"Oh, this is my new favorite thing," she hums, rocking on her heels.
I sigh, knowing there’s no winning this one. Gently, I brush my knuckles against Madison’s arm. "Mads," I murmur.
She stirs, eyes fluttering open slowly, still heavy with sleep.
And damn, if she doesn’t look beautiful like this.
She blinks up at me, confused at first. Then, realization dawns, and she slowly sits up, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Late," I say softly.
Lyla clears her throat. "So, uh…when were you going to tell me that you and Jaxon are basically living together now?"
Madison groans, dropping her head into her hands. "Oh my God."
I smirk. "I think she’s mad you caught us, Ly."
Madison punches my leg.
I chuckle, pushing myself up from the couch, stretching my arms over my head. "I should go."
Madison watches me carefully as I grab my baseball cap from the coffee table, spinning it backward onto my head before pressing a kiss to her hair.
Her breath catches, her fingers tightening slightly against the couch.
I linger just a second longer than I should. Pulling back, I send her a wink. "Night, beautiful."
As I step into the cool night air, one thought settles deep in my bones.
She’s falling for me.
She might not know it yet, but she is.
27
MADISON
Packing should not be this hard.
It's just a weekend. Three nights. Not even a full four days. And yet, my bed is covered in way too many outfit options, half-folded sweaters, and an unreasonable number of very unnecessary pieces of new lingerie Lyla convinced me to buy.
I groan, shoving a pair of jeans into my duffle.
Jaxon is already on his way to pick me up, and I'm still standing here in my leggings and a cropped tank, debating which sweater to bring, which swimsuit will cover enough for the hot tub. I’ve spent the night in their house hundreds of times, yet this time feels so different, since I'm technically, sorta, kinda dating their son.
I grab my one-piece swimsuit from my dresser and toss it in, making a mental note that I'll probably regret packing last-minute. Then, I freeze, my stomach flipping as a knock sounds at the door.
"Mads, you ready?"
Jaxon. Fuck.
I exhale, tugging my hair into a loose bun before walking over to unlock the door.
Jaxon steps inside, his usual fitted hoodie and joggers combo making it entirely too difficult to focus on anything other than howstupidly attractive he is. The fabric stretches across his shoulders in a way that makes my mouth go dry, and I have to force myself to look at his face instead.
His eyes sweep over me before moving to my absolute disaster of a bedroom. "Shit, are you moving in permanently, or are you just staying the weekend?"
I roll my eyes. "Ha-ha. I'm almost done."
