Ice Dreams Part 3 (7 page)

She looked down at her glass. “I was never complimented growing up, Mike. I have issues when people do it now.”

He grabbed her hand and played with her ring. “Start getting used to it, Maddy. You have people who love you that surround you. You have no excuses anymore.”

She smiled. “I know. It’s just hard to hear.” She looked back towards the bar and spotted Hunter watching them. “Hey, can we go?”

Mike looked up and noticed him as well. “Sure, come on. I will follow you back to the building.”

They got up and headed towards the parking lot. She heard her name as she stopped. “Madison, please don’t leave.”

Hunter walked up to her and leaned against her car. “Hunter, go back to your friends. I’m heading home.”

“You are beautiful, you know that? That dress shows off every curve of your body.”

She blushed as she reached for her keys. “Thank you but I need to leave.” Mike walked up to her and put his hand on her waist. “Everything ok?”

Hunter’s eyes moved to his hand. “What’s up with you two? Are you a couple?”

Mike grinned. “What if we were? You had your chance and you blew it, Hunter.”

Hunter’s eyes locked with his. “Did she mention that I’m staying in town?”

Mike looked at her. She nodded. “He told me earlier today.”

Mike shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, Hunter. She’s a grown woman and I will respect any decision that she makes.”

He took one last look at Madison and disappeared back into the bar. She sighed and leaned against her car. She opened her eyes as Mike leaned next to her. “You ok?”

She nodded. “I think it’s getting easier. Saturday will be the real test.”

“Come on, let’s go home.”

She pulled into her parking space as Mike pulled next to her. She locked her car and turned towards Mike. “Feel like taking a walk?”

He nodded. “Sure.” They walked down the stairs and out onto the beach. She stood there and watched the waves crash onto the shore. She felt Mike’s arms embrace her from behind as she leaned back against his chest. She could hear Jessie’s voice in her head telling her to take a chance.

He softly whispered. “What’s on your mind, Maddy?”

“Would you like to be my date this Saturday?” She closed her eyes and waited for his response.

“Of course, I hoped you were going ask.”

She turned around and faced him. “You were?”

He nodded. “That way I’m by your side when you break down over him.”

She closed her eyes again and looked down. “I’m going to try and be strong.”

“Your parents are going to be coming into town shortly, right?” he asked.

She looked up at him. He remembered. She nodded. “I can’t even think about that right now. She will start picking everything apart as soon as she arrives.”

“If I know anything about Alicia, I don’t think she would allow that.”

Maddy chuckled. “That’s true.”

“Do I need to rent a tux?” he asked.

“No, it’s casual. A suit is fine.”

He nodded. “Hunter is staying in town, huh?”

She groaned as she started to walk down the beach. “Yeah, he told me today. I told him it was over though.”

“Do you honestly feel like it is though?”

“It has to be over. I think I could have forgiven him about being weak and feeling so insecure about his past. I can’t fault him for that. I would have helped him build his confidence but he bailed on me. You saw how he did it. He left me. He didn’t give me a chance to fight. I can’t forgive that.”

“The question is do you still love him?” He looked worried.

She stopped and turned back towards him. “He was my first love, I think he will always have a section of my heart but it’s time for me to see what else is out there.”

He took a step closer to her and braced her face with his hand. “I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look in that sundress, Madison.” She blushed and looked down. He tilted her chin towards him. “What am I going to do with you?”

She smiled. “It will take time, Mike. I used to say the same thing to Hunter.”

“Well, he didn’t do a good job at it.” He smirked. “Come on, you are getting goose bumps.” He took her hand and walked her down the shoreline and up the staircase. “What time do I need to be there on Saturday?”

“The wedding is at four. I need to be there in the morning but I will find you before the ceremony.”

He nodded as they reached their doors. “I’m sorry that I didn’t feed you tonight. You must be starving.”

She laughed. “I will grab something before bed. I need to study for awhile tonight.”

He nodded. “I will see you tomorrow.”

She took a deep breath and kissed him lightly. He responded by parting her lips and massaging his tongue with hers. She moaned softly as she braced her hands against his chest. His lips were so soft against hers. She felt the fireworks as he deepened the kiss. He groaned as he pulled away.

Their eyes locked with each other as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Wow.” He calmly stated.

She blushed. “That was amazing.”

He nodded and lightly kissed her again. “Good night, Madison.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

The week flew by. Madison didn’t know how Friday had already arrived. She studied every morning with her study group and worked every night with Amber. She managed to see Mike here and there after their explosive kiss but they didn’t have a chance to recreate it.

Madison followed her study group out of the library and waved good bye as she headed towards her last class.  She arrived at the door with Dr. Allen. “Good afternoon, Dr. Allen.”

“Same to you, Ms. Sinclair. Ready for your exam?”

She chuckled. “I hope so.”

He allowed her into the classroom and handed out the exams. As he placed the booklet in front of Madison and said good luck as he walked back to his desk. She opened up the exam and started working her way through the questions.

Once the test was over, she exited the room with the rest of her classmates. She heard comments from how the test was hard to how some people found it easy. She felt overwhelmed as she walked out of the building.

