Chapter 51
Madison
The sunlight was soft when I woke, golden and filtered through the curtains of the guesthouse.
For a moment, I simply lay still, listening to the quiet rhythm of morning.
Olive’s steady breathing carried from her little room, a soft hum of security that always calmed me.
Beyond that, I could hear the faint clink of something in the main house. Seth was already up.
I pressed my hand to my chest, my mind circling back to last night.
The porch. How his voice, rough but steady, told me not to leave.
The way his hand had held mine like he could anchor me in place, the way his kiss had felt less like an invitation and more like a promise.
I had said yes. Not just to him, but to us.
Now comes the hardest part.
Olive.
I had always tried to be careful about what I let her expect.
Her little world had already seen too much change.
I told myself I had to protect her from any possibility of disappointment.
But when I heard her sleepy footsteps pad across the floor, when she appeared in the doorway clutching her Bunny and rubbing her eyes, I realized she had already made space for Seth without hesitation.
“Morning, O,” I said softly.
She climbed into my lap without answering, warm and still heavy with sleep. “Do we have pancakes?”
I kissed her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of shampoo and sugar. “We might. Let’s go see.”
We walked across the yard, her small hand tucked inside mine, and found Seth in the kitchen.
He stood at the stove in a plain T-shirt and jeans, flipping pancakes on the griddle.
The sight pulled at me in ways I wasn’t ready to name, a domestic ease I hadn’t realized I wanted until it was right in front of me.
Olive’s face lit up. “You made them!”
“Couldn’t let you start the day without pancakes,” Seth said, sliding another onto the growing stack. He looked at me over his shoulder, his smile small but steady. “You too.”
We sat at the table, the three of us. Olive drowned her plate in syrup, chattering about her dream where the flowers in the garden grew taller than the house. Seth listened, nodding at all the right places while I stirred my coffee, waiting for the moment to arrive.
I cleared my throat, heart pounding. “Olive, can Mommy and Uncle Seth talk to you about something important?”
She froze mid-bite, eyes wide. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” I said quickly, brushing her curls back. “Not at all. We just want to tell you something.”
Her eyes bounced between the two of us, curiosity sparking. Seth set down his fork and folded his hands on the table, steady as always, waiting for me to lead.
I took a breath. “You know how we’ve been staying here with Uncle Seth while our house was being fixed?”
She nodded, chewing slowly.
“Well,” I said gently, “the house is ready now. We could move back anytime. But Uncle Seth asked us something last night.”
Olive tilted her head. “What did he ask?”
“He asked if we would stay here with him. Not just for a little while, but… always.” My voice wavered, but I pushed through. “What would you think about that?”
For a moment, she didn’t answer. She looked down at her plate, then up at Seth, then back at me. My heart thudded painfully.
Then her face split into a grin. “Does that mean Uncle Seth is our family now?”
Seth’s breath caught. I glanced at him, and the look in his eyes nearly undid me.
“Yes, O,” I said, pulling her into my lap. “If you want him to be.”
She squealed, throwing her arms around both of us, syrup sticky against my cheek. “I do! I do! I told Aunt Blair that already. She said it was only a matter of time.”
Seth laughed, low and rough, but there was something broken in the sound, like he was barely holding himself together. He reached across the table, covering my hand with his, and held it there even as Olive babbled about sleepovers and picnics and whether this meant we could all get a puppy.
After breakfast, Olive darted off to draw a picture of ‘our family,’ crayons spilling across the coffee table. Seth and I stayed in the kitchen, the dishes cooling in the sink.
“You handled that better than I did,” I murmured, leaning against the counter.
“She made it easy,” he said, his voice quiet but full. “You both do.”
I looked at him then, really looked at the man who had built walls for years and had just let them fall without hesitation. My chest swelled with something that felt like both relief and joy.
“Then it’s settled,” I whispered.
He closed the distance between us, one hand sliding to my cheek. “It’s settled.”
The kiss that followed was slow and sure, syrup still lingering in the air, laughter still echoing from the other room. Olive’s voice called out a moment later, demanding we come see her masterpiece. We pulled apart reluctantly, smiling against each other’s lips.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I felt like we were exactly where we belonged.