try nevertheless."
Brianna sat on the couch as she watched the clock tick by. Madison had told her not to bother coming to the airport when she called that morning, but part of her wanted to go. She had said her goodbyes to her friend and knew she would see her again, however she felt sad and lonely knowing she would be leaving again. It felt like decades had passed since she last saw her and wondered how slowly the next year alone would go.
She knew that if she had still been with Joshua that she wouldn't be feeling as lonely, and she had even thought about picking up the phone to call him. She told herself no over and over, but no one else came to mind on who she could call. Darick would be dealing with his own issues today that would be similar to her own. Odds were that he would probably meet with her, but she didn't want to play his emotional games right now.
After a moment, she realized that her television was off even though she could have sworn she had been watching it earlier. She was certain that she had watched the news that morning and had hoped some strange weather would keep Madison in town for one more day.
Picking up the remote control, she pressed the button to turn the television on, but was stopped when she heard the buzz of her intercom. She wasn't expecting anyone to visit her, so she quickly made her way over to answer.
"Yes?"
"It's Ian. Can I come up?"
Brianna looked at her intercom like a confused dog who just heard it's owner's voice on the answering machine. "Ian?"
"Ian Pratt." He said as if she might know some other Ian that would be visiting her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Visiting you." He said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Can I please come up? If you see me, you'll understand."
"Um, alright." She pressed the button to open the downstairs doors and then went to the door to wait for him to knock. It took a few moments for him to arrive and she opened the door with the best half hearted smile she could muster. "Hey."
Ian held up a bottle of wine in one hand and in the other was a pizza box with a plastic bag dangling underneath it. "Alcohol, pizza, and a bunch of chick flicks." He smiled at her.
She gave him a look of confusion.
"You said yesterday that you thought you'd be lonely knowing Madison was leaving, so I thought I would come over and cheer you up. Was it wrong?" He asked referring to his coming to visit her. "Should I have called?"
Brianna fought a smile for a moment before giving in and stepped aside to allow him entry. "I am just surprised to see you here at all."
He looked around the apartment before walking over to the coffee table and set the pizza and wine down. "I know it's a bit early for wine, so I figured we could drink whatever you have here until we are ready for it."
"I have soda, milk, several varieties of juice, and water... oh and coffee or tea." She headed toward the kitchen. "What do you want?"
"Since it's pizza, I'll take soda."
Nodding her head, she grabbed a can of the only kind of soda she had and then a glass for him to pour it in. She already had a glass of orange juice on the table in the living room. When she was about to return, she remembered the pizza and grabbed them some napkins and paper plates. Upon her return she set them on the table for him.
"I got half Hawaiian and half pepperoni." He informed her as she sat down on the couch beside him. "I rented like five movies that I thought you would like." He offered the plastic bag to her.
Opening the bag, Brianna pulled the DVDs out and looked them over. "I own all these." She giggled.
"Oh, well, damn."
"Actually, it's kind of funny that you would rent movies for me that I liked enough to purchase. You know me pretty well, don't you?" She put the plastic bag on the table and walked over to the entertainment center where she opened the cabinets on both side of the television. "I have a bunch of movies, some were things Joshua liked so I'm sure we can find something we agree on."
"Are you sure you want to watch something you've already seen?"
She nodded. "I like seeing movies over again. I know you don't, but I don't mind." She sat back down and pointed at the cabinet. "I like them all, so you can go ahead and pick."
Brianna watched him look over her DVD collection, before she pulled them both a slice of pizza from the box and began to eat hers.
"How about this?" He held up a DVD. "I am kind of interested in something story heavy but with a lot of action."
Brianna looked at "The Departed" DVD and gave a nod. "Sure, that is really good. I'm not a big fan of DiCaprio but he pulls off his character well in that."
She wasn't sure what Ian's motives were as she watched him put the DVD in and then sit down on the couch next to her. She rather hoped this wasn't a repeat of their relationship after Brad, where Ian befriended her until they became a couple. That hadn't worked out well for either of them, and she wasn't really ready to deal with him being pushy as he had been before.
