Page 103 of Three Months Yesterday

The question hangs between us and she bites her lip. I can see her mind racing, weighing her answer, and maybe trying to guess what she thinks I want to hear.

“Don’t think about it,” I say softer, squeezing her hands in mine. “Just say the first thing that comes to mind. What do you want?” I whisper.

She looks at me for a long moment, the March wind stirring her hair. When she speaks, her voice is barely above a whisper. “I want us to be together. That’s the only thing I know for sure.” She pauses, her eyes filling with what I hope is love. “I just…I want us to be together.”

The words hit me like a chord finally hitting its mark, like the final note of a song I’ve been trying to write for months.

“Three months yesterday,” I whisper.

Her brows pinch and she shakes her head, like she’s trying to understand. “What?”

“Yesterday makes three months.”

I see the moment it clicks. Her mouth opens and closes, a tear slipping out the corner of her eye. “You’ve been counting?”

“Madison.” I pull her close, close enough to feel the warmth of her and the slight pressure of her belly between us. “Everything changed the moment I met you. Of course I’ve been counting.”

I feel her heart beating through her sweater, fast and hard. I need her to understand. I need to say this right.

“I want to be there when he’s born.” I rest my hand on her stomach feeling the solid curve of it. “I want to help raise him. I need to be a part of your lives in a permanent way. I need you both to be a part of mine.” I take a breath, forcing myself to take a second and gather my thoughts. “I want Stonebridge Hollow—you—to be my landing place. My home.”

Her eyes shine with more tears as they slip free down her cheeks.

“I’ve already told Aaron and the label,” I continue. “I’m slowing down after this tour. After recording the new album, I’m taking a step back. I won’t tour it and I won’t jump into writing another one right away. Whatever my future holds, it has to include you and the little nugget.” I squeeze her hand, needing to make sure she hears the next words. “I love you, Madison Hawthorne. I am so incredibly in love with you.”

The tears track down her cheeks, not slowing down, but it doesn’t stop her. “I love you too,” she whispers. “Beckett, I love you too,” she repeats on a laugh, the sound watery and bright. “Everything you said…it sounds like everything I want, but was too scared to hope for.”

I crash my lips onto hers, my hands framing her face. She tastes like salt and coffee and everything I never knew I wanted.

Madison grips my wrists and I pull back to meet her eyes, still bright with tears. “I need you to know I’d go with you if I could. I’d be by your side for the tour and the album, nothing would keep me away. It’s only because of⁠—”

“I know.” I brush the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. “You need to be here, close to your doctor. Keeping you and Nugget safe is all that matters right now. Besides, there’ll be more tours in the future, and you two will be there for those.”

She laughs, nodding her head. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Ditto.” I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight, feeling the shape of her changing body fit against mine. “But we’ll talk every day. And I expect FaceTime calls at every appointment so I don’t miss anything.”

“As long as you know the camera will probably be aimed at my stomach the entire time and I won’t remember to talk.”

“That sounds perfect to me,” I whisper.

My eyes catch sight of Ian and Zach in the distance, and I remember there’s still one more thing I need to tell her about. Pulling back just enough to see her face, I smooth a wayward piece of hair from her face and meet her eyes.

“One more thing. Ian’s going to stay here with you.”

“No—”

“Yes,” I interrupt. “Until we catch the stalker.”

I don’t tell her about my nightmares, the ones where I come home to find her hurt and the baby gone. I don’t tell her about the way my hands shake when I think about that broken doll, the photo, or just how close this person has already gotten. But I can feel the fear coiling in my gut.

“I’m not saying no to security, I’m saying Ian should be with you and someone else can stay here.”

“Please, Madison,” I plead. “Keeping you and Nugget safe is the most important thing. Ian stays with you. The rest of the team is more than qualified for their jobs. They’ll keep me perfectly safe.”

She studies my face, searching for something. Finally, she exhales and offers me a small nod. “If Ian staying here will make you feel better, then I won’t fight it. But you have to promise me you’ll be careful.”

“That’s an easy promise. Nothing could keep me from coming home to you.”