Page 111 of Sweet Poison

“I love you, Madden.” I whisper then my eyes grow big when I realize what just came out of my mouth. I want to slap my forehead. Did I just make this weird? What if he doesn’t feel the same. “I ah— you don’t…”

A genuine smile spread across his face, the kind that reaches his eyes and makes me fall in love over and over again. “And I you, my Wild One.”

He does?

He loves me?

Love takes over my being as I look at him through my phone.

Madden loves me…

“You do?”

“Fuck yeah, I do.”

“I miss you. When are you coming back?”

That’s when I notice he’s inside a plane.

“On my way to you now,” he says, his voice hard and at the same time tender.

My heart swells.

Although I love this magical place already, I would much rather enjoy it with him here.

“I’ll see you soon, Willow.”

“I’ll be eagerly waiting!” I beam.“I love you!”

“I love you more, baby.” He smiles widens before his eyes turn harsh. “And put on a shirt, yeah? I don’t like anyone looking at what’s mine.”

I roll my eyes playfully.

“Willow, I’m serious.”

“Love you too, Mad. Bye!” I blow him a kiss and hang up with my heart full.

“Oh, you did it now.” Lincoln grumbles and holds his phone up for me to see an incoming call from Madden. He takes it and rolls his eyes and makes faces as he listens to what obviously is Madden acting all grumpy. “You’ve been threatening to fire me for years, boss. We both know you won’t do it.”

Turning around, I suddenly spot my uncle Cianne in the distance, poised at the edge of the lagoon with a childlike grin plastered across his face. He’s bouncing on his toes, his excitement palpable as he prepares to leap into the water like a little kid.

“Uncle, what are you doing?” I sign, unable to suppress my laughter.

He glances back at me, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’m about to show you how it’s down, Willow! You ready for this?” With that, he takes a deep breath, arms raised high, and jumps in, his form diving through the air looking like a little kid.

The splash echoes through the lagoon, sending waves cascading around me. I can’t help but laugh, the sound mixing with the gentle rustling of the flowers. Uncle Cianne surfaces, his hair slicked back and a huge grin on his face, water dripping from his chin.

“This place is the shit” he calls out, looking like a kid who just discovered the fun of water.

I shake my head, feeling lighter as we both float in the warm water. The moment is perfect—a reminder of the joy in simple things, and I cherish seeing my uncle so carefree. “You’re like a big kid!”

Cianne laughs, clearly enjoying every second. “I’ve lived a rough life, my girl. But I’ve learned from a wise woman that life’s too short to take everything so seriously.” Is he talking aboutmom? I think so. “Come on!” he urges, splashing me back. “Let’s see who can swim to that big ugly mushroom over there first!” He turns to Lincoln. “Are you just gonna stand there like an ugly statue?”

Lincoln takes a seat on a rock and flips my uncle off.

Uncle Cianne rolls his eyes with a smirk and then turns to me. “Do you accept the challenge, Willow?”

“Oh, yess!” I sign with a grin, and with that, we both kick off, racing through the water, laughter filling the air as we dive into this moment of pure joy and all thanks to my handsome grinch.

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