“I guess,” she said.
“Yeah,” Carrie agreed.
“That’s my girls.” Stuart smiled. “So let’s get this over with and then we can go for ice cream afterward.”
Carrie and Dottie beamed with approval.
Ten minutes later, Stuart pulled into the parking lot of the café. He thought about reminding the girls to be on their best behavior, but saw no reason to. Both were pretty smart for their age, and he knew that Fawn would see that he’d done a good job bringing them up without her help. He wanted Dottie and Carrie to see past the person who had deserted them, and see that Fawn was a mother who had made mistakes, but that she was ready to atone for at least some of them.
They walked into the café together and sat at the table where Fawn was waiting.
“Thanks for coming,” Stuart said.
“Thank you for bringing the girls,” she said, offering them a bright smile. “You both look so pretty.”
“You do, too,” Dottie told her.
“She’s right,” Carrie said. “Guess we look like you.”
“You really do,” Fawn murmured. She seemed genuinely moved by the words.
Stuart grinned guardedly and thought, So far, so good.
* * *
A few hours later, Stuart sat on a park bench next to Madison. He laid out the good, the bad and the ugly about the meeting with his former wife.
“She won’t be pursuing child custody,” he said thankfully.
Madison sneered. “She deserves a pat on the back for that.”
“Yeah, I know,” Stuart agreed. “She also seems to have reconciled herself with the fact that there can never be another ‘us,’ though I think she’s keeping a glimmer of hope that the possibility still exists.”
“Only in her dreams,” Madison said.
“Last, but not least, it appears that Fawn is here to stay.” He frowned. “Meaning she’s liable to show up at any time for one reason or another, but mainly to be a pain in the ass to me as well as you—”
Madison wrinkled her nose. She had no desire to put up with an ex looking for trouble. But what could she do about it?
“Where is she?” Madison asked.
Stuart’s brows lifted. “What?”
“Where is she staying?”
He told her the name of the hotel.
“I’ll take care of this myself,” she told him.
“Uh, what did you have in mind?”
“I’m not going to beat her up or anything,” Madison promised. “I just think it’s time we had a girl-to-girl talk. Don’t worry about it.”
“Fine,” he said. “I trust that you know what you’re doing.”
Madison got up and Stuart moved to follow her. “Don’t—” she told him. “I’ve got this. Sit for a while and keep enjoying this beautiful day. I’ll see you later....”
He watched her walk away, contemplating his past and future colliding like two freight trains.
When Madison was out of sight, Stuart got up and walked home to be with his kids.
* * *
Madison honestly did not know exactly what she would say to Stuart’s ex when they were face-to-face. She only knew that it was something she had to do, if only for peace of mind. In fact, it was more than that. She needed to set this woman straight once and for all, so she and Stuart could go about their lives without further interference.
Arriving at the hotel, she took the elevator up to Fawn’s room, hoping she was there. If not, she would simply come back. She was not willing to live a life where each and every day she would be wondering if Fawn was right around the corner, waiting to drop in on them and cause trouble.
She knocked hard on the door a couple times. There was some movement inside.
The door opened and Fawn glared at her, one hand planted firmly on a hip. “What are you doing here?”
Madison took a breath, but remained strong in her resolve. “What does it look like? I came to talk to you.”
Fawn wrinkled her nose. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Then just listen, and I’ll do all the talking,” Madison said. Before she could lose her nerve, she made her way past Fawn and walked into the room.
Fawn shut the door and turned on Madison. “Say what you have to and get out.”
Madison sighed, studying the woman who was once Mrs. Stuart Kendall. She could see why Stuart had fallen for her. Fawn was striking, apart from her obvious personality flaws.
I better use my one opportunity to get it right, Madison thought. Otherwise, there was no telling how far Fawn might go to try and ruin Stuart’s life, and hers with it.
“So now that Stuart made it perfectly clear what direction he wants to go in, what’s keeping you in town?” Madison asked.
Fawn’s eyes batted. “Like that’s any of your business.”
Madison held her hard gaze. “You made it my business when you showed up out of nowhere, trying to steal my man right in front of me.”
“First of all, I didn’t show up out of nowhere,” Fawn said. “I just came home. Also, I didn’t try to steal your man. Stuart and I were married once, and I’m the mother of his children.”
“So what!” Madison snapped. “You’re divorced now. And the fact that Stuart chose to marry you once doesn’t give you any extended privileges as his ex-wife. And as far as his kids go, giving birth to them does not make you a mother. You need to actually be there for them through thick and thin to qualify for that title.”
“I never stopped loving my daughters,” Fawn said, running a hand through her hair.
“You have a funny way of showing it. Abandoning them and running off with another man is not love in my book.”
