Mad Summer Love

Family

Maddox shifted trajectory and rested his head on Summer's shoulder. He looked down at the little face peering up at them.

“Well, hello, Madison. Your mom and I were just talking.”

He nearly winced after it came out. No way a ten-year-old as smart as Madison was going to buy that.

Madison looked at him skeptically. “Uh-huh...if by talking you mean kissing, then OK,” she said in a sarcastic tone.

Summer turned to Madison, giving her her full attention. “Are you done with your homework? Or is there something you need, Honey?”

Madison's face turned into a frown. “I can't figure out these math problems,” she said, waving the paper in her hand around. “I'm so confused and they are really hard!” she pouted, knitting her eyebrows together in frustration.

“OK, well, as soon as I get dinner done, I will help you,” Summer told her, smiling before pulling out pots and pans and placing them on the stove.

“OK,” Madison sighed as she turned around and started for her room again.

Maddox chuckled as Madison walked away. “She is you. Tiny you.”

When Madison had rounded the corner, Maddox turned back to Summer. “You know. I might be a high school dropout, but I think I can handle 5th grade math. If you want, I could help her before dinner.”

Summer stopped to look at him. “They didn't let you graduate? You only missed the last week of school.”

She was stunned by this news. Surely they let him have his diploma even though he didn't attend graduation.

Maddox laughed. “It was a joke. I am sure I graduated…I just never went back for the paperwork.” He squinted at her, “Are you dodging the question, Miss Rayne?”

Summer laughed. “Still making terrible jokes, I see,” she giggled again, then smiled at him. “If you want to help her, I'm sure she would love it.”

Summer grabbed her wine and downed the rest in her glass, pouring some more immediately afterward.

Maddox laughed. “My jokes are great. Seriously, I'd be happy to help her...besides, that's what dads are for, right?”

He kissed Summer on the cheek before following after Madison.

Summer watched him disappear around the corner, her cheek still warm where he kissed her. Dad...that was probably going to take them all some time to get used to.

It wasn't long and Summer had dinner sitting out on the table, already plated for each person - Lemon pepper chicken with broccoli and wild rice on the side.

She made her way to Madison's room where Maddox had finished helping her with her homework and she was currently showing him her huge collection of stuffed animals, naming every one of them. Summer couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

“Dinner time guys,” she said softly, interrupting them.

“OK, Mommy,” Madison said as she grabbed Maddox by the hand, pulling on him. “Come on! I'm so hungry!”

Maddox let Madison lead him to the kitchen, beaming at Summer as he feigned being dragged away.

“Summer, this is incredible,” he said when he sat down.

He looked around the table and his heart swelled, the lump returning to his throat. It felt like a dream. Part of him knew he didn't deserve it, feared it would come crashing down any second.

Summer smiled as she sat down. “Thank you,” she replied.

The rest of dinner went pretty well. Of course, Madison rambled on pretty much the entire time, leaving little to no room for anyone to talk and it made Summer laugh numerous times.

When dinner was over, Summer stood up and began clearing the table.

“It's shower time, Little Girl,” she told their daughter, who was very unhappy about it, but stalked off anyway.

It wasn't long and you could hear the shower running.

Summer moved around the kitchen, putting away leftovers and scraping off dishes to load into the dishwasher. She thought about what had just gone on. For the first time, she felt like they were a family. Had it been another life, Maddox and Summer would have been married with a couple of kids running around, but unfortunately, it wasn't so.

Maddox helped Summer in the kitchen. They worked in silence, lost in their own thoughts. From time to time, they would exchange a look. When Summer closed the dishwasher and turned around, Maddox's hands slid around her waist. He put his cheek against hers and for a moment let the feel and scent of her wash over him.

“This feels like a dream. If it is, I never want to wake up,” he whispered to her.

Summer leaned into his touch, her arms wrapping around his neck. His words made her heart feel light.

“It's surreal, that's for sure,” she whispered back.

His hands on her hips were driving her crazy.

“Let's get Madison to bed and then, we can talk, if you want,” she said, moving back to look at him.

Maddox nodded and smiled. “I would like that.”

Summer smiled, moving to Madison's room to turn down her bed for her as she finished in the bathroom and came bounding into her room.

Madison crawled up in bed and Summer pulled up the covers for her.

“What story do you want to read tonight?” Summer asked as she sat down on Madison's bed next to her.

“Actually,” she turned her gaze on Maddox. “Will you read me a couple of chapters from The Wizard of Oz? It's my favorite!” she beamed at him, pulling out all her cute charms.

Maddox's heart melted. If Summer let him stay, he was done for. He'd be wrapped around both of their fingers for the rest of his life. He couldn't think of anything more perfect.

He settled in beside Madison and opened the book, letting her pick the chapter. The page she opened was brightly colored, the Yellow Brick Road gleaming beneath the feet of Dorothy and her three companions.

Summer snuggled in with her daughter while the love of her life read her a book. It was a sight she never thought she'd see. Her heart swelled as she watched the two of them together. Maddox was right. If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up either.

After almost an hour of reading, Summer spoke up. “OK, you two. I think we are well past bedtime. So, let's pick up where we left off next time,” she said, taking the book from them and placing it on Madison’s nightstand.

Summer leaned in and gave her a hug and a kiss. “Night, night, Beautiful.”

After Summer was standing again, Madison turned to look at Maddox expectantly. “OK, your turn,” she told him, holding her arms out.

Maddox was beaming, nearly overwhelmed with emotion. He bent down and gave his daughter a hug before kissing her on the forehead.

“Good night, Little Princess,” he told her.

He walked over and took Summer's hand. “I guess we should talk.”

Summer didn't remove her hand from his as she turned off the light and closed Madison's door, her night-light shining in the corner.