"Something wrong?" He asked when he realized she was watching him.
"I guess I'm still surprised that you showed up." Her eyes turned to the television screen as she exhaled trying to rid herself of her thoughts.
"I'm making you uncomfortable?" He put his plate down and stood up from the couch. "Sorry, I'll leave."
"No, I'm not uncomfortable." She stood up with her plate still in her hands. "I guess I'm just not sure why you are here, that's all."
He shrugged. "I can't really answer that. I was sitting at home alone and I thought that you'd be here by yourself just thinking about Madison leaving and your break up with Joshua, so I figured we could keep each other company."
Pressing her lips together, she nodded her head. "I see. I'm not suspecting you of ulterior motives or anything, but it just seemed odd, you know?"
Part of what she had said was a lie and Ian could tell right away, but he decided to allow it to slide. The reason being was that he did have ulterior motives, but he wasn't really sure what they were yet. It was like his own mind was keeping secrets from him.
"Let's start the movie and just enjoy it." Brianna sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her.
Giving a nod, Ian sat down and picked his pizza up as Brianna went through the DVD's selection menu to start the movie.
"I hate these things. I miss VCRs where you put the movie in and it played. Why does everything have to be so complicated now?" She giggled as the movie began to play.
Ian smiled at her when she looked over at him as he began to eat his pizza again. Brianna soon followed his example and they both fell into silence as they watch the story play out in front of them.
Lydia calmly watched from the couch near the fireplace as Brad went over some documents at his desk. She had entered the study without saying a word to him and they hadn't spoken in the three hours she had been in there. There had been times when she had thought of something to say and turned her head to speak, but her attempts had only been greeted with a look of contempt on Brad's part.
She had finally given up and crossed her arms as she leaned against the couch. At the wedding she had noticed that Brianna never looked at him or at least she never caught her. Brad had taken a few looks, but for the most part seemed to know that he wouldn't meet Brianna's eye. She was well aware of the reasons for this, or she thought she was at the very least.
"I'm done. What do you want?" Brad's announcement startled her some, but other than her increased heart rate she hadn't reacted.
"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you wanted to go out with me today. It's a nice day and the wedding put me in a good mood." She lied, in truth she wanted to know whether or not Brad would start turning his attentions to her. Now that Brianna was gone for good, would she finally be his focus? She doubted it, but she wanted to know for certain.
"Not today." He mumbled as his printer began to run.
"Oh." She cleared her throat and stood up to leave thinking that was the sign she had been waiting for.
"Did you really wait in here all this time to ask me that?" He asked as he stared at his computer screen.
"I..." She looked around the room as if she would find an answer there. "I guess so. I mean I really don't have anything else to do."
"Call Abigail."
"She's dealing with Darick today."
"Why?" He looked up from his screen to her. There were dark bags under his eyes and she knew he had been working hard for most of the night and had gotten up early.
"Madison is leaving for home today. Of course, Darick is going to need extra attention today."
"You know he gets away with this shit, because you women baby sit him and coddle these temper tantrums he has." He frowned as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms with his eyes glaring at her.
"I don't do anything for Darick. If anything I should be yelled at for how I allow you to get away with much of the same. Sleeping with a woman while we are married and ignoring me like I am just a maid or something."
Brad licked his lips and turned back to his screen. "You teach people how to treat you. If you hadn't allowed this to be in the beginning we wouldn't have this trouble at all, would we?"
"Oh, so now it's my fault?" She raced over to stand directly in front of his desk and placed her hands on the surface.
His eyes slowly moved to her face. "Well, I'm certainly not the one to blame for every piece of misery you feel. You should try taking responsibility for your own decisions and actions, as well as stop looking for happiness in other people. Once you can create your own happiness, you'll find yourself, well, happier."
"Are you asking for a divorce?"
"Are you offering one?"
