Chapter 3
CALL YOUR GIRLS
MADISON
“Mom,” I call softly, stepping into her house.
“In here, sweetie.”
I drop my keys into the bowl on the table by the door, wincing at my reflection in the mirror above.
My puffy eyes are a dead giveaway of the tears I’ve been trying to hold back.
She’s going to take one look at me and have a million questions; that worried crease between her brows will form, and her hands will land on her hips.
But that’s why I’m here, because when everything falls apart, when I’m down and barely holding myself together, she’s the first person I want to be near.
My rock. My sounding board. My calm in a life that doesn’t always make sense to me.
Pulling my hair out of its tie, I let it fall loosely down my back. Running my fingers through it, I try to make myself look more put together before heading toward her bedroom.
“Hey,” I say softly, flopping onto her bed and propping my chin in my hands as I watch her.
She stands in front of her floor-length mirror, head tilted as she pops in the studded earrings I got her for work last year. She catches my gaze, smiling at me softly, the crinkles around her eyes lifting. I smile back without thinking. A peacefulness washes over me.
“Pink today?” I ask, noting her scrubs.
“We have a patient who’s been in all week,” she says, her smile fading. “She’s only a young girl and loves the color pink.” She turns to face me. “I thought my pink scrubs might cheer her up tonight.”
“Well, she’s lucky to have the best nurse in Sunlit Cove looking after her,” I say with a soft smile.
Mom’s resilience and her ability to handle pressure in the most calming of ways are what made her the most loved nurse in Sunlit Cove.
Her care for her patients, no matter the situation, is unmatched.
Everyone in town knows her. Everyone trusts her.
They seek her out for advice, for comfort, for the kind of care that goes beyond the hospital.
And she gives it freely. Because that’s just who she is.
But to me, she’s simply Mom. The one who raised me, loved me, and did everything in her power to give me a happy life. Even when hers wasn’t easy.
It’s been just the two of us for as long as I can remember.
My dad didn’t stick around after he took one look at the positive pregnancy test. He vanished, and I’ll never know why.
When Nan passed away, everything came crashing down.
Mom’s sister and brother slowly disappeared over the years, fading out of our lives.
Nan was the glue to our small family; without her, nothing made sense anymore.
So when I moved out of this small two-bedroom house, it was harder than I let on.
I didn’t want to leave Mom alone, but I needed to start my own life.
To step out into the world and figure out who I was as an adult and all that.
But some days, when I visit, when I walk through these quiet rooms and feel the stillness, a sadness creeps in, curling around my heart.
She deserves the world. I wish she’d find someone who would love her more than anything in this world.
Who would take the space in here and fill it with love, with loud, uncontrollable laughter.
“Now, my sweet girl.” Her hand gently cups my cheek. “I know these puffy eyes aren’t looking at me and feeling sorry for me. Want to tell me why you’re here unexpectedly?”
I sigh, sitting up and crossing my legs as I glance at her sheepishly.
“What if I am sad for you?” I mumble. “You know I hate that you’re here all alone.”
A soft snort leaves her as she grabs her watch from the nightstand. “Stop deflecting. You have five minutes before I have to be on my way, so spill it.”
“Hunter’s back,” I blurt, falling backward onto the bed, covering my face with a pillow.
I feel the bed dip beside me, the quiet shift of her weight, and the steady warmth of her calm settling next to me.
The pillow slowly lifts away. Tears sting my eyes as the silent rejection hits all over again, and the bitter sadness of it all engulfs me.
Without a word, Mom stands, taking my hands and pulling me to my feet with her.
The little crease between her brows forms, and her hands move to her hips.
The corner of my mouth twitches as I fight back a smile, knowing that’s exactly the reaction I’d get.
“Have you seen him?” she asks gently.
“Twice.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
I pause with one word still ringing in my chest. Please…
“You didn’t give him the chance, did you?”
I groan, my shoulders slumping as I stare at her, hoping to find all the answers my heart needs. That she could fix the mess in my head.
“No,” I admit. “I ran away. He came looking for me… and then I ran away again.”
She snickers, her hands rubbing up and down my arms, before pulling me into a hug so tight, I melt into her. Soft lavender clings to her, the scent so familiar it calms my racing heart.
“Well… running away is one way to go about it,” she says, pulling away. “Or…” She pauses, leading the way out of the bedroom. “You could, I don’t know, confront him? Talk to him? Maybe… Hear him out?”
Always so logical, my mom is. I know she loves Hunter.
Hell, I think she always hoped we would end up together, from the moment she met him.
He charmed her without trying, sweet-talked her, fixed little things around the house like he belonged here.
