Page 74 of Forever Home

What is she talking about?

“Mom–” I laugh softly, shaking my head in disbelief. “I can’t go… you know I can’t. I have to help you with the bakery. I mean, there is so much to do here, and there are so many orders to fill.”

“Madi, Madi…” she says quickly, shaking her head as she stares at me. “The bakery is my responsibility, not yours. As much as I love running it with you, it’s my dream. It isn’t your dream, and I want you to do what makes you happy. I want you to travel the world… to see new things. I want you to find love with someone who is just as amazing—”

“...as Jaxson?” I say, finishing her sentence. A smile crosses her lips as she gives me the motherly look I’ve seen so many times. The one that screams she loves me, and is proud of me, and so much more in one simple glance.

“If ithappens to be Jaxson, then so be it. But if it isn’t, that’s okay too.”

Her words sink in as I sit there trying to process what she’s saying. I want to go, but even though she’s telling me that she doesn’t need me here, I feel like I’m abandoning her if I go. That I will be letting her down, and the thought of leaving her alone kills me.

“Mom…I can’t.” I finally reply, holding back my emotions as tears brim my eyes. “I can’t—”

“Madison, you can… and you will," she replies firmly. “You don’t have to go forever… just a few weeks. Enjoy yourself. See New York, and have fun. You never know, you may surprise yourself.”

Laughter escapes me as I wipe the tears from my eyes. There was no way that I could tell her no now. She’d given me a direct order, and I wasn’t one to typically ignore what she has to say. She is my mother after all, and the fact that she’s giving me her blessing to go shows just how much she really loves me.

“Who are you going to get to help you?”

She waves her hand, scoffing at my comment. “Please Madison… Edith’s been bugging to help me out for years. She would be thrilled if I asked for her help. Now, get your things. I’m going to take you home, and you’re going to talk to Jaxson. You guys have things to plan out.”

Nodding my head, my mother smiles and turns from the room heading back downstairs. My mind races over our entire conversation. I’d been hesitant to go, ready to tell him no and deal with him leaving, and in one conversation with my mom, my plans changed.

Guess I’m going to New York.

Chapter Thirty: Madison

Why does everyone always want to fly?

“This is your captain speaking. We’re currently starting our descent into JFK airport. Local time is four-fifteen p.m., and the temperature is a chilly fifty-three degrees. We do ask that you remain seated until we’ve landed and your fasten seatbelt signs turn off. Thank you for choosing Delta.”

The turbulence flying into JFK airport is horrible. My hands grip the arms of the business class seats that Jaxson had booked for us as I keep my eyes closed. I’d flown once before, but I’d been so drunk that I barely remember the entire experience. The entire thing one shit show after the next that Sam had to help me with, considering I ended up a few hours from where I was actually supposedto be.

“It’s really not that bad,” Jaxson murmurs next to me, my left eye opening to glance at him as I take slow, deep breaths to calm my racing heart. “Why don’t you look out the window, it’s beautiful.”

“I can’t.”

He’s quiet for a moment before I feel his hand upon mine. “Are you afraid of heights?”

Heights? He can’t be serious.

“No,” I reply softly. “If I was afraid of heights, I wouldn’t have been in the treehouse. Nor would I have gone cliff diving with you and Asher our junior year.”

“I forgot about that,” he laughs, causing me to open my eyes completely to look at him. “But if it’s not heights, then what is it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I grumble. “Perhaps the idea of smashing to the ground from ten thousand feet in a metal tin can.”

The sarcasm is thick within my words, and Jaxson does nothing but laugh at what I say. Not because of the infliction I feel; he isn’t that cruel. No, because of the amusement in this entire interaction.

The moment the plane touches the ground and we’re able to finally move, Jaxson sweeps me through the airport to baggage claim where we quickly gather our things and make our way to the pick-up line. A black limo waiting on the curb causes me to glance at him with curiosity over the extravagance of the ride.

“Trying to impress me?” I ask, watching his smile widen.

“Is it working?”

Shaking my head, a smile spreading across my face, I hand my bags to the chauffeur and climb into the back. It doesn’t take long for Jaxson to climb in next to me, the car speeding away from the curb, headed down the road towards the highway.

The vast city of New York stretches across the skyline with the setting glow of orange and yellows cascading out from behind it. It’s beautiful for sure, but a part of me feels slightly off because while I’m here enjoying myself, my mother is back home slaving away at the bakery by herself.

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