Page 87 of Her Summer Hope

As they walked to the car, Madison braced herself for the inevitable.

She would have to tell Kyle everything— about her children, about Rob's death, and the lawsuit from his parents. She prepared herself for his disgust, anger, disappointment, for the loss of her job, and the life she had built here.

As they drove in silence, Madison thought of Christian's marriage proposal.

It seemed like the only option now, a way to secure a future for her children.

Sitting beside Kyle, who had become so much more than just her employer, Madison felt a profound sense of loss. If only she’d been honest from the beginning.

As the car sped through the night, the silence between Madison and Kyle was thick. Only the rumble of the engine filled the air. Madison's heart pounded against her ribs.

She took a deep breath. “I lied to you.”

His jaw flexed in the cool dashboard light, and he was silent for several heartbeats. He didn’t look at her. “About what?”

She felt nauseous at the flatness in his tone. “About everything.”

She took a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper as she began to unravel the threads of her life.

"Kyle, there's something you need to know about me," she started, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "Rob... my husband, he passed away eight months ago. I never told you because... because I didn't know how."

Kyle's hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he said nothing, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"And there's more," Madison continued, her voice trembling. "I have three other children— Ellie, Jackson, and James. They were with Helen tonight, she's... she's like a grandmother to them. She keeps them while I work."

Kyle's jaw clenched, but still, he remained silent, an unreadable expression on his face.

Madison felt the weight of his silence, each second stretching into eternity. It made the words really hard to get out.

"And there's a lawsuit," she added, her voice breaking. "Rob's parents, Pam and Don, they're suing me for partial custody and visitation rights. It's been tearing me apart."

The car slowed as they approached the hospital, the bright lights of the emergency room cutting through the darkness.

Madison's heart was in her throat, her mind racing with the fear of what he was going to say, how he was going to react, and what was ahead of her with the kids. Helen was like a mother to her almost, and she worried for the woman.

"I'm sorry, Kyle," she finally said, her voice barely audible. "I never meant to deceive you. I needed that job more than anything and I thought—"

Kyle held up a hand, cutting her off. "Madison, stop. We'll talk later," he said shortly, his voice tight with emotion.

They parked in silence, and Madison rushed out of the car, her only thought now was to find her kids, who were probably very scared.

Kyle followed.

Even as angry as he probably was, he still followed her.

The hospital emergency room was a flurry of activity, but Madison's focus was singular. She found her children in a small waiting area with a nurse, their faces pale and worried. Ellie was holding baby Emma, while Jackson and James sat close by, their eyes wide with fear.

Madison's heart swelled with relief and love as she embraced them, her tears mingling with theirs.

"I'm here now, everything's going to be okay," she whispered, holding them close.

Kyle stood a few feet away, watching them, studying each of the kids' faces. She wished she knew what he was thinking.

As Madison spoke with the policewoman, reassuring her that she would take care of everything, her mind was racing through everything that she had to do. She knew everything was going to change now, that her relationship with Kyle could never be the same.

She turned toward him, her eyes searching his for some hint of what he was thinking, but his gaze was still inscrutable.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

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