Madison’s laugh joined hers, low and warm, and I found myself looking at her instead of the garden. Her cheeks were pink from the sun, and there was no trace of guardedness in her expression. Just ease. For the first time, I let myself really take it in, the sight of her here, on my land, in my morning. It felt… right.
“Coffee?” she asked, holding out her mug. “There’s more inside.”
I took it, careful not to let my fingers brush hers, though part of me wanted to. The steam curled up between us, carrying the scent of hazelnut. “Thanks.”
For a while, we stayed like that. Olive humming as she poked at the dirt, Madison sipping her coffee, and me trying to make sense of the tightness in my chest.
I wasn’t used to this. To company that didn’t feel like an intrusion. To mornings that didn’t feel like obligations. To the idea that maybe letting people in wasn’t a weakness but something else entirely.
When Olive finally darted off toward the porch, announcing she needed pancakes immediately, Madison stood too. She hesitated, her eyes meeting mine. There was a question there, unspoken, but I knew what it was.
Last night hadn’t been an accident. And neither of us regretted it.
I nodded once, steady, hoping she could read everything I couldn’t yet say out loud.
Her lips curved faintly, and she turned toward the guest house, following Olive inside.
I stayed where I was, staring at the garden bed we had planted together.
Chapter 37
Madison
The Hollow Tap was already buzzing by the time Blair waved us over to her usual booth. Olive skipped ahead of me, clutching the new pack of crayons Blair had bought her, and climbed onto the cushioned bench like she had been coming here for years. In a way, she had. This place was as much a staple of Wisteria Creek as the library or the church on Main Street.Even though life had pulled me away, walking through the door still felt like stepping into something familiar.
The air carried the sharp scent of grease and beer, mingled with the tang of furniture polish Greyson used on the bar. The golden lights strung overhead glowed against the worn wood walls, and laughter rolled in from a group playing darts near the back. It hadn’t been that long ago since I last sat in this booth with Blair. But enough had happened that I felt older, changed, and more aware of how much I needed this place and her presence right now.
Blair slid a basket of fries to the middle of the table as Olive carefully arranged her coloring book and crayons in front of her. “Told you I come prepared,” she said, grinning when Olive immediately reached for the red crayon.
“You spoil her,” I teased, sliding into the seat across from her.
“She’s allowed to be spoiled by her honorary aunt.” Blair plucked a fry and dipped it into ketchup. Then her eyes narrowed in that way that told me I wasn’t about to get away with surface-level conversation. “Now, tell me why you’re glowing.”
Heat crept up my cheeks. “I’m not glowing.”
“Yes, you are. Don’t try to lie to me, Mads. I’ve known you too long. Something happened. With my brother.”
I let out a nervous laugh, fiddling with the edge of a napkin. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re avoiding the question,” she shot back, her smile gentle but insistent. “Talk to me. What’s going on with Seth?”
My throat tightened. For a moment, I considered brushing it off, pretending nothing was different. But Blair’s gaze was steady, open, and safe. She had always been my anchor, the person I could tell the truth to when I couldn’t admit it to anyone else, even myself.
I lowered my voice. “We kissed. Last night.”
Blair’s eyes widened, but her smile softened almost instantly. “Oh, Madison.”
“It wasn’t planned,” I rushed on. “It just happened. We were sitting on the porch after Olive fell asleep, and he… he let his guard down. He told me he doesn’t usually let people in, because he doesn’t want to screw it up. And it was just… it was more than I expected.”
Her hand covered mine across the table, grounding me. “How did it feel?”
The question made my eyes sting. I blinked, staring down at our joined hands. “It felt right. And that’s what scares me. It’s been so long since I let myself believe in something like this. I don’t want to set Olive up for disappointment. I don’t want to set myself up for heartbreak.”
Blair squeezed my fingers, her voice firm but gentle. “Listen to me. I’ve known Seth my whole life. He’s stubborn, he hides behind work, and he doesn’t give pieces of himself away easily. If he kissed you, Madison, it’s because you matter to him. You and Olive. He doesn’t play games.”
Her conviction rattled something in me, a wall I had been holding together with fraying rope. “What if it’s too much for him? What if he changes his mind?”
“He won’t,” she said simply. “I can’t remember the last time I saw him like this. Lighter. Softer. He’s not just letting you in, Mads, he wants you there. That’s not a phase. That’s who he is when he finally feels safe.”
