Chapter Thirty-Two MADISON
Chapter Thirty-Two
MADISON
Almost a month had passed since Graham and I came to an agreement of sorts.
We’d finally given in to the shimmer of passion and the emotion twined within it.
As tempting as it was to spend every night together, we didn’t.
It was important to both of us that we move slowly for Allie’s sake.
She didn’t need to feel as if we were rushing into things.
She knew we were dating, and I suspected she knew we stayed over together when she spent the night with friends. Graham teased that he thought she was going out of her way to give us time together.
My belly felt all fluttery when I rode home with him one evening. I was going to stay at his place, and Allie would be there. She knew I’d be there, but it didn’t change how nervous I was. I smoothed my hands on my jeans.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I glanced over at him.
Graham was driving and kept his eyes on the road.
It was snowing, my first big snowstorm. There had been a few dustings of snow so far, but apparently, we were predicted to get over a foot tonight.
Wilbur was in the back seat of Graham’s truck, his nose pressed to the window as he looked out into the swirling white flakes.
“Of course it’s okay. I think it’s time,” Graham replied easily without even a hint of anxiety in his tone.
I took a breath, willing my nerves to settle. They were dancing along with uncertain anticipation. This felt monumental because committing to Graham meant committing to Allie. While I had no doubts about how I felt, I still didn’t know how she really felt about her dad getting serious with someone.
A few minutes later, we came to a stop in his driveway, and I looked over at him. He turned the engine off, his eyes catching mine when he glanced sideways. “You don’t need to be nervous.”
My nerves weren’t listening as I took an anxious breath. “Are you sure?”
He unbuckled his seat belt, angling to face me. He caught both of my hands in his when I turned toward him. “I’m absolutely sure. I love you.”
It didn’t seem to matter how often he said that. It was still a surprise. “I love you too, but what if—”
He shook his head. Releasing one of my hands, he placed his finger over my lips. “Allie will be fine. She really likes you. It’s not like she doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“What about her mother, though?”
Sadness chased through his eyes briefly. “She never did schedule that other trip she called about. It’ll be okay. If Allie’s going to be mad at anybody about her mother, it’ll be me. Now, come on.”
Moments later, we were in the kitchen. I had brought Wilbur’s supplies, including one of his dog beds and some toys with us.
I filled his water bowl and set it on the floor by the counter.
Allie had been in her bedroom when we arrived, but she came down the hall, stopping in the entrance to the kitchen.
She held up a small box. “Will you help?”
I looked over. “With what?”
“Dyeing my hair. Dad failed.”
Graham chuckled. “Oh yeah, you missed that. I tried, and it didn’t go very well.”
I laughed softly as I crossed over to Allie. “Do you want to do this before or after dinner?”
“What are we having for dinner?” she asked.
“I’m making spaghetti.”
Allie grinned. “Ooh, that’s his only specialty. You know that, right?”
A fizzy sense of joy rose inside with my laugh. “So I’ve heard.”
After we had dinner, I helped Allie dye her hair. While we were waiting in the bathroom for the color to set, she looked over at me. I was perched on the edge of the tub, and she was sitting on the closed toilet.
“Dad really loves you,” she said.
I felt a fluttery anxiety inside, but I tried to project a sense of calm. “How do you feel about that?”
“I like you, and I think it’ll be okay.” She held my gaze for a long moment, her lips curling into a slow smile. “This isn’t why I like you, but it’s really great to have somebody help me dye my hair without screwing it up.”
I laughed, and she leaned over and gave me a quick hug. A little later, I asked, “What exactly happened when your dad tried to help? It’s not that complicated.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “He ended up panicking and only let me do, like, two pieces. He also wouldn’t let me keep it on long enough, so it just didn’t work.”
Our eyes met in the mirror, and we burst out laughing together.