Page 98 of Claimed by my Bestie's Dad

I walk up to the door, let myself in, and am immediately greeted by Luna, wagging her tail like she’s been waiting for me all day. Samson’s nowhere in sight, but I know where he’ll be. His stitches are still healing, even though he doesn’t act like it. He acts just as energetic as always.

“Hey, Luna,” I say, rubbing the pup’s ears before moving toward the kitchen. Madison’s sitting at the table, cradling a cup of coffee like it’s the only thing keeping her awake right now. She has circles around her eyes, and I can tell she’s tired.

I walk right over to her and wrap my arms around her. I kiss the top of her head, and we just stand like that for a minute. I love the feeling of her in my arms.

“Hey, you didn’t have to come by. I’m sure your shift was long today.”

I drop my keys on the counter and give her another kiss. “Of course I did. You’ve got too much on your plate as it is. I thought I’d take care of the dogs today, give you a break. I’m sure you would enjoy a quiet house for thirty minutes.”

Her lips quirk into a half-smile. “Yeah, I tried to take a nap this afternoon. I was so tired, but then, Goofus started barking like someone was breaking into the house. It was the mail truck. But at that point, my nap was ruined.”

I can tell she’s exhausted. I rub her back slowly, then ask the question I know I have to ask. Because even though I just want to be with Madison and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist, it does. “Have you talked to Aurora?”

“No.” Madison shakes her head, then pushes herself to her feet and wraps her arms around me, burying her face in my chest. It’s clear from her reaction that she doesn’t want to talk about it any further. That’s fine. We can talk about it later.

“How’s Samson doing?”

“He’s doing great. He acts like he was never hurt, though I can tell he’s shy of the other dogs now. More than before. He prefers to be with me rather than them. I hate that he’s so affected like that.”

I kiss Madison yet again. It’s hard to keep my hands and lips off her before nodding to the back door. “I’ll take them all outside and get them some exercise, then I’ll be back for you.”

“You’re going to get me some exercise too?” Madison asks, grinning.

I laugh. “Maybe, if you have the energy for it.”

We laugh together, and it feels good to dispel the tension that’s riding on both of us. I go through the motions of getting the dogs ready to go out. As soon as I pick up one leash, they get the idea and start bouncing around me like agroup of kangaroos instead of dogs. But finally, we get outside.

The cold air whips its way across my skin, and I bury as much of my face in my coat as I can, crossing my arms so that my hands are in my armpits as I watch the dogs play. Samson is definitely acting more cautious today, and I can see where his neck is shaved still from the stitches. They at least look like they aren’t infected, which is good news.

My thoughts turn to Madison. I need to make sure she’s doing okay, mentally and emotionally. I know Aurora has probably not been helping in that department, but I’m determined to do what I can to make sure Madison is taken care of.

With a long whistle, I call the dogs back to me, and they come streaking across the yard, eager to be the first on a leash.

Once everyone is back inside, Madison looks up from where she’s still sitting in the kitchen. “That silence was so beautiful. Thank you for taking them for a little while.”

I reach down and scratch Samson behind the ears. He leans into me as if to say I’ve found just the right spot. Madison and I laugh at the look of pure pleasure that seems to take over his doggy face.

When I look up, Madison’s eyes are filled with tears. Wasn’t she just laughing? What happened? I release Samson and step over to her. “Madison?”

“I’m sorry. About everything. About Aurora. I just… I don’t want to mess things up between us. But I need to figure out how to get her to come around. I can’t?—”

I stand up, closing the distance between us in a few strides. “Madison, you don’t have to apologize. This thing with Aurora… It’s hard. I get that. But it’s not on you to fix everything. She’s her own person.”

She looks up at me, her expression conflicted. “But it is on me, Ethan. I’m the one who’s coming into her life and changing things. If she doesn’t accept me being with you, I don’t know how we can make this work. I want this to work, but I can’t have her hate me for the rest of her life. I just can’t do that…to either of you.”

I take her hands in mine, squeezing them gently. “Aurora’s got a lot to sort through. But she’ll come around. She’s…always needed time to process things. Give her time. In a couple of days, reach out, and you may find she’s completely changed her mind. In the meantime, maybe you need a break. A distraction.”

“A distraction?”

I nod. “Yeah. Something to get your mind off everything, at least for a little while. What do you say we go over to that building I got you for your surfing school and start getting it ready?”

Madison instantly smiles, and I know it was the right decision. “Yes, that would be fun. I’ve thought about it every day since you gave it to me, but… I just wasn’t sure where to start.”

“Why not start with paint? It’ll help clear your head, and maybe we can actually start making some progress toward getting that surf school up and running. Besides, once we’ve started painting, that’s something you can do on your own if you want.”

She hesitates for a moment, then nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Okay, let’s do it.”

We go to the home improvement store together, and it feels like a big step. So far, we’ve only been together at our houses or out walking. But this…shopping for paint together, feels like a big step. People are seeing us together as a couple.

---