“Madison, wait up!” She turned around and spotted Dr. Allen walking towards her. He was wearing a blue suit that fit him perfectly. She could see why all the girls wanted to be in his class.

“Hello again,” she said.

“How was the test?” he asked.

“I think I did ok. I understood most of it.”

He smiled. “That’s good. You are really starting to shine in my class. I hope you are able to pick up a few more of them next semester.”

“Well, I heard that’s a difficult thing to do.”

He stopped in his tracks. “Why is that?”

She blushed and walked away. “You are smart man. I will let you figure it out.”

She got into her car and headed towards home. When she arrived, she threw her books on the couch and hopped into the shower. She started to get excited for the rehearsal dinner and then the wedding tomorrow.

Alicia called her last night to inform her that her parents were in town. Madison wasn’t excited to see them but knew it was inevitable.

She finished doing her hair and grabbed her light blue sundress that Alicia had picked out for her. She buckled her sandals and headed towards the door. As she opened it, she ran into Mike.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey yourself, you look beautiful.”

She blushed. “Thank you. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me tonight? You know moral support and all.”

He laughed. “No, I really need to get my business plan over to the bank on Monday and seeing how you are stealing my weekend away. I need to do it tonight.”

“Wish me luck. I will be at The Lighthouse if you want to come by later for a drink.”

He nodded. He leaned in slowly and locked eyes with her. “You really are breathtaking in that dress, Maddy.”

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck. As soon as her lips touched, she felt the electricity again. He pulled her tighter against his body and moved his hands over her ass. She moaned softly as their lips parted.

As he pulled away, he groaned. “You need to go because if we do that again, Alicia will be pissed at me for keeping you.”

Madison blushed again as she ran down the stairs and towards the parking lot. She truly smiled for the first time in a long time.

When she arrived at the restaurant, the valet took her car and she walked inside. It was a beautiful place. Carter had proposed to Alicia there and it meant something to them. Madison walked through the lobby and took in all the artwork. As she roamed, one of the portraits caught her eye. It was in the prospective of someone looking over the ocean at sunset. The waves crashed into the rocks and as she looked closer, she noticed footprints in the sand.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Madison turned around and spotted Hunter. “It really is. Something about it caught my eye.”

“It’s because you fell in love with the ocean the minute you saw it. It’s part of who you are now.”

She nodded. “Who’s the artist?”

Hunter leaned in and looked in the corner of the painting. “Emily Mason. I don’t know who that is.”

Madison shrugged. “She’s very talented. So, is everyone here?”

He nodded. “Alicia is waiting for you in the banquet room. Your parents are here too. I’m assuming they don’t know that we are no longer together.”

She shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to them. If they bring it up, I will deal with it.”

“You look beautiful,” he said as he reached for her hand and kissed it.

Madison felt her heart race as she looked at him. She quickly removed her hand from his. He smirked. “You felt it too.”

She turned away from him and headed into the room. She was greeted by her brother. “Hey Maddy, you look fantastic.”

“So do you, Carter. I can’t believe you are getting married tomorrow.” she smiled.

“I know, it seems weird too but I love her.”

Madison hugged him again. “Where is the blushing bride?”

Carter turned and pointed towards their parents. “Talking to mom and dad, we told them last night about the baby. They were actually happy for us.” He paused, “They asked about you.”

She frowned. “Yeah, what did they want to know?”

“They asked how you were doing. They wanted to know about you and Hunter. Alicia and I agreed it wasn’t our place to tell them so we didn’t. We just said that school was going well and you were happy.”

She nodded. “Thanks. I guess I should go and say hello.”

Madison walked across the room to the large table that was set up for the party. She spotted Alicia’s family and the rest of the wedding party. Madison walked up to her father and smiled. “Hello Father.”

“Madison, you look beautiful. How are you?”

“I’m doing well. How are you?”

“I’m feeling very proud that my son is getting married tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Alicia is wonderful for him and now with the baby on the way.”

Her father nodded. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

Madison looked over as her mother approached them. “Madison, it’s nice to see you.”

She nodded. “How are you, mother?”

“I’m doing well. I heard that you did most of the wedding planning. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

“Why? So you can criticize everything that I have put together?”

Her father spoke up. “Watch your mouth, Madison. Your mother didn’t mean that.”

“Yes she did. She will be watching for the first mistake. I know that you aren’t happy that I’m the maid of honor. I’m fine with that. I’m here for them, not you.”

Madison walked out of the room for some fresh air. She started to cry as she walked onto the deck that faced a large black and white lighthouse sitting on the banks. She wiped her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and spotted Dr. Allen.

“I thought that was you, Madison. Are you ok?”

She was in shock and wiped her eyes again. “Dr. Allen? What are you doing here?”

He smiled and handed his handkerchief to her. “We aren’t in school right now so please call me Greg. My family is having a reunion at the restaurant tonight and I thought I saw you walk by. I had to see if I was right.”

“Yep, you were right. My brother is getting married tomorrow and the rehearsal dinner is starting shortly.”

“Why are you crying? Is everything ok?”

She watched as his blue eyes turned sympatric and he placed his hand on her arm. She nodded. “I’m fine, just an issue with my parents. It was nice to see you out of school but I should get back to the party.”