The Day I Stopped Waiting Was the Day He Started Begging novel Chapter 18

Not a chance in hell.

The sheets still carried Madeline's distinct, rich scent of roses, the fragrance curling its way into his senses.

York remembered how, whenever passion overtook them, that scent would bloom even stronger.

It always made him want to devour her, like plucking a fresh, dew-covered rose.

After a long moment, he got up, walked into the bathroom, and aggressively turned on the cold shower.

--

The next day, right after Madeline left for work.

Caleb's car rolled to a smooth stop outside Fiona's house.

When he walked inside, Evie was still sound asleep. Sunny, entirely unfazed by strangers, immediately started weaving between Caleb's legs.

"Hey there, little guy. You smell the cat food on me, don't you? No wonder York loves you so much. Fiona's got you looking healthy and shiny, and York even had me deliver your groceries."

Staring at the dozens of heavy boxes of cat food packed into the car, Fiona felt completely overwhelmed.

Her house only had five rooms.

One was entirely dedicated to Evie's baby supplies and toys, one was for Madeline, one for Sloane, and one for herself.

That left the final room just barely large enough for the eight cats to sleep in.

Dozens of boxes of cat food were simply too much.

"Why don't you... take some of it back? It doesn't take this much to feed a few kittens."

Caleb dropped to one knee, scooped Sunny up, and gave him an affectionate sniff.

"Can't do it. York and his wife saved this cat together. If he finds out I didn't deliver the goods, he'll literally kill me."

Hearing that, Fiona couldn't refuse. She offered him a cup of coffee and walked him to the door.

Right as he stepped into the entryway, Caleb noticed several pairs of toddler shoes neatly lined up by the door.

He hadn't heard anything about Sloane having a kid. Did Fiona secretly adopt a baby recently?

His imagination ran wild, and in his distraction, he bumped his shoulder hard against the doorframe.

"...If you have that much free time, go mediate the Middle East crisis. Why the hell do you care if Sloane had a secret baby?"

Madeline paused, her eyelashes fluttering in sudden realization.

She had stayed up so late working the night before, and rushed out so frantically this morning, that she had completely forgotten to hide Evie's shoes in the closet. She never expected Caleb to spot them.

Fortunately, York's mind clearly hadn't gone anywhere near the truth.

Catching her out of the corner of his eye, York said, "Something came up. Hanging up."

He instinctively almost called her by a pet name, but the word died on his tongue, shifting back to a formal "Ms. Monroe."

Caleb was just about to mock him for being whipped when York ruthlessly cut the line.

Those captivating eyes of his locked directly onto Madeline.

Even the sunlight seemed to favor him, catching on his eyelashes and reflecting off his amber irises.

But what he said next caught Madeline completely off guard: "My dad called last night. He asked if I wanted a divorce."