Standing back up, Lydia crossed her arms. "I won't divorce you and if you try then you'll have other problems to deal with."
"I am well aware of the troubles that will occur if you divorce me, but they are really no threat to me."
"If they aren't then why are you still here?"
Brad's frowned deepened. "I often ask myself that. Perhaps I feel I owe you something for the way things have gone. I remember that I liked you in the beginning, when you were reasonable and able to come to a common ground for me. After we were wed though, you became worse than Abigail." He snorted his laughter. "I have a hard time not comparing my situation with Darick's on almost a daily basis."
"Grady and the twins are happy with their arranged marriages because they tried. Our parents just don't throw us together with random people. They make sure we are somewhat compatible."
He nodded. "I can't win with you."
"Excuse me?"
"When I was cruel, you bitched and cried. When I was kind and did whatever you asked, you bitched and cried. No matter what I do, it's the wrong thing. The problem is that you want me to be in love with you and I'm not. I definitely won't fall in love with someone who behaves this way either."
"Maybe I'll start acting like Brianna. I'll sleep with guys and then go 'Oops, I don't love you. It's someone else in my heart now.' Then I will fuck someone else and do the same. How can you love such a heartless fucking slut?"
Brad stood up and slammed his hands firmly on the desk. "Do not call her that. Brianna is misunderstood."
"And what? You are the only person in the world that can understand her?" She had been taken back by his outburst, but quickly recovered.
The anger in his face began to drain. "I used to think so, but now I think she'll eventually find someone. In time, when I see what I have done to her fade, I will be able to move on as well."
"What you did to her?" Lydia thought he meant the supposed rape, but couldn't be sure. She also wasn't certain if he was actually opening up to her or not.
"My abandonment of her soon after her father and mother abandoned her, well that does something to a person. She got stuck in a sick cycle of trying to find that fantastical romance and happiness that only exists in novels. It's beginning to fade in her and soon she'll be able to actually move on. It's taken her a long time."
The anger in Lydia's own heart cooled. "I see. You can't blame yourself for everything that happened to her. She made her own decisions and she is to blame for them."
"I understand that." He looked up at her. "However, I now know that I should have given up everything to be with her. It was too late by the time she took the money from my mother, but before that I think if I had walked away from my family it would have only been for a short time. Eventually, they would have welcomed me back and I had an education." He shook his head. "No, it's too late for regrets. My decisions have been made and cast in stone. Now, all I can do is help her whenever I can to get over the past, and I feel that it will soon happen."
"And what about me?"
His eyes pierced her soul before he released a sigh. "I don't know. As I said, the way you are there is no way that we can ever have what you expect from me."
"So, you want me to change?"
"You could only destroy your image with me further if you change yourself into what I want you to be."
Kierra hung up the phone and frowned at it as Grady entered in the bedroom. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she continued to stare down at the communication device. She didn't seem to notice that he had come in.
"Here you are. I've been looking for you." He announced to let his presence be known, though he still expected to startle her.
"Huh? What?" She turned her head and looked at him. "Oh. Is there something you need?" She had been somewhat cold to him since she heard Lydia talk about Jack the day before, and Grady suspected why.
"You seem upset." He walked over to the bed but didn't sit down beside her, instead he decided to stand directly in front of her.
"I called her to talk to her about everything. I thought maybe if I was open and honest with my intentions she would understand."
"Who?"
"Jack." She exhaled loudly in disbelief. "I have been going on about her for months now, and very openly for weeks. Who else do you think it could be?"
Grady joined her in frowning. "I think it's unfair of you to be this harsh towards me. I am not Jack and I have done you no wrong."
"No, but you did to her."
"And what does that have to do with you?"
Kierra stood up and was forced to shove him gently backwards to make enough room for herself. "Don't you see? Lydia told me a story about a man that I didn't even know existed in you. Now this isn't even about being friends with Jack, but learning who you really are." She rolled her eyes in annoyance before he was even able to say anything. "I mean I knew you slept around a lot, but I accepted that. I didn't know that you treated a serious girlfriend like scum." She tossed her hands up in the air to punctuate her point.
