his front door, but because he didn’t want Maddy to face them alone. They flew down the stairs side by side.
In the main hall of his house, Madison stopped and looked up at him with a concern he wished he had time to kiss away. She took him by the hand and said, “It’s probably better if I go out there alone.”
He wasn’t used to anyone worrying about him. He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I can take care of myself.”
Her eyes rounded with real worry. “My father can be—intimidating.”
He didn’t like the way that sounded. “Are you afraid of him?”
She shook her head adamantly. “No. Of course not. But if he thinks he needs to protect me, he won’t be kind to you. He has old-world views on family. This could get ugly.”
Tucking a loose curl behind Madison’s ear, Richard assured her, “It’ll be fine.”
Drawing in a fortifying breath, Madison nodded and opened the door.
Gino practically fell forward into the hall. Ranting in Italian, he swung her up into a bone-crushing hug. When he put her down, he chastised her as one would a child. “You stole ten years off my life, Maddy, when you did not call me. Never do that again.”
It was not the exchange Richard had expected to see. His surprise increased when Madison’s response to his angry tone was to wrap her arms around the giant’s waist and hug him back. “I’m so sorry, Gino. It was a spontaneous decision and one that I now wish I had handled differently.”
Real love shone in the older man’s eyes as he smoothed her hair. “You’re safe. That’s what matters. But next time you have a crazy idea, let me in on it. I’d rather face your father’s wrath than worry that you’ve been taken.”
“Is he angry with me?” Madison asked.
“Livid,” Gino answered. Nodding at Richard, he continued, “He should stay inside.”
Madison looked over her shoulder at Richard, wordlessly offering him the option one last time. Richard stepped forward and offered his hand to Gino in greeting. “Richard D’Argenson. I am looking forward to meeting Madison’s parents.”
Gino looked back and forth between them, then shook Richard’s hand. “You’re one brave bastard.”
“Not really, but I would never send her out there alone.”
Releasing Richard’s hand, Gino nodded in approval. “That might save you.” He turned and led the way out onto the steps.
A short, brown-haired woman came rushing forward and tearfully threw her arms around Madison. She searched the younger woman’s face and said, “I was so worried. When we received your text and Gino admitted he didn’t know where you were, I imagined all sorts of scenarios.”
“Mom, I told you I was okay.”
“Anyone could have sent that message to stall us from coming to find you. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
And I’ve never been so sorry. Tears began to run down Maddy’s cheeks. “I didn’t consider how awful it would be for you. I needed time away from everyone to think.” Her mother kept hugging her, tighter and tighter, until Maddy said, “Mom, are you okay?”
With a prolonged, pained laugh, her mother released her. “I want to kill you, but I love you so I can’t. I’m hugging you, but I’d like to strangle you a little. I mean that in the most loving, you’d-better-never-do-anything-like-this-again way.” Then she started crying.
A tall, expensively dressed Italian man in his early sixties stepped toward the emotional pair. His voice boomed. “Thinking is all you’d better have been doing here.” His disgust for Richard rang clear in his tone.
Madison stepped away from her mother and moved to stand next to Richard. She took his hand in hers and faced her father defiantly. “You told me to grow up, Dad, and that’s what I did.”
With a snarl, her father reached for Richard. “I’ll kill him.”
Another man, about his age and stature, stepped forward and said, “I haven’t punched anyone in thirty years, but I have your back
In the main hall of his house, Madison stopped and looked up at him with a concern he wished he had time to kiss away. She took him by the hand and said, “It’s probably better if I go out there alone.”
He wasn’t used to anyone worrying about him. He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I can take care of myself.”
Her eyes rounded with real worry. “My father can be—intimidating.”
He didn’t like the way that sounded. “Are you afraid of him?”
She shook her head adamantly. “No. Of course not. But if he thinks he needs to protect me, he won’t be kind to you. He has old-world views on family. This could get ugly.”
Tucking a loose curl behind Madison’s ear, Richard assured her, “It’ll be fine.”
Drawing in a fortifying breath, Madison nodded and opened the door.
Gino practically fell forward into the hall. Ranting in Italian, he swung her up into a bone-crushing hug. When he put her down, he chastised her as one would a child. “You stole ten years off my life, Maddy, when you did not call me. Never do that again.”
It was not the exchange Richard had expected to see. His surprise increased when Madison’s response to his angry tone was to wrap her arms around the giant’s waist and hug him back. “I’m so sorry, Gino. It was a spontaneous decision and one that I now wish I had handled differently.”
Real love shone in the older man’s eyes as he smoothed her hair. “You’re safe. That’s what matters. But next time you have a crazy idea, let me in on it. I’d rather face your father’s wrath than worry that you’ve been taken.”
“Is he angry with me?” Madison asked.
“Livid,” Gino answered. Nodding at Richard, he continued, “He should stay inside.”
Madison looked over her shoulder at Richard, wordlessly offering him the option one last time. Richard stepped forward and offered his hand to Gino in greeting. “Richard D’Argenson. I am looking forward to meeting Madison’s parents.”
Gino looked back and forth between them, then shook Richard’s hand. “You’re one brave bastard.”
“Not really, but I would never send her out there alone.”
Releasing Richard’s hand, Gino nodded in approval. “That might save you.” He turned and led the way out onto the steps.
A short, brown-haired woman came rushing forward and tearfully threw her arms around Madison. She searched the younger woman’s face and said, “I was so worried. When we received your text and Gino admitted he didn’t know where you were, I imagined all sorts of scenarios.”
“Mom, I told you I was okay.”
“Anyone could have sent that message to stall us from coming to find you. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
And I’ve never been so sorry. Tears began to run down Maddy’s cheeks. “I didn’t consider how awful it would be for you. I needed time away from everyone to think.” Her mother kept hugging her, tighter and tighter, until Maddy said, “Mom, are you okay?”
With a prolonged, pained laugh, her mother released her. “I want to kill you, but I love you so I can’t. I’m hugging you, but I’d like to strangle you a little. I mean that in the most loving, you’d-better-never-do-anything-like-this-again way.” Then she started crying.
A tall, expensively dressed Italian man in his early sixties stepped toward the emotional pair. His voice boomed. “Thinking is all you’d better have been doing here.” His disgust for Richard rang clear in his tone.
Madison stepped away from her mother and moved to stand next to Richard. She took his hand in hers and faced her father defiantly. “You told me to grow up, Dad, and that’s what I did.”
With a snarl, her father reached for Richard. “I’ll kill him.”
Another man, about his age and stature, stepped forward and said, “I haven’t punched anyone in thirty years, but I have your back
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