Roommaid

by Sariah Wilson

And I did. I burned and I burned until it was like my body had turned to ash, unbearably light, ready to float away if he didn’t keep me grounded. Against him, against his lips. This kiss wasn’t pretending. It wasn’t theoretical. He was kissing me because he wanted to. Because he was reaching out to someone who would understand, who had been feeling all the same pain and worry, and it was a way for him to connect. For us to connect.

One of his hands moved up into my hair and the sensation of his fingers against my scalp sent shudders through me. He pulled back gently, exposing the line of my throat. Then his mouth moved against that delicate skin, skimming it and pressing intermittent kisses to it, so that I had to grab on to his shoulders just to stay upright. Then he went for the bottom of my earlobe, onto the spot just behind my ear that drove me wild. Like he’d instinctively known exactly where to touch me to make me fall apart in his arms.

Worried that he didn’t believe me, I grabbed his face and dragged his mouth back to mine. I wanted to show him what I wanted.

His phone was ringing. We were both so caught up in what we were doing, what our kisses were creating, that I don’t think we noticed at first. But it rang and it rang, persistent. “Tyler.” I muttered his name against his lips and he let out a soft groan of despair. “I know, I hear it, too.”

“I want to be with you. I want us. Together. Dating.” Now I had to be hallucinating. No way this was actually happening. “What?” “You and me.” He took a step closer, reaching out with his hand to hold the side of my face. “I want this.” His thumb ran over my lips as he said the words and my lower abdomen tightened hard in response. My knees buckled. “And I want more.”

It was like those smiling emojis had gone straight to my heart, filling me with absolute joy. But before I could respond, he added: That sent thrills of excitement through me to the point that I had to sit on the couch because I felt a little faint.

“Why do you need me to go?” I did consider the fact that she might just be lying to me if our mom was manipulating her. She let out a big breath. “Because I’m going to tell our parents that I’m not marrying Howard and that I’m in love with Santiago.”

The dog sitter arrived and then Tyler texted me he was in Houston heading in to work, saying he’d missed me and was counting down the minutes until he could see me again, and Julio was there to pick me up.

“Here’s your father. And speaking of meeting people here at the party, you absolutely must meet his guest. One of the up-and-coming stars at Weston Wilshire. Madison, I believe you know Tyler Roth?” CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX I couldn’t process what was happening. My dad was there, in a tux. And so was Tyler. They were together. And Tyler worked for my father’s company? Why hadn’t he told me? An unsteady pulse started throbbing against my right temple. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Madison?” Tyler sounded confused. “What are you doing here?”

“No! I kissed you . . . because . . .” He ran his fingers through his hair, showing me his frustration. “Because I was falling in love with you. I’m in love with you. And I shouldn’t have kissed you, because you had a boyfriend that you’ve been with for eight years. The first time the two of you had just broken up and I was such a hypocrite to make a move, especially after I instituted that stupid rule that we couldn’t be together.”

“Or you did that to throw me off the scent. How did you never tell me where you worked?” “It wasn’t intentional! Sometimes those things don’t come up. Like you never once said who your parents were. You never said their names.” Was that true? I couldn’t remember. “You know my last name!” “You aren’t the only family named Huntington!” His voice softened. “I didn’t make the connection. You’re just Madison to me. My Madison.”

Tyler reached out, as if he wanted to help me, but I backed up. I didn’t want him to touch me. I didn’t want him near me. “I don’t believe you,” I told him. “But if you do care about me at all, don’t follow me or try to contact me.” My lungs started to constrict as I put on my coat and stepped outside.

“I’m going to quit the academy,” I announced, unnecessarily dramatic. “Why would you quit? You just signed a two-year contract.” “Because now that I know my parents are responsible for getting me my job, how can I stay there? They ruined it. I didn’t earn it on my own.” Shay shook her head. “I recommended you, too. Maybe it was a combination of both things, or neither one. It doesn’t really matter. You’re the one who interviewed. You earned that job. You got a contract because you’re good at what you do. Who cares how you got in the door? Now that you’re here, stay and prove Ms. Gladwell was right to have faith in you.”

what if Tyler was telling the truth? I wouldn’t put it past your mom to orchestrate this whole thing and leave Tyler in the dark.

“How could he not? Wasn’t it common sense?” “That he didn’t immediately link you, somebody he’d never met, to the owner of a company he worked for? Because you guys are the only people in all of Texas named Huntington?” I was starting to get a little angry. “He knew I used to be rich and my last name.” “You were asking him to connect a lot of dots with no numbers attached to them,” she said, pausing. “You were introduced to him through Frederica, who has a different last name than your parents.”