"Once again, what does that have to do with you?" A dangerous tone echoed in his voice, but Kierra, not having heard it before, didn't seem to notice.
Walking past him, she leaned her hands against the top of the waist high dresser. Her make-up and other accessories covered it. "How do I know that I won't be just like her? You had to be kind to her in the beginning to make her want to date you, didn't you?"
Any anger in Grady's body melted away when he finally understood. "You are scared that I'll leave you?"
"I don't know." She turned back around to face him with her arms crossed and she leaned against the dresser behind her. "I'm not really sure. It's like there is this big piece of you that I've never met before."
"You've never met him because you've never treated me the way she did."
She gave him a look of curiosity that coached him to continue.
"Jack and I constantly argued. I did everything I could to get that woman to date me, and when I finally did there was nothing I could do to make her happy. I didn't want to introduce her to my mother because if I did then my mother would contact her uncle. They would begin to prepare for our wedding and I wasn't ready to jump that far into it yet. She and I had only just started dating, but Jack took it as me hiding it from my mother, as if I was embarrassed of her. I could see her side of the issue, but no matter how I explained it to her that wasn't good enough." He took a moment to take a breath as he slowly shook his head. "So, you see, maybe if I had told my mother about Jack and let everything happen, she and I would be engaged now, but I didn't. I don't regret it either, because my mistakes, if you have to call them that, led me to be here now."
Kierra swallowed the lump in her throat. "It was the situation that made you act that way, then?"
"Right. I dealt with it improperly and Jack did so as well. She and I are both to blame for what happened, but it can't be denied that I started it all. Obviously, Perry gets along with her well and I get along with you, so one has to conclude that it was our situation. If things had been different I think she and I could have gotten along, but they weren't different and this is how things ended up." He took a couple steps toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright, now?"
She nodded her head with a satisfied look upon her face.
"You tried to call Jack just now?" He wanted to sound understanding, but knew he sounded more nosy then again.
Kierra's frown quickly returned. "She is so rude." She stomped one of her feet.
Grady was getting a little sick of how Jack treated her, and wondered if he should step in and have a word with Jack. He knew that Kierra wouldn't allow it and until she asked him to he would abide by her wishes. "I'm sorry. I don't like seeing her treat you that way either. I know if she put the past behind her and got to know you that she would really like you."
"You think so?"
He gave a firm nod. "Of course. You also have to remember that Jack is a Kincade. People want to be their "friend" all the time, so they distrust people quite often. I know your outreached hand is genuine, but to Jack she might just think it has to do with her being a Kincade, considering my past with her."
"I just wanted to hear her side of the story. She told me to ask you, stop calling her, and then hung up on me." She stepped forward so Grady could wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Madison is leaving today, so maybe it wasn't the best time to call."
"How so?"
"Lydia heard from Brianna that Jack wasn't taking it too well yesterday at the wedding."
Rubbing his hands up and down on her back, he nodded even though she had her head on his shoulder and couldn't see. "I hear the Kincade girls are very close."
Kierra released a deep breath. "I'm done." She stepped back and looked up at him. "I won't mention Jack or bother her anymore. I'll leave it up to time and circumstance to bring us together if it does happen, but other than that I won't try anymore."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Are you certain?"
Again, she nodded.
"You are sure that you won't let her bad attitude bother you anymore?"
"I will just take it like the other women who dislike me for what I have or don't have. I will ignore her negativity because it is what is healthy for me. I know my obsession over this won't do us any good. I am going to focus on what I have for now and not what I don't."
"It's good to hear that."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder again. "Thank you for putting up with my crap. I really do appreciate that you allowed me to fly off the handle for a while, before helping to reign me in."
"I didn't reign you in. You are a smart and independent girl, who knows when enough is enough. I trust your good judgment."
She smiled and looked up at him with her head rested on his chest. "I love you."
