Brighter Than The Stars: Book One

Alternate 1.13

Feeling his lips on her neck was a heaven Madeline would happily die for. If she stopped even for a moment to look in window, soft kisses were placed on her skin, his hands digging into her sides as he held her with conviction.

"We're in public in broad daylight," she reminded him lazily. Truth was, Madeline knew she'd never get enough of it.

His lips smiled against her skin. "So let's go somewhere not so public."

Madeline turned around in his grasp, took off his baseball cap, and allowed herself to take her sweet time kissing him. It was amazing how perfectly in sync they already were. No noses bumping into each other, no teeth crashing. Just those damn fireworks she thought were a work of fiction. "You know you're sporting an erection right now?"

And it took all herself control not to grind against it.

Madeline had the one boyfriend in high school, and a sprinkling of dates in college, along with a sort of boyfriend who lasted about two months. None of them did this to her.

"Geez, normally I have to send out a search party to track your ass down in the summer!" She heard Claire's voice call out. "What is this, three days in a row?"

Elijah let out a sigh, readjusted his sunglasses, took his baseball cap from her hand, and placed it back on his head before taking a single step away to face her friend. "No Martin Martin today?"

Claire laughed as she shook her head. "Nah, I don't feel like dealing with his mopey ass today. You two really did a number on that poor guy. I had to pick him at one in the morning because he got hammered, pining away for his lost love."

"She was never his to keep," Elijah told her like it was the most official statement in the world. "All he did was hold my place for me."

"Ladies!" At the sound of a familiar woman's voice, Madeline turned to see Mrs. Baker, wearing a beautiful floral sundress, trotting across the street. "Maddie, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been? What brings you to Trenton?"

Madeline felt the air pushed from her lungs as her favorite teacher hugged her with an unrivaled conviction. "Just spending some time with my favorite person in the whole world."

Mrs. Baker gave Claire a warm smile. "It's nice to see the two of you are still friends, but I think we both know someone else will always have that mantel in your life."

"Andrea Baker," Elijah said as he took off his sunglasses for a better look.

Madeline swore she saw the woman's color drain from her face by the second, looking the man standing next to her up and down repeatedly. This time when she spoke, it was no longer in her ever-chipper voice. Rather, is shook and broke on the way out. "Elijah? Oh my God, look at you. You must be a foot taller than the last time I saw you."

The hug Mrs. Baker gave her was nothing compared to her embrace with Elijah. And not just from her. Suddenly, he looked like that scared teenager she loved so much, clinging onto her as he said his goodbyes twelve years ago.

"You're okay? I heard your father died, and I was hoping that meant..."

"I'm okay," he reassured her. "I'm actually moving back for a while."

She gave him one last squeeze, and Madeline swore she heard a huff of breath escape him from the impact. "You came back for Maddie," Mrs. Baker said as a statement rather than a comment. "I kept my promise, and did everything I could to watch out for her. Tried to give her all the words of wisdom I thought you'd give, but honestly, Elijah, she always needed you."

Elijah wiped the tears from his eyes with his forearm, looking down for a minute to take a breath, then back toward Madeline. "Now she has me."

That look in his glistening eyes was something she couldn't begin to describe. It felt like there so many more hidden messages behind him, words unspoken meant for only her to feel.

God, it's really not going to take much to fall in love with you.

A perfect smile drifted across his face. "Fine by me."

Realizing she must have said her thoughts out loud, Madeline flung her hand up to her mouth. "I swear, I didn't mean to say that."

"Did you mean it?" Elijah asked. When she nodded, he pulled her against him. "Then don't be afraid to say it. I know I broke your heart a long time ago, M&M, but I've changed, and I promise I'll take good care of it this time around."

"Wait," Claire butted in. "Am I missing something? Did you guys date..." And then it dawned on her. "Shut the front door, this is that Elijah? The one who used to live next door to you? The one where when we met in grade school, you said we could be friends, but not best friends, because only he would ever be your best friend? I thought his name was Elijah Wolf or something."

"Fox," he corrected. "I legally changed it to Martin after I left. I didn't want my dad finding me, and I didn't want a name tying us together anymore. Mitch was a better father to me than my own ever was, so I took their name."

"Well, you look happy," Mrs. Baker told him with a smile, giving his arm a light squeeze. "That's all any of us wanted for you, Elijah. I wouldn't mind catching up with you sometime, if that's okay?"

Elijah gave her a solid nod, and handed over his phone so she could put her number in. She looked at his name entered in her contacts, smiled, and dropped it back in her purse. "Take good care of our girl, Elijah, and yourself."

"We'll take care of each other," he told her, looking over at Madelin.

Mrs. Baker gave everyone a warm smile, then Elijah's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Call me this summer, so we can catch up. I want to know everything I've missed in the last twelve years."

"I will," Elijah assured her, returning her smile before they all watched her walk away.