“Have a seat, Maddie,” I said, as I thinned my lips in a show of mock frustration and disappointment.
Tugging a strand of hair behind her ear, Maddie averted her gaze.
“Okay,” she muttered, as she walked over and sat down.
A few moments later I closed the distance between us. Raising my hands to about chest height, I clapped them together, rubbing them against each other for emphasis.
“Maddie,” I began. “I’ll make this real goddamn simple for you."
A hard swallow forced its way down her throat as I started to speak. She nodded.
“I expect, no, demand a certain level of respect from you. We’ve had ups and downs in the time we’ve been together but I’ve never, not once, treated you poorly. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Maddie twirled a strand of hair around her finger as I laid into her with my false derision.
“Yes,” she replied. “But Grey, I don’t get where this coming from. I didn’t mean anything by it and…”
Raising a hand, I stopped her mid-sentence.
“Let me finish. I’ve got something very important to discuss with you. Right now, you just need to listen and not talk. All right?”
She nodded once more.
“Losing the baby was a terrible thing,” I continued. “I think we can both agree on that. But, for whatever reason, it happened. All we can do now is move forward with our lives. The only question now is whether or not we do that separately from each other.”
I turned away from her and walked towards the bedroom window. Drawing my hands together behind my back, I looked at the busy streets below. The warm southern California sun shined on my face from above. From behind, I heard Maddie reposition herself in the chair as I cleared my throat before continuing.
“That said, Maddie, I’ve come to the conclusion that living my life without you in it is not something I want to do. I know you rejected my marriage proposal to you once before. And, frankly, I was goddamn insulted about it. I’m not a liar, Maddie. I meant what I said. My motives for being with you were, and still are, genuine. I’m not asking you to be with me out of some sense of obligation towards you and the baby we lost or on behalf of my grandfather’s mandate.”
As I finished speaking, I turned back towards her.
Sunlight framed Maddie’s face in a veil of beauty as I looked down at her. In that second, it was like I was seeing her for the first time all over again. All the bullshit we’d been through that had changed her, and us, seemed to fade away. Now, like it was then, it was just us, together. I stepped towards her and as I did she followed me with an unblinking stare, tracing my movement with focus.
I had her right where I wanted her. Now, all I had to do was close this goddamn deal once and for all.
“But here’s the issue, Maddie… If there’s one thing I can’t fucking tolerate, it’s disrespect. Do I make myself crystal clear?”
I paused and glared at her, emphasizing my point.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Grey, I’m so confused right now. What are you trying to tell me?”
I nodded. “Just this… As my wife, I expect you to behave a certain way. Anything less would be unacceptable.”
Maddie blinked in confusion. Her entire body slumped back in the chaise lounge as my demand entered her consciousness. “Your… wife?"
“Yes, Maddie.” I nodded, as I hitched up my pants. “And this time I won’t take ‘no’ for a goddamn answer. You’ve stalled me long enough with bullshit excuses and nonsensical behavior. Now what’s it gonna be?”
That ought to stir her up.
As I hoped, Maddie shot to her feet in a huff. She ran her fingers through her hair before shaking it loose and fixing a nasty gaze on me.
“Grey!” she exclaimed. “The reason I gave you for not saying ‘yes’ has nothing to do with ‘bullshit excuses’ or ‘nonsensical behavior’.”
I raised my brows in an expectant manner. “Oh, no?”
Maddie’s lips thinned as she glared back at me. “No!”
“Okay,” I deadpanned. “Go on, I’m listening."
“Uh!” she yelled. “Well, it’s simple, Grey. And it has to do with three little words you seem incapable of saying to me.”
Maddie’s voice trailed off as she finished her thought. The space between us fell silent. I edged closer to her and reaching up, I cradled her jaw in my hands. Her eyes shimmered with the beginnings of tears as I looked into them.
“That’s what you want then is it?” I asked.
Maddie nodded but didn’t speak. I felt a hard lump slide down her throat. A single tear trickled from her eyes and raced towards my hand, moistening it as it dribbled downward.