Chapter Fifty-Five

Madison made it back to her house without any more encounters. Of course, her mother wasn’t home when she got there, which meant going into an empty house all alone. The sound of rustling coming through the trees to the side stopped her from going in. She spun around to face head-on what could be coming her way.

Jacob walked out from the treeline, carrying a pair of shorts. He gracefully pulled them on in midstride, like he’d done that sort of thing forever.

Madison walked back down the pathway to where the sidewalk met the grassed area of the yard. “What’s up?” she asked when he got a bit closer.

Jacob didn’t say a word. He pulled her in close and kissed her deeply like they’d been apart forever. His hand gently touched the long gash on her cheek and the one running from her ear down to her collar bone. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get there quick enough.” He kissed her softly on the lips, as he didn&rs