with Maddie, the way she was, the sadness constantly lurking in her eyes, the joy she allowed to show openly coating it, it was impossible not to bond. There was something about her that made a man wish to watch over her. There was something else about her that made a man wish to get to know her, prod under a veneer Achilles was certain she thought was a shield, but didn’t understand it was flimsy. It made a man wish to dig deeper and discover what lay beneath.
