Page 18 of Takedown

When she sees me, she lets out a little scream and puts a hand to her chest.

“What the hell, Adam?”

I point to the toothbrush in my mouth with one hand and hand her a towel with the other. She wraps herself fully, as if I didn’t spend hours exploring her naked body last night. She steps out of the tub and out of the bathroom without another word.

I guess I know how today is going to go. I give her a few minutes alone and hop in the shower. By the time I get out, she’s dressed in gray dress pants and a purple button-down shirt.

“What are you doing?” I intentionally remove the towel from around my waist, and just as I expected, her eyes immediately find my dick. She visibly swallows at the sight of it getting bigger, then clears her throat and looks away.

As she starts to put on the matching gray jacket, she says, “Getting ready for work.” She runs a hand through her hair, and her rings gets caught in the strands. I slid them back on her finger last night after she fell asleep.

“Is this real?” she asks as she inspects the engagement ring. She holds it up to the light before taking it off her finger. She rubs it on her shirt as if that would tell her anything.

“I’d never give you a fake diamond. And have you checked outside? We got twelve inches of snow last night, and they’re predicting another twelve. School’s canceled. I think you’ll be working from home today.” She stares at me as if my words don’t make sense. I take her hand and slide the ring back on her finger, just like I did last night. She snatches her hand from mine and stomps to the window.

Just like I told her, it’s whiteout conditions outside as the snow continues to fall. A gust of wind hits, pushing flurries against the window. She closes the blinds and lets out a string of curse words.

“Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck. My work laptop is downstairs.” She pulls out a pair of purple, fuzzy slippers from her suitcase and slides them on her feet.

“I can get it for you,” I offer.

“So you and Jason can get into a fight? No, thanks. I’ll go.” Before I can argue or put on clothes, she’s out of the bedroom and out of the apartment. While she’s gone, I dress and go to the kitchen to start breakfast.

While the bacon is frying, she comes back up with a computer bag slung over her shoulder and a duffel bag stuffed to the brim. She drops the duffel on the floor and arranges her laptop on the table.

“How can you afford this?” I turn to her, unsure of what she’s talking about, but she holds up her left hand and points at the ring.

“I do have a job, Mel.”

“Yeah, but you’re a vice principal at a junior high school. I’m pretty sure I make more money than you, and there’s no way I can afford this.”

Her eyes bore into mine, and it’s as if she’s trying to read my mind. I sigh. This is just another wall. She’s been putting them up since she got out of bed this morning.

“You think you make more than me as a claims adjuster?” I ask.

“Claims manager,” she clarifies. “I got a promotion and a big raise two months ago.”

I smile at her. “Yeah, you sure did, but I’m more than capable of getting my wife a ring.” She mumbles something under her breath while she types on her computer. After asking for my WiFi password, she holds up her hand.

“So, it’s fake then,” she mumbles.

“Have it appraised.”

“I’m going to need keys,” she tells me. “Unless you’ve changed your mind. I told you I’m not holding you to this for a year. You’re free to say enough at any time.” I turn off the fire under the bacon and walk out of the kitchen. When I return, I put the key to the apartment in her hand.

I pour her a cup of coffee and bring her cream, just as she likes it. I set the cup down with a thud and she jumps in surprise, her big eyes locking with mine. I lean down and kiss her and I’m slightly surprised when she doesn’t pull away. She opens her mouth to me and slides her hands in my still damp hair, moaning into my mouth, and I deepen the kiss. When my phone rings, though, she practically jumps away from me.

I pull it out, ready to decline the New York call, but a smile spreads across my face when I see Ma flash across my screen.

“Hey, Ma,” I say, smiling into the phone.

“My son.” Her Irish brogue, though not as thick as it once was is still thick enough. “I missed you last Sunday. How was Vegas?”

“Las Vegas was great. It was better than I ever could have expected.” I stare at my wife when I utter those words, but she’s doing everything she can to avoid looking at me. I know she hears me though because her body goes still. “I have a big surprise for you when I see you on Sunday. You’ll love it.”

“I hope you didn’t spend too much money on your old ma,” she says. She starts to say something else, but she quickly ends the call when her older brother, my Uncle Finn, starts yelling her name.

Once I put the phone down, Mellie walks to the bedroom without a word and slams the door. I shake my head and decide to give her five minutes to come back out. In the meantime, I cook her eggs the way she prefers them, over hard.

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