"Yup." He pecked her smiling lips.
William, Ethan, and Madison stood outside the small jet plane that would take them home. There was some maintenance that needed to be done before they could take off. It wasn't anything significant and the pilot asked them not to go too far, or rather he suggested that they didn't and William ordered everyone not to.
Ethan smiled at the woman holding his hand beside him. "Being here brought back a lot of memories, didn't it?"
She nodded. "Some things I was glad to remember and others I wasn't."
He looked toward his soon to be father-in-law, who immediately moved away from them as if he didn't want any part of this conversation. Ethan couldn't decide if he knew it would be a bitter conversation or if he just wanted to give them their privacy.
"Either way. I'm glad to be going home." Madison quickly changed the subject. "It feels like I've been here for years instead of weeks."
"I think a lot of that had to do with McKenzie and the wedding." He chuckled as he thought of how difficult McKenzie had been.
Madison smiled. "Yeah, she did cause us a lot of trouble. Well, hopefully, she'll never get married again and if she does she'll have learned from this time."
"When does McKenzie ever learn?"
"I can hope." She giggled when she looked at his face and saw how serious his question had really been.
"I suppose you..." His words began to trail off.
"What?" Madison looked off into the distance and saw what he was staring at.
"I guess he came to see you off." He dropped her hand, "Better find out what he wants before he causes a scene." He was joking but there was some truth to it.
Darick stood off in the distance near the exit of the airport. He didn't seem to be moving toward them as if he was hesitant to approach. Madison wondered if that was because William was with them or if he was unsure of himself, though she couldn't imagine it being the latter.
Jogging toward him as quickly as she could, she smiled when she came to stand in front of him. "Hey! What are you doing here?"
He hated that she acted like nothing had happened between them. Madison had really used those six hours to end things and all he could think about was how it hadn't been enough. Then again he was finding it easier to let her go this time, so perhaps she had been right.
"I wanted to say goodbye to you properly and give you this." He held out his hand with a dangling chain swinging beneath it.
Madison took it and looked at the familiar charm. "You had this?" She looked up at him and watched him nod. "I went nearly crazy looking for this thing when I first left. I couldn't find it anywhere. How did it come into your possession?"
It annoyed him to no end that she had just taken away his anger with that explanation. He had been able to remain pissed at her whenever he looked at that charm and knew she had abandoned it at his home. "It was under my bed. I thought you left it there."
She shook her head very quickly. "No, I wouldn't have done that. It has significant meaning to me. I mean it brings me good memories of our time together."
Her words only made it harder for him and he frowned. "How did it end up under my bed then?"
"Maybe from one of the last times that I visited you. I remember you being pretty rough with me." She shrugged. "Not that it matters anymore. So, did you come to give this back and say goodbye?"
He hated how nonchalant she was about this as it only cut his heart more. Stepping forward he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and squeezed her tightly. She wasn't positioned facing him so her shoulder pressed against his chest and her head could barely lean against him. Madison was slightly off put at first, but eventually returned the embrace by sliding one arm around his waist since her other couldn't really reach well. After a few moments, where she thought the hug was both uncomfortable and that it was being held for too long, he finally released her.
Stepping back, he left his hands on her shoulders. "Let's never meet again, and if by chance we do, we shall be strangers."
Madison listened to his words as she looked into his eyes. Her heart dropped slightly, but she understood why he wanted it that way. She gave a firm nod. "I agree."
Darick turned his back on her almost immediately and began to walk away. She waved lightly toward him even though he couldn't see her. When he was inside the airport, she walked back to Ethan and her father.
"What did he want?" Ethan asked.
"To give me back my necklace that I apparently dropped at his house before I left here the last time." She held up the tortoise necklace charm, her voice had lost the humor it had held during their previous conversation.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded as she looked back at where Darick had disappeared. His words about never seeing each other again were bothersome. She felt like he was giving up on her entirely since he couldn't have her the way that he wanted. It made her feel like as a person was worthless to him unless he could find sex and possible marriage with her.
