Page 100 of The Secrets We Built Together

Blake

Istared at the adoption papers spread across Xander's kitchen table, each blank line waiting for signatures that would change our lives forever. The morning sun slanted through the windows, casting long shadows across the pages that looked so official, so permanent.

My fingers tapped nervously against the wooden tabletop as I glanced at the clock again. Jasper had not only found Madison, but she was on her way here. She’d refused to sign the papers in Paris, saying that she needed to see us first. And I was terrified of what that could really mean.

"She's only five minutes late," Xander said gently, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder as he set a mug of coffee in front of me. "That's barely even late at all."

I wrapped my hands around the mug, grateful for its warmth. "I know. I just can't shake this feeling that something is wrong."

"She’ll be here, she’ll sign the papers, and then we all move on with the lives we’ve been dreaming of."

"You don't know that though," I whispered, not having the capacity to even think about the last part of that sentence.

"I don't," he agreed, dropping into the chair beside me. "But my father seems pretty confident, and he's the one who found her."

I still couldn't believe Xander had swallowed his pride and reached out to his father for help. After that dinner at Delaney and Trace's, watching him process his father's confession about the affair, I never expected him to be the one to make that call. But he had, for us. For Amelia.

"What if she changes her mind when she sees Amelia?" I whispered, voicing the fear that had kept me awake most of the night. "What if she decides she wants her back?"

Xander's hand found mine, steady and warm. "The papers are already drawn up. Your sister agreed to meet us here to sign them. She's not coming to take Amelia away."

"You don't know Madison."

"No, but I know you. And if she's anything like her sister, she keeps her word."

I snorted. "She left her baby on a doorstep, Xander. I don't think 'keeping her word' is high on her list of priorities."

His thumb traced circles on the back of my hand, a soothing gesture that did nothing to calm the storm in my chest. Amelia was in her bouncy chair, babbling away at a plush giraffe, blissfully unaware of how today might reshape her entire future.

And mine.

The sound of tires on gravel jerked me back to the present. My heart leapt into my throat as I rushed to the window, peering out at the unfamiliar car pulling into the driveway. A rental, sleek and anonymous. So like the last time Madison had driven into my life and turned it upside down.

I watched as the driver's side door opened and Madison stepped out, looking even more put-together than the last time I'd seen her.

"She's here," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Xander stood, his hand finding the small of my back. "Deep breath," he reminded me.

I inhaled shakily, nodding. I could do this. I had to.

The knock at the door was soft, tentative. I moved to answer it while Xander hung back with Amelia, giving me space for this moment with my sister.

When I opened the door, Madison looked different than she had that day on the farm. Her hair was perfectly styled, her makeup flawless, her designer clothes immaculate. But her eyes were red-rimmed like she hadn't slept, and her smile didn't quite reach them.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey." I didn't move from the doorway.

We stared at each other for a long, tense moment before she cleared her throat. "Can I... come in?"

I stepped back wordlessly, allowing her to enter the cottage. She moved past me, her expensive perfume lingering in the air like a memory of a life I'd never wanted.

The moment she spotted Amelia, she froze. Something passed over her face—regret, sorrow, yearning—I couldn't quite name it. Then she composed herself, shoulders straightening as she turned to me.

"You look good," she said, as if we were meeting for brunch instead of signing papers that would legally sever her connection to her child.

I ran a hand through my hair self-consciously. "Thanks."

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