Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The condo smelled faintly like baby lotion, chamomile tea, and the fresh flowers someone had dropped off earlier that morning.
Soft afternoon light filtered through the windows overlooking downtown Minneapolis as baby Andrew slept against Eve’s chest, bundled in a swaddle blanket covered in tiny pine trees.
Madison set a steaming mug of tea on the coffee table before curling into the armchair across from the couch. Mason sat beside Eve, one arm draped protectively along the back cushions, while he looked down at his son like he still couldn’t quite believe he was real.
“You really think I wouldn’t have put your cider on tap?” Mason said. “It’s good, Mads. Better than anything I could’ve come up with.”
Madison blinked at him. “Then why didn’t you?”
Mason glanced at Eve. They’d always had a connection, knew what the other was thinking.
Their silent glances and smiles said more than anyone could guess.
Madison had been a tiny bit jealous of their relationship, but wasn’t she starting to have that with Garrett too?
They could tell when the other was stressed, holding back saying something important, scared, concerned . . .
Eve shifted the baby in her arms, her expression soft but knowing. “Because of what was going on between you and Garrett.”
“What are you talking about?” Madison said, her brows pulling together.
Eve smiled a little, like she’d been waiting for this moment. “Come on, Madison. The gala? The way you talked about that night? It was obvious.”
Madison’s stomach dropped. “You knew Garrett was the one I danced with?”
“Not at first,” Eve said. “But then my friend, who had every intention of dancing with Garrett at the gala, mentioned he’d spent the entire night with a woman in a blue gown and a butterfly mask. Wouldn’t leave her side.” She shrugged lightly. “Didn’t take much to put it together.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to,” Eve said gently. “Eventually. But I thought maybe you’d figure it out on your own.”
Mason leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “And if we gave you a reason to stick around . . . spend time together . . .” He gave her a look. “We knew you wouldn’t walk away from a challenge.”
Madison stared at him. “So, you used my cider?”
Mason winced slightly. “Encouraged the situation?”
“Not to hurt you,” Eve added quickly. “Or him. But Garrett needed a push, and you . . .” She smiled softly. “You don’t quit when something matters to you.”
Madison huffed out a quiet, disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. “So Brewfest. The flyer. All of it?”
Mason’s mouth tipped up. “You think that just magically landed in your inbox?”
Madison pressed her lips together, trying not to smile—and failing. “You two are unbelievable.”
Mason brushed a kiss to Eve’s forehead before leaning in to press one to baby Andrew’s tiny head. The room softened around them for a moment. Then he looked back at Madison. “Are you mad?”
She glanced at the baby—so small, so new—then back at her brother. At Eve.
She shook her head slowly. “No. I’m not mad. Just . . .” Her voice caught slightly, and she pressed a hand to her chest. “I didn’t realize how deep I was in until I left.”
Eve’s expression softened even more.
Madison swallowed. “I—I think I’m falling in love with him, and—”
“I’m falling in love with you too.”
Madison’s head snapped toward the doorway.
Garrett stood there, just inside the threshold, like he wasn’t sure he deserved to come any farther.
Like the last two days had finally caught up with him.
His hair was slightly disheveled, like he’d run his hands through it one too many times, and there was something raw in his expression, something unguarded she’d only caught glimpses of before.
Her pulse quickened. She stood. “How long have you been standing there?” she asked, breathless.
“Long enough,” he said, voice rough.
Mason stood, clapping him once on the shoulder as he passed. “Took you long enough.”
Eve followed, brushing Madison’s arm gently as she moved past with the baby. “We’ll give you two a minute.”
And then they were gone.
Garrett took a step forward. Then another. “I’m sorry you felt the need to leave without letting me know,” he said. “I wouldn’t have let you go without saying something. Not without fixing it.”
Madison crossed her arms as if holding herself together. “I shouldn’t have left. I just needed to create some distance. I needed time to think.”
“I know.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I handled it wrong. I heard what I wanted to hear and ran with it. Thought you were already halfway out the door.”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“And when you said that, what I heard was that you were leaving.” His mouth twisted. “Old baggage and all.”
She softened, just a fraction. “Garrett . . .”
He stepped closer. Close enough now that she could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands flexed like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“I’m all in, Madison,” he said, steady now. “I don’t care about the timing or the mess or whether you stay or go. I care about you.” He paused, searching her face. “And yeah, I’ve been an idiot about it.”
A small, shaky laugh escaped her.
He exhaled, some of the tension easing. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to run from me. Or choose around me.”
“I didn’t run from you,” she said quietly. “I ran because everything started to matter too much.” She took a step closer. “And to be fair, because Eve had the baby.”
Garrett huffed out a quiet laugh, some of the strain finally breaking. “Right. Hard to compete with the birth of your nephew.”
“Exactly,” Madison said softly. “Very inconsiderate timing on his part. I don’t know what I’m doing yet, about the job. About Minneapolis. About any of it. But I do know how I feel about you.” She swallowed. “And that scares me a whole lot more than the CEO position does.”
Garrett’s gaze dropped briefly to her lips, then back up. “That’s a start.”
She nodded. “More than a start,” she said.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because I drove four hours on about two hours of sleep to say that.”
That pulled a real smile from her. “Idiot,” she said softly.
“Yeah,” he agreed, stepping fully into her space now. “But I’m your idiot, if you’ll have me.”
She didn’t hesitate this time. “I will,” she said.
And then he kissed her. Not rushed or uncertain. His hand slid gently along her jaw as he kissed her, slow and deliberate, like he wanted her to feel every apology he didn’t quite know how to say out loud.
Madison melted into him, fingers curling into the front of his shirt as the tightness in her chest finally loosened. The last two days, the hurt, the doubt, the distance between them, faded beneath the familiar warmth of him.
When Garrett finally pulled back, his forehead rested lightly against hers, both of them breathing a little unevenly. “I missed you.”
“You saw me two days ago.”
“Longest two days of my life.”