Fawn pursed her lips. “What the hell would you know about it?”
“More than you think,” Madison responded. “I’ve never had children, but I’ve been around enough to know that leaving them as you did can scar them for life. As far as abandonment goes, I once thought I had found the perfect man. Only he thought otherwise, and he called off our engagement and threw away everything we had.”
“Sad story, but it has nothing to do with me,” Fawn insisted.
“Doesn’t it?” Madison argued. “You did the exact same thing to Stuart. Only it was one hundred times worse, because you were married to him. At least my heart was broken before I walked down the aisle.”
Fawn lowered her gaze. “I never meant to hurt him.”
“But you did,” Madison said. “How did you expect him to feel then? How do you expect him to feel now?”
“I didn’t really take much time to think about that,” she said, sighing. “At the time, I felt trapped in my marriage, trapped being the mother of two young girls that were a handful. There were times when I thought I might go off the deep end. Then Jimmy came along. He was dark, dashing and as sexy a man as I’d ever seen. He gave me the type of attention Stuart used to give me, before his writing took over and I became second fiddle. That moved to third fiddle when the twins were born. Jimmy gave me the opportunity to be wild and crazy again like I was when Stuart and I first started dating. I loved feeling that way and being free of all the responsibilities that go with being a wife and mother.” She paused. “When Jimmy asked me to go away with him to travel around the world, have lots of sex and just be myself, I took it.”
Madison gazed at her, not quite expecting the story that had come out of her mouth. “So what happened to Jimmy?”
“He moved on to someone else who was younger, sassier, uncomplicated,” Fawn said softly. “At first, he was everything I could have hoped for, maybe more. But gradually that all began to change when he became bossy, drank too much, spent money we didn’t have and developed a wandering eye that looked in every direction except my way. After a while, I knew
it was over. He never even tried to stop me from leaving. He seemed happy that I was doing what he’d wanted to do, but he’d lacked the guts to come out and say it was time for me to leave.”
“So you came back here for what?” Madison asked. “Did you think you could just pick up the pieces with Stuart and the girls after no contact with them for years?”
Fawn frowned and shrugged. “I really didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“You have lots of places to go,” Madison told her. “There’s a whole world out there. I assume you’ve seen a lot of it in your travels. You’re a beautiful woman and there are a lot of good single men out there for you to meet. Unfortunately, Stuart is spoken for. I love him and he loves me. Can’t you respect that?”
“Yes, I can.” Fawn took a breath. “But the girls will always be my daughters, no matter what poor choices I’ve made.”
“You’re right, they will always be your daughters,” Madison said. “But that doesn’t mean you have to stay where you’re not wanted, trying to force a relationship on them that they don’t want. They get it. I get it. You can certainly keep in touch with them wherever you go. In time, they might even learn to appreciate it. But, for now, your presence in their lives is not only a distraction, but it’s harmful to them.”
Fawn studied her thoughtfully. “And I suppose you’ll be there to help them cope and make the most of their lives?”
Madison looked her in the eye. “That’s certainly my intention. I would never try to step into your shoes as their birth mother, but if given a chance, I would certainly do everything in my power to show them the love and devotion they deserve. The same is true for their father, who loves them to death and has done nothing but prove that to them every single day. That is part of why I fell in love with Stuart and want to become part of his family.”
“Looks like you’ve got it all together,” Fawn said with a catch to her voice.
“I’m far from perfect,” Madison told her. “Who is? But I do know what it takes to be a family. I’d like the opportunity to be a part of that household. I promise you that letting go of them would be good for everyone, including yourself. And you should look to find someone else who will give you what it takes to make you happy.”
Fawn licked her lips. “All right. Go ahead and make this happy home with Stuart and the girls,” she said flatly. “I won’t stand in the way.”
Madison smiled softly, sensing that she meant it. “Thank you.”
“Just do me a favor,” Fawn said.
“What?”
“Tell Dottie and Carrie that I’ll always love them and will try to find a way to make up for all the pain I’ve caused them.”
“I’ll tell them. I promise.”
Fawn nodded. “Then I guess you’d better go. I need to pack.”
Madison considered giving her a hug for good luck but felt that might be overdoing it. But she sincerely believed that this was the best possible thing Fawn could do for herself and the family she had left behind.
“Good luck,” she told Fawn.
“Same to you,” Fawn said with a slight smile.
Madison counted her blessings as she left the room. She had gotten far more than she had expected from Fawn, and she was overjoyed. She took out her cell phone, eager to share the news right away with Stuart. Then she decided it would be much better to do it face-to-face.
Chapter 23
Stuart was more than a little curious as to how things were going between Madison and Fawn. He hated to think that they might have come to blows, but he was pretty sure Madison could be counted on to show restraint and act reasonably. He loved Madison for taking the initiative to deal with his ex-wife.
