Page 29 of Mad for Madison

As I approached them, Lily looked up. Her eyes were large and blue, her hair bright blond, and her dimples almost exactly like Bradley’s.

“Hello,” I said softly. “You must be Lily.”

The little girl gave a decisive nod.

“Lily, this is Madison,” Bradley said. “He’s Daddy’s friend.”

“Hullo,” Lily said. “Do you want to see the dinosaurs?”

I crouched down to her level, a grin tugging at my lips despite the tight knot of nerves in my chest. “The dinosaurs? I’d love to see the dinosaurs. Do you have a favorite one?”

Lily’s face lit up as she clasped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. “The T-Rex! It’s really big, and it has sharp teeth!”

I gasped, widening my eyes in mock alarm. “Sharp teeth? That sounds scary! Are you sure it’s safe to go see it?”

She giggled, shaking her head. “It’s not real! It can’t eat us!”

“Well, that’s a relief,” I said, laughing softly. “You’ll have to protect me, though, just in case.”

Lily’s giggles turned into a proud little nod. “I can do that! I’m very brave.”

“Braver than me, that’s for sure.” I glanced up at Bradley, who was watching us with a tender smile that made my heart ache in the best way.

“You’re in good hands,” Bradley said, his voice warm. “Lily’s an expert on dinosaurs. She’ll show you all the best ones.” He looked at me with something like gratitude, and it made me want to sob when I imagined Bradley being thankful for my presence when the reality was the complete opposite. I owed him everything for giving me this chance to be normal.

Lily grabbed my hand, her small fingers curling around mine with surprising confidence. “C’mon! The T-Rex is this way!”

As she tugged me forward, I looked back at Bradley, who fell into step beside us. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged somewhere. Like I was part of something real.

“Lead the way, Lily,” I said, my voice soft with gratitude. “I’m ready.”

CHAPTER 7

Ice Cream and Cookies

Bradley

Madison shook his head fervently.He took this seriously, and he wasn’t backing down. But neither was Lily. She said, “The T-Rex is the best dinosaur. It has the biggest teeth, and it’s the king!” A little pout formed on her face. The nerve of this man disagreeing with her.

Madison tossed his head dismissively. “The king? Hmm, I don’t know about that. The stegosaurus has armor! Plates on its back and a spiky tail. That’s way cooler.”

Lily giggled. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever spoken to her so levelly and maturely. “But the stegosaurus can’t even eat meat. How can it fight a T-Rex if it only eats leaves?”

“Ah, but that’s the genius of the stegosaurus. It doesn’t need to eat meat—it’s all about defense. Those tail spikes could totally poke a T-Rex if it got too close.” He swept his arm to mimic the tail and almost sent the cups of ice cream to the floor.

I shifted in my seat, my arm protectively around Lily, who wiggled and fidgeted in the heat of the argument. “But the T-Rex is too fast. It would just dodge the tail spikes and chomp!”

“Chomp? No way! Stegosauruses are experts at swinging their tails. Plus, it has friends. Stegosauruses probably hung out in groups, so your T-Rex would have to deal with all of them.”

Lily frowned in thought, and then a grin spilled over her face. “Okay, maybe the stegosaurus is a little cool, but the T-Rex is still better. It’s the king of dinosaurs!”

Madison threw his hands in the air, sighing in defeat. “Fine, fine. The T-Rex can be the king. But the stegosaurus is the knight with the coolest armor.”

“Okay! They can both be cool. But I still like the T-Rex more.” Lily held her ground firmly.

Madison lifted his gaze off my daughter and looked at me for the first time in several minutes of debate. He wore a pleased expression I couldn’t fully decipher. “I think Lily’s going to be a lawyer,” he said. “In space.”

I threw my head back and laughed, my arm pulling Lily closer by instinct just as she yawned.

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