Page 113 of Her Summer Hope

For a long moment they lay entwined, panting for breath, Madison idly tracing patterns over the sweat-slicked muscles of Kyle's back. A deep contentment settled over her, more profound than anything she'd known before.

She'd found her happy ending at last.

∞∞∞

The next few weeks passed in a blissful haze.

Kyle spent nearly every day at her place, playing with the kids and helping put them to bed before joining Madison on the couch. They talked for hours, learning everything there was to know about each other. Some night, after the kids had been settled down and were long asleep. then made love with a quiet passion that still astonished her.

He was caring, kind, patient - everything she'd ever wanted in a partner. And the way he was with her children made Madison's heart melt. He treated them as his own, tucking them in at night with stories and songs, helping with schoolwork and playing in the yard with them.

Kyle even drove them all up to visit Helen once the doctor had given them the okay. Helen had been tired, and her left side had been affected by the stroke, but it didn’t diminish her sense of humor or her zest for life.

Every time Kyle had turned his back, Helen had given her a lewd wink.

The kids had gone with her to McClellan’s Hope every night for dinner, deepening their connection with John and the others. The men had fully embraced her and her children, joking and teasing in a way that made her feel like she belonged.

Madison knew it was fast, that they'd only been together a short time, but it felt so right. She'd found her soulmate, her best friend, the missing piece that made her whole.

Kyle was it for her. Madison wanted nothing more than to continue on this path with him by her side, building a life and a family. She wanted the white picket fence, the backyard barbecues, the lazy Sunday mornings together.

And she knew, without a doubt, that Kyle wanted the exact same thing.

"I love you," she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his sleeping face.

Kyle's arms tightened around her in response, a small smile curving his lips. "Love you too, Maddy," he mumbled, still mostly asleep. "Always."

Madison smiled, settling into his embrace with a contented sigh. The future was theirs for the taking, and she couldn't wait to build that life together.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kyle

The scent of sizzling bacon wafted through the air, tickling Kyle's senses awake. He lay for a moment, sheets twisted around his legs, as the aroma anchored him back to reality. With a deep inhale, he let the comforting smell of breakfast fill him, his mind drifting to Maddy.

There was an empty space beside him where she should have been—where he wished she was—her warmth mingling with his under the down comforter, her laughter a melody accompanying the clinks and clatters from the kitchen.

Maybe one day.

He didn’t want to change the kids lives all at once. He wanted their trust and their acceptance first. They’d had hard lives and he knew disruptions, even good ones, could be hard on the little ones. He thought they were coming around though, and they started to take it for granted that they’d see him every day—whether he came to their house early in the morning or whether Maddy brought them over.

He started to feel bereft when he was without them, their constant lively presence always in the background bringing chaos and joy.

He rolled out of bed, muscles stretching languidly, the memories of their newfound intimacy sending a pleasing shiver down his spine.

The kids, Ellie's bright eyes, Jack's toothy grins, James' inquisitive questions, and little Em's baby squeals—they all seemed to find a place for him in their lives without much fuss. It warmed a part of him he hadn't known was cold.

"Damn," he murmured, scratching at the stubble on his jaw. "I'm getting soft."

Stepping into the kitchen, Kyle found Jimmy manning the stove. The man turned, his eyebrow arching in judgment as if he could sense the domesticity that had settled into Kyle's bones.

"Morning, Jimmy," Kyle greeted, taking a seat at the counter.

"Morning, Rev," Jimmy replied, flipping an egg onto a plate. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good, thanks. I just wish Maddy was here," Kyle confessed, his thoughts drifting back to their night together.

"Ah, speaking of that woman," Jimmy said, serving Kyle a steaming pile of pancakes and sausage. "Did you know that Murdock said she never went to culinary school?"

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