Shall We Dance?

Chapter 28 - Introduction

Every time I look at her it fills me with wonder. My love declaration was probably the crappiest she's ever heard, but it's all true and it came from my heart. She didn't make fun of my poorly chosen words and it makes my feelings for her even deeper.

I'm head over heels for Madison. Only her presence is calming and I enjoy her company so much. I guess this is what Denise has been telling me. I need to take chances and with Madison, I know I'm doing the right thing.

"Do you love me?" I blurt out as we browse the general store in the valley.

Madison examines a jar of jam and takes too long for my taste to answer.

"I do."

"Why haven't you said it?"

After placing the jar on a wicker basket, Mae looks at me and smiles.

"You want to hear the specific words?"

"I'm not good at reading between the lines. Might interpret it that you care enough and that's it. Straight, honest answers work best for me."

"I love you, Fernando."

Even though I was hoping to hear the exact words now it's my time to choke and I disguise it with a cough.

"Sorry, it's kind of dusty in here."

Madison smiles and shakes her head then continues browsing the store.

"You have enough food in that basket for a week," I point with my nose at the contents.

"I saw a nice loaf of crusty bread at the coffee place. Thought we could buy that and large coffees to go and have lunch somewhere."

I like the way this woman thinks and follow her around the store as she adds anything else we might need.

After getting the bread and drinks, we get in the car and drive towards the woods. The sign for a welcome center for hikers tells me we have found the right spot for our meal.

"It's curious that even though this place isn't far away from our homes, I never even think about coming here," Madison says as she unpacks the bags on a wooden table. "Not even my parents brought us here to walk around in nature. Vacation was always synonym with a beach."

"My parents tried to take us on vacations, but none were successful. Ale and I didn't do well on loud, busy places. It made us wilder somehow. We stayed close to home and made day trips to attractions. Dad took me once to the bumper cars on the fairground and I freaked out at the first bump. The attendant had to stop the ride, because I was trying to get out of the car while Dad was pulling me with all his might. He felt so bad for not figuring out earlier that it would trigger me."

"Does it happen often?"

"With all the bumps I've gotten on the show not anymore. The problem is mostly when Ale is involved and gets hurt. That image of him injured right after the car crash is embedded in my mind. At that moment I didn't care I was practically as badly hurt as he was. I only wanted to protect him. Then Javi dragged me once to the same ride when he was old enough," a chuckle escapes me. "I tried to convince him that it wasn't a good idea, but he kept begging and I wanted him to stop. We got in the tiny car and I kept driving around the perimeter to avoid other cars. I'm still surprised that I learned to drive quickly and don't panic, likely because I feel in control."

"How do you think Javi will take the news?"

During all this time, I never stopped to think how having a woman in my life would affect my family.

"Well I guess. He did notice I have feelings for you during the lesson where he joined us, but I denied them then. Denise pointed it out too, but I guess I wasn't ready to admit it. I'll better give her a call soon about us before she finds about it from someone else. She'll be thrilled. She has a boyfriend now and wants the same for everyone else. I think I'll take Javier out to dinner to share the official news and hope for the best. He's at a difficult age and can react with an eye roll and disinterest, or a million questions and excitement. You don't mind that I have a son, right?"