Free The Love Series Complete Box Set by Melissa Collins Page B

dad didn’t have to beat the boys away with a stick?”
    Suddenly, I’m frozen. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to feel. With everything that’s been going on with Reid, with everything that happened last night, with this morning’s revelations, the mention of my father, as unintentional as it is, it’s all just too much to take in.
    A tear rolls down my cheek as I think about my dad never having the chance to grill prospective boyfriends. Another tear follows as I think about how he’ll never be waiting up for me to come home from a date, how he’ll never be asked for my hand in marriage, how he’ll never walk me down the aisle.
    Reid pulls me into his arms when he sees my tears. We slink down from the headboard, and he leans on his side. I lie on mine, and we’re facing each other still entangled in one another’s arms.
    “What, Maddy? Please tell me what I said. I hate that I’ve already made you cry once. I hate seeing you like this. I’m so sorry if I upset you.” His eyes are sincere and genuine. He’s offering me everything I’ve ever wanted—a chance to let someone in and share my pain, to lighten my heaviness. I take a deep, cleansing breath and decide to take him up on his offer.
    His hands are lightly combing through my hair and tickling my scalp. It’s so comforting and soothing that I almost forget to speak. His lips touch down lightly upon my head, and he prompts me to say something.
    “Please, Maddy. I want to be here for you. I know that I’ve been a dick, but I’m really sorry for that and I want to make it up to you, if you’ll let me. Please.”
    He brushes my hair behind my ear and looks pleadingly into my eyes.
    I try to come up with the right words, but there aren’t any, so I go for bluntness.
    “My parents are dead. Both of them. They died when I was ten, so he never had the chance to chase the boys away. Not that I’ve ever had a real date anyway.”
    I hate telling people this part of me. It’s always met with a pathetic “I’m so sorry for your loss”—what does that even mean? I hate the stares of sympathy and the inadequate words. For the most part, I’ve learned to stifle the urge to yell and scream when someone acts that way toward me, but there have been a few times I couldn’t. So naturally Reid’s reaction cuts me to the quick.
    “Makes sense, then,” he says.
    I stare at him blankly. “What makes sense, Reid?”
    “The walls you’ve put up. Losing someone you love is fucking hard. Losing the two people you love the most and who love you more than life itself must fucking hurt so much that you’ve got no choice but to keep everyone away.” He puts his fingers under my chin and angles my face up to meet his eyes. “Just so you know, your dad would probably have bought stock in Nike with the amount of chasing away he would have done.”
    I smile as I think about what my dad would have been like. I never really let my mind go to how things would have been if they were still alive. There’s no point in it. They’re dead, but being here in Reid’s arms makes me feel safe and secure, so I let my mind explore the possibility for a minute.
    Reid’s voice interrupts my dreamlike state. “Tell me about them.”
    I’m taken back—no, wait, that’s an understatement. I’m shocked and rendered speechless for a minute.
    “No one’s ever asked me that. It’s always some pathetic attempt at an apology. But by not asking about them, it’s like saying they never existed. I guess after a while it was easier for me to feel that way, too. It’s been so long since I’ve even let myself think about them. It’s just too painful. But lately I’ve been letting some of the memories come back, and they’re nice in a way.” I smile up at him. My emotions are a little more in check, so I continue,
    “My dad was amazing. He always wanted to spend time with me. Not like those dads who work and come home and can’t be bothered. He was always helping