"Do you think it will be much longer?" She asked motioning toward the plane. Even though she was looking at Ethan, she was asking her father who wasn't standing too far away.
"I don't know." Ethan answered.
She turned to her father.
"It'll be a bit more."
Madison looked down at the charm in her hand and then back up to Ethan. "I'll be right back. There is something that I have to say to him."
Before Ethan could agree or protest, she had flipped around and run towards the door that Darick had exited through. William cleared his throat to get the attention of the man who was obviously startled by what Madison had done.
"She said she would be back. Give her a chance." He wanted to calm the boy down as he looked about ready to chase after her.
The look of worry dissipated from Ethan's face and he nodded. "I guess he still has the power to put me on edge, even if Madison is here. He always makes her do strange things that I never expect."
William didn't approve of his daughter's actions, but was willing to give her and chance to see where this would lead. "She said she would be back and she will be. Madison has chosen you, she just doesn't want something left unsaid." He made the excuse up for his daughter in further hopes to calm Ethan's nerves.
McKenzie hung up the hotel phone before she looked over her shoulder at Francis who exited the bathroom in a robe as he dried his hair off with a towel. The hotel room was more than just one room, it was practically an apartment that took up half of the hotel's upper floors. They would be "touring" Europe for a couple months and she wanted to call to check on her sister, but more importantly Darick.
"How is everyone?" Francis asked as he continued to dry his hair and sat down on the bed on the opposite side of her.
"Madison left earlier and Jack is a little upset. I called Darick and Abigail said he left for the airport." She sounded worried. "I hope he doesn't do anything stupid. He is already hurt. If he did something stupid like put himself on the line in front of William and Ethan, I don't know how he could recover. He has too much pride."
Twisting on the bed, he turned to look at her even though the back of her head was to him. "That will be his problem. We all have to deal with the choices we make in life and can't go around blaming others when we make them."
"You have been talking to William too much." She turned to face him and saw the smirk on his lips. "How William gains such power over you guys, I'll never understand."
"He makes sense. His life is in pretty good order. It seems like a good idea to have him as your mentor. Ethan did and he is probably the most rational and balanced of us all. I mean that is when Madison isn't fucking with his emotions."
"Hey! It's not Madison's fault! Darick is the one that wouldn't let her be!"
He tossed up one hand to show that he was surrendering. "A second ago, you were worried about him and now you are blaming him for the problems between Ethan and Darick." He shook his head.
"I may not like what he did to Madison, but that doesn't mean I want to see him hurt further. I think of him as a friend, you know?"
"I know." He didn't want to start a fight with her, but it seemed like all day long she had been trying to start one.
"Then what is there to be surprised about? Ethan and Perry have done things you disagreed with, but at the end of the day you wanted what was best for them, right?" She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.
"I wasn't saying... you know what? Let's drop it. We are on our honeymoon; we shouldn't argue on the first day." Standing up, he went to the dresser that his suitcase had been unpacked into and began to pull clothing out to go to bed.
There was an eight hour time difference between the west coast of the US and Paris, so while it was noon there they were preparing for bed. Both of them were suffering from jet lag and had tried not to sleep at all on the flight over so they could be more in tune with the time difference. This would be the first time they slept since before there wedding and both were grouchy and tired.
McKenzie had already showered and was in her pajamas though she was exhausted, she didn't exactly feel tired. She had been worrying about Madison, Darick, and Ethan all day long. Part of her knew it would be difficult to fall asleep until she knew Ethan and Madison were in the air and Darick had been left behind.
As much as she wanted Darick to be happy, she knew it would never be with her sister. Madison had stopped loving him long ago, and she wasn't really sure if her sister had ever truly loved him or if she had confused it with other emotions. There was no question how Darick felt, but she always wondered what Madison had really felt toward him. Whatever it was she knew it had vanished long ago.
