Chapter Twenty-Five Jaxson

T he week flew by in a blur. I’d forgotten how much fun it was spending time with her. And the fact that she accepted going out to dinner with me tonight still astounds me. Though, from the small glimpses she gives me and the teasing gestures she’s made, it's been torturous.

“Hey, Jaxson!” Knox calls out the moment I step out of my car at Mrs. Kendall’s place. He’d asked me yesterday to come over, letting me know that the countertops were in and the crew was installing them today. The excitement over seeing the project building within me.

“Hey, man. I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I reply, stepping into the open-armed half-hug that Knox offers. The last week has been super busy with filming and everything else. And as much as I would have loved to stop over sooner to take a look at things, I haven’t been able to.

The moment we step in through the front door, I’m blown away by the amount of changes that have taken place. The floors have all been stripped, and the walls have been repainted with touches of Kylie's work everywhere. The smell of new paint drifts around the area as I follow him towards the kitchen.

The moment I step in, my eyes go wide, and my mouth drops. They had completely gutted it down to the last detail I gave them and already repainted it and had the new cabinetry and countertops installed. A few of the men are still working diligently at finishing the task.

“Wow, this is remarkable!” I gasp, turning my smile to Knox, who nods his head.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s taken a bit of time, but I have to admit—it looks good.”

The selections I made were great. The color scheme brightens the kitchen while also bringing a level of sophistication to it that I was looking for. And honestly, just maneuvering the cabinets around in the way I wanted created more space without us having to take down any more walls.

“I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished,” I finally say, turning my attention from the kitchen back to Knox. “I wish I was able to help out more.”

He waves me off with a smile, shaking his head. “Don’t be silly. Construction is my thing. Plus, you’re busy with the show, and from what Madi told me… she is too.”

His brow raises slightly as his smile grows at his comment. I know what he’s thinking, and I haven’t been forthcoming with anyone on what’s been going on between Madison and myself. The small bit of information is not something I was quite ready to share yet.

“Yes, she has. The producers really loved her skills at making desserts. So we’re working together moving forward on the show.”

“Just on the show?” He asks, causing me to roll my eyes.

“You know fishing for information is usually Madison’s trait.”

Laughter escapes him as he shrugs his shoulders. “Hey, you can’t blame me for being nosy. I’ve gone years wondering if you two were ever going to get together. I mean, yeah, for sure, I let it go there for a while, especially after high school, but after we all got back together a few months ago, I couldn’t stop wondering if there was more between the two of you. ”

“Well, if you must know… I’m taking her to dinner tonight. I have reservations at six.”

His eyes widen with shock at my admission. “Really now…”

“That doesn’t mean you and Callum need to make any more bets,” I reply, giving him a pointed look that causes him to laugh once more.

“Okay, okay. Well, you better get going then. It’s almost five-fifteen.”

Pulling out my phone, my eyes dart to the time. “Shit.”

Waving goodbye, I headed out, my feet moving swiftly towards the car as I climbed in and put it into reverse, heading towards the bakery. The last thing I want to do is be late for the first official date I was to have with Madison. God knows she’d never let me live that down.

The moment I pull up to the bakery, I check myself in the rearview mirror before finally stepping out of the car and heading to the door. As much as I would have loved to knock on the door and do something romantic, she beats me to it.

“Hey…” She says softly, her eyes almost twinkling against the setting sun. Her dark brown hair falls in waves down over bare shoulders and onto the dark blue tea-length halter dress she was wearing. It was form-fitting, hugging her large breasts, tiny waist, and flaring out at her hips. But not too much that it would be considered over-dressed.

“You look beautiful,” I murmur, leaning in as I gently place a kiss upon her cheek. “Are you ready to go?”

She nods, not saying much as we head towards the car. My hands quickly open the door as I allow her to get situated into the front seat before taking my own place behind the steering wheel. It doesn’t take long for us to end up at Ruthy’s steakhouse, the only real decent restaurant in the town of Willowcreek.

As soon as we pull up and make our way inside, the hostess seats us, taking us to a back corner table where the waitress greets us right away, taking our drink orders. I’d been on tons of dates with women in my life, but for some reason, with Madison, it was different. I’m… nervous.

“So, how was today?” I ask her casually, trying to keep the conversation between us going so that it doesn’t make the entire thing awkward.

