#ref: tadgh x maddie

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The blush of bashfulness tinted Tadgh's cheeks and the tips of his ears. With a nod the carpenter confirmed her suspicions even though he was sure she already knew. After all, she'd done her digging in his work shed, visited and explored. She'd found more poetry hidden on each item than their future owners ever would. "Trust me, it was under your nose the whole time, but I had to be particularly devious in how and where I hid it. No easy feat with how big it is, but the cold weather helped a bit." She had spend less time out there at his insistence, using the excuse that he'd 'be done in an hour' and by setting her up in the library with cocoa and cookies, lunch sandwiches and tea, or putting out some music at the piano, telling her she had to master one part for them to play together. It had become a fun game in and of itself. Really he'd spend most of her working day on her present and the late afternoon and time she first came home on his actual commissions. "Explore a little, tell me what you think, what you want added."

One year since he'd given Maddie her gazebo and so much had changed. Smiling became easier and he certainly looked less frail and exhausted. Somehow holding her had kept the worst of his night terrors away and it had been months since he'd had one at all. The ability to sleep more than four hours still alluded him, but Tadgh couldn't remember the last time he'd had to slip out of bed for a shower, or scrambled to the porch for air. Despite the zoo being closed for the holidays, some employees still had to go in to care for the animals, and he wasn't sure if Maddie was one of them, so he'd slipped out of bed and into the kitchen at his normal time and made a special Christmas breakfast. He could hear quiet creak of the wooden floors as her socked feet approached shortly after he'd started. "Happy Christmas, Love. You hungry? Am I keeping you today?" His crooked smile from the stove called her in, as did an outstretched arm, like magnets needing to be pulled together.

As they rode along, Maddie couldn't help the excitement that she felt. Her eyes remained on the man leading them toward a destination that she first wasn't sure of, until they got closer and closer, and she saw a clearing where there hadn't been one before. However, the moment that the gazebo came into view, tears brimmed in her eyes as she smiled over at Tadgh. "Did you do this?" She breathed out in question. There was no need for him to answer that question as she already knew that he had. She carefully slid down from the horse, and strode toward the structure with wide eyes before turning around to face him once more. "Happy Christmas..." The most wonderful Christmas she had ever experienced, and he couldn't possibly know it. Her small hand reached out to press against the closest part of the most beautiful gift. "This is incredible. I can't believe you did this and I never knew it."

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"That sounds perfect. We have been. We're not going to be masters of the family sized meals, but I think if we work together that we'll get it right." Normally Tadgh was reluctant to be touched and even more reluctant to show affection, but the broken pieces of his heart had been picked up and treated with care for years by Maddie. He savored the way her small form clung to him and he covered her hands in his. Adjusting a little so he could hold her back while opening the fridge, Tadgh made sure that when he bent down to pick something up he made the most of it by stealing a kiss before straightening back up. It surprised him how easy it was to be domestic with her and to have the hum of her chatter in this space that had been cavernously silent. "So, tell me all about what I've missed. I'm sure you have favorite animals already. I'd like to know what competition the horses and I are up against." Tadgh gave her a wink as he dug through the drawers and pulled out the items he'd need to make dinner. Patting the kitchen island, he looked down at her. "Ready, little helper?" With little ceremony he picked her up and placed her on the free space where she'd be safe from any hot or sharp items.

Maddie tilted her face up to look into Tadgh's. It still took her breath away that this man was standing there next to her. After all this time, here he was, and she'd thought for sure she had seen the last of him a long time ago. "Then let's stay. We could always make something together? A joint cooking effort since we've both been feeding ourselves for just about our whole lives." Her arm wrapped around his back as she leaned into him, still feeling the way that her heartbeat sped up at the small gestures of affection that he displayed with her. It seemed such a small and silly thing, but having his arm around her shoulders made her feel safer than she had felt before. Maddie smiled shyly, her cheeks heating up as she thought of all the times she would get overly excited, babbling quickly over whatever it was. She was certain she must have embarrassed herself in the past, but there was nothing to do about that now. "Well then, let's go make dinner together and I'll tell you aaaaall about the animals I've been working with and the fun stories that they've given me. How does that sound?"

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