Beyond Broken(90)

       
         
       
        

But she was getting restless. It had been almost two months since that moment and every day, she was wishing that she had said something. She found herself wishing that she'd told him to use those ropes on her and not some other girl, which only confused her more. Was she ready for sex with him again? Maddie didn't know if it was her hormones or the way that Caleb looked at her, but she wanted him more and more with each passing day.

You're not doing anything about it either, she'd often thought. Caleb hadn't made an obvious move. Sure, he touched her if they were ever close to each other. Her waist, her hair, her arms. Sometimes in the mornings, when they maneuvered around one another in the kitchen, Maddie got the impression that he couldn't not touch her, like he needed to feel her, to be close to her. He never kissed her though. He hadn't kissed her in weeks and she didn't want to think about the implications.

Maddie wished that there was a clear path when it came to Caleb. She wished she knew if she was making the right choice by protecting her heart, or if she should just go for the plunge and pray that she surfaced if worse came to worst.

To make matters more complicated, not only was she dealing with her relationship with Caleb, but she also hadn't spoken to her brother. At all. The prediction she'd given Caleb after Thomas had punched him was only half true. Thomas didn't come and apologize that Sunday. It had been two months since the confrontation in the parking lot and Maddie had not heard from her brother. When she talked to her mom about it, her mom only told her that he needed time to process what was happening and everything would eventually work out.

It didn't stop her from feeling disappointed, even lost. Her and Thomas were close. She hardly went a couple days without hearing from him, so to go almost two months with radio silence was hard to swallow. Unbearable, even. But she had to give him time. She only hoped that he'd come around eventually.





* * *





"You're home early," Maddie said, surprised to see Peter snacking in the kitchen when she came home from the library one afternoon. He usually bussed straight to the garage after school. The teenager was about as addicted to that place as Caleb was. She ruffled his hair, noting that he'd need to get another haircut soon. "Did you have a good day?"

Peter nodded, chewing around a mouthful of chips, and he stood to relieve her of the two bags of groceries she'd picked up on the way home. His sketchbook was open in front of him, a rough drawing of a dragon forming on the page, with scales that resembled intricate chainmail. Peter's fingers were smudged in lead and he had a smear of it on his cheek.

"You know he wouldn't want you carrying these," Peter commented, shifting the bags onto the counter. 

"Well, it'll be our little secret then," she teased. Caleb seemed to think that her being pregnant meant that she should just sit at home all day and not lift a finger. If he could chain her to the bed, Maddie was absolutely certain he would.

The thought sent a shock of arousal racing through her, which wasn't the first time that had happened whenever she thought about Caleb's proclivities. Yes, Maddie thought, he would absolutely want to do that.

Too bad he won't, she thought, frowning, the all too familiar feeling of frustration swamping her.

As Maddie put away the groceries, she noticed that Peter was quieter than usual, which wasn't saying much. Although he had always been shy, he'd become at least a little more outgoing living with them, so she grew concerned.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, brows furrowing together, leaning her hands on the island in the middle of the kitchen and eyeing the boy sitting on the other side. Then she spotted a mark on his jaw when he tilted his head. An angry red mark that she'd seen before on Caleb after her brother had paid him a visit. "Oh my God, what happened?"

She raced around the island to inspect his face more closely. But there was no denying it. He'd been hit on the side of his face and it looked painful.

When the boy clenched his teeth together, remaining silent, she said, heart racing, "Peter, tell me what happened right now. Who did this?"

More silence ticked past, but he finally admitted, "I went home after school. I didn't expect my dad to be there, but he'd been laid off from work apparently."

"Why'd you go home, sweetheart?" she asked, worry making her bite her lip.

A red tinge spread over his cheekbones. "I wanted my birth certificate."

"What? What for?"

"I want to apply for a driver's license," he admitted, mumbling, looking down at his sketchpad and not meeting her eyes. Quickly, he added, "I know I don't have a car or anything, but I still want it. All the guys at the garage have one."