Chapter 27
Madison was packing her things when she heard the front door opening.
It was still early, barely after nine, and they hadn’t expected Everleigh and Christopher to be back home until at least eleven.
Apparently, judging by the cooing she could hear, mommy was missing her little boy.
She and Ben had fallen asleep watching TV last night and had woken up at the crack of dawn for Jonathan’s breakfast. Madison had hoped she would be able to sneak out of the house unnoticed, but it didn’t seem to be possible anymore.
“Is that a purse? Whose purse is that, Ben? Tell me you didn’t have a woman over while looking after my son?” Everleigh’s voice was unusually cold and snappy when Madison made her way downstairs.
“What the… of course not, I would never do that!”
“Then whose bag is it? Who slept in our home?”
“It’s me,” Madison said with a small voice as she joined them in the living room. “Don’t worry, it’s just me.”
Everleigh turned around, Jonathan in her arms and trying to grab her hair. “Madison?”
“Sorry. Scampi was teething and crying, and I kinda panicked a little. I called Madison,” Ben explained.
“Why didn’t you text us? We would have come back if he wasn’t feeling well,” Everleigh said in a worried voice, pressing a hand on her son’s forehead.
“And that might be exactly why he didn’t get in touch, Buttercup,” Chris intervened softly.
Madison nodded “Jonathan was fine. Just really fussy. It was a little nerve-wracking but there was no emergency.”
“Oh. Oh, God, I’m sorry Ben. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions that way.”
“I guess those overprotective instincts are no joke,” Ben said with a little shrug and a smile, brushing it off. Yet, Madison could see he had been hurt by the accusation. And it made her feel awkward to realize Everleigh had been kinda spot on.
Remembering she had sanitized the laundry room with Clorox wipes soothed her conscience a little.
“No, Ben. I’m sorry. You were so nice and helpful to babysit for us, and I just accused you without proof. That’s not alright. I know you’d never do anything like that when you’re taking care of Jonathan.”
The guilt surged back with a vengeance, and the look she shared with Ben told her he wasn’t exactly feeling comfortable either.
“Why don’t we just forget about it all and have breakfast?” Chris intervened.
“You didn’t even take the time to eat?”
“Everleigh wanted to make sure everything was alright.”
“Evie, I texted you one hour ago,” Ben said with a roll of his eyes.
Everleigh had the decency to look sheepish. “I know. But it’s the very first night I spent away from him. I think we need to start slowly. Next time, I promise we’ll have breakfast out as well.”
They sat down at the kitchen table with the pastries Christopher had bought on the way and a pot of coffee. Jonathan went from his mother’s arms to his father’s, and Madison couldn’t help but smile at the perfect family portrait in front of her.
They let the men handle the dishes and headed upstairs to give Jonathan his bath, something he was finally starting to enjoy.
“God, I feel so bad for snapping at Ben like that,” Everleigh said as she poured water in the small baby tub.
“Oh. You know him, he probably already forgot about it,” Madison said lightly, waving her off. A part of her was a little mad at her friend for accusing Ben that way. The other was way too aware of the fact that Ben had, technically, invited a woman over and they definitely had had sex.
On their washing machine.
I’m a terrible friend who desecrates people’s home appliances.
“I hope so. But enough about my stupid mouth running too fast. How are you? How was London?” Everleigh asked softly. She undressed Jonathan, who started making little baby sounds of delight, his feet kicking up. “Oh, yes, we’re gonna have a bath, aren’t we? Get squeaky clean and then go for the Saturday morning walk with daddy?”
“He’s so cute,” Madison said with a little enamored sigh. He had incredible blue eyes, inherited from his dad, just like his brown hair. His mouth and chin were all Everleigh’s, though.
“Chris? Oh, believe me, I know,” Everleigh snorted. “But don’t change the topic.”
“It was alright. I mean… not fun for sure and… not really easy either, but… not as bad as I feared.”
“I know I seem a little busy but I’m always here if you need to talk.”
Madison watched as Everleigh gently lowered Jonathan in the small tub then gasped when the little boy’s fists landed brutally in the water, splashing it around him and dousing the two women in the room as well.
“Ah, yes. Sorry. Should have warned you,” Everleigh giggled. “He’s small but the bathroom looks like a swimming pool by the time he is done.”
“How do you even manage to wash him?” she asked, watching the way he was wiggling around, kicking and punching the water.
“He gets tired of it after a minute or two. We figured it was best to let him have his fun, then he’s all quiet.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll go wait by the door,” Madison said as she took a few steps back. “I don’t have a change of clothes.”
“I would have given you some, I’m not that bad of a friend. Also, no one slept in our bed?”
“I fell asleep on the couch. Jet lag.”
“And Ben?”
“I don’t know,” Madison lied smoothly. “He was awake before me, but I think he dozed off in the big chair.”
She held her breath, wondering if Everleigh would call her out on her lie. Even if she had indeed fallen asleep on the couch, she was well aware of the fact that Ben had been right next to her, fulfilling his role as her personal pillow quite well.
“He can be so old-fashioned sometimes. That would totally be him. Refusing to sleep in a comfy bed if the lady in the house didn’t get the same opportunity.”
“Yup. Definitely him. A real gentleman.”
“If only he would stop playing, he would be an amazing partner. I have no doubt about that. You know, I used to think that maybe you and him… I don’t know. Do you think he could be your kind of guy?”
“Ben? Ha ha. Noooo. He’s too mischievous for me. I need rational and quiet.”
Madison brushed her nose, making sure it wasn’t growing with the number of half-truths and lies she was telling by the second. It was like she was digging a hole, bigger and bigger with each word passing her lips.
But what was she supposed to do? Admit that Everleigh had been right and they had put the sex-against-a-fridge fantasy to shame?
“Sometimes, what we think we need is not exactly what will make us happy,” Everleigh murmured wisely.
It was hard for Madison to come up with something in reply because Everleigh was right. No other guy had ever made her feel as happy as Ben. Joyful, giddy, content. Her old checklist of qualities she needed in a man seemed awfully obsolete right now. Her perfect guy had been intellectual, introverted. She had dreamed about long nights by a fireplace discussing Newton’s theories or maybe Descartes.
Ben was smart, but it clearly wasn’t the first thing you noticed about him. Her nights with him were long, but they never talked about Descartes. Instead, they kissed, made love, and laughed. Their intellectual debates were usually over pancakes versus waffles, or doggy-style vs missionary.
Yet, somewhere along the way, she had fallen for the guy. Hard. It had been obvious, and impossible to deny any longer, when she had missed him like crazy while in London. Not just because she liked the sex - although, she did love the sex - but as emotional support as well. After having talked with Nicole, the only thing she wanted to do was snuggle in his arms and tell him everything that was still weighing on her. She had had to settle on Facetime while he was at work. He still took her call, and he had looked so good, so handsome in his crisp white shirt, hair already a little messy even if it was only early afternoon.
She knew he still saw their relationship as fun, and not very serious, but he also wanted to come clean to their friends. The only thing she was afraid of was that, without the barrier of having to pretend they were not intimate, she’d get even more attached. The idea of finally being able to hold his hand or just touch him in front of everyone was insanely appealing. A little too much, if she was honest.