Page 75 of A Dangerous Proposal

“Okay,” she chuckled, lifting him onto her hip and grabbing the grocery bags from the passenger seat. “You’re getting heavy, buddy. We’ve got to work on this walking up steps thing.”

Madison climbed the wide stone steps, using her thumb to unlock the front door like Alex had shown her. It clicked open with a soft beep, and she pushed it wide with her hip. The smell of furniture polish and lemon hit her nose instantly. After only one step, she stopped in her tracks staring at the cluster of boxes stacked by the stairs. The baby gate sticking out of one box told her what she would find inside.

All that was left of her belongings. Her stomach twisted, thinking of her ruined things.

“Hello?” A voice called out from the hallway, making Madison jump. She spun around to see a small, older womanstepping into the foyer, wiping her hands on a dish towel. The woman smiled warmly, her dark eyes lighting up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. You must be Madison.”

“Yes, hi.” Madison’s pulse slowed slightly, and she adjusted her grip on the grocery bags. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.”

“I’m Angela. I’m the housekeeper. I come in three times a week,” she said. “But don’t mind me. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Oh, no, I’m thrilled you’re here.”

A housekeeper? Score!

Madison lifted her arm laden with bags. “I got some groceries on the way... home.” She stumbled over the word. “I hope that’s okay.”

Angela chuckled her eyes crinkling. “Of course, it’s okay. This is your house. Alex told me you and the little one were moving in today.”

Angela grinned at Jax and then glanced toward the front door. “The gatehouse called a minute ago. They said your furniture delivery had arrived. I told them to let them through.”

Madison’s eyes widened. “Oh! The bed.” She had completely forgotten about the toddler bed she’d ordered for Jax last night when she couldn’t sleep. “Yes, thank you.”

“Who’s this little guy?”

Jax giggled, then stuck two fingers in his mouth when the older woman shook his foot playfully.

“This is my son, Jax.”

“What a handsome boy. He looks so much like you,” she said, darting a glance at Madison’s face.

The comment hit her squarely in the chest. She’d always noticed how much Jax resembled Opal, but it had never occurred to her that she and her sister shared the same features—meaning Jax also looked likeher.

“Thank you,” Madison managed, her throat thick with emotion.

Thankfully, as if on cue, the doorbell rang, and two delivery men stepped inside, carrying a large box between them.

“I’ll take those from you.” Angela nodded to the grocery bags. “You can show these gentlemen which bedroom you’d like for them to assemble it in.”

Show them?

Madison felt a momentary twinge of panic. She’d only been in a couple of rooms of this enormous house, and she had no idea where Alex expected her to stay.

Angela took the bags from her, and Madison gave the delivery men a smile she hoped didn’t come across as manic as she was feeling.

The bedroom they’d slept in the night before had been on the first floor, but the rest were most likely upstairs…right?

Leading the way with Jax on her hip, Madison climbed to the top of the steps and then looked down the hallways, which disappeared in two opposite directions. The men behind her muttered something, probably annoyed they were holding a heavy box while she stood frozen.

“The rooms to the right might be nice for him. They are the closest to the master suite at the end,” Angela called up from the foyer below. Madison could have kissed the woman for saving her from the embarrassment of opening every door until she found one she could use.

Opening the second door she came to, she stepped inside and smiled. The room was painted a pale gray with a large window overlooking the backyard and what looked to be a beautiful rose garden. The only furniture was a full bed and a matching dresser, so there was plenty of room for the toddler's bed against the wall.

The question that had been lingering in the back of her mind all day resurfaced. Alex had made it clear he expected them to be intimate, yet he hadn’t tried anything last night.

Did he expect them to share a room? Or was he expecting her to claim one of the other rooms, and they’d have conjugal visits?

Madison grimaced.

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