She laughs softly at my comment, lifting her wine glass to her lips before giving a shrug of her shoulders. “It was okay… I baked as usual. Though it was weird not filming today. ”

“I have to agree with you on that. Four days hard at it and then finally a day off from filming, it’s definitely put me off my schedule today.”

“How so?” She chuckles, just as the waitress brings us our salads.

“Well, for one, I woke up early and thought I was running late meeting the producer only to have Knox call me and remind me that I’m supposed to be meeting him.”

“I bet Knox was laughing,” she adds with a smile on her face as I give her a slight nod.

“Yeah, you can say that. But I did manage to go over to Mrs. Kendall’s house before I came to get you. The kitchen is starting to take shape.”

“Oh?” she asks, raising a brow. “Did the counters turn out like you wanted?”

“Shit. They’re better than I expected,” I chuckle. “Honestly, I need to get the details of the craftsman who made them. He did a better job than the ones I have in my kitchen back home.”

By the time the waitress took our main course order and brought it to us, Madi and I were in a fit of laughter, talking about anything and everything. From things we had done since graduation, down to horrible dating situations we both found ourselves in over the years.

My most embarrassing revolving around a brunette who I came to collect one night and accidentally called her mother a sir.

“Oh my God!” Madi exclaimed in laughter. “How could you mistake her mom for a man?”

“Hey,” I interjected, laughing myself. “The lady was drilling me like a father would, and the look she gave me reminded me of my dad when it got pissed off.”

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head, taking a bite of her steak before the conversation between us quieted. “Speaking of moms… how have things been with yours?”

Madi sort of knew about the issue I had with my parents, but she didn’t know everything. Growing up, I preferred not to bring my friends around. My entire family situation was a mess, and instead of having friends over, I preferred to go out.

“Same as always, honestly. Just family stuff.”

“I get it,” she muttered, giving a small smile. “But I have to admit, I envy you. ”

My brows rose at her admission. “How so?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugs, gazing down at her plate. “I’d always wondered what it would have been like to have siblings. To have a big family. I mean… you moved away, and from what my mom says, you haven’t been back to really see them. Which is none of my business or anything, I just always wondered if having that many siblings was a bad thing.”

I wasn’t angry at her for making her confession. I actually understood where she was coming from because for a long time, I wondered what it would be like to not have siblings. Whether or not things would have been different between me and my parents.

“I know what you mean…” I reply, giving her a smile so she knows I’m not offended by her statement. “What about you, though… you never left this place. Why not?”

She pauses for a moment, opening and closing her mouth before placing her fork down to lift her wine glass once more to her lips. “I guess I never wanted to leave my mom,” she finally admits softly. “Not like she asked me to stay or anything. It’s just always been the two of us… and I wanted to stay to help her. I didn’t want to let her down.”

“I don’t think you could disappoint her if you tried, Madi.” The admission slipped from my lips before I could think about what I was saying. Though it seems that the comment did justice rather than cause issues. A small blush crosses her cheeks as she picks up her fork and continues to eat.

“Thanks…” she replies with a slight pause as she swallows her food. “Maybe one day I’ll change things, though. I do want to travel the world… see new places. Maybe open a bakery.”

Hearing her say she wants to open a bakery brings a smile to my face. “I think you would be amazing at owning a bakery. I mean, the cupcakes you made are phenomenal. I can only imagine what else you have in your recipe book of tricks.”

The soft laughter that escapes her at my comment makes my smile grow. There’s always been something about her laughter that seems to brighten a room, and simply talking to her about everything going on in our lives is like walking back in time to when we were childhood friends.

Back when things made sense and life was easier .

By the time the evening winds down and dinner is finished, the two of us step out into the cool evening air with laughter as we make our way towards my vehicle. Her arm linking through mine as she points to the stars and tells me about everything she learned while helping the middle school science club over the summer.

“I’m telling you… these kids are too smart for their own good.”

“I bet.” Opening the car door, I settle her in and head back towards her apartment above the bakery. My mind racing over the evening, wishing that it wasn’t coming to an end. However, the moment I pull up to the bakery, she hesitates in getting out.

“I have something to admit,” she blurts out, catching my attention.

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“Well…” she starts, pausing once more. “I went into a sort of baking frenzy and ended up making three dozen cupcakes…”

Chuckling, I raise a brow, turning a bit more to stare at her. “Is that right?”

“Yeah…” she nods. “Maybe you want to come up… for dessert?”

Dessert. Oh, you have no idea what kind of dessert I want from you.