Madelyn and I have discovered we have a few important things in common over the past two weeks. Tonight, we discover another—we’re both overprotective parents (or whatever I am). We linger, and then we decide that it’s such a nice night that we’ll go for a walk up and down Settler Avenue—right around Allison’s house.
“I can hear them playing in the yard. Zack’s voice is the cutest thing,” I sigh, partially in relief, partially with happiness.
“His birthday is in ten days. I think we’ll invite Allison’s family. My parents will come up. My mother-in-law might come, too. She’s about four hours away from us, now, and I know she’s not fond of long car trips alone at her age. I haven’t asked her officially. Ever since she sent that text— Well, ever since Eli took Linda’s phone and used it to send the text, you know the one—”
“Yes, I do,” I snarl.
“Where Eli says she wants to raise him and he won’t even be around... I don’t know how he spun that, but now I don’t feel like I can trust her. We’ve had a tense relationship since Eli and I separated, but this is a whole different level of betrayal. I never kept Zack from her,” Madelyn says, shaking her head, eyebrows drawn together in hurt and confusion. “I don’t know how she could claim to love him and then say she’d help Eli get custody of him. Like, Eli’s never been around Zack. And Zack has only ever known me and my parents as caregivers, mainly just me. Whisking him away from all of us? That would be cruel.”
“I won’t let that happen, Madelyn. If that man should ever try... Well, I know we’re not a couple, but I love Zack, and I can’t let that happen to him. Or you. We would go somewhere else. Somewhere remote, where he couldn’t find us.”
Madelyn is silent, and I wonder if I’ve said too much. Was that threatening? Unhinged?
I can suddenly picture some faceless, selfish man pulling Zack away as he screams and reaches for Madelyn, and I can’t breathe.
Instead of speaking, Madelyn’s hand slips into mine. Holds onto my hand tightly, slender, pale fingers through my thick, muscular teal ones. “Thank you, Mercer.”
“You’re welcome. I mean it.”
More silence, just a heartbeat of quiet where we can hear the kids in Allison’s yard giggling and calling out to each other. Then, Madelyn murmurs, “I know you do.” Her fingers tighten around mine.
There are no flashes of the future this time, just a golden, all-consuming warmth.
This is right. This is mine.
“You getting tired?” Madelyn asks.
I realize that I’ve stopped moving, and I shake myself. “I’m sorry. This is the first time you’ve ever held my hand. I was savoring.”
Madelyn snorts out a little laugh, then looks embarrassed, and laughs harder. “Itispretty nice.”
“It’s perfect. Like everything is just so smooth and beautiful. So warm and right with your hand in mine.”
I feel her relax—and then tense up again. “It’s been an easy few weeks. You know, except for the moving, the horrible ex threats and insults, and Zack’s near-drowning.” She shudders and tosses me a wry smile. “I guess we’re into a routine—but it isn’t always like this. I don’t want you to get the idea that things with Zack and me could ever be ‘easy.’”
Wisdom might tell me not to argue with the woman of my dreams, but sometimes, stubbornness outruns wisdom. “Madelyn, don’t you think perhaps it’s been easier because you’ve had help for some parts of the day? I know dinner, bedtime, and an hour or so in the morning are not much, but when I came over to play with Zack for a bit, and you were able to finish that big project, that was probably helpful.”
Not entirely to my surprise, she glares at me. “Yeah, it’s been so nice.”
“Then why do you look like you’re trying to broil me with your eyes?”
“Because it seems easy because of you, but when you leave—”
“Who says I want to leave?” I tug her to a halt at the corner of the block. It’s my turn to unleash a glare and let my tentacles swirl and thrash along the ground in agitation. “Have I given any indication of that?”
“No, but... But it won’t always be this easy.”
“No, one day it might be even better!” My voice is urgent, both of my hands claiming hers. “Life is always going to throw hard things at you. Zack could get hurt at school, the house couldneed repairs, illnesses strike... I want to be there for those hard timesandthe easy times. I want to make things easier for you and Zack, and the magical thing is, Madelyn... You said things are better when I’m around, and I’m not even doing anything difficult or noteworthy. All I’m doing is showing up and helping, because I want to. Because I want you and Zack in my life. I don’t want to insult your intellect, my dearest friend, but don’t you think that the more I’m around, the easier it might get?”
“Hypothetically, yes. You sound like you want to make this last, God knows why—”
Because I’m falling in love with you. I love your bravery, and your resilience, and your beauty, and the soft curves of you, and the way you raise Zack. I love being part of a family, I love feeling like I have something to protect and cherish, finding a treasure on land after searching every ocean.
I think all of that, but none of the words come out.
“I have hundreds of reasons, but the main ones are you and Zack,” I supply.
“But lots of guys think they want to make it permanent in the first rush of excitement. I admit, Zack is the prize at the bottom of the box. I’d be tempted to do anything just to spend more time with him,” she hints.
