Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The evening had settled into that perfect in-between, the warm air tempered by a soft breeze coming off the lake that made the day feel complete. Madison leaned back in her chair on the small patio outside the condo, her legs stretched out, a half-finished iced tea resting on the table beside her.
Garrett sat next to her, watching the sunset.
They weren’t talking, because they didn’t need to. This had become her favorite part of their relationship: the comfortable silence of being together.
Her phone buzzed against the table, but she didn’t look at it right away.
She already knew. It buzzed again.
His gaze flicked toward it, then back to her. “You gonna get that?”
She exhaled slowly and reached for it, flipping it over. “It’s my dad.”
Garrett’s brow raised in question.
She’d ignored the last three calls. But she supposed if she didn’t answer it, he would show up again.
She pushed out of her chair.
“Yeah. I should take this,” she said, trying to keep it light.
Garrett nodded once. “I’ll be here.”
Something about the way he said it—steady, easy—made her chest tighten just a little.
She pulled the screen door open and stepped inside, letting it close behind her. She hit accept as she walked into the house. “Hi, Dad.”
“Madison. You’ve been avoiding my calls.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I’m sure you have.” There was a beat of silence, then, “Have you thought about what we discussed?”
If she was going to get through this conversation, she needed a glass of wine. She put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter, then pulled a bottle from the fridge and poured herself a glass. CEO. The word still hit hard. “I said I’d think about it.”
“And have you?”
Her gaze drifted toward the patio. Garrett was still outside, relaxed and waiting.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly.
She kept an eye on Garrett through the door. He shifted slightly in his chair.
“You do know,” Harrison said. “You’re just hesitating.”
“I’m building something here,” she said quietly. “People who matter to me are here.”
“What you’re building is temporary.”
Her jaw tightened. “You don’t get to decide that.”
“I get to recognize wasted potential when I see it.”
Silence stretched, the only exception being the loud clunk of the ice machine releasing cubes. Madison pressed her fingers to her temple. “I said I’d call you when I’ve made a decision.”
“You belong in that position,” he continued. “You always have. I’m giving you the chance to take it.”
Giving. It should have been hers to begin with. Always have? Really?
Outside, Garrett’s posture stiffened as he listened to their conversation.
As a teenager, she’d wanted her father to recognize her as smart and capable of learning and worthy of eventually stepping into the role of CEO.
“Don’t take too long,” Harrison said. “This isn’t something I’m leaving open indefinitely.”
“Yes. I understand.” She couldn’t keep the snark out of her voice.
The line clicked dead.
She stood there for a second, the hum of the refrigerator pressing in around her. She took a sip of her wine, but it didn’t settle anything. If anything, it made the knot in her stomach tighten.
She knew better. She knew exactly who her father was.
A man who had never once said he was proud of her—not when she graduated top of her high school class and already had two years of college courses out of the way, not when she earned her commission, and not when she stepped into NCIS and built a career on her own merit while being a single mom.
And yet . . . CEO.
The word echoed again, louder this time. He’d said it like it belonged to her. Like he finally saw her.
Madison let out a quiet, frustrated laugh, pressing her fingers to her temple. “You know better,” she muttered to herself.
But the truth wouldn’t let her hide from it anymore. She loved Garrett.
The realization stopped her, her chest tightening unexpectedly beneath the weight of finally naming it. Somehow, without her even realizing when it happened, he’d become home to her.
And maybe that was the terrifying part. Because she loved this town too.
So why did one phone call from her father still make her feel sixteen and desperate to earn something she should’ve been given freely? Doubt had already crept in. Was this it? Was this the moment he finally recognized her worth?
Her stomach dropped. Or was this about him? About how it looked that neither of his children wanted his company.
Mason had walked away. Built something of his own. Something successful.
And now Madison was back in Minnesota.
Convenient.
A familiar, bitter realization settled in her chest. Her father didn’t give up control—he never had.
Mason had lived under it for years, every decision second-guessed, every idea filtered through Harrison Mitchell’s approval.
Would it really be any different for her?
Or would she just be a title with no real power?
She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. “So, what is it?” she whispered. “Do you actually believe in me, or do you just need me?” She knew she wouldn’t get an answer unless she asked the question.
She pushed off the counter and walked back toward the door.
