27. Braydon
Iam currently wearing a hole through my bedroom floor from pacing back and forth, and Madison is sitting in my living room braiding Iris’s hair. Sarah called me this morning, and I purposefully let it go to voicemail. I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with her crap today, but that is biting me in the butt right now as I am listening to her voicemail. Something about the show I have planned in two weeks. I guess the venue double booked, and they said they are either going to cut my show in half or drop me. I don”t call Sarah back, although I probably should. I have an entire day planned, and I can”t waste any more time. Grabbing the first pair of jeans and light blue henley I find, I quickly put them on. I have big plans for Madison and I today, and absolutely nothing is going to get in my way. Madison and Iris’s laughter floats up the stairs. Madison is sitting on my couch with Iris on the floor. She has one half of Iris’s wild curls in her hand, and she is currently trying to tame them in a French braid. Iris has been asking me for months to braid her hair like this, but I can barely manage to do a basic braid. A Taylor Swift song drifts through the air from the Alexa in my kitchen.
“Are you girls having fun?”
Madison jumps at my voice, and I hold back a laugh. She has always been so jumpy.
“Daddy, Madison is really good at doing braids.”
“Is she really?” I cross my arms over my chest and never break eye contact with Madison. She is biting her bottom lip, which has always been a sure sign that she is nervous. I close the distance between us in one easy stride and plop down on the couch next to her. The couch dips a little with my added weight. Leaning forward, I place a kiss on the crown of Iris’s head. Madison peels her eyes away from me and continues to braid Iris’s hair.
“So, what are the plans for today?” Madison glances at me out of the corner of her eye.
“First, we are going to go to Saw”s so I can help you study, but the rest is a surprise.”
“How about we go to my house so I can get a change of clothes, as the first thing on our list?”
My eyes trail her form up and down. She is still wearing my baggy sweatshirt that she wore to bed. I like her like this, but I know it is probably not the most practical thing to wear out in public.
“But I really like this look you have going on now.”
Madison glares at me, but I just put on my best smile.
“I am sure you do, but I am not so sure I can go out in public like this.”
“Fine, we can drop Iris off, then go to your house.”
Twenty minutes later, we are in my truck on our way to drop off Iris with my dad. Madison threw on her jeans from yesterday but left my sweatshirt on. I couldn”t stop myself from smiling at her when I saw her still wearing it.
The girls are in their own little world singing along to the radio. Madison and I’s hands are resting on the center console with our fingers intertwined. I smile to myself at the thought that everyday could be like this. But I try not to focus on the future too much and just soak up everything about this moment right here. The three of us are in our own little bubble in the cab of my truck. Sheltered from the outside world. I feel safe with them. I doubt either one of them will ever know how much it means to me.
“Daddy, are you and Maddie going to hang out today?”
Iris’s voice from the backseat pulls me out of my thoughts and back to the present.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“Is Maddie going to stay at our house again tonight?”
I sneak a glance at Madison, she is biting back a grin.
“Well, love, Madison has her own house with her own bed. So, she is probably going to stay there tonight.”
I watch Iris nod in the rearview mirror.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, love?”
“Maybe Madison can stay the night again tomorrow.”
Madison”s shoulders shake from suppressed laughter, and I shoot her a glare.
“Yeah, maybe.”
The rest of the drive to my dad’s is uneventful, which I am grateful for. After dropping Iris off, we head to Madison”s house so she can grab a change of clothes.
“Make yourself at home. I will be right back. Layla is around here somewhere, and she will probably want attention.” Madison throws her keys on the kitchen counter, and I plop down on her couch. Her cottage is small, but she has made it feel like home. After a minute or so, an orange and white cat hops up into my lap.
“You must be Layla.”
I scratch her head before she curls up and falls asleep on my lap. A loud bang comes from upstairs, which makes Layla jump.
“You ok up there?” I call to Madison somewhere upstairs.
“Yeah, I”m good.”
Madison has always been a little clumsy.
“Do you think we should check on her?” Layla stares back at me blankly. The stairs squeak, and Madison is standing in the entryway to her living room. Her dark brown waves are pulled back into two French braids, she is wearing black leggings and the sweatshirt she stole from me back in high school.
“You still have that?” I can”t hide the obvious shock on my face.
“Umm... yeah, I do. The box fell when I was trying to pull it out of my closet.”
“So that”s what that noise was? Layla and I were getting a little worried about you.”
Madison walks over to me and Layla on the couch. She places a soft kiss on my cheek and scratches behind Layla”s ears.
“Y’all are too cute together.”
We both glance down at Layla, who appears to be annoyed that we are interrupting her nap.
“Ready to go, Boots?”
“Yep, let me just slip my shoes on.”
Madison grabs her Converse, and I gently scoop Layla off my lap and set her on the couch.