Southern Heart by Madison, Natasha (best fiction novels .txt) 📕

"Morning,” I say, grabbing my cup and kissing her lips. We walk outside and sit on the step, except this time, I do it with my arm around her back, with her as close to me as she can get. Neither of us says a word as I watch the colors, and for the first time in my life, I look at them the way she does.

I get up first, holding out my hand for her, and she takes it, leading me inside. "What do you want for breakfast?" she asks, walking over to the fridge.

"Your brother is on his way." She looks over at me. "I texted him last night." I don’t have to say anything or better yet I can’t because the front door opens and closes. "Right on time."

"Mayson," she whispers.

I just shake my head as he comes in and stops to look at us. "Hey," he says, looking from me to Chelsea. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," Chelsea says and walks around the island.

"I need to talk to you," I say, walking over to the living room and trying to get away from Chelsea in case Ethan loses his mind and attacks me. I don’t want her to get hurt in all this.

"Did you remember something?" he says, coming in and sitting on the couch across from me.

"Actually,” I say. "This has nothing to do with my father. It has to do with me."

"Okay," he says, putting his elbows on his knees.

"I’m in love with Chelsea,” I spit it right out, and I see his eyes start to open wide.

He sits up straight, looking at me, and then his eyes look at Chelsea, who is now standing in the middle of the hallway with her hand to her mouth, shaking. I’m out of my chair, rushing to her. "What’s the matter?" I whisper to her as I take her in my arms. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she says. "It’s just.

"You just…" she says, her voice shaking.

"What the fuck is going on here?" We both hear Ethan behind us. We turn now, and she slips her hand into mine. "You didn’t even want him at your house." He looks at Chelsea, then looks at me. "You haven’t said two words to her,” he says, "since you’ve met."

"Eight years ago," I start, “I walked into your grandparents’ picnic, and she was wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt tied at the waist. She was on her horse, and she was laughing, the sight of her literally stopped me in my tracks. Then every single time I came, I would secretly hope I could see her." I shake my head now. "I know that I shouldn’t have thought of her in that way out of respect to you. And I swear if…"

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Chelsea says, and I look at her. "That’s what Mom told me."

"For fuck’s sake, Chelsea," Ethan says.

"With all due respect,” I say. "Don’t talk to her like that."

Ethan just stares at me. "Excuse me?"

"Look, I get she’s your sister, but you have to understand she’s mine,” I say. "I don’t have anything to offer her. I have nothing." I look over at her. "I have the clothes on my back."

"You know I don’t care about that," she says to me, then turns to Ethan. "I chose him," she says. "Out of every single person in this whole world." She squeezes my hand. "I want him."

He runs his hand through his hair. "Dad is going to fucking freak out," he says. "This is crazy." He shakes his head. "Your father is hunting you down, and now my sister is involved."

"I was involved the minute I opened the door." She steps forward now. "I’m not backing away from him because of his father. I don’t care what you say or Dad says or what anyone says. I have loved this man for the past fucking eight years," she says. "Waiting, hoping that he would somehow see me as not just your little sister but a woman who wanted nothing more than for him to notice."

I noticed you,” I say, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I noticed you. I noticed all of you."

Chapter 26

Chelsea

"I noticed you. I noticed all of you," he says softly, putting his arms around my waist and pulling me to him. My arms wrap around him, and I lay my head on his chest.

"This is not okay," Ethan says, shaking his head. "She knew." We both look at him. "Emily, she saw it. I told her she was crazy."

"She is not crazy," Mayson says.

"Now what?" Ethan looks at me.

"Now, I call Mom and go over there for dinner and tell them." I look over at Mayson, who just nods.

"I really hope you know what you’re doing," Ethan says. "Now get dressed. We have work to do."

"Let me make breakfast," I say, walking over to the fridge. "He has to change his bandages anyway."

Mayson kisses my lips and walks to his bedroom. I turn now and look at Ethan. "Whatever you want to say,” I say, "don’t."

"If you get hurt," he says, his voice tight and low. "I will kill him myself." I’ve always known Ethan was cutthroat. He came back from the military, and with one look, he would have you backing out of the room. I look at him. "Without thinking twice."

"If anything happens to him." I point at the bedroom. "I don’t know if I would survive," I say. "I love him. Like so much, the thought of him not being here is just." I shake my head and swallow down the lump in my throat. "I can’t explain it." Even though I fight back the tears, they still come. "I can’t lose him, not now that I have him."

"Why is she crying?" I hear Mayson hiss from behind me and turn to him.

"I’m not crying." I wipe my cheek with the palm of my hand. "I was just talking."

"She’s fine," Ethan says, and I make them both breakfast. Ethan