Her friends called out their support.
“Not your fault, Ryan. They’ll sort it out.”
“Hang in there.”
“Love you, Ry.”
“Self-defense. We all saw it.”
Oh yeah. This would make for quite the juicy story. She gave it an hour before the Biddies scored a copy of one of those cell phone photos and plastered it all over Instagram. She shook her head and swore. The last thing she saw was Heather mouthing the words, “I’m so sorry,” as she was driven away from the neon lights and straight to county lockup.
Ryan was going to jail.
Chapter Twenty-two
The sun had yet to make any kind of appearance, but Gabriella was up with her coffee, having not had the best night of sleep. The one-two punch of an evening had left her with the weight of unwanted emotion sitting square on her chest like a concrete block. So she sat on her porch watching the lightening sky, wrapped in her favorite comfy sweater, and contemplating all she had in her head and heart.
There was Madison. When she’d gone in for the good night kiss the evening prior, Gabriella had placed a gentle hand on her chest. “Maddie. I can’t.”
Madison had exhaled and offered a slow nod, internalizing the words. “I thought you might say that.” She raised her green eyes to Gabriella’s. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I am.” She couldn’t deny it. Not to herself and not to Madison. The things she felt for Ryan Jacks weren’t ideal, helpful, or comfortable, but they were the truest feelings she’d ever experienced, never more startlingly clear than now. The ice cream run-in from hell had been painful. When Ryan’s gaze landed on her holding hands with Madison, it had been like a knife in her chest, and she seemed to relive that moment over and over. The look in Ryan’s eyes. The sadness. Then the world had flipped upside down entirely when Lana wrapped her arms around Ryan’s waist. It was wrong, all of it, and she had to stop pretending otherwise. “I thought maybe this”—she gestured between them—“was something I should explore, that you and I were maybe a little more realistic than Ryan and me, but…” She shook her head. “I don’t think it’s something I can just dictate.”
“No. I suppose not.” Madison’s eyes carried disappointment, but she attempted a wobbly smile anyway. “I guess a person can’t help who they fall for.” She sighed. “I don’t think she’s ready, Gabs.”
“Yeah, me neither. It’s not like I’m about to chase after her.”
Madison scratched the back of her neck. “If you do, I’ll support you.” She swallowed as if trying to hold back tears, which only made Gabriella well up because she cared so very deeply for Madison, who never cried, ever.
“Maddie, I’m so sorry.”
She shook her head. “Ah, don’t be. You’re being honest, and that’s all I could ever ask for.”
Gabriella nodded as tears made their way down her cheeks. “I wanted to try. I did.”
“We’re just not quite the right fit. It probably shouldn’t be a news flash.”
“But we’re important to each other, and that will never change. Do you hear me?” She heard the ferocity in her voice that matched her affection for Madison.
Madison stared up at the tree in front of Gabriella’s cottage. “I hear you. It’s true. We are.”
Gabriella took an earnest step forward. “Look at me.” Madison did. “Your fit is out there. I can feel it as clearly as I can feel the air around us. She’s just waiting for you to find her.”
“Yeah,” Madison said, seeming unconvinced. She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Or maybe not. That’s okay, too. Not everyone has a happily ever after.” She kicked at a pebble. “I should go. Let you enjoy the rest of your night.” She turned.
“Maddie,” Gabriella called, after a moment of watching her walk. She went after her, and when Madison turned, Gabriella wrapped her arms around her neck and held on. “I love you. You know that, right?” They both knew what kind of love she was referencing. The deeply felt love for someone hugely important, the closest of the close, who you don’t want to move through life without. Madison LeGrange was family.
“Love you back,” Madison said, squeezing her. “Now let go of me, so I can stroll back to my place with my dignity intact. I can’t get all sentimental,” she scoffed, back to playful Madison. “It’s not my best look.”
“The grapes would never let you live it down.”
Madison tilted her head. “What about