I squeeze her thigh lightly. "It missed you too, Mads."
She rolls her eyes but doesn't fight me on it.
Before she can get lost in her thoughts, I notice her hands are trembling slightly—whether from nervousness or the cool air, I'm not sure. I take both her hands in mine, bringing them to my lips and warming them with my breath. Her eyes widen slightly, fixing on the gesture with an intensity that makes my heart race.
"Relax," I whisper against her knuckles. "It's just us, same as always."
She nods, visibly calming under my touch just as the front door flings open.
"Oh my God, they're here!"
I barely have time to react before my mom comes bolting down the steps, my dad following at a much more reasonable pace, shaking his head.
Madison stiffens slightly beside me, but I don't give her a chance to overthink it.
I hop out, jogging around to her side and opening the door before she can. I take her hand to help her down, and before she can step away, I cup her face gently and press a soft kiss to her forehead. "Relax, baby," I whisper against her skin.
I feel her breath catch at my words, and I pull back to see something flash in her eyes—awareness, maybe, of what I almost just confessed. But now isn't the time.
"Come on, Mads. No turning back now."
She groans. "You say that like I'm being sent to the gallows."
I smirk. "Close enough."
She glares at me, but before she can retaliate, my mom practically tackles her in a hug.
"Oh, sweetheart! Look at you! You get prettier every time I see you." My mom pulls back, cupping Madison's face, beaming. "I could cry."
Madison huffs a soft laugh, her face slightly pink. "Hey, Mama Montgomery."
My mom beams, tugging her into another tight hug before pulling away. "Come inside! I need all the details about what exactly my son did to finally get his head out of his ass and lock you down."
Madison groans. "Oh my God."
I smirk, grabbing our bags with one hand, reaching for her hand and lacing my fingers with hers with the other. As the November chill picks up, I instinctively move my hand to the small of her back, guiding her forward. She leans into the touch, a small gesture of trust that speaks volumes.
"Told you she's been waiting for this, Mads."
Madison glares at me but lets me guide her toward the house, my mom already leading the way inside with far too much excitement.
As I head into the house with my family, I can't help but think I'd follow that girl anywhere.
Once inside, I lead Madison upstairs to the guest room where she'll be staying. She pauses in the doorway, a surprised smile spreading across her face as she notices what I've done. On the nightstand sits a small glass jar filled with sunflowers and, next to it, sits a worn Polaroid of us from junior year, her laughing as I made a ridiculous face.
"You kept this?" she asks softly, picking up the photo.
I rub the back of my neck, suddenly feeling exposed. "Yeah, well...some things you just don't throw away. I wanted to make sure you knew you weren’t the only one holding onto things.”
She turns to me, something unreadable in her expression, before she rises on her tiptoes and presses a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. "Thank you," she whispers.
I set her bag down, winding my arms around her, suddenly wishing we had more time alone before joining my family.
The breeze rolls in from the ocean, cool but not cold, the scent of salt lingering in the air. My dad sits down in one of the patio chairs, sipping his beer before nodding toward the kitchen window.
"She looks good in there."
I glance over my shoulder, my eyes finding Madison instinctually.