Make a decision based on facts, not on feelings.

“The servants love you too much. I finally had to bribe Julio to get him to tell me where you were, and that was only after I promised that I was going to help you, not hurt you.” “Help me? How?” “Vanessa couldn’t wait to fill me in on everything that happened with you at the party.

“Tyler had nothing to do with what Mom did.” The news shocked me, temporarily robbing me of my ability to breathe. “How could you possibly know that?” “Bribing people is extremely effective,” she said, setting her purse down on the floor. “And my first stop was Frederica.

“Maybe it was some way for Mom to hold on to you. To show you that she loves you in her own bizarre way. By helping you find a place to live, a car to drive, a good

I couldn’t help but let out a rueful laugh. “And then I screwed up all their plans by falling in love with Tyler.” She reached for my hand, her eyes sympathetic. “You love him?” Her kindness was almost my undoing. I nodded, ignoring the giant lump in my throat. “I do.” “So, Mom trying to control where you lived turned into you finding the man you love and turning away from the man she chose for you. I’m pretty sure that’s the textbook definition of ironic.”

After a few seconds of us both sitting there in silence, she asked, “Is it okay that I told you?” “Yes! I’m glad you did. I just don’t know what to do next and I don’t know how to stop feeling sad and angry.” Dealing with emotions had never been our family’s strong suit, so it didn’t surprise me that Violet’s way of fixing it was to say, “I could tell you something happy. Would that help?” “Sure.” “Not long after you left I told Mom and Daddy that I wasn’t going to marry Howard and that I was in love with Santiago.” “How did they take it?” “About as well as you’d expect,” she admitted. “It certainly knocked our mother off her smug high horse.”

It was like the old saying—you could lead a horse to the airport, but you couldn’t make her fly commercial.

She mentioned overhearing Vanessa and Gilbert arguing about her being the one to run for senator, and I had to admit that it surprised me that she might actually do it. But I was glad because I knew it would be good for her.

I needed to move forward. I didn’t tell her what Violet had told me, because I had to work through it and figure out what my next step would be.

“I thought you’d be at work.” He walked into the living room, his arms folded, and went to stand by the couch. “That would be a little strange, considering I don’t have a job anymore.” “What? You quit?” “Right after you walked away at the party. No matter what your mother says, I didn’t know. I never would have been involved with some scheme like that. I never would have hurt you that way. And for them to lie and claim that I was? That’s not someone I want to be working for. So I quit.”

“You didn’t open your presents.” “It wasn’t Christmas without you.” He said it in a way that tore my heart up all over again.

He leaned his forehead against mine and I was again struck with that feeling, that relief mixed with love and the recognition that this was where I belonged. He was my home.

At some point you became more important to me than my job.

I had to pretend in so many parts of my life, like I was playing some role. But I never felt that way when I was with you.

“That night when I came home early and you tried to crack my skull open?” When I didn’t respond, he clarified, “The first time we hugged.” Oh, I hadn’t forgotten. “I remember.” “I wanted you that night.” His words sent heated barbs of excitement through me. “And I felt like a hypocrite and a bad person. I had that rule, and here I was, ready to throw it aside without even talking it over with you first.

didn’t kiss you to help you out. I kissed you because I had wanted to kiss you for a very long time.

“I was only saying what I thought you wanted to hear. I said I didn’t want to date anyone else because I was in love with you!” His face lit up in a goofy grin. “You love me?” “Yes. And I have for a long time.” “You’ve never said it before.” “Really? Because I think about it constantly. I just really wanted to respect your boundaries because no one seemed to ever respect mine.”

Because since you’ve been gone, I’ve realized just how much . . . Pigeon misses you.” “Just Pidge?” I teased, loving that I could be like this with him. That we were us again. “She won’t leave your room. She needs you. I need you. I’m lost without you.

“You didn’t make mistakes by making the choices that you did. And it’s on them for ending things, because you are one of the most lovable people I know.”

When I’m with you, I never feel like I’m hiding. You see me. You’re the only person I’ve ever been able to open up to. I’m always going to be honest with you. I’m always going to love you.”

“I’m going to have to get a cheaper apartment when the lease is up,” he said. “Which is good, because we’re only going to need one room.” “Are you asking me to move in with you?” “What I want is for you to marry me. But we can talk about it when you’re ready.” I loved him so, so, so much. I’d marry him today if he wanted. “You don’t talk about it. You ask.”

This, you, you’re that scent. You smell like freedom. Possibilities.” “Funny,” he said. “I was just thinking that you smelled like all of my tomorrows. My future. My wife.” “That’s closer. Next time, make it a question.” The next time, he did.