Garrett hadn’t moved, his posture stiff as he waited for her to fill him in. She felt it before she even stepped outside.
He looked up at her, his jaw set but his expression unreadable. “You okay?” he asked.
Madison forced a small shrug, easing back into her chair like everything was normal. “Yeah. He just . . . wanted an answer.”
Garrett leaned back, studying her. “And?”
She swirled the wine in her glass. “I told him I’d think about it.”
“That’s what I heard.”
Something in his tone made her look up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He exhaled slowly, like he was trying to keep something in. “It means you didn’t say no.”
Her spine stiffened. “I never said I was going to say yes either.”
“No,” he agreed. “You didn’t.”
Silence stretched between them.
Garrett rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, then leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Look, I’m not telling you what to do, Madison.”
“Good,” she said quickly.
His eyes flicked up to hers, something sharper there now. “But you asked what I think.”
“I didn’t—”
“You didn’t have to,” he cut in, not harsh, but firm. “You left the door open. Literally.”
Her chest tightened. “Then say it.”
Garrett held her gaze for a long second. “I think your dad is doing exactly what he’s always done,” he said evenly. “Putting himself first.”
Madison flinched, the words landing harder than she expected. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?”
“He offered me the job.”
“Yeah,” Garrett said. “Now. After your brother walked away. After you built an entire career without him.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“It means the timing isn’t a coincidence.”
Her grip tightened around her glass. “You don’t know him.”
Garrett let out a quiet, humorless breath. “I know enough.”
Madison shook her head, frustration rising. “You’re twisting this.”
“No, I’m not.” His voice stayed calm, but there was an edge to it now. “I’m saying you should be careful.”
“I am careful.”
“Then talk to Mason.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Call your brother,” Garrett said. “Ask him what it was like. Ask him if your dad ever really let him run that company.”
Madison looked away, her jaw tightening. Because she already knew the answer.
“Exactly,” he said quietly.
She shot to her feet. “You don’t get to sit there and act like you know what’s best for me.”
“I didn’t say I did.”
“That’s exactly what you’re doing.”
Garrett stood too now, frustration finally breaking through. “I’m saying you deserve better than being someone’s backup plan.”
The words hit like a slap. Madison froze. “That’s not what this is.”
“Then tell me what it is, Madison. Because I can’t tell if you actually want this .
. . or if you just want him to finally choose you.
” Garrett’s voice was rough now. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like he realized he needs someone to keep things running while he goes off and lives his life. ”
Her chest heaved. “At least he wants me there.”
Garrett closed his eyes for a brief second. “Madison,” he said quietly, “that’s what scares me. You’re so desperate for him to choose you that you can’t see what it’s going to cost you.”
He continued after a beat, his voice steady again—but distant now. “I’m not saying don’t take it. You should do whatever you want to do.”
Madison swallowed hard.
He met her eyes one last time. “You’re strong. You’re smart. You could run that company better than he ever did. And you don’t need his approval to prove it.”
The words were meant to lift her up. But all she felt was the distance growing between them.
He stepped back, already shutting down, already pulling away. “I’ve got an early morning,” he added, like that explained everything.
Like this—whatever this was—was over for tonight.
“Garrett—”
But he shook his head once. “You’ll figure it out.” And then he turned and walked inside. The screen door shut behind him with a soft click.
Madison stood there, frozen, the lake breeze suddenly cold against her skin. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she glanced down. Mason. Her heart jumped as she answered. “Hey—”
“Madison,” Mason said, his voice tight . . . different. Not tense. Not upset. Excited. “You need to get to Minneapolis,” he said. “We’re at the hospital.”
Her breath caught. “What—what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said, and then she heard the smile in his voice. “Eve had the baby. He’s here.”
Madison’s world shifted in an instant. “He!”
“A boy,” Mason added. “You’re an aunt.”
Emotion rushed in, fast and overwhelming. “I—I’m coming. I’ll leave now.”
She hung up, already moving, throwing clothes in her bag and grabbing the keys to the rental car.
She hesitated for just a second at the door, glancing back toward where Garrett had disappeared.
He hadn’t come back out. She swallowed hard, then stepped into the night and pulled the door shut behind her, wondering if chasing the thing she’d wanted her entire life would cost her the life she’d only just begun to want instead.