"So, you aren't leaving?" Her mom asked when they joined her parents in the kitchen.
Elijah stepped away from her to sit at the dining room table, where her father already was. "I'd have to in order to get my stuff, but I'd only be gone for a couple of days, and I can do that whenever."
"As much as we joked about it, I'm not all together comfortable with the two of you sharing a bed if this thing's going to happen."
"What if I promise to keep things PG?" Elijah asked her mom. "I can't promise that all the time, but if you trust me to share a bed with her, I won't take advantage of that trust.
Her dad chuckled at the other end of the table. "Something tells me you two won't be able to keep your hands off each other. It feel like this whole thing was a lifetime in the making."
The comment took Madeline aback. "What makes you say that?"
He only laughed harder. "Oh, please. The two of you were always going to end up with each other. I knew that before he left, and I knew it when I saw he was back. You two always looked at each other with so much adoration. It was completely innocent then, but your mother and I could both see it. He was your first love before you were old enough to even understand what that truly meant.
"When we were driving home after you graduated, you were so quiet. You said nothing was wrong, but I knew better. Every big moment of your life, you never felt that sort of excitement you're meant to feel, because Elijah wasn't here to feel it with you. Then you saw that prism hanging from the mailbox, and you fell on the ground and started sobbing. If I didn't know it for certain before, I did in that moment. You're heart only ever belonged to his man," he told her, pointing to Elijah. "It's why I never warmed up to Marty, amongst other reasons. You may have been with that boy for over two years, but it was never more than dating. Someone to fill your time before Elijah came back and took the place he was always meant to have in your life."
It was truly remarkable how her dad was able to see all that before Madeline was. She supposed that was the superpower parents had, though. Although she could feel her emotions building, she did her best to brush them off with humor. "Geez, dad, how's my dowry doing?"
"Three goats, your mother's old jewelry, a stack of cash, one soup ladle, and a piece of land," her father teased, before suddenly appearing more serious. "Only two of those are true, though."
"The soup ladle and jewelry?" Madeline guessed.
Her dad shook his head. "The land, and cash, though I'm sure we can scrounge up a soup ladle if your hearts set on one."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I purchased the land after you graduated high school. It's in Trenton. There's lot of jobs in that area, but you can still stay close to home." Her dad looked away from her, and turned his attention to Elijah. "Like I said before, I knew this was inevitable. I knew that someday, you'd find your way back to my daughter, and I was prepared to make any man before that feel as unwelcome in our family as humanly possible. Luckily, I only had to deal with the one numbnut.
"I've kept in contact with your aunt over the years, and I knew you had too. I was aware you were in construction. I took a chance you'd be back, and knew if you came back, the two of you would fall in love. I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but let's be real. There's no chance in hell the two of you aren't going to fall in love."
Elijah smile as he scratched at his face, and leaned back in the chair. "That's fair. I figured that out when I woke up next to her this morning. We can't be all as ahead of the game as you, though."
Her dad tapped his knuckle against the table, staring at it for a few moments before he spoke again. "Maddie has to finish college. Spend the summer fixing your dad's place, put the place up for sale, and and use the money I set aside to start the build. It won't get you that far, but gives you something to do before you find a buyer. While you're doing that, you can continue to stay here, and visit Maddie for long weekends.
"Before she has to leave, the two of you may share a room. I know you brought up your issues with nightmares, and if Maddie's makes it easier for you, then it's fine. But I'm going to hold you to the PG promise, at least while Mary and I are home.
"I know this is a hell of a lot to take in, especially since you only asked her out about twenty minutes ago, and as far as I know haven't even kissed her yet, but as I said, this thing was inevitable. Her future was always meant to be you, Elijah. The only thing in question was if you would find your way back home."
"And if I hadn't?"
Her dad leaned back in his chair. "Your dad's always drank like he's had a death wish, so it was only a matter of time before he croaked. If his death didn't do the trick, like I said, I've kept in contact with your aunt. I was fully prepared to drive up to Stratford, hunt your ass down, and drag you back here myself. And if that didn't work, I guess I would have just used the land to build a big ass garage.
"You building the house, it'll slow this relationship down a bit so she can concentrate on her final year of college. After that, the two of you can run off to Vegas for all I care."
Elijah rubbed his neck and laughed. "Well, how 'bout it? Anyone up for taking a trip to Trenton tomorrow?"