Loving Madeline

Chapter 354: It Is Over

Jack’s POV

"I wished to stay for another week, but I know we can’t," Charlotte said as we lay in bed the night before we left for Magnolia.

"Me too; I am glad you like Magnolia Village," I answered as I brought her closer to me.

"I love your hometown. It’s no wonder my brother fell in love with this place and bought a villa for Maddie." Charlotte answered.

"Yeah, this is a magical place," I replied as I looked back on the old days when I was crazy with Madeline, and I thought I would never get over her.

We said goodbye to my mother and Lianne, and they promised to visit us in Barcelonia.

"Welcome back, lovebirds!" Cecily greeted us on the front porch after her brother picked us up from the airport.

"Thank you, Cel. We couldn’t have our vacation without you." I responded.

"You can always have that vacation that you need. Just leave everything to me." She replied.

"We can’t do that to you, Cecily. It would be unfair." Charlotte interjected.

"Yeah, it would be unethical," I added.

"No, it wouldn’t. You two were the bosses. You have all the right to go on vacations and enjoy life." Cecily replied.

She did a great job running the place while we were away, and it seemed the newly hired chefs were responsible and dependable.

We got back to work the following day, and I could tell Charlotte and I became closer to each other after spending time in Magnolia, and I couldn’t wait to bring our relationship to the next level.

I was on my way to my room when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I suddenly felt nervous when I saw Hunter’s name flashing on my screen.

"Hunter," I said.

"Hey, Jack, how are you and my sister doing?" He asked, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

"Well, you were speechless, and you don’t need to tell me things are going well between the two of you." He added.

"That is good," he continued.

"Yeah, things had never been better," I finally got my voice back.

"There is something I want to tell you; it should be a surprise for my sister." He said and told me what he needed to say, and I was anxious after he hung up the phone.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked after she noticed my silence.

"Yeah, I am fine. Just a little tired." I lied as I faced her and put my hands on her hips.

I couldn’t tell her what was bothering me, and Hunter warned me not to tell Charlotte anything. But I couldn’t stop worrying about facing my girlfriend’s entire family, especially Maddie.

I knew I was over Madeline the moment I fell in love with Charlotte, but this part of me was afraid of facing her after I broke Gina’s heart. I knew I had to face Maccir one of these days, but I was not yet ready.

"Are you sure it was all about work and not because of me?" She asked with worries on her face.

"Of course not; every time I see you, I feel more alive, and you always make me feel better," I answered, cupping her face.

"Don’t ever think you make me feel tired or anything. I am happy being with you. I love you, Babe." I added, and she gave me one of her sweetest smiles, which would always make me go crazy.

I kissed her long enough to make us both breathless.

"Wow, that was hot," she mumbled after I released her mouth.

"I couldn’t wait to be alone with you tonight in my room," I whispered, and she blushed immediately.

"Oh, I am excited about that. Does it mean more kisses and touching?" She replied with mischief on her face.

"It would be more than that, love," I said, caressing her face with my fingers.

"I couldn’t wait to call it a day, lover boy," she stated as she pressed her body against mine, which made me horny, and I couldn’t believe we would be flirting with each other in broad delight.

"See you later then, my hot chef," Charlotte added before I could reply and made her way to the main back door, swaying her hips gracefully.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard Cecily ask and wondered why they kept asking me the same question.

"Well, for the record, you had been staring at the chopping board for a long time. I had been standing near you, clearing my throat, but it seemed your mind was elsewhere." She responded, looking at me sideways.

"You are so obvious, Jack. You had been spacing out since you got back from Magnolia." She added, and I sighed as I faced her.

"Charlotte’s family is coming, including Madeline." I blurted out, and her eyes widened in shock, and she was speechless for a while, gaping at me with the same look.

"Hunter asked me not to tell her anything, and I felt guilty ever since," I added.

"Are you sure about that? Is that the only reason?" She asked.

"Okay, I felt worried since I broke Gina’s heart, who happens to be Maddie’s best friend," I responded.

"I don’t know how to face her, and I was afraid Charlotte wouldn’t introduce me to her family as her boyfriend the moment they showed up," I added.

"I knew I was out of her league. I didn’t come from a wealthy family like hers." I continued.

"Hey, I don’t think your girlfriend is like that; give her the benefit of the doubt, Jack. You have to relax and don’t let it affect your day." Cecily declared.

"Besides, you made your name, and you are now rich. It doesn’t matter where you come from." My friend added.

"I am not rich, Cel," I answered.

"Whatever, stop worrying about it, okay? When are they coming?" She asked.

"The day after tomorrow," I replied.

"Oh, I couldn’t wait to see the legendary Madeline, the only person who captured Hunter Divenson’s heart. She must be so beautiful." She responded with excitement all over her face.

"She is," I answered with a smile.

I tried to look normal every time Charlotte was around. The day passed in a blur, and we had dinner by the pool.

"It was a beautiful night, but I wished we were at Magnolia," she mumbled, looking up at the starry skies.

"Me too, but you can’t deny it. Barcelonia has its charm," I responded.

"Yeah, I know. But I had been used to it since I was a child, and maybe that is why I was captivated by the allure of your hometown." Charlotte responded.

We called it a night after spending hours stargazing and sleeping in her room.

"Jack! Jack!" I heard Charlotte’s voice calling my name coming from the living room. I hastily removed the apron and met her halfway.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"No! There is a black van outside." She replied.

"And?" I asked.

"The driver told me they didn’t have any reservations; we are fully booked." She answered.

"He asked for you," Charlotte added with unease in her voice.

"Okay, let us meet them," I calmly replied, taking her hand.

We walked towards the entrance, holding hands. The driver exited the driver’s seat and opened the passenger’s door, and her mother climbed out of the vehicle first.

Charlotte quickly pulled her hand away from my hold. She looked at her mother with a horrified look on her face, and she stood beside me like a stone as her mother walked towards us with a smile on her face.

Mrs. Divenson still looked so young and beautiful.

"Hello dear, aren’t you going to greet your mother?" She asked.

"What are you doing, her mom?" Charlotte asked with a trembling voice.

"Don’t I have any right to visit my daughter?" She asked as she kept walking closer to Charlotte.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?" She asked.

"And ruined the surprise?" She asked before she took Charlotte in her arms.

My girlfriend cried. No matter how she tried to stop her tears from falling, they kept rolling down her cheeks.

"Aren’t you happy to see me?" Her mom asked after she released her daughter.

"Of course, I am so happy to see you here. I am sorry, mom." She said, and Mrs. Divenson shook her head.

"It was okay, sweetheart. Stop crying. It hurt me so much that you ignored my calls and didn’t reply to my texts, but I understand you, Charlotte. You are my daughter and will always be." Her mother declared. And Charlotte smiled, and I stood there like an idiot waiting for Charlotte to introduce me to her mother.

"By the way, I am not alone." Mrs. Divenson said, and Charlotte arched her eyebrows. Her mother turned around and waved her hand to cue the rest of her children to come out. Hunter walked out of the van carrying his son, followed by Lily and Maddie, and I held my breath.

Madeline still looked like the nineteen-year-old young woman I met. She was beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her, but this time, I looked at her with admiration and felt thankful I didn’t feel the pain in my heart that I used to feel every time I looked at her.

I could finally say I was over Madeline Brownwood. I am no longer the boy who was so in love with Maddie. And I realized my feelings for Charlotte overshadowed the emotions I used to feel toward my first love. I am now in love with Charlotte, which made me realize she is my one great love.

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