Echoes of Summer (20 page)
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She hugged him again then stood up and moved over to Stephen. It was hard to meet his eyes, but she knew she had to apologize. To make it right between them. She had over reacted big time and accused him of carelessness when it wasn’t his fault.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you. Thank you, Stephen. For taking care of our boy.” She took his hand, hoping he wouldn’t pull back in anger like he had every right to do.
“I’m sorry, Madison. I had no idea. It happened so fast and I was so worried I’d hurt him.”
Madison heard the same terror in his voice she had felt the first time they’d discovered Milo’s allergy. “Sounds like you did everything right.” Madison stepped closer and slid her arms around him for a hug. “Thank you.” She held him for a few minutes until the ER doctor came in and gave them some final instructions before discharging them.
“Milo will probably be tired, but you need to make sure you keep giving him regular doses of the antihistamine.” The doctor circled the dosage on the papers he held. “Keep an eye on him, because if the shot wears off before the allergen is out of his system, he could have another reaction. And you’ll need to do a follow up with an allergist.”
Madison nodded and from Stephen’s body language, she knew he was listening closely to the instructions as well. It was obvious he loved Milo as much as she did. When they were sure they knew what to do, the doctor left. Milo climbed off the gurney just as a nurse came in. She looked at Stephen. “Are you the person responsible for payment?”
Madison stepped forward and lifted her purse to dig out her wallet. “That would be me.”
Milo looked at his mom. “Can I ride home with Dad?”
Madison hesitated for a moment, but nodded and smiled at Stephen. “Is that okay with you? This might take a few minutes.”
He nodded, but looked at Milo as he answered, not meeting her eye. “Sure. We’ll see you at your house.”
***
Milo looked about ready to fall asleep as Stephen pulled up to his house. They got out of the car and Stephen offered to carry him to the door. Milo lifted his arms and Stephen picked up his son, reveling in the fierce hug the boy gave him, glad he was okay. When they reached the front door, Stephen paused.
“Do you have a key, Milo?”
He shook his head drowsily against Stephen’s shoulder. Stephen sighed then turned around on the porch and took a couple steps down. He eased Milo out of the monkey hold he had on him and they sat on the steps to wait for Madison.
She pulled up about ten minutes later and rushed out of the car. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about the house being locked. I should have given you my keys. Why didn’t you call me?”
Stephen shrugged. “It was nice to just sit here with Milo.”
Madison looked at him, then at the sleepy boy leaning on his shoulder. She didn’t speak, but moved past them to unlock the house. Stephen helped Milo stand and they entered the house soon after Madison.
“I’m hungry, Mom.”
“There’s some yogurt and apples in the fridge, go pick out something that sounds good.”
Milo headed to the kitchen and Stephen stared after the boy, afraid to let him out of his sight.
“Terrifying, isn’t it?” Madison slid up beside him and took his hand in hers.
“I had no idea,” Stephen said, glancing down at her.
“I was afraid to let him do anything for days, and I checked labels religiously, made sure I had an epi-pen in my purse, in the kitchen, in my room, in the bathroom, in the car. Everywhere. Made him carry around a little backpack too. Which I’m surprised he didn’t have with him.”
“I’m sorry, I should have made sure he had it. I know he has it with him all the time. He was just excited to see me, so I didn’t even—” He stopped short when Madison stepped in front of him.
“It’s okay.” Madison sighed. “You did fine. Much better than I did the first time. Milo will be good as new in a few days, and now we know to stay away from shrimp. It’s all good.”
Stephen took a deep breath, finally feeling a little more at ease. She truly didn’t blame him for this and it gave him hope.
Madison looked up into his eyes. “Besides. It made me realize how much I want you to be a more permanent part of Milo’s life.” She took a slow breath. “And mine.”
“Really?” Stephen wasn’t sure if he was actually hearing this right.
Madison pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I keep messing up, Stephen. I’ve been on my own so long and in charge of everything, I don’t know when to stop. And I was so afraid of you leaving again that I just pushed you away first so I wouldn’t get hurt. But I don’t want to do it alone anymore. Not if I don’t have to.”
Stephen didn’t know what to say. He’d been so afraid of moving too fast.
“We don’t have to be an immediate family, Stephen,” Madison continued. “We can take our time. I’m here. You’re here. Milo is with us both. We can become a family when it’s right, but I won’t—”
Stephen took her hands in his. “I don’t want to leave you. If you’ll let me stay, I will.”