Arms wrapped around her shoulders and her back was pulled against Francis' chest. "Don't worry so much. Madison is a big girl and she'll be able to handle her own business."
"How'd you know I was worrying about that?" She looked up at his face with the back of her head pressed against his shoulder.
"I put our previous topic together with that look of worry and total helplessness in your eyes." He kissed her forehead.
She sighed and decided to try to change the subject to get her mind off her worries. "I was thinking that we should wait on our open marriage for a couple months, while we settle in. Would you be alright with that?"
"I don't see how being married changes how we were before, except that we are officially a government certified couple, but if that's what you want then I agree."
McKenzie nodded. "I don't know. It just feels different. I don't want us to do it on our honeymoon, I guess. When we get home, we'll make up the rules and get things rolling."
"Alright."
"We are going to do it. This is what I want too. I just don't want it to occur during this period of time."
Francis nodded. "No, I understand. This trip has sentimental value to it. I'm fine with us waiting. It's not like I am dying to head out and get some tail or something."
McKenzie chuckled. "I just didn't want you to think that I was backing out. I think returning to what made us a good couple to begin with will help us out a lot."
"And I agree."
She tried her best to kiss his cheek at her odd angle. "I'm glad that you and I are able to come to this agreement. I feel much more at ease knowing that we can be open with each other like this."
"You are still having trouble forgetting Madison's problems, huh?" Francis asked when he noticed her look off in the distance.
"Yeah, no matter what I think about, she sneaks in there. I won't be able to sleep until I know how everything worked out."
"Will you be able to sleep if she suddenly runs off with Darick?"
Her eyes turned back to him with horror in her eyes. "I would kill her. Treating Ethan like that won't be tolerated."
"William seemed pretty certain that Madison wouldn't do anything like that and I tend to agree with him. I think you are just over thinking things."
She nodded her head. "I know I am, but I can't help it. I really don't think she loves Darick or has she ever, but I think she might be confused by her own feelings and make a big mistake, that's all."
Francis brushed back the hair that had fallen onto her forehead and kissed it again. "If you go to sleep morning will come quicker and you'll be able to hear what happened from Jack."
"Sounds like what a parent tells a kid when they are excited about Santa coming." She smirked, "I guess it's right though. Let's go to sleep."
Francis scooted back and laid down under his blankets on his side of the bed, but McKenzie stood up. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to down a couple glasses of wine to help me get to sleep. I'll be back in a bit, alright?"
"Be quick about it."
She gave him the thumbs up as she left the bedroom.
Madison pushed her way through the airport crowd as she looked for the familiar back that would be facing her. She knew that he had to make his way to one of the airport entrances, but she didn't know which one since there were several. The best she could do was hope that the crowd was slowing him down more than it was her, but she doubted it since Darick's face alone seemed to force people to walk around him.
She was beginning to give up hope and think that he had escaped her. This wasn't the way she wanted it to end and she was nearing tears as she thought this would be it. She wouldn't be able to get out what she wanted to say to his face, and one day when they met again it would be too late. She thought about calling his cell phone, but was afraid he wouldn't answer or wouldn't agree to meet with her again. It must have taken a lot out of him to say and do what he did. He probably thought that would be the last he would see of her for some time to come.
Stopping in the center of the crowded hall, she scanned the area but felt her heart drop as she told herself to give up. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she turned around to head back to the plane when she saw a man sitting on a bench next to a small island that contained a few trees and some other plants. He sat with his head hanging down and he seemed to be collecting himself.
Quickly making her way through the crowd, she came to stand in front of him. "Darick?" She barely spoke the name.
Looking up, Darick's eyes met her own and his heart skipped a beat as he stood up to greet her. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't like this ending, so I'm going to rewrite it a bit." She took a deep breath. "Brianna once told me that love is all about timing. With all the time we spent together, we never quite got the timing right, or at least that's what I thought. If I wasn't single, then you were angry with me for not doing exactly what you wanted. We constantly bickered back in and forth, even when it wasn't fun anymore because we were frustrated."
