Page 39 of Takedown

“I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell them yet. I made your favorite, Melanie. We haven’t had a chance to spend any time together since I arrived.”

I stare at Jason, and he holds my stare. He subtly shrugs and mouths ‘sorry.’ I’m not sure what the hell he’s sorry for, though.

“Um, thanks, but I promised Adam I’d cook him dinner tonight.” I offer him my hand, and he intertwines our fingers. His skin is warm, and I suddenly realize how much I’ve missed him today. It was the first day we were away from each other in almost a week, and I didn’t realize how much I’ve gotten used to being around my new husband.

“Since when do you cook, Melanie? Is your specialty still Pop Tarts?” She laughs, and I bristle.

Whenever I spend time with Ananda and her family, her mom constantly makes fun of her. It’s their thing, and Ananda gives as good as she gets, but it’s always in fun. It works for Ananda and her mother, but not for me and mine.

As if he can sense I’m about to erupt, Jason chimes in. “Mellie cooks dinner for us all the time.” He walks out and puts an arm around me. “She was a life saver during Alex’s first trimester. Come on inside. Alex is hungry and she gets sick if she eats too late. Come on, Flynn.” He grabs Addison from Adam’s shoulders and gestures for us to follow him inside.

“Adam,” my mother says. “I would like for us to get to know each other. Alex told me you’re a bit of a health nut, so I made lots of vegetables.”

Adam doesn’t offer my mother a smile, but he stares into my eyes. “Your call, Mel. We can go inside, or we can go upstairs.” He moves closer and puts an arm around me.

“Mellie! Adam! Come on. I’m starving, and there’s enough food here to feed an army,” Alex yells.

I nod at Adam, and he takes my hand before ushering us inside. By the time he helps me with my coat, my mother has walked back into the kitchen. Addison runs back and punches Adam in the leg. That’s his cue to face her so they can start their boxing shuffle.

“Get him, Addy. Knock him out,” Jason says. Addy hits Adam right below the knee, and he goes down. She jumps on top of him and kisses his cheek before she jumps off and counts to ten.

21

I finally lift myself off the ground only to find Jason smirking at me. He rolls his eyes and leans against the wall with his arms crossed. He walks over, offers me his hand, and helps me to my feet.

“Everything okay upstairs?” he asks, pointing a finger at the ceiling.

“Things are great,” I tell him. And they are. Better than I could have hoped for in such a short time. The bumpiest day was the first day we were stuck together, but Mellie’s adjusted quickly. We’ve formed a routine. I cook our meals and she’s busied herself making the apartment fit for human life.

I’m still learning her habits. Like how she makes the bed in the morning. I’ve never cared about that. I don’t know if she’s aware, but the food on her plate never touches. She keeps everything spaced apart. Her favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry, and she takes off her shoes and socks the minute she steps inside. She changes her nail polish every couple of days, and her fingers and toes always match.

Her favorite television shows are legal dramas, and she’s a cheapskate who keeps track of every penny she spends. That was the most surprising thing about my bride. That and her attempts to make me fiscally responsible. It’s always a struggle to keep a serious face whenever she updates one of her spreadsheets. She also has three different savings accounts, including an emergency and secret account, which isn’t so secret since she mentions it whenever she feels the need to lecture me about my spending.

“Let’s eat,” Alex says. “Jason, stop frowning at Adam.”

The dining room table is set, and I admit the food does smell good. My stomach growls loudly. I haven’t eaten since lunch, and I worked out this morning and after school. There’s roasted chicken, rice, and several green vegetables.

“I made sweet potatoes too,” Mrs. Dupree says. She runs to the kitchen and returns with a platter of baked sweet potatoes. Jason and Alex sit while I help Addy into her highchair. I finish in enough time to pull Mel’s chair out for her. When we sit, her hand lands on my lap. It’s as if she’s holding onto me for comfort.

Everyone is quiet while we serve ourselves. Alex has a fake smile plastered on her face, Jason frowns at me, and Addy shoves fistfuls of food in her mouth. Mel pushes her food around her plate, so I lean in and kiss her temple. She smiles, relaxes, and starts to eat. When I look up, Jason is still scowling at me, but Alex’s plastic smile is replaced with a genuine one.

“So, Melanie,” her mother begins, “how’s work treating you? Is everything going well with the promotion?” Mel’s fork stops halfway to her mouth. She looks around the room as if to confirm her mother is speaking to her.

“It’s going well, thanks.” It’s as if she’s speaking to a stranger, and that saddens me. When I became the vice principal at my school, my mother not only bragged about me to all her friends and siblings, but she spent the entire night before the first day of school baking brownies and cookies for all the teachers.

Mrs. Dupree looks a little deflated by the dismissive answer, but she puts a smile on her face and continues. “And how did you two become a couple? You guys weren’t together when I visited six months ago, and now you’re married.”

“What’s your point, Mother?” Mellie asks.

I can sense the tension in Jason’s body. He’s so rigid he could snap.

“My point is my daughter got married and I didn’t know she was dating anyone. That’s my point, Melanie.” She lays her fork down on her plate and looks at Melanie, demanding an answer.

“When was the last time I called you and volunteered anything about my life? Why would this be any different?”

Jason’s fork hits his plate, and he puts his head in his hands.

“Well, you know, Diane,” Alex says. “It was just one of those things. Everyone saw the chemistry between Mellie and Adam since day one. They were always inevitable.”

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