Page 102 of Heartless
“Because you always messed something up,” Tyler winked at Clem.
I leaned over and whispered in Madison’s ear. “Your mother used to mess up your birthday cakes?”
“Don’t go there.” She sent me a warning look and I made a mental note to ask about that later when we were alone.
I kissed her neck. She got ticklish and giggled as I expected her to.
“I knew that would happen,” I said.
“Why do it then?”
“Because it’s cute.”
“Wow, I’ve been called a lot of things, but cute isn’t one of them.”
“Well, there is a reason for that,” I joked.
“Ha,” Madison slapped my forearm playfully. “Are you saying I’m not cute?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t talk to me like that. It’s my birthday.”
“What can I say? I’m an honest man.”
Something flashed in her eyes at my words, but she continued the conversation with a much louder tone. “You’re an asshole. That’s what you are.”
“Madison!” Sylvia gasped. She didn’t know that her daughter had started to loosen up lately and I loved seeing the shock on her face. I was proud I had something to do with that. Maybe that made me an asshole too.
Madison simply ignored her mother but not in her usual stiff way. She looked comfortable and unapologetic about her slightly less ladylike behavior and I loved it.
“You’re not cute, love. You’re stunning. The most beautiful woman in every room. People can’t stop staring at you. You don’t need to be cute.”
“Hmm… Keep going,” she smiled sweetly, waiting for more compliments.
“Okay. You’re also a pain in the ass.”
“You two look cozy together.” Hannah’s voice interrupted us. I had been refraining from looking at her for too long, afraid of what the image of her huge pregnant belly could do to my psyche, but there was no escaping her now.
“Don’t they?” Sylvia batted her eyelashes in our direction. “I’m hearing wedding bells already.”
“Have you ever not?” Madison asked her mother.
I smiled at Hannah and hoped no one could see my discomfort. “You’re glowing.”
She cradled her belly lovingly. “I can’t wait to meet him. Another month or so.”
Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that I hadn’t yet told Madison about my son, but maybe telling her on her birthday wasn’t really the best moment of revealing yet another miserable story. And we were getting closer to Annie Foster’s wedding day and that put a lot of pressure on her. My son’s story had to wait a bit longer.
“Both Tyler and I are so scared that we’re totally going to fuck this parenting thing up.”
“Young parents fuss too much nowadays,” Sylvia said, earning herself death glares from all three of her children. “I didn’t fuss that much and all my kids turned out to be functioning adults.”
“I’m sure you’ll be a great mother, Hannah, and my brother will be an amazing dad,” Madison said and surprised all of us with how genuine that statement sounded.
“Thank you, Maddie,” Hannah nodded and then excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Sylvia asked Clem about Daphne, and Madison and I had a moment of privacy.
