Chapter 42
Seth
The sun was already creeping over the horizon when I stepped onto the porch of the main house, coffee in hand.
The air was heavy with the warmth of summer, the kind that promised another sweltering day, but the world was quiet except for the drone of cicadas.
I lowered myself onto the steps, staring across the yard at the guesthouse.
Last night replayed in my head like a song on repeat.
The way Madison’s voice had caught when she invited me in.
The taste of her lips, slow and certain, carrying both hesitation and hope.
The way she had whispered it was exactly what she wanted, and the way her hands had clung to me like she was done holding back.
It had not been rushed. It had not been careless. It had been deliberate, tender, the kind of moment that shifted the ground beneath my feet.
I rubbed my thumb across the rim of the mug, thinking about how different it felt to wake up knowing that last night had happened.
For years, I told myself closeness was dangerous.
That letting someone in meant giving them a weapon to use against me.
But Madison was different. Olive was different.
They weren’t prying or demanding. They had simply walked into my life, and somehow, I was the one lowering the walls.
The thought unsettled me. Because this wasn’t just Madison. It was her little girl, too. If I let myself fall and then failed them, I wouldn’t just break one heart. I’d break two.
The crunch of gravel pulled me from my thoughts.
I looked up to see Blair’s SUV rolling to a stop by the main house.
She climbed out first, coffee in one hand, her hair pulled back into a messy braid.
Greyson followed, closing his door with the ease of a man who didn’t rush for anyone.
His steady presence grounding in a way I had come to expect from him.
“Well,” Blair called as she walked toward me, “don’t you look like a man with something on his mind.”
I scowled, raising my mug. “Good morning to you too.”
Greyson’s mouth quirked as he joined her, his arm brushing hers like it always did. “Morning, Seth.”
They settled on the porch steps beside me, Blair dropping down without hesitation, Greyson folding himself more carefully onto the other side.
For a while, the three of us just sat there, sipping our coffee in silence.
The cicadas filled the space, and I almost convinced myself they’d let me off easy.
But Blair was never one for silence.
“So,” she said, her eyes glinting. “Madison.”
I took a long sip of my coffee. “What about her?”
“Don’t play dumb.” Blair leaned her elbow on her knee, turning to face me fully. “She’s my best friend. I know her better than anyone. And I know you better than anyone. Something happened last night.”
My jaw tightened, but I didn’t deny it. “We crossed a line.”
Blair’s smile softened, though her voice stayed sharp. “About time.”
“It’s not that simple,” I muttered, staring at the yard. “It’s not just her. Olive is part of this, too. If I mess this up, I don’t just hurt Madison. I risk hurting her little girl. And I can’t let that happen.”
Greyson spoke then, his voice calm and even. “You’re already in it, Seth. Whether you say the words out loud or not. Olive trusts you. Madison trusts you. That’s not something that just goes away. The question isn’t if you’ll mess up. The question is whether you’ll keep showing up.”
I turned to look at him, surprised by the weight in his tone. Greyson wasn’t one for speeches, but when he said something, it mattered.
Blair nodded in agreement. “He’s right. I’ve seen you close yourself off for years, hiding behind your work, pretending you don’t need anyone.
But this is different. You’re different.
Madison and Olive are bringing out a side of you I honestly wasn’t sure still existed.
And you can either keep fighting it, or you can let yourself be happy for once. ”
The words dug deep, uncomfortable, and true. I wanted to argue, but the memory of Madison’s laugh, of Olive’s hand slipping into mine as she showed me her crooked rows of flowers, silenced every defense I might have had.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admitted finally, my voice rough.
Blair reached over, squeezing my arm. “You already are. You just need to stop doubting it.”
Greyson gave a slow nod. “You don’t have to be perfect, Seth. You just have to be honest. With her, and with yourself.”
The three of us sat there in silence again, but this time it felt different. Not heavy. Not suffocating. Just real.
When Blair and Greyson finally stood, heading back toward the SUV, Blair paused at the bottom step. “Madison is stronger than you think. She doesn’t need you to be flawless. She just needs you to let her in. Don’t waste this.”
They drove off, leaving the yard quiet again, but the silence no longer pressed against me the way it had before.
I looked back toward the guesthouse. The curtains in Olive’s room fluttered with the morning breeze, and I imagined Madison inside, brushing her daughter’s hair, maybe thinking of me the way I couldn’t stop thinking of her.
For years, I had built my life around walls, around control, and keeping people out. But last night had changed everything.
This wasn’t just a kiss. It wasn’t just a moment. It was the beginning of something I wanted to fight for.