Madison’s smile warmed his heart. He bent his head, and she lifted her face toward him. Their eyes remained locked on each other’s until he was so close he could feel her warm breath on his skin. She closed her eyes in that sexy way she had, and his heart pounded in his chest. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers, wanting to enjoy every second of this kiss.
She sighed softly against his lips and moved her arms around his neck, pressing her body close to his. He let go of her hands, and one of his found its way around her back while the other cradled the back of her head.
She kissed him back, putting more passion and emotion into this than he’d felt from her since finding her again. Then, too soon, she ended the kiss and sobbed against him.
Her shoulders shook as she cried. Stephen held her, more confused than ever. He’d never made a woman cry with his kisses, and from what he could tell from before, she’d enjoyed them. He rubbed her back and made soothing sounds, hoping she’d calm down enough to tell him what to do.
“Bea, love, don’t cry. We’ll figure it out.”
Madison sighed. “I know. I’m not crying because I’m sad. I’m crying because I’m so happy to have you here with me right now. I hated doing all this parenting stuff alone. It’s nice to have a dad in the house.”
“Does this mean Dad will be moving in with us?” Milo asked from the hallway making Stephen and Madison pull apart in surprise.
“Maybe someday, Milo,” Stephen said. “But first I need to ask your mom to marry me.”
“Then ask her,” Milo said before taking a bite of his apple.
Stephen looked down into Madison’s face, searching it for any clue to her thoughts on the subject. She smiled at him, then lifted up on her toes and kissed him softly. She whispered against his lips. “Don’t feel pressured to ask, if you aren’t ready. But I kinda think if you did ask, the answer would be yes.”
Stephen smiled, then looked over at Milo who smiled wide and nodded eagerly. Stephen kept hold of Madison’s hand and led her over to the orchids he’d brought over weeks ago. The blossoms were still full and vibrant. It wasn’t a typical Hawaiian flower, but it would do in a pinch. He pulled the blossom off and bent down on one knee, holding the flower up. “Beatrice Madison Perry, will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your husband?”
She leaned down toward him. “You’re sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I want us to be a family. I’ve already missed too much of it, I don’t want to waste a moment more.” He held one hand out to Milo who joined them. “Milo, is it okay with you if I marry your mom?”
“Yup.”
Madison smiled at Milo then looked back at Stephen. “Then yes, I’d love to marry you.”
Stephen stood and tucked the blossom behind her left ear, officially declaring her taken, then kissed her gently.
Milo grinned and hugged them both. “Finally.”
Stephen chuckled. “My thoughts exactly, son.”
Epilogue
Stephen stood at the one end of the chapel watching his bride walk toward him. She had her hand tucked into her father’s elbow. The last few months had been a time of closure and forgiveness. It had been hard to meet with Madison’s parents after they’d come back with Milo from their trip to the Redwoods, but over time, they had begun to accept him as a part of Madison and Milo’s lives.
Stephen glanced at his son in his tux, standing next to him as his best man. Milo grinned up at him, and he turned his attention back to Madison. She didn’t have a veil covering her face, just a single plumeria flower over her right ear. He stared at her bright eyes shining with the same joy he felt.
It was a long time coming, but they would finally be a family. When Madison reached him, she leaned over and kissed her father on the cheek.
Joe paused, took her hand in his one last time, kissed her knuckles, and passed her hand into Stephen’s. Joe smiled at him without any trace of sadness, and Stephen returned the smile, then focused all his attention on the woman before him.
They turned to the officiator, and as they said the words that would unite them as a family, Stephen’s heart swelled within him.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Stephen kissed her as tenderly as he could, breathing in her scent and looking forward to the promise of more moments like this. He took the flower and moved it to the other side, and she grinned widely.
As they walked down the aisle as a married couple, Madison leaned in closer to him. “Are you going to tell me now where we’re going on our honeymoon?”
He glanced at her as they walked. “Surely you’ve got some ideas.”
Madison smiled. “Well, I’m hoping you’re smart enough to take me to Hawaii like you promised to do once upon a time.”
His grin nearly split his face. “I have tickets for tomorrow. But for tonight I didn’t want to be on the red-eye.”
Madison smiled. “Smart thinking. I have other plans for tonight as well.” She squeezed his arm, and they walked outside and into the waiting limo.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading
Echoes of Summer
. Please consider posting a review or rating on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews help spread the word. It’s the best way to say “thank you” to any author.
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at
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Thanks for reading.
Laura D. Bastian
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