Suddenly, we heard the rumbling from the garage.
Natalie pulled back quickly; her face flushed. Her hand shot to her laptop, closing it. The moment collapsed between us.
The garage door finished rumbling loud and jarring, cutting clean through everything. I started to head towards the garage to see who it was. The garage door clicked before I made it, and I turned to see Madison standing there, tears streaming down her face.
“Madison, are you okay?” I asked, worried.
She was wiping her eyes, looking like she’d been crying for a while. “Can I stay here tonight?”
“Of course,” I said, instantly refocusing on her. The timing was insane, but my daughter needed me. As she walked into the kitchen, she noticed Natalie, who was already packed up and heading toward the door.
“I’m Natalie, the designer,” she introduced herself quickly. “And I was just heading out.”
Madison looked at her with a confused expression, probably wondering why my designer was here at ten p.m.
I walked Natalie to the door, sensing her discomfort. She was clearly ready to leave. As she stepped out, I quickly texted her.
Will: I’m so sorry.
Back in the kitchen, Madison gave me a look that told me she didn’t quite buy the “designer” explanation.
“Designer?” she asked skeptically.
“Need to find time to redo the house.” I tried to redirect. “So, what’s going on?”
She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Mom and I had a fight. She won’t let me go riding on Sunday because she wants me to meet someone. Apparently, she has a new boyfriend.”
That caught me off guard.A boyfriend?Kelly mentioned she was dating, but I didn’t realize it was serious enough for introductions.
“And I guess you have a new girlfriend?” Madison added pointedly, her eyes narrowing.
I shook my head. “Natalie’s just the designer, Madison, like I said. Look,” I pulled up a photo on my phone, “she found this art piece for your room.”
She glanced at the picture, clearly impressed by the choice, but muttered, “It’s nice, I guess.”
After Madison vented a little more, I suggested we put on a movie. She picked something nostalgic, one of those animated films she used to watch on repeat when she was younger. As we sat on the couch, I noticed how small she seemed, curled up under a blanket. It reminded me of when she was little and would climb into my lap after a bad day. Back then, it was easy to make things better; a hug, a bedtime story, a silly joke could fix almost anything.
By midnight, Madison was asleep. I gently tucked the blanket around her and texted Kelly to let her know Madison was here. For a moment, I considered asking about this new boyfriend, but decided it was better to hold off. Kelly introducing someone to the kids felt premature without bringing it to my attention first, but maybe that was my own bias.
I grabbed my phone and checked to see if Natalie had responded to my earlier text. She hadn’t. I stared at the screen for a moment, debating whether to send another message, but I stopped myself. She was probably just as rattled by what happened as I was.
With a heavy sigh, I put the phone down and headed to bed. As I lay there, my mind replayed the evening—the moment with Natalie, the look on Madison’s face, the way she had said,And I guess you have a new girlfriend?
What was I doing?Natalie was married. This wasn’t supposed to happen, but when I thought about the way she looked at me, and the way her breath hitched when I touched her neck, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. I wanted her, and I wasn’t sure if I cared about the consequences.
CHAPTER 21
IF YOU PLAY WITH THE HOT FLAME, YOU MIGHT GET BURNED
NATALIE
Icouldn’t get out of Will’s house fast enough.
The moment I stepped out of the door, I felt like I could finally breathe again, but it was shallow, like I wasn’t quite ready to face the weight of what just happened. I could still feel the intensity of his presence, the way his touch lingered on my skin, the undeniable electricity between us. His presence clung to me like an ember refusing to die. Then Madison walked in, tears streaming down her face, and it was like the world slammed back into reality.
I tried to convince myself it wasn’t a big deal. That it was just a meeting about the house, just a moment of connection, just a bit of heat between two people, but I knew better. The way he looked at me, the way I responded to him—it wasn’t fleeting. It was something deeper, something I shouldn’t have allowed to happen.
Madison’s face when she saw me was enough to stop me in my tracks. I could see the hurt. She didn’t understand what wasgoing on, but I could feel her judgment. In that moment, I wasn’t just a stranger in her dad’s house.
