My throat ached as I tried to swallow down the mix of fear and hope rising inside me. Blair had never been one to sugarcoat the truth, and the certainty in her voice made it harder to cling to my doubts.
“Do you think I’m crazy?” I whispered.
Blair’s smile was warm, almost fierce. “I think you’re brave. And I think you deserve to be happy. Don’t talk yourself out of something good just because you’re scared.”
Before I could respond, Maddox sauntered up to the table with his usual grin, a beer in hand. “Did I just hear something about Seth being happy? Now that’s breaking news.”
Blair groaned, tossing a fry at him. “Go away, Maddox.”
“What? I’m just saying, Cunningham hasn’t smiled this much since high school football. You can’t expect me not to notice.” He winked at me. “You’re good for him, Madison. Don’t let him mess it up.”
He left as quickly as he arrived, leaving me flushed and flustered while Blair rolled her eyes. Greyson glanced over from the bar, his expression unreadable but kind, before returning to the customers in front of him.
I turned back to Blair, who was watching me with that patient, knowing look only best friends could manage. Olive tugged on my sleeve then, proudly showing me the sunflower she had drawn in purple crayon.
“See, Mommy? It’s just like the ones we planted.”
I smiled, smoothing her hair back from her face, and realized that Blair was right. This wasn’t just about me. It was about Olive. About giving her a chance to grow up in a world where love wasn’t something to fear.
And for the first time in years, I let myself want that too.
Chapter 38
Seth
The house was quiet, the kind of quiet that used to feel comforting but now felt like it was missing something. I sat on the porch steps of the main house, a bottle of water in my hand, watching fireflies spark across the yard. The garden bed we had worked on together was dark and still, but I kept looking toward it anyway, like it was a reminder of everything that had shifted.
The sound of a car pulling up broke through the night. The sun was slowly setting over the tree line, glowing a burnt orange. Headlights washed over the gravel driveway, and I straightened as Madison parked beside the guesthouse. Olive’s chatter carried through the open window before the door even opened, her voice high and bright. Madison laughed as she unbuckled her, and that sound, soft and unguarded, sank into me deeper than I wanted to admit.
They made their way up to the porch of the guesthouse, Olive bounding ahead with a burst of energy that did not match the hour. Madison followed more slowly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked over her shoulder then, her eyes finding me across the yard.
For a moment, we just stayed like that. Her smile was small, but it reached her eyes, and I raised my hand in a little wave. She returned it, then ushered Olive inside.
I thought that would be it, but a little while later, the door creaked open again. Madison stepped back out, barefoot, her arms wrapped loosely around her waist. The porch light above her cast a golden glow across her face, and the sight made something tug in my chest.
“You are still out here,” she said softly as she walked across the yard toward me.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I admitted. “You?”
She shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Not yet.”
I shifted over, giving her room on the steps. She sat beside me, her knee brushing against mine, and for a while we did not say anything. The night sounds filled the silence: the hum of cicadas, the chirp of crickets, the faint rustle of leaves in the warm breeze.
“You were with Blair tonight,” I said eventually, my voice low.
She nodded. “She asked me to meet her at the bar. We talked.”
My chest tightened. “About me.”
Her lips curved. “Of course, about you. She is your sister.”
I let out a breath I did not know I was holding. “And?”
“And she reminded me of what I already see. That you are different with me. With Olive.” Madison’s gaze found mine, steady and sure. “She told me not to be afraid of that. Not to talk myself out of something good just because it is scary.”
I swallowed hard, her words digging deeper than she probably realized. Blair had always been protective, sharp with her truths, and if she was encouraging Madison, it meant something.
“I don’t want you to be afraid,” I said quietly. “I don’t want to be either.”
