Baby Lessons

put Jack in the hospital had also been behind the death of her mother when Madison had been too young to remember a single thing about her. No one knew what might happen from one day to the next, which was precisely why her father had taught her to always be prepared. Invest in yourself and your future. Always make the smart choice, the safe choice. And by all means, think twice before letting someone get too close. He’d never exactly said that last part out loud, but the message had been there all the same. She’d learned it by the way he’d dote on her, but always somehow treat her like an adult instead of a child—by the way he’d kiss her on the forehead when he tucked her in at night but never said anything in response when she’d tell him, “I love you, Daddy.”
She’d learned it by watching him choose to remain single until his dying day. He’d never once gone on a date or brought anyone home to meet Madison. Her father worked. He’d been married to his office, and according to Aunt Alice, he hadn’t always been that way. His workaholic tendencies had only begun after Madison’s mother died. It had been the way he coped with his grief until, ultimately, it became his way of life.
Madison understood him, though. And she’d emulated him the best she could, because it was what she knew. Her dad was a brilliant man, as smart as they came. She didn’t date at all until college, and even then, she kept her boyfriends at arm’s length. She had places to go, things to do and she didn’t need the complication of heartbreak to get in her way.
But heartbreak had found her, anyway. When Brett announced that Jack was the firefighter who’d been taken to the hospital, it felt like the bottom had dropped out of Madison’s world. She’d tried her best not to care about him—or his girls—especially after he’d let her quit. But it was too late. She’d apparently gone and fallen in love with him accidentally. It was the only explanation for the sudden and overwhelming sense of dread that had come over her when she’d found out he’d been injured.
So she’d gone to him, having no clue what sort of mess she’d be walking into or whether or not he’d even want to see her. While Brett tried to convince the firefighters milling about the hospital waiting room to talk to him on the record, she’d stood on the fringe of the crowd, willing her legs not to buckle beneath her. Wade had taken one look at her, grabbed her hand and led her to Jack’s room.
“He’s not supposed to have visitors,” he’d muttered, then shot her a wink. “But I won’t tell if you don’t.”
And somehow the scariest part of all had been the moment Jack opened his eyes and found her lingering at the foot of the bed. He’d said her name—or at least she thought he had. His speech was slurred and there was a bandage on his head, just above one of his beautiful blue eyes. All of Madison’s hopes and dreams seemed to gather in a tight lump in her throat, and when he’d smiled at her and called her sweetheart, she could have sworn her heart cracked wide open.
Ten hours later here she was—waking up in his bed to find an email offering her a one-way ticket out of Lovestruck and back to her old life in New York. The best part about the job offer was that she’d never even contacted Fashionista. They wanted her, which meant she could probably write her own ticket. Instead of living with her aunt in rural Vermont, she could find a posh little apartment overlooking the glittering skyline of her favorite city in the world. She’d get to dress up in designer gowns and attend all the big shows during New York Fashion Week. Best of all, she wouldn’t simply be a writer. She’d be an editor!
She’d have to be a fool not to slip out of bed, step out into the hallway and dial Angelica Kent’s number right away. The offer was everything she’d been hoping for, but for reasons she didn’t quite understand, hadn’t taken the time to pursue. It was a life-changing opportunity.
But Madison suddenly wasn’t sure if she wanted her life to change. At the moment her life seemed just fine the way it was.
Was that crazy? It had to be, right? She couldn’t toss away her entire future to stay in Lovestruck just because she had feelings for a man she’d never even kissed. That was borderline insane.
“Hey there,” Jack said groggily.
She tucked her phone back inside her pocket and snuggled into his side, all thoughts of Manhattan and Fashionista instantly forgotten. “Hey yourself.”
Her heart pounded hard in her chest—not because it was weird waking up in Jack’s hospital bed, but because it wasn’t. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. What were they doing?
“How are you feeling?” She’d been so afraid of hurting him that she’d done her best all night to stay as still as possible, which in and of itself felt strange. He was so big and strong that she couldn’t even wrap her hands around one of his biceps. If anyone seemed unbreakable, it was Jack.
No one was invincible, though, and Jack was a firefighter. He put his life on the line every time he went to work. Yesterday it had been a cat, but tomorrow it could be something much, much worse.
Jack propped himself up on one elbow so he was looking down at her. There was a fine layer of stubble on his jawline, and his eyes were heavy-lidded from sleep. But he was right there, so close, so very, very close, and he was still in one beautiful, unbroken piece.
“Never been better,” he whispered, and then he cupped her face in his hand and finally—finally—after so many near