Maddy Finds Out

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

So yeah, you wanted this chapter so I wrote it.

Predictions?

***********************************

Carter stepped off the elevator and found Donovan waiting in the hallway. He leaned on the opposite wall, his arms crossed, focus on the ground. There was a slope to his shoulders that told Carter so much.

"Hey," she said.

At her voice, Donovan roused himself and lifted his head.

"Worried?" she asked.

He let out a slow breath. "It's a big step and even though they've been serious for a while there's no determining how this will affect her or them."

Carter nodded, sliding her hands into her pockets. The discussion on this topic had spanned over weeks, every angled examined, every outcome analyzed but in the end, there was no way to know for certain how it would all play out.

"How is he doing?" she asked.

Donovan pushed himself off the wall and headed towards Link's apartment.

"You can ask him yourself."

Inside the mid-morning light cascaded through the windows in golden strands. The warm autumn tones softened the apartment and haloed Link as he rested against the back of an armchair, facing the windows. Everything about his posture spoke of calm, but Carter didn't buy it, from this point on everything would change.

When Carter settled onto the couch's armrest, one foot on the cushions, Link looked at her. His hazel eyes were where the heart of his emotions lay. It was like seeing a storm forming on the horizon. As he breathed out, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you think I'm making the right decision?" he asked.

Donovan took the seat beside Carter, his shoulder brushing her hip as he leaned forward.

"Do you love her?" Carter asked.

Link contemplated his hands. "I've loved her since our sixth date and three years later I only love her more." He raised his head. "I still wonder if it's a teenage infatuation." He chuckled softly. "But we're not teenagers anymore."

"Then I think you're making the right decision," Carter said.

Link didn't respond to his, his brows furrowed, a hint of sadness in his eyes as he stared out on the world.

"And if I lose her because of this?" he asked.

No answer would make the question any easier to handle, so both Carter and Donovan remained silent. Link nodded as if they had spoken and he was agreeing. For a long while, the trio held onto the quiet, feeling the weight of change that hung just around the corner. Right then they were who they always had been, their friendship tightly knit. But the next step in their story was one that could shift the whole dynamic.

A knock on the door broke the moment. Looking at Carter and Donovan, Link rose. Taking in a deep breath, he crossed to the door and pulled it open. Maddy beamed at him from the other side. Stepping forward, she kissed him.

"Hey, babe," she said.

Link tried for a smile but it didn't come. Noticing, Maddy's own smile sobered.

"What's up? Are you okay?"

Link waved her into the apartment. Frowning slightly, Maddy walked in, spotting Carter and Donovan for the first time.

"What's going on?" she asked, spinning back to Link.

"Sit down, I have something to tell you."

Maddy did as he suggested, tucking one black strand behind her ear.

"You're not about to tell me you're dying, right?" she asked, letting out a nervous laugh.

Link sat on the coffee table in front of her, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not dying."

"Good."

Link managed a fleeting smile at this response.

"Look," he said, setting aside his glasses and gathering his courage. "What I'm about to tell you will be overwhelming but I hope you can understand where I'm coming from."

Before Link could continue, Maddy leaned forward and cupped his cheek.

"Hey. I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to worry."

Link's shoulders dropped and he sighed.

"If you do, I wouldn't blame you," he said.

"How about you just give me a chance before jumping to the worst."

He nodded once. "I can do that."

Maddy leaned back in the chair, her gaze loving and open. Right then Carter could see how deep the girl's affection ran for Link. She hoped it was strong enough to weather a lie that he had told her for years.

"I've never talked about my father," Link said. "And the reason is that it's a sensitive subject." He swallowed. "Besides being illegitimate...my father is former President Douglas."

The words hung in the air and the trio held their breath waiting for the explosion of questions and emotions.

"I know," Maddy said.

With those two words, all the air was sucked from the room. Link frowned and Carter and Donovan exchanged looks.

"Wait? You know?" Link rubbed his face, confusion muddling his brain. "How do you know? When did you find out? How did you find out?"

Maddy rested her head on her fist, completely at ease with the whole situation.

"It was about a year and a half ago," she said. "I was doing a project for poli-sci class. I spent about two hours watching speeches given by President Douglas. It was during the second hour that I realized he has this habit of talking out of only one side of his mouth like one corner is frozen." Maddy's eyes softened. "It's what you do." Reaching forward, she brushed a fingertip over the edge of his mouth as if it were her favorite spot to kiss. "From there I began to notice the connection between the two of you. You look a lot like him, you know."

Still stunned, Link could only bob his head in agreement.

"It was then I put two and two together. How you've never mentioned your father. If it was a bad divorce you would say so or if he were dead you would say that, but you never said either of those things. Figuring you might not know who he was I didn't push the subject. But once I knew all of that fell into place, I could see why you never spoke about him."

Carter smiled and looked at Donovan. He had his gaze trained on Maddy as if seeing her in a whole new light. Carter knew exactly how he felt. Though Carter had always liked Maddy, she now found herself respecting her.

Maddy pointed to Donovan. "Also explained your relationship. Bodyguard, right?"

Holding in a smile, Donovan dipped his head. Maddy focused on Carter, eyes narrowed.

"Second bodyguard or girlfriend to bodyguard?" she asked.

Carter shrugged. "A little of both."

When Maddy laughed, the sound tugged Link from his shock.

"Wait, you weren't mad that I hadn't told you?" Link asked.

Maddy shook her head but it held a past mix of emotions. "Oh, I was so pissed that you had kept something like this from me after dating for so long. I didn't talk to you for a week."

Link scrunched up his a face. "Yeah, I remember that I was really confused." He cocked his head. "What changed?"

"After I got past the initial anger I realized what it meant if your father acknowledged Mason as his son but not you. I realized that this wasn't a secret you share with a high school girlfriend or even a college girlfriend. It's a secret you share once you know that you can truly trust that person." The edge of her lips curled and she lifted one shoulder. "I figured I would keep your secret hoping one day I could be that person."

Link leaned forward and kissed her. When he pulled back, his eyes were intense and locked on her as if she were the only person alive. "Marry me."

She laughed. "Of course."

Grinning, Link kissed her again, pulling her into his arms. Knowing a cue to leave when they saw it, both Carter and Donovan slipped out of the apartment.

"Well," Carter said.

Donovan laughed. "Yeah."

They leaned against the wall, smiling at each other, soaking in the outcome neither of them could have foreseen.

**********************************************************************

You want a piece of me!

(Oh please don't, I wouldn't take very good)

Go ahead and leaving your thoughts about the chapter right here! πŸ’¬

Now, I have a serious question to ask you. Do you want me to write Kennedy or more one shots?

Stop! I already know your answer but you need to know what this would actually mean, you wouldn't get Kennedy right away.

Let me explain. I am currently writing two other books and before I could post Kennedy I would finish up Haley (Holding Back). That means you would be waiting a couple or a few months.

In the time I would begin to write Kennedy but not upload because I like to always be ahead of posting so I never miss an update.

But to write Kennedy would mean I would have to stop writing these one shots as well as any Classified chapters.

That means you would only have Holding Back updates for awhile and none of these.

Does that make sense?

So what is your answer now? Do you want Kennedy in few months?

Or do you want to continue getting these One Shot chapters as well as Classified chapters indefinitely and eventually get Kennedy?

After you make the decision that will change the course of history vote, comment, follow!

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net