Chapter 3
Chapter Three
J ax whimpered and then dive bombed her chest, leaving an unpleasant damp streak across her long-sleeved T-shirt and a bruised sternum.
“It’s okay, buddy. It’s almost our turn.” Madison pressed a kiss to the top of his head and kept swaying without pause—the only thing, it seemed, preventing him from screaming loud enough to bring the roof down.
The older woman, who had been side-eyeing Madison disapprovingly for the last ten minutes as the line crept forward at a snail’s pace, pursed her lips and made a clucking noise of disapproval.
Madison forced herself to swallow back the snarky comment on the tip of her tongue. Frankly, with the sleep deprivation and frustration at not being able to make Jax feel better—on top of everything else—She was just as likely to start bawling as deliver an insult.
“You shouldn’t have him out in this weather if he’s sick,” the woman accused.
“Really? I thought he’d enjoy it.” Madison held up the boxes of pediatric cold medicine in her hand.
The woman shook her head with a scowl. “You could have sent his father.”
Madison’s throat tightened with anger. There was no father. Or at least no father she wanted anywhere near Jax. They were on their own.
The woman tutted, and with another sour look, turned back to face the line, saying to the man with her, “This generation is so selfish. Imagine taking a sick baby out in this weather.”
Tears sprang to Madison’s eyes even as the man patted the woman on the shoulder and gave Madison an apologetic look over his shoulder.
Would I be better at this if I were actually Jax’s biological mom?
Jax huffed another angry sound as the line moved forward again, blowing a bubble from his nose, and his tiny fists rose to rub at his red, watery eyes. Madison leaned her cheek into his warm one and wondered how much trouble she would get in if she opened the packages right here and just gave him the medicine?
She felt helpless watching his discomfort. Jax had had colds before, but this one seemed worse than normal.
I should schedule another visit with his pediatrician. Dr. Morse said his lungs were clear, but what if…
Stop.
You’ll give him the medicine, and in less than half an hour, he’ll be warm in his bed.
If Jax took a nap longer than thirty minutes, she might actually get some work done. Murder She Spoke’s last episode had definitely garnered interest. Particularly because she and Cami had essentially named the head of a major movie studio as their prime suspect in a cold murder case.
Taking on such a powerful man wouldn’t typically make Madison nervous, but she was concerned that if he came after them, it would affect her custody case. According to her lawyer, everything did.
Guilt sprang to life in her stomach. Cami was right. They couldn’t back down, but Madison still felt terrible for letting Cami take the lead, essentially making herself the lightning rod for any fallout.
I’m a terrible friend.
What made it worse was Cami was so sweet about it. She had totally understood when Madison said she had to take a step back. But Madison had never backed down from a fight before. She was usually the voice of the podcast. It wasn’t that she liked confrontation… She just wasn’t afraid of it.
Or at least the old Madison wasn’t.
Lately, it felt like she was losing control of practically everything in her life. Like she was tiptoeing across a frozen lake, afraid to step too hard, not knowing which step would be the one that sent out spiderweb cracks before plunging her beneath the surface.
And no matter what Cami said… Did it matter that she was doing her best if it still wasn’t good enough? Not when Jax would pay the price.
“Ma ma,” Jax whined up at her. She smoothed his blond hair back off his forehead.
“Almost there, buddy.”
The older couple in front of her completed their transaction, the woman giving her another nasty look as she passed by.
Madison heaved her basket onto the counter and tried not to grimace as Jax buried his snotty nose into her chest again. Poor little guy.
Purchase completed, Madison stopped just inside the electronic doors at the front of the store and ripped open the baby cold medicine. She swallowed the curse word that threatened to pop out of her mouth as her nail broke on the shrink-wrapped plastic.
As if a sick baby isn’t enough, let’s make the medicine a freaking nightmare to open.
She avoided Jax’s batting hands and quickly squeezed the tip of the dropper to suck up the correct measurement for Jax’s weight and dripped it inside his cheek.
His nose scrunched at the taste, but thankfully he swallowed it instead of spitting it back at her. He thought it was hilarious… Madison, not so much.
Pulling the hood of his baby puffer jacket up, she scooped the bags higher over her elbow while somehow managing to not drop the diaper bag.
Score one for me.
The chilly wind immediately cut into her as the electronic doors slid open, and she tugged Jax’s hood closer. Cold drops of rain pelted her as she hurried through the parking lot.
Madison clicked the key fob to unlock the doors and pulled open the back door, swinging her bags onto the floor and setting the diaper bag on the seat, before putting Jax in his car seat. Dropping the keys in his lap, she struggled to get his arms through the straps.
Not missing his chance, Jax snatched up the fob and immediately gummed it, causing the car’s horn to beep repeatedly as it locked and unlocked. His eyes bright, Jax looked utterly delighted with the noises he was making.
“That’s super gross, buddy. Be glad I’m in a hurry,” she muttered, clicking the belts in place.
In an instant, the rain became heavier, and it felt like ice as it soaked the back of her shirt and leggings as she bent in the car.
Jax’s face contorted in anger, and he let out an ear-piercing shriek when he realized his mobility was restricted. His screams only escalated as she took the key from him, his cheeks turning red with his baby fury.
“I hear you, buddy. I’ll get us home quick.”
Jax clearly did not appreciate her attempts to soothe him, because he grasped an enormous chunk of her hair when it swung near him and yanked hard.
“Ow!” She dropped the fob as she freed her hair.
Denied what he wanted, Jax’s wails intensified and, combined with his congestion, he made a scary choking sound. Knowing nothing would calm him down, and hoping to hold off baby vomit, she quickly unstrapped him and pulled him from the seat.
“Okay, okay, you win,” she said wearily, holding him to her chest and stepping out of the car. She pivoted, intending to sit on the backseat with Jax until he calmed down.
It happened so fast she barely had time to register what was happening. Her hip caught the car door, closing it just enough for the latch to catch. Holding one hand to Jax’s head to keep the hood of his thick coat up against the rain, she pulled on the door handle.
It didn’t move.
She tugged harder, horror rolling through her.
It was locked.
That’s not supposed to happen!
She had the child-lock feature. The one the man at the dealership swore meant she couldn’t accidentally lock herself out.
Yet here she was, looking through the window of the locked door at the key sitting on top of the diaper bag where it had fallen.
Panic and despair clawed at her chest. It was cold, and now they were stuck in the middle of a winter downpour.
What are you doing? You’re in over your head. You can’t do this.
The insidious voice in her head whispered as tears spilled down her cheeks. She turned to hurry back to the relative safety of the store.
“I’m sorry, Jaxy,” she whispered, tucking him close to keep the rain off his face.
That woman is right. I’m a terrible mother, and it is only a matter of time before the courts agree and take Jax away.
A sob shook her, even as Jax, happy now that he was free from the evil car seat, slapped his hands to her cold cheeks and giggled.
The sweet, innocent gesture broke through her mental spiral.
You don’t have time to fall apart, Madison, she reminded herself.
He needs you .
Sucking in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders.
I can do this. Everything will be fine. I’ll use the store’s phone and call…
Who? Who could she call? Her parents? Ugh . And give them more ammunition as to why she should just give Jax up.
No, thank you.
Cami?
She waited as some teenagers exited the store, annoyed when they stopped and stared. At first, she thought the teenagers were staring at her, but then she realized they were focused on something behind her. Their eyes widened slightly before they hurried out into the rain.
Madison registered a tall, lean body striding toward her. Dressed head to toe in black, his full-length coat billowed around him. The turned-up collar framed his chiseled, bearded jaw. He looked like a dark angel ready to do battle.
And his attention was completely…totally… fixed on her.