Chapter 19
Greyson
She was asleep in my bed, curled into my chest like she belonged there.
And hell if she didn’t.
Her breath moved softly against my skin, one leg thrown over mine, her fingers still loosely laced with mine like she didn’t want to let go. I wasn’t sure how long I stared at the ceiling, wide awake with a thousand thoughts buzzing around in my head, but not one of them included letting her go.
I was so far gone for her.
For my honey bee.
Everything about her had sunk into me in ways I couldn’t shake: her fire, quiet strength and how she carried herself like she was still learning to take up space again.
The sex? Yeah, it was incredible. Raw and slow and somehow more than just physical.
But it was everything after, her falling asleep in my arms and the way she whispered she wanted all of this. That knocked the wind out of me.
I wasn’t used to being someone’s anchor.
And yet, with Blair, it felt like second nature.
I slipped out of bed gently, pulling on a T-shirt and running a hand through my hair.
She didn’t stir. I wanted her to sleep. God knows she needed it.
She’s been wound tight for weeks, between Madison’s pregnancy and the publishing deal.
With the weight of everything with her parents, she’d barely had a chance to breathe.
And then there was the other thing. The one she hadn’t said out loud again yet, but that I could feel thrumming beneath the surface, the memory of what had driven her away from this town. From her family. From herself.
I padded into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. My phone buzzed just as it finished brewing.
Madison:
Bring snacks and caffeine. The baby is currently doing cartwheels on my bladder.
I smiled. Blair had been spending more time at her place again, especially during the afternoons. Madison swore she could only relax when Blair was around. And I liked that, watching Blair care for someone, watching her feel needed. She was good at that, even when she didn’t know it.
I grabbed a bag of mini donuts from the pantry, threw together two iced coffees, and headed out the door.
“You look like you haven’t slept,” Madison said when I walked in.
Her belly practically swallowed her entire lap. She had her feet propped up on a stack of throw pillows and a notebook balanced on her bump.
“Didn’t,” I admitted. “Not because I couldn’t, I didn’t want to.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “So Blair stayed over last night?”
“She did.”
“And?”
I gave her a pointed look. “We’re not having that conversation.”
Madison snorted. “Fine. Keep your secrets. But she was glowing yesterday.”
I sat beside her on the couch and handed her the coffee. “She deserves to glow. After everything, she deserves good things.”
Madison nodded, her face softening. “She does.”
We sat silently for a while, the weight of that truth settling between us. Then I looked at her, and something in her expression shifted. Her usual spark dimmed for just a second.
“What is it?”
She hesitated. “I think I’m scared.”
“Of the birth?”
She nodded. “Of the birth. Of raising her alone. Of loving someone so much and still not knowing if I’m enough.”
I reached for her hand. “You are, Madison. You’re more than enough. And you’re not alone, okay? You’ve got people who love you. Me. Blair. Everyone in this town who knows you.”
She blinked fast, then nodded. “Thank you.”
And I meant it. Because no matter what this next chapter looked like, for Madison, for Blair, for me, I was sure of one thing. I was in it. I was all in.
Even when the past crept back in. Even when the ghosts had names.