Chapter 38
Seth
The house was quiet, the kind of quiet that used to feel comforting but now felt like it was missing something.
I sat on the porch steps of the main house, a bottle of water in my hand, watching fireflies spark across the yard.
The garden bed we had worked on together was dark and still, but I kept looking toward it anyway, like it was a reminder of everything that had shifted.
The sound of a car pulling up broke through the night.
The sun was slowly setting over the tree line, glowing a burnt orange.
Headlights washed over the gravel driveway, and I straightened as Madison parked beside the guesthouse.
Olive’s chatter carried through the open window before the door even opened, her voice high and bright.
Madison laughed as she unbuckled her, and that sound, soft and unguarded, sank into me deeper than I wanted to admit.
They made their way up to the porch of the guesthouse, Olive bounding ahead with a burst of energy that did not match the hour. Madison followed more slowly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked over her shoulder then, her eyes finding me across the yard.
For a moment, we just stayed like that. Her smile was small, but it reached her eyes, and I raised my hand in a little wave. She returned it, then ushered Olive inside.
I thought that would be it, but a little while later, the door creaked open again. Madison stepped back out, barefoot, her arms wrapped loosely around her waist. The porch light above her cast a golden glow across her face, and the sight made something tug in my chest.
“You are still out here,” she said softly as she walked across the yard toward me.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I admitted. “You?”
She shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Not yet.”
I shifted over, giving her room on the steps. She sat beside me, her knee brushing against mine, and for a while we did not say anything. The night sounds filled the silence: the hum of cicadas, the chirp of crickets, the faint rustle of leaves in the warm breeze.
“You were with Blair tonight,” I said eventually, my voice low.
She nodded. “She asked me to meet her at the bar. We talked.”
My chest tightened. “About me.”
Her lips curved. “Of course, about you. She is your sister.”
I let out a breath I did not know I was holding. “And?”
“And she reminded me of what I already see. That you are different with me. With Olive.” Madison’s gaze found mine, steady and sure. “She told me not to be afraid of that. Not to talk myself out of something good just because it is scary.”
I swallowed hard, her words digging deeper than she probably realized. Blair had always been protective, sharp with her truths, and if she was encouraging Madison, it meant something.
“I don’t want you to be afraid,” I said quietly. “I don’t want to be either.”
Her breath caught, her shoulders softening.
I turned my water bottle in my hand, the condensation slick against my palm, and before I could overthink it, I said, “Go out with me.”
Her brow lifted, surprised. “What?”
“A date,” I clarified, my voice steadier than I felt. “Tomorrow night, after work. Just the two of us. I will ask Evie to watch Olive. She loves spending time with her.”
Madison’s lips parted, and for a second, I thought she might turn me down. My heart thudded harder than it should have, the silence stretching. Then she smiled, small at first, then brighter, warmer.
“You’re serious?”
“I am.”
She tilted her head, studying me in that way she always did, like she was seeing more than I wanted to reveal. Finally, she nodded. “Okay. A date.”
Relief crashed through me, stronger than I expected. I let out a breath, a faint smile tugging at my mouth. “Good. Then it is settled.”
The porch went quiet again, but it was not heavy. It was filled with something lighter, something that felt like possibility. Madison leaned back on her hands, gazing up at the fireflies dancing in the dark, and I found myself watching her instead.
For years, I had built my life on control, on keeping my walls high and my heart out of reach. But tonight, sitting here with her, knowing she had just said yes, I realized I wanted to let her in.
And for the first time in a long time, I believed I could.