She called on him more than she called on me some days…
and my damn heart loved every second of it.
So, of course, she’s been playing devil’s advocate these past few months.
Quietly holding out hope that his rejection, his silence, and his disappearance come with a reason good enough to forgive.
“Argh, Mom.”
“Don’t argh Mom me. You’re the one not being mature about this and running from your feelings.”
“I’m just…”
“Not ready?” she finishes for me.
“Yeah. I don’t know what my feelings are right now. I just know that no matter how hard I’ve tried these past six months… I’m still hurt.”
I watch her move around the kitchen, packing her pre-made dinner into her bag, grabbing her water bottle, then her keys.
There’s a familiar ease in the moment, a rhythm I’ve watched for years.
She circles the counter to where I’m sitting on the stool, and I make no move to follow her.
For some reason, my soul feels like staying; it feels like home here.
“It’s okay to need time,” she says, dipping down to kiss my forehead. “Especially when he suddenly shows up with no warning. But don’t wait too long. You’ll only end up hurting yourself more.”
My smile is weak, but I know she’s right.
“Stay here tonight. Call your girls. Invite them over, talk to them. Lean on them.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I push to my feet and follow her to the front door, grabbing my phone from the table where I dropped it earlier with my keys.
My fingers tap the screen, but I pause, staring down at our group chat.
Something about being in this house—her house—makes everything feel safe.
Maybe it’s the way it smells like lavender, or maybe it’s just her.
She reaches for the door. “I’ll be back early in the morning. But when I wake up, we’ll make breakfast, okay? You and me.”
“Okay.” I smile.
There’s nothing quite like a breakfast morning with Momma Claire.
How the sun shines through the sheer curtains, catching the dust in the air like glitter.
The old-school music she plays instantly lifts your mood.
The buttery smell of waffle batter warming on the stove, sweet strawberries sliced on the counter with some tangy citrus zest. We don’t do savory in this house.
No eggs or bacon here. We Taylors like our breakfasts sweet and tangy. Like life, if you do it right.
“Hey, Mom,” I call as she opens her car door.
She turns back, eyes catching mine across the yard. “I hope your pink scrubs cheer up the little girl tonight.”
A soft smile spreads across her face, and she gives me a small wave before climbing into her car. The engine purrs to life, headlights blinking once as she pulls away down the quiet street.
Feeling the best I’ve felt all day, Hunter practically forgotten, a small smile tugs at my lips.
I turn on my heel, heading back to the lounge room where I sink into the deep, plush couch.
Grabbing a pillow, I set it over my legs, curling them underneath me.
An exciting buzz runs through me at the thought of the girls coming over.
We Don’t Text Him
The group name is going to have to change at some point, but right now, the reminder isn’t so bad. The petty girl in me wants to keep it as is… Maybe Halle will change it.
I type out a quick message to the girls.
Me: Girls night at Mom’s?
Little dots instantly appear. Before I can lock my phone, a reply comes through.
Tessa: Momma Claire’s? Hell yeah. I’ll bring the snacks.
Me: Halle. You in?
Seconds tick by with no reply. Worry starts to work its way into me, and a small knot tightens in my chest. What if she’s already made plans with Hunter?
I mean, I wouldn’t blame her. She hasn’t seen her brother in months either.
She has every right to hang out with him instead of me.
But there’s a selfish part of me that needs her tonight.
She’s become such a good friend. The way she listens without judgment, the way she doesn’t try to fix you, just holds the pieces with you.
I admire her strength, the way she keeps fighting for a better life.
Me: Pleaseeee, please, please.
Tessa: Come on Hals. We promise not to keep you too long from your broody man.
I chuckle at Tess’s reply. Halle and Asher have been practically glued together since he came back from his lapse in judgment.
I love it for them. I do. But sometimes…
That little green-eyed monster perches on my shoulder, making himself comfortable.
It’s not their fault. They’re happy. They found their way back to each other.
I guess I always pictured Hunter and me like that when he finally worked through his demons, choosing each other in the end.
But instead, he left me in pieces, with the girls trying to help me move on.
My phone pings in the quiet room. I reach for it, hope filling my chest that Halle is coming.
We’re going to eat too many snacks, drink too much wine, talk too loudly, and forget for a while.
The screen lights up. I glance down, but it’s not Halle.
My pulse skips, and I suddenly forget how to breathe.
The phone slips from my fingers, landing in my lap as my hands tremble.
Shaking my hands out, I pick it back up, my thumb hovering over his name. The letters blur as I stare at the one line.
Hunter: Please Mads.