Chapter 109 — Madison

“Are you okay?” Kade asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m okay,” I lied. I sat up straight and fanned my face. “It’s just a little warm in here.”

Kade looked at me sideways, then got up and came over to slide into my side of the booth.

“You didn’t eat much,” he said, putting the back of his hand on my forehead.

“Stop it,” I said. “I’m fine.” But he was making me laugh.

“Good,” he said. “You didn’t let me finish what I wanted to tell you.”

I took a deep breath, clasped my hands in my lap, and looked into his bright blue eyes. Whatever it was, I’d congratulate him, then I’d hold myself together until I got home.

I could do it.

“What is it you want to tell me?”

“You know that your dad and Mike are good friends, right?”

I hadn’t given it much thought lately. Daddy had lots of friends. But, yes, I knew.

“Since you’re moving to Denver, your dad decided he needed a small office there. He asked Mike to manage it.”

I nodded. That sounded like something Daddy would do.

“So Mike is going to be setting up and managing an office in Denver and you’re going to take his teaching job. Here.”

Kade looked at me blankly.

“No,” he said with a little chuckle. “That’s not how we’re doing it.”

“Then how?”

“Mike’s close to retirement, so he turned it down. But he offered to take care of finding someone else. To manage the office in Denver.”

He was looking at me with such happiness.

Then it all clicked.

“You’re going to be in the Denver office?”

“Yes,” he said, grinning. “Madison. I never want to lose you again.”

I’d never had a panic attack before, but in this moment, I had a pretty good idea what it might feel like to have one.

“Kade,” I said, squeezing his hands. “This is... so… good.”

“But… you don’t look happy about it.”

“No,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “But…”

“Madison.” He took my hands. Kissed my fingertips. “I love you. I never want to be apart from you again. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth if I have to.”

“Kade,” I said, barely able to speak. “I feel the same way.”

“Then tell me why you look so sad.”

He swept a finger over my cheek. Then over my lips.

I closed my eyes.

“Kade,” I said. “I did a thing.”

“What thing, my love?”