36\u2013He Confessed His Feelings For Me\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
We were both staring at each other when someone\u2019s arrival shifted Baxter\u2019s energy. He straightened his back, turned around, and rubbed his face with his hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I spun toward the small balcony where little Gina stood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy!\u201d she called out, and as soon as I heard her voice, I smiled through my tears and rushed over to pick her\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay now?\u201d I asked with a wide smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine. I just had a dream,\u201d she said with a pout.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter pivoted on his heel, his gaze meeting mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of dream?\u201d I asked her as I carefully sat her on the railing, keeping my hands behind her back while she clung to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw a man in a cave. An old man. He was blind, and he was doing something with his hands,\u201d she said, recalling the dream in vivid detail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard before I could ask another question.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he doing with his hands?\u201d Baxter asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He must have noticed I was having a hard time holding myself together, so he took over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. He was starting a fire with his hands somehow. Then he started hissing and pulling his hands back. After that, little kids started to come. There were so many of them. Even I was there.\u201d 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as she said that, my eyes widened beyond measure. Goosebumps prickled across my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s it,\u201d Gina said with a small shrug, signaling that she wanted to be put down so she could go play with her toys while her siblings were still resting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sol did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once she went back inside, I turned to Baxter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think that means something?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He ran a hand through his hair anxiously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll need to keep an eye on it,\u201d Baxter said as he finally faced me. \u201cSomeone has to watch the kids when they\u2019re sleeping.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words hit hard. This was what I had been afraid of, things getting too serious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I brought the pills. We can give them now,\u201d Baxter added, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that mean they won\u2019t suffer?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment he looked away, I already knew the answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will stop the symptoms from reaching the extreme stage for a year, maybe two,\u201d he admitted quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that wasn\u2019t enough. My kids needed to be free of this sickness as soon as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something was in the air, something that only attacked children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we talked, my phone started beeping. I lowered my head and looked at the number. I didn\u2019t remember saving it, so I frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baster must have noticed, because he stepped closer, glanced at the screen, and said, \u201cThat\u2019s Graham\u2019s number.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up, a crease forming on my forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s something important,\u201d I said, answering the call. \u201cHello?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was nothing but rapid breathing on the other end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d I repeated, tapping my fingers against my chin as I turned toward the suite,\u00a0<\/p>\n
My two little ones came out of their room, rubbing their eyes. When Baxter saw them, he started walking over, probably wanting to spend more time with Bodhi.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to stop him, but I didn\u2019t. Soon, I would find the cure and leave. Baxter would have to say goodbye to Bodhi, no matter what.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For now, I just wanted my kids to stop suffering. And if someone was willing to help me take care of them, I was grateful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The call cut off, and I stared at my phone in confusion. Then, Graham called again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I answered, calling his name several times, but only heard the same rapid breathing and faint shuffling before the line went dead once more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the phone rang a third time, I put it on speaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, a voice came through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham? You\u2019ve been calling me. Is everything okay?\u201d I asked as I walked back into the suite and headed to the room to grab the files.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since Baxter was already with the kids, I felt a small sense of relief for Gina, at least for now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d I called out again. I could hear Graham\u2019s breathing on the other end. His breathing was loud and\u00a0<\/p>\n
uneven.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything around me stopped. Even I froze. It took me a moment to pull myself together and respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham, you\u2019re calling the wrong person,\u201d I said with a small, awkward laugh as I sat down at the table, resting my hand on the file.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fist clenched slightly. It felt cruel of him to call and say something like that when the call was clearly meant for Kaylee, his wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t live without you,\u201d he went on in a slurred, drowsy voice, and another realization struck me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was drunk. Of course, he had dialed the wrong number.\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t know why we\u2019re not together, but I want you here right now,\u201d he hiccuped, sounding as if he was crying\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham, I feel sorry for you, but you\u2019re calling the wrong person. Maybe you should call Kaylee,\u201d I told him, already ready to hang up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling the right person, Madeline.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he said my name, my heart stopped in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice rose in disbelief. I stared at the screen in silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
this some kind of joke?\u201d I demanded, my voice hardening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss you, Madeline. I really do. I want you in my life,\u201d he continued, shocking me even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not in your right mind right now. Talk to me when you\u2019re sober,\u201d I said sharply, my voice trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, before I could change my mind, I hung up on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fists clenched, and my eyes filled with tears. After all these years, now he decided to confess that he wanted me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I groaned under my breath, shoving my phone aside and slamming my hands on the table as I stood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I turned around, Baxter was standing in the doorway. The look of shock on his face said it all, that he\u2019d heard everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
36\u2013He Confessed His Feelings For Me\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 We were both staring at each other when someone\u2019s arrival shifted Baxter\u2019s energy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19032"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19237,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19032\/revisions\/19237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}