Page 106 of Before the Encore

Bonnie placed her hand over Madison’s. “What are you thinking?”

A group of young lads cycled past on their BMXs, pulling up their front tyres and wheeling down the centre of the road.

“That you’ll see me for exactly who I am,” she admitted, her throat dry. “A fuck-up.”

A car passed, filling the silence with a whoosh. The car rocked gently.

“I’m sorry to tell you this.” Bonnie sighed, shifting onto her side so she could look directly at Madison.

Madison’s heart squeezed. Oh god. This is it.

“But I saw you for who you were a long time ago,” Bonnie continued. “You do a good job at keeping it hidden, but it slipped through. Despite the bad girl reputation you claim to have, you are not a fuck-up.” Her lips curved, and the steel grip around Madison’s heart loosened. “I know how much you care for your sister, how quick you helped me through my panic attacks, how you still send your mum money even though she said those horrible things to you. I know how deeply you love, but you don’t want anyone to know it. I see it, Madison. I see you.” Bonnie gave her a soft smile. “And we all have things we’re not proud of. We all make mistakes, and we all have regrets, but those don’t define you. I know you have a complicated relationship with your mum, but your family doesn’t define you either. You know who you are.”

Madison turned Bonnie’s hand over in hers, tracing the lines etched into her palms, the looping prints at the end of her fingers. She smiled at the memory, before it slowly slid away.

“I feel like everyone is waiting for me to fuck it up so they can say ‘I told you so’.” A frown etched between her brows. “But I don’t want to be like my dad.”

“Then don’t be.” Bonnie planted a kiss to her knuckles. “It’s just like you tell me, baby. You’re in control. You have the power.”

Madison’s mouth quirked, hearing Bonnie relay her own words back to her.

Bonnie chased the movement with her thumb. “Have I mentioned that you’re the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen?”

Madison smirked. “You hadn’t, but you can tell me again.”

Bonnie leaned over the centre console and pressed her lips to hers. Warmth slid into Madison’s stomach, filling her with that glowing, gooey feeling that had only grown over the last few weeks they’d spent together. For Madison, love didn’t come easily or willingly. She’d refused to let it make a home somewhere she thought was inhabitable, somewhere it would suffocate. It was different with Bonnie. But the words still stuck to the roof of her mouth.

Bonnie pulled back, gently wiping lipstick from Madison’s mouth with a smile.

“That was definitely more show than tell,” Madison joked, “but I’m not complaining.”

“Good.” Bonnie kissed her again, warm brown eyes peering into hers. “Whatever happens today, I’m here. You’re not on your own.”

Tears welled behind Madison’s eyes. The urge to open her big mouth flared. The feeling swelling so large, it demanded to be known. She swallowed, then nodded, shifting the car into drive. “It’s at the end of this road.”

She parked the car between two overflowing wheelie bins and looked out at the red-bricked terrace. Home. The drainpipe still pulled away from the wall, but the curtains covering the white square windows were open, not drawn. So, Ruby was here.

She climbed out of the car and looked at the street—the stretch of red brick, shrubs overgrowing rusting, rickety furniture. Bonnie’s Audi stuck out like a sore thumb.

Madison held open the squeaky black gate, still wonky from the time she kicked it in a rage, and they walked down the snicket leading to the back door, where Madison had carved her name into the brick with a penknife—the front door hadn’t unlocked since Madison was at school.

The garden at the back was small but tidy. The piles of junk had been moved, the greying patio swept. Madison raised a brow at the small terracotta plant standing by the door, pink and yellow flowers twitching in the breeze.

That’s definitely new.

Ruby opened the door before Madison knocked, wearing baggy blue jeans and a low-cut pink T-shirt. She glanced at Bonnie, letting out a muted squeal, then darted off the step and hugged Bonnie first. The cheek. But then she wrapped her arms around Madison so hard it pushed the air from her.

“You came,” she whispered.

The relief in her voice pricked at Madison’s eyelids again. She hugged her back, breathing in the expensive perfume she’d bought her.

Ruby grabbed Bonnie by the hand and led her inside.

Guess I’ll follow then.

She sighed, her Docs clunking up the stone steps and into the kitchen. It was exactly how she remembered—but cleaner. Scuffed wooden cabinets. Torn black laminate floor. A small table and chairs pushed to the wall. Garlic and onion bubbled in a red sauce on the stove.

Her mum stood by the counter, dark hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing new jeans and a fresh T-shirt. Madison searched for the signs on autopilot—glassy eyes, a sway in her stance, the stench she couldn’t seem to shake—then blew out a sigh of relief.