He crossed his arms and looked like he was becoming annoyed.
"I love you, but I am not happy with you when I think of you as anything other than a friend and I know I make you miserable too. When I am not playing the exact part you want me to play then you act as if the world is ending."
"I know."
If possible Madison's heart sunk further upon hearing his words. "You know? Really?"
"Yes, I understand. Goodbye, Madison." He thought about kissing her cheek, but decided against and turned to walk away in the opposite direction that he needed to go.
She caught him before he was able to walk away. "Wait! Let me finish what I have to say first."
"I don't want to hear anymore. I understand what you are saying."
"Just... just let me finish, please."
Crossing his arms, he continued to look annoyed.
"I really think that we should remain friends, because whenever I look back on our time together it was those moments when we were acting only as friends that make me the happiest. I think we have confused platonic love with romantic, when we know that the platonic way makes us happy. You and I are not made to be lovers in any way, but only friends. I truly believe that we are so alike that we couldn't possibly be anything else. Do you understand?"
"I said I did, didn't I?"
She sighed as she was becoming frustrated with him. "I think this is what the whole journey was about. The two of us helping to push each other and helping to relieve each other's misfortunes like we did in the past. You and I become friends, good friends. I really wish you could see it that way too."
"Friendship for us won't happen any time soon, but I will think about it upon the day that I believe I am ready."
His response startled her. "I understand." She stuttered for a moment as she tried to think of something else to say. "I guess, I didn't expect you to say that. I'm at a loss for words now."
"I guess that means there is nothing more to say." He dropped his crossed arms. "I am sorry that I couldn't give you what you wanted."
"So, we stay strangers until you are ready?"
He nodded, though he looked strong on the outside, he merely wanted to escape her so she wouldn't see how upset he truly was.
"I accept, since I am the one who started all this anyway. I'll wait for you."
Reaching for her hand, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "My heart will always be within your reach. Goodbye, Madison."
"Goodbye, Darick." She fought her own throat so that her voice wouldn't break and stood in place as she watched him walk past her and head for the exit.
Madison looked down at the necklace she still had in her hands. Even though this hadn't been exactly what she wanted, and she suspected that Darick had only said those things to her in order to ease her, she was glad that she had been able to say those things to him.
She didn't know when it happened, but the love she thought had been for Darick had began to explain itself to her. He had protected and taken care of her in his own. He had always been there for her that entire year no matter what happened. He was a friend that she had trouble imagining living without and she wondered if she had only made him into something more because he was male.
Had he been a woman, would she have thought she was in love with him? Most definitely not. It would have been a wonderful friendship that would have lasted these past four years. She wondered if in time Darick would also come to see things the way that she had or if he would always think of her as the woman he loved and could never have. She hoped for the former, but suspected it would be the latter. He was never the type to misunderstand his own feelings and she felt sorry that she wasn't able to feel the same.
Spending that evening with him had been everything she needed to clear her emotions out. She had been able to feel his touch and realize that it meant nothing to her. She didn't know if it ever had. Part of her wanted to believe that there had been something in her soul that loved him the way he wanted her to, but she thought it was perhaps just her imagination.
Looking over her shoulder, Madison tried to get a last glimpse of the man but it was too late. He had already disappeared deep within the crowd and she was left alone. As she walked back to her plane, she didn't notice the dark figure standing in the other direction that he had walked away from her. He watched as she stood silently, staring at her necklace for some time, before she looked for him again. This would be their final goodbye, he had told himself. He understood what Madison meant when she talked about friendship, but he didn't feel the same way and he doubted he ever would. Once she was out of sight, he headed for the exit and made his way to his car.
The long, lonely walk for both of them brought back memories and emotions of their time together. From the moment they first met to their time on the island to every argument they could scrounge up for entertainment purposes. Their relationship had all begun when she had given him back what he had dropped, and it ended when her dropped item had been returned to her.
The End
An epilogue can be found on my forum if you are interested in what happened five years after the fact.