“I was so scared,” she admitted, her voice catching. “I kept telling myself this was temporary, that I couldn’t get attached. But I already have. Olive has. This place, this life with you, feels more like home than my house ever did.”
Relief surged through me so sharply it nearly stole my breath. I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles. “Then don’t leave.”
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks, but she was smiling. “Okay.”
I didn’t wait. I leaned in and kissed her, slow and deep, tasting the sweetness of tea and the salt of her tears. Her hands slid to my shoulders, anchoring me, pulling me closer. Months of quiet touches and unspoken words poured into that kiss, not just desire, but promise.
She broke away only long enough to murmur against my mouth, “We’ll tell Olive tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” I whispered, resting my forehead against hers.
The glow of the guesthouse flickered across the yard, and Olive’s voice rose faintly, calling out for her mom. Madison laughed softly, pressing her lips to mine once more before pulling back.
As she slipped inside, her laughter trailing behind her, I stayed on the porch, heart pounding. For the first time in years, the future didn’t feel like something I had to control or guard against.
It felt like something I could finally hold on to.
Chapter 51
Madison
The sunlight was soft when I woke, golden and filtered through the curtains of the guesthouse. For a moment, I simply lay still, listening to the quiet rhythm of morning. Olive’s steady breathing carried from her little room, a soft hum of security that always calmed me. Beyond that, I could hear the faint clink of something in the main house. Seth was already up.
I pressed my hand to my chest, my mind circling back to last night. The porch. How his voice, rough but steady, told me not to leave. The way his hand had held mine like he could anchor me in place, the way his kiss had felt less like an invitation and more like a promise. I had said yes. Not just to him, but to us.
Now comes the hardest part.
Olive.
I had always tried to be careful about what I let her expect. Her little world had already seen too much change. I told myself I had to protect her from any possibility of disappointment. But when I heard her sleepy footsteps pad across the floor, when she appeared in the doorway clutching her Bunny and rubbing her eyes, I realized she had already made space for Seth without hesitation.
“Morning, O,” I said softly.
She climbed into my lap without answering, warm and still heavy with sleep. “Do we have pancakes?”
I kissed her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of shampoo and sugar. “We might. Let’s go see.”
We walked across the yard, her small hand tucked inside mine, and found Seth in the kitchen. He stood at the stove in a plain T-shirt and jeans, flipping pancakes on the griddle. The sight pulled at me in ways I wasn’t ready to name, a domestic ease I hadn’t realized I wanted until it was right in front of me.
Olive’s face lit up. “You made them!”
“Couldn’t let you start the day without pancakes,” Seth said, sliding another onto the growing stack. He looked at me over his shoulder, his smile small but steady. “You too.”
We sat at the table, the three of us. Olive drowned her plate in syrup, chattering about her dream where the flowers in the garden grew taller than the house. Seth listened, nodding at all the right places while I stirred my coffee, waiting for the moment to arrive.
I cleared my throat, heart pounding. “Olive, can Mommy and Uncle Seth talk to you about something important?”
She froze mid-bite, eyes wide. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” I said quickly, brushing her curls back. “Not at all. We just want to tell you something.”
Her eyes bounced between the two of us, curiosity sparking. Seth set down his fork and folded his hands on the table, steady as always, waiting for me to lead.
I took a breath. “You know how we’ve been staying here with Uncle Seth while our house was being fixed?”
She nodded, chewing slowly.
“Well,” I said gently, “the house is ready now. We could move back anytime. But Uncle Seth asked us something last night.”
