NO SEDUCING. FRIEND
MADISON
“Who are you?”
The tiny voice catches me off guard. I look down and smile at who I’m guessing is Remi. His wide brown eyes study me as he shoves a cracker in his mouth, crumbs falling on his shirt.
“Remi! Where are your manners?” Sarah scolds, rushing toward him.
“I’m Madison,” I say softly, crouching until I’m eye-level with him. “You must be Remi.”
“That’s me.” He points to himself proudly, a little crumb still clinging to his lip.
“Madi! Hi, sorry about that.” Sarah reaches his side, brushing off his shirt.
“Hi.” I smile, standing to hug her.
We haven’t seen each other since our girls’ night, and I’m relieved to see her here. My nerves are in overdrive. I haven’t been here since before Hunter came home, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for whatever he has to tell me. Having Sarah here is a nice distraction.
“Hunter’s in the shower,” she says, lifting Remi onto herhip. “He said to wait for him and practically demanded Hals and I make sure you don’t run off.”
I laugh, falling into step beside her. We pass through the living room and into the open-plan kitchen and dining area, the afternoon sunlight spilling through the wide glass doors that lead to the backyard. The air smells faintly of eucalyptus and fresh-cut grass. Everything feels distant, yet so familiar. We’ve spent countless summer days, lazy afternoons, and late nights out here. Fairy lights hang from the wooden posts to the trees, casting a warm glow when the moon is high in the sky. The long table to the right sits more than enough people, and the barbecue sits off to the left, lid propped open, a reminder of the nights we’d hang out here until the early hours, laughing until our voices went hoarse. Hunter’s house has always been our safe place. The place we come to when life gets too heavy, when our own homes become too quiet, too lonely. Asher practically called this house his second home before Halle came along. He tried to keep his distance at first, but love has a way of ignoring all the rules. Their pasts called to each other, hard and broken in all the same places, and somehow, they came out on top, healing together. After Hunter left, they stayed here the most, keeping the place alive when he couldn’t. But since his return, and with Sarah and Remi here now, they’ve been spending more time at Asher’s. Giving everyone the space they need.
“Madi, you came.” Halle’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“Hey, girl.” I drop into the chair beside her.
Remi wriggles out of Sarah’s arms and takes off after a ball. He misses the kick, tumbling to the grass. Instead of crying, he lets out a laugh so full it fills the air, and pushes himself up, dusting off his knees, and goes again. A smilepulls at the corner of my mouth, his energy radiating through the late afternoon.
“He’s a little cutie,” I say, glancing at Sarah.
Her gaze stays fixed on him, pride softening her features. “There’s been a lot of change for him lately. New town, new people, but he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
“That’s because you have us now,” Halle teases, nudging her with an easy grin.
“Please tell me you’re planning to stay for good?” I ask, hope lacing my tone.
“She better be. There’s no way we’re letting her go back to that shit hole of a town.” Halle’s tone comes out half joking, half serious.
Sarah laughs under her breath, shoulders relaxing. “Right now, the plan is to stay. Remi’s happy, and I feel…” Her voice falters for a second. “Safe here.”
I reach across the table, curling my fingers around hers. “Hey,” I say, meeting her eyes. “You’ll always be safe here with us.”
I’ve seen the same look in Hunter’s eyes before. The quiet hesitation that hides behind a steady stare. The same one Halle wore when she first arrived here, like she was bracing herself for the next hit in life, even when she didn’t have to.
Growing up, my world was small but safe. No siblings or cousins, just me and Mom, and I never realized what a privilege that was. I never had to grow up before I was ready. Never had to carry the burden or the kind of pain that leaves marks you can’t see. These guys did. And yet here they are, laughing, rebuilding, loving anyway. It’s impossible not to admire their strength. Life could have broken them, but they flipped it off and kept going. Against all odds, they found their way back to something good.
Sarah sighs as she looks between us. “I know. I can’t thank you guys enough for welcoming us like you have.”
“They’re pretty stubborn. Once they decide they want to keep you, it’s a losing battle. They won’t let go,” Halle teases.
“Now I just have to find a job and a place for us to stay. We can’t move in here permanently.” Sarah laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Why not?” Hunter’s voice comes from behind me.
I turn to see him leaning against the door frame. His dark jeans cling to his thighs, his Whiskey Cove shirt stretched tight across his chest and arms. Droplets of water darken the fabric near his collar, and his hair is damp, spiked in every direction like he only half bothered with a towel. His sharp jaw is clean of the stubble that was there earlier this morning. His eyes cut to mine, and something glimmers there—heat, amusement, maybe both. I swallow hard. My body tingles with the weight of that look.
“Because,” Sarah says, snapping me back, “I have a son who’s a little terror, and we need our own place. We need stability, and I really don’t want to overstep your and Halle’s space…” She pauses, her lips curling into a smirk as her eyes dart to me. “Or get in the way of things.”