Stuart picked up one of his books in the study. Suddenly, he heard some commotion and turned as the girls came running into the study with their faces lit with excitement.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Madison just drove up,” Dottie yelped.
“Really?” Stuart grinned.
“I’ll let her in,” Carrie said.
“I’ll go with you,” Dottie said.
“Why don’t we all go together?” Stuart said. He picked up his pace to keep up with them and hoped that Madison would have good news.
He watched as Carrie opened the door and immediately hugged Madison’s waist.
“Nice to see you, too,” Madison said, bending over and giving her a kiss. “You too, Dottie,” she said and gave her a hug.
“Any hugs left for me?” Stuart asked, smiling.
“I think I can muster up one,” Madison said, smiling back. She gave him a warm hug, and then felt his mouth on hers. The kiss lasted a few long seconds. “That was even nicer.”
“For me, too,” he said.
“Do you want to see our rooms?” Carrie asked. “We changed them around.”
“You can tell us if we need to change even more,” Dottie said.
Madison laughed. “I’d love to see your rooms. But first, I’d like to talk to your dad for a few minutes. Is that all right?”
The girls looked at each other as though trying to decide which way the conversation would go.
“I’ll be up soon, I promise,” she told them.
“Why don’t you go up and wait for us?” Stuart said.
He watched them race toward the stairs.
“Why don’t we go to my study,” Stuart said, taking Madison’s elbow.
“All right.” She allowed him to lead her, feeling wonderful about being back in his presence and having the girls show such love to her. They were the cutest things, and she couldn’t imagine not being a part of their lives.
Stuart closed the doors to the study, not wanting the girls to listen in.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Stuart asked.
“No, I’m fine, thanks,” she told him.
“Okay.” He thought about getting one for himself, but decided against it. “So how did it go?”
Madison lifted her chin and met his eyes. “Better than expected.”
“Meaning...?” he asked.
“Meaning she’s leaving,” Madison told him.
“Leaving the city?”
She smiled. “Yep. And the state, too.”
Stuart took a moment, wondering exactly what had gone on at the meeting. “What did you say to her?”
“Something she needed to hear,” Madison said.
“Hmm... And no punches were thrown?”
“Not a single one.”
He chuckled. “Just checking.”
“Well, check no more,” Madison told him. “Fawn’s backing off and we won’t have to keep wondering what her next move is.”
“You want to tell me how you managed to twist her arm without touching her?” Stuart asked.
“Let’s just say I appealed to her sense of reason. And it worked!”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Stuart put his hand on her shoulder. “I know the girls will be, too, though they also left her on good terms, all things considered.”
Madison smiled. “That’s the way it should be.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He tilted his face and brought their mouths together. “Thanks for standing up to Fawn.”
Madison tasted his kiss, which left her tingling. “It wasn’t as difficult as you might think. Like most of us, she made some wrong choices and lost her way in the process. I just helped get her on the right path. Or at least pointed her in the right direction.”
“Well, thanks anyway,” he said. “I love you all the more for being who you are.”
“I love you for being yourself, too,” she said.
He slipped his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. “I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”
He released her and walked to a hidden corner of the room, then pulled out a bouquet of red roses he’d tucked away there. He handed them to her, then looked her in the eyes. “Madison Wagner, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I got you these roses because I knew that, no matter what happened with Fawn, I wanted you to know how much I adore you.”
A wave of heat swept over Madison, and she felt her eyes welling up with tears.
“And as a matter of fact,” Stuart said, “I have a little something else for you, too.”
“Oh...” She met his eyes with anticipation. “And what might that be?”
“Just this...” He reached into the pocket of his slacks and removed a 14k gold ring with a 2.5 carat round-cut diamond surrounded by white diamond accents. Stuart took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. “Madison Wagner, please do me and my girls the honor of becoming my wife.”
“Why, yes, Mr. Stuart Kendall, I would love to become your wife, and I promise to always be there for Carrie and Dottie.”
Madison beamed. The ring couldn’t have been more perfect. “It’s beautiful,” she gushed.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“How long have you been carrying this around?”
“Since the last time I asked you to marry me,” Stuart said slyly. “I wanted to be ready whenever you were ready to say yes.”
“And what if I never had? Would you have given it to someone else?”
He chuckled. “If you’re asking if I would’ve gone back to my ex-wife, not a chance. There could never be another woman I want more as my wife than you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“With every fiber in me,” he said. “I love you, Madison, and not marrying you was never an option.”
“Pretty confident, aren’t you?” she teased him.
“I’d prefer to call it believing in us,” he said. “And no matter how long that took, I was prepared to wait it out.”
Say It with Roses Page 15
