Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The moment Garrett slid open the patio door and she stepped inside, Madison knew.
She didn’t even need to see the table. She smelled warm garlic and ginger, soy sauce, something sweet and savory simmering together, and the unmistakable crisp scent of fried egg rolls.
“You made Chinese?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Garrett’s mouth curved in a small smile, and he nodded.
She stepped further into the room and finally saw the table. Her throat went tight. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me,” she said quietly, almost to herself.
He shifted his weight, suddenly looking unsure. “Well, you deserve it.”
She looked at him . . . then really looked.
He watched her reaction like it mattered more than anything else in the world.
He’d remembered the smallest details she’d mentioned in passing: her favorite color, her love of egg rolls confessed during a late-night conversation, and how she liked her coffee.
He’d guessed that she’d rather have played ice hockey than figure skate.
He seemed to find her in a crowded room.
He sees me. He wasn’t just being nice. He understands me in a way no one, except Mason, has ever taken the time to before—not even my parents.
They moved to the table without speaking. Garrett served her first, carefully placing a golden egg roll onto her plate before spooning glossy pieces of General Tso’s chicken beside it.
“Go ahead,” he said. “I want to know what you think.”
Madison took a bite of the egg roll. The crunch gave way to warm, perfectly seasoned filling, flavors blooming across her tongue. She closed her eyes before she could stop herself. “Oh . . . wow,” she moaned.
He shifted in his chair, smiling.
She swallowed and immediately picked up the chopsticks and tried the chicken. The sauce was rich and balanced—sweet, spicy, and with just enough heat to make her lips tingle. “This is incredible, Garrett. The best I’ve ever had.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Full disclosure. Lily helped. A lot.”
Madison smiled. Of course Lily had. But Garrett had planned all of this. He’d spent time and effort when he didn’t have a lot of extra time to give.
For her.
Her gaze lingered on him longer than she intended, emotions rising so quickly she could barely keep up with them. She was falling. Hard. And crazy enough, the realization didn’t frighten her the way it should have.
“Thank you,” she said, referring to far more than just dinner.
They ate slowly, talking and laughing, the candle burning lower as the summer night deepened outside. Eventually Garrett reached for two small plates and slid one toward her.
A large golden fortune cookie, slightly uneven and obviously homemade, sat on a plate with a small white paper sticking out of it. She blinked in surprise. “You made fortune cookies too?”
“No. Lily did. And I’m not entirely convinced I wasn’t set up. Lily was smiling way too much when she left.”
Madison laughed and picked it up, the delicate shell cracking softly beneath her fingers. She unfolded the slip of paper inside and read the words to herself:
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stay.
Her breath caught. The room seemed to go very still. She looked at Garrett, who was watching her with quiet concern, completely unaware of what she’d just read. Because staying meant building a life she’d always intended to walk away from.
But looking at Garrett now—he already felt like home.
“Not going to share?” he said.
“Not right now.” Madison folded her fortune and set it by her plate. “Your turn,” she said.
Garrett eyed his cookie like it might explode. “I don’t trust Lily.”
Madison laughed. “Open it.”
He picked it up and broke it in half with exaggerated caution. A few crumbs scattered across the plate as he pulled out the slip and squinted at it. His brows drew together. Then he groaned.
“What?” She leaned forward. “What does it say?”
He hesitated long enough to make her even more curious before finally reading it aloud.
“ ‘Kiss the girl.’ ”
She blinked. Then laughed—a soft, startled sound that quickly faded. “Well,” she said, trying to sound teasing and failing just a little. “That’s . . . very direct.”
“Probably because we’ve kept our kissing out of Town Talk for now.”
“Yay for us,” Madison said.
The air suddenly felt charged, like the whole night had been building toward this moment.
Garrett reached for her. His fingers closed around her hand slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t. The warmth of his palm against hers sent a steady ripple of awareness through her, grounding and dizzying all at once.
He stood, still holding her hand. Her heart began to pound.
She rose too, drawn toward him. The scents of ginger and citrus lingered in the air. A light breeze through the screen rustled the curtains.
His free hand lifted gently to her waist, steadying her as their lips met—soft at first, then the kiss deepened. Warmth spread through her chest. When they finally pulled apart, it was only by inches, their foreheads nearly touching, their breath mingling.
Garrett smiled, his thumbs brushing lightly over her knuckles. “I’ll have to thank Lily next time I see her.”