Page 54 of Takedown

“Wow, Mel. That’s amazing.”

“I probably won’t get in. It’s really competitive, and I don’t want to ever work at a law firm, but a law degree can open lots of doors in my field.”

He leans over and kisses my nose. It’s a gesture so small, so tender that something inside of me melts. “You’ll get in. You’ll finish and go on to do great things. I’ll be that proud husband at your law school graduation. I’ll also be the one bringing you snacks when you study for the bar.”

A smile so wide spreads across my face. I can picture him doing just that. Being my cheerleader, encouraging me when I want to give up, and supporting me through it all.

“Your turn. Tell me something else no one knows,” I tell him.

“When I was in the second grade, the school arranged something call doughnuts with Dad. I begged my mom to make Dad come, and he promised he would. Of course, he called the night before and told her he couldn’t. I pretended I was okay, but I spent that entire night crying in my room. I was never quite the same after that.”

That’s how we spent the next few hours. The two of us exchanging secrets that no one else knows about us. It was almost sunrise by the time I fell asleep with his arms wrapped around my naked body.

When I wake up hours later, we’re still in the same position, only he has thrown a leg across my thighs keeping me securely in place. His phone starts to vibrate on his nightstand, and my bladder is begging to be relieved.

“Adam,” I whisper when I have no luck pushing his leg off. “Adam!” He finally stirs and lifts his leg. “Your phone.” I stumble out of the room, uncaring about my naked body. Despite only getting a few hours of sleep, I feel great even though my hair’s a mess and I have bags under my eyes; but none of that matters this morning.

The smile doesn’t leave my face. Even while I brush my teeth. Not even when I jump in the shower to wash the sweat away. When I step out of the shower to find him standing at the sink brushing his teeth, I walk over and plant a kiss on his cheek. He spanks my wet behind while I reach for my towel.

“Let’s go out for breakfast. It’s going to snow again later, and I want to cuddle on the sofa.”

He grabs my wrist, pulls me to him, and kisses my lips. “What about your dad? I thought we were meeting him for breakfast.” He looks adorable with his messy hair and flushed face.

“He texted. They left a few hours ago to avoid the storm.”

“Breakfast with my wife sounds perfect.” He smiles at me, and I kiss him one more time before I leave the bathroom.

Half an hour later, we close our front door and walk down the stairs hand in hand. We were so close to making our exit when the downstairs apartment door opens and my mother steps out. Adam automatically puts an arm across my shoulder, and neither one of us offers a greeting. In fact, I think he growls.

“I made pancakes,” she says, looking from me to Adam.

“Thanks, but Adam doesn’t eat pancakes,” I tell her.

“Well, I can make him whatever he wants,” she offers.

Before I can tell her no, Adam speaks and says, “I appreciate it, but we want to get out and get some air before the snow starts. We’ll see you later.” He leads me through the front door, when we step outside, we intertwine our hands and walk to a neighborhood breakfast place.

“If you’re not going to sit on her, you have to keep her covered at all times because she’s just plain ol’ ugly.” I fold the blanket and drape it across Lola, covering most of her hideousness from sight. “Do you know how long it took me to find a blanket this size?”

He snorts, grabs my wrist, and pulls me onto his lap. Today has been amazing. From our talk last night to breakfast at the diner this morning. It’s been magical. We know things about each other that nobody else does, and after that confession he made about his dad, I held his hand and told him that I understood.

Maybe he always knew from the beginning that we’re kindred spirits who have dealt with rejection from the very people who are supposed to love us unconditionally.

“Don’t talk about Lola like that. You’ll hurt her feelings.” When he bites the top of my ear, I let out a loud shriek. I reach for my bowl of popcorn, but he yanks me back and grabs the bowl before I can. He tucks me into his side and feeds me popcorn while he searches for a movie.

The blinds are open, and even though the sun hasn’t set yet, it’s gray as light snow starts to fall. We’re not getting a storm like we did weeks ago, but half a foot is still a lot. I never cared much for snow, but it’s not so bad when you’re cuddling with your husband.

“No!” I say for the tenth time since he started scrolling. “No science fiction. Your taste in movies is as bad as your taste in furniture.”

“I don’t want to watch any of that girly shit, Mel. And no goofy comedies either.”

He flips some more, and when I get exasperated, I try and take the remote from him. He lifts his hand straight up into the air and blocks me with his other hand. It’s as if it takes no effort to stop me.

“You want to do trial by combat again?” he asks with a smug smile.

“You only won because you cheated.”

“No, that was you who cheated. And I still won.” Something starts to vibrate in his pocket. A look of irritation crosses his face, but he smiles when he sees Ma flashing across the screen.

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