CH 39 - #change #2
Not even five minutes later, Meredith stepped onto the front porch and told everyone the service was about to start and to come inside.
I’d noticed several photos of Mr. Livingston sitting on different tables.
I just hadn’t realized that honoring him was going to take place in the ranch house.
Then again, everyone had their own way of going about it.
As Meredith was glancing around at everyone, she saw me and smiled sympathetically. I did the same to her, but my reasoning was different than hers. I felt sorry for her because she lost her dad. She felt sorry for me because I lost her sister and niece.
After she went back inside the ranch house, others followed. I stood back and waited to be the last one. I was stepping through the doorway when I spotted Hayden coming toward me.
“There you are. I wondered if you’d decided not to come,” he said, standing beside me.
“Nope, I’ve been here. I spoke with Mrs. Livingston, then I saw Madison.”
“Did you talk to her?”
I shook my head. “She and I just stared at each other.”
“I haven’t spoken to her, not to be mean, but…” Hayden smacked his lips.
“I know. I get it, but she is grieving the loss of her dad.”
“I might say something to her later.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Are you going to say something to her?”
“I don’t think so. I got the strong impression from the look she gave me that she doesn’t care to hear anything I’d have to say.”
Everyone gathered in the living room except for Hayden and me.
We stood where the large space and entry hall met.
Mrs. Livingston began the memorial service by thanking everyone for coming, for all their kind words, food, and flowers that they’d brought.
Madison was standing to her right while Meredith stood to her left, and then Bella suddenly ran up to Madison.
“Mommy, Beau is crying in his bed,” she said.
Madison glanced up at me, looked at her mom, and said something in her ear.
They nodded at each other, Madison leaving the living room next.
Her mom continued speaking, sharing fond memories about her husband.
A few minutes later, her redheaded daughter returned, holding a little redheaded boy on her hip with Bella beside her.
I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing; then it hit me.
Madison had gotten back together with Ty, and they’d had another child.
It explained why she closed her Instagram account.
She was keeping her life totally private now.
What was odd, though, was that I hadn’t seen Ty anywhere around the ranch house.
I hated knowing that Madison had stooped and taken him back. She deserved so much better. She deserved a man who knew how to love her right. That man was me, although I knew she’d never have me again.
I was still watching her with the little boy when Hayden elbowed me in my side. I turned to him and shrugged. He leaned toward me, keeping his eyes forward.
“I can’t believe what I’m looking at,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Madison with another kid.”
“She apparently got back together with her ex-husband.”
“No, she didn’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Brother, I do. I want you to take a closer look at that little boy of Madison’s.”
“I’ve already looked at him plenty. He looks just like Madison and Bella.”
“There’s something different.”
I peered across the living room at him again.
“Notice the color of his eyes?” Hayden asked.
“So they’re hazel. Easy enough to happen, considering Madison’s eye color and Ty’s.”
“Look closer, Luke. Notice anything beside his left eye?”
I squinted and saw it. There was a mole birthmark like mine. I took a deep breath and another as my emotions rose. “There’s no way,” I told Hayden.
“Oh yes, there is. That little boy is yours.”
Madison raised her eyes to mine. I could tell by the look in hers that she’d realized I had realized that the child she was holding was my son. She said something else to her mother and started leaving the living room again as Meredith reached for Bella and picked her up.
I looked back at Madison rushing away, put my cowboy hat on, and headed to the side of the ranch house where she was going.
Walking down the hallway toward all the downstairs bedrooms, she and I suddenly came face to face, her gasping and staring at me.
I looked at the little boy. The mole beside his left eye was heart-shaped.
“He’s mine,” I said, glaring at Madison.
Her emerald eyes filled with tears, then she nodded.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to burden you, Luke.”
“Burden me? My God, you wouldn’t have.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? You’ve denied me not only the knowledge that I have a son, but also the chance to be in his life. How old is he?” I asked, looking at him again.
“He just turned one.”
I covered my mouth, angry and breaking down. “Damn it!”
My son started crying and reached for me, surprisingly. I looked at Madison. She handed him to me. As I held him up in the air and stared into his eyes identical to mine, we both cried. Then I held my son to me on my chest and patted his back.
“It’s alright, buddy. You’re going to be fine,” I choked out, focusing on Madison as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Again, Luke, I’m sorry.”
“What did you name him?”
“Beau.”
“Get ready because I’m taking you to court for visitation rights with him and for his last name to be changed to mine. If you fight me, you will lose.”
“I won’t fight you. And Beau’s last name is Harrison. It’s on his birth certificate.”