Everything about Elijah that was worth loving walked out the door of his apartment with Madeline, leaving him little more than a shell of a man. No amount of booze or destruction could erase the love he felt for that woman.
That sweet, brutal, all...
It'd be easier than Elijah expected. Not only was Jeremy right about the family being as equally interested in the family Elijah had brought with him, but no one pushed Elijah for more of himself. He likely had therapy to thank for that. Talking about his feelings and trauma in a safe place allowed him to do so again with them, to an extent.
Jesse was an interesting guy. Very contained and quiet as he'd been for most of the first year of being sober, but still chatted a bit more with him near the end. Like Elijah, he'd taken up boxing to help him find an outlet for his emotions. Like his former roommate in rehab, Elijah could spot who had it in them to conquer their demons, and those who would inevitably fall victim. Jesse had it in him.
Jeremy, who once considered himself to be the underachiever of the family, created a construction company five years ago that already had three different crews going. He'd done well for himself, considering he was still under thirty. And the way he looked at his wife, Julie, reminded him so much of how he looked at Madeline.
The two women exchanged all their contact info, and already agreed to have dinner together at least once a month once Madeline could use crutches, and would spend the days with her during the weekends at Mitch and Mary's, keeping Madeline company while the guys worked on the house next door.
It would just be the three of them and Jack, but after showing Jeremy the photos of the work so far, he was confident they could have the house completed in a few months time, and said he'd bring in a crew member or two if needed.
No one would accept his money, nor would Jeremy accept Kevin's money. Elijah did not know how to feel about having these people he'd only just met want to help him so much, but he took the win and accept the support. There was no use creating questions where there weren't any.
"You had a good time," Madeline whispered at his side.
Elijah tore his gaze away from the road for only a moment to look over at her. They'd left a bit earlier because of her tired state the pain medications easily left her in, and the party was much more activity than she'd been used to these last two weeks.
With his eyes back on the road, Elijah reached out to hold her hand. "I had a good time. Better than I thought I would," Elijah admitted. "Jesse and Jeremy are good guys."
"You're a good guy, too."
Elijah smiled at her tired words. "I try to be."
Before Elijah could say anything more, Madeline's phone rang in her purse. Elijah checked his rear-view mirror, and when he saw no one was behind him, he let his foot off the gas to lean down and grab the purse.
Madeline was the one who rustled through it. "It's Eva," she muttered before swiping the screen. "Hey, Eva."
Elijah turned his attention to the road while Madeline spoke to her best friend; the woman who'd grabbed his ass four years prior. She'd returned to her life in New York once Madeline came to stay with him, and they'd only spoken twice since.
Her other previous roommates had called her once or twice as well. The crazy redhead, who he never remembered the name of, had stopped by two days earlier and wasted no time being inappropriate with him. Kendra, the sweet, subdued one, lived out of the state now, but still checked in on her, and sent her a care package. Destiny had come over the night before to watch a movie.
A good friend from high school, Claire, planned a visit for next week, opting for a hotel once she heard where Madeline was staying. Elijah remembered hearing her name once before, but this woman apparently knew everything there was to know about him. She'd told Madeline to tell Elijah that they had to stay together through Christmas this year, since Martin Martin was freshly divorced, and would likely sniff out Madeline once again.
Not only did Elijah plan to continue being with Madeline every Christmas for the rest of their lives, but knowing he'd finally be able to meet Martin Martin and rub his win in the guy's face gave him something to thoroughly look forward to.
"Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye." Madeline hung up the phone, but continued staring at it like it held the words' best-kept secrets.
"What's going on?" Elijah asked her just before he took the exit to their section of the city.
It took a while for Madeline to escape the trance the small electronic had put her in. "Well, the post about your dad went viral. Apparently, a couple of Oregon news stations aired the story. Slow news day, I guess."
Elijah now knew what had put Madeline in such a trance, and it wasn't the damn phone. Still, as much as he assumed his guess was accurate, he needed her to say it aloud. "Keep going. I can handle it."
"I'm not sure if you can," Madeline replied honestly.
Elijah shot her a look, then pulled into a gas station parking lot, putting his truck in park. "I can handle it, M&M."
"His name is Daniel Grayson. He's alive, and still living in Oregon."
And there it was, the words spoken aloud. "He contacted her," Elijah guessed.
But Madeline shook her head at the question. "No, his daughter did. Your sister."
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