“If it’s as good as that last lot, yes. Get moving, I’ll rate you.”
I laughed, kissing her, not wanting to ever let her go. “You are the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” I whispered, hugging her tight.
“Let’s just have sex for fun for a while, forget about any baby-making,” she said.
Her hand moved down to my thigh, stirring me into action again.
“You know, I think that’s just about the best idea you’ve ever had.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” she said with a grin.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
I handed her the envelope I’d retrieved from the letterbox. It looked official. This was it, whether or not the orchestra had accepted her application for an audition.
She took a deep breath, and turned it over to open it.
“No, I can’t,” she said, shaking her head and handing it back to me.
“Are you sure?” I asked, holding it up.
She nodded. “You do it.”
I tore open the envelope, pulling out the letter and slowly reading it.
“Well?” she asked. So nervous.
I could have teased her that if it were that important she could have read it herself, but I didn’t have the heart.
“They want you to audition. Next week.”
She clapped her hands across her mouth, squealing before bursting into tears and averting her eyes downward.
“Maddy, what’s wrong? This is good news, isn’t it?”
She nodded slowly, still looking at the floor.
“Babe?”
“What if I get in?”
Her eyes were full of grief, as if something terrible had happened. I didn’t understand.
“Isn’t that what you want?”
She took a deep breath. “I thought it was. What if they want me to travel, go out of town? How do you manage work and Carly and everything here?”
I grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the couch. She sat on my lap, and I hugged her tight. “We’ll do what we have to. This is your dream, and I would never stand in the way of that.”
She frowned, burying her face in my neck, and we sat, rocking, until she found the words she was trying to say.
“I feel guilty, though. The thought of leaving you two. Carly’s so little and you’d have to juggle so much, and …”
I pushed her to sit up properly, cupping her face in my hands. “I owe you everything. You gave me my life back, made me live again. If I can help you live your dream, I’ll do anything to make that happen.”
Her chest heaved as she struggled to keep her composure, and I pressed my nose to hers, waiting until her breathing returned to normal.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get so wound up,” she whispered.
I buried myself in her neck, her arms wrapped tight around mine. It wasn’t her fault that she’d kept so much inside for all those years, trying to be strong and brave while her mother was bullied. Now I was there to be strong for her, and I needed her to understand that.
“Babe, this whole world is full of what ifs. What if you ignore the one that changes your life?” I whispered.
Her grip loosened, and she leaned back to look at me, her eyes so tired and sad. “It’s just so hard without Mum. She’ll never get to see me if I make it, Andrew. I’m so scared that it’ll happen and I can’t share it with her. She missed so much, like Carly’s birth.”
I leaned my head on her breasts, breathing in her scent, so precious and so her. “She’ll still share it, Maddy. Trust me; she’ll know. She would be so proud of you right now, and if you follow your heart, that’s all she could have ever hoped for. That’s what I want for Carly, so it makes sense to want it for you too.”
“You always know what I need to hear,” she whispered, pressing her lips to the top of my head.
I stood, lifting her off the couch and grinning as she yelped in delight. “That’s because we were just meant to be. Maybe you should trust yourself enough to take a leap of faith.”
Maddy’s eyes lit up, and I swung her around before setting her down on the floor. She chewed her bottom lip, taking my hands in hers, interlocking her fingers in mine.
“What are you up to?” I said, summoning the most innocent look I could muster.
“Taking you to bed to celebrate my decision to accept the audition offer.”
“Really?” I squeezed her hands, moving forward until our faces were touching.
“Yes, really. Now, let’s go do this before I get all soppy and start actually crying and stuff.”
~
Maddy practiced as much as she could right up to the day of her audition. She had her nagging doubts about the whole thing, and I knew it. But if she didn’t at least try, she’d never know, and Carly and I gave her all the encouragement we could.
By the time the day of the audition came, she was a bundle of nerves and spent hours deciding what to wear.
“What do they want you to wear?” I asked, sitting on the bed, watching half her wardrobe contents falling to the floor.
“They didn’t say. Do I dress formal, or what?”
“What do you want to do?”
She looked at me as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her. “I’d feel more comfortable in my normal clothes.”
“Well wear those then. If you’re nervous about what you’re wearing, it’s not going to help.”
She ran to the drawers, pulling out the denim skirt she was wearing when we met. “This has to be good luck,” she said.
I shook my head, laughing. “Whatever you want, babe.”
Maddy screwed up her face. “I wonder if I still fit it.”
It was a little tighter than it used to be, but she pulled some leggings on underneath it. “Tada.”
She gasped, a moment of inspiration hitting her as she returned to the drawer. Pulling out one of her mother’s old Metallica T-shirts, she jumped up and down. It was a little baggy, but she smiled as she held out her arms.
I hugged her, stepping back to take another look. It was so Maddy, and somehow fitting.
“If they don’t want me because I’m wearing this, they can go screw themselves.” She laughed, full of the courage needed to face the audition now. They could take or leave her on her terms.
“That’s my girl.”
~
She emerged, pale as a ghost, as Carly and I waited in the lobby for her.
“Maddy? Are you okay?”
Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, and I reached for her arm, pulling her towards me. “Maddy?”
“I got in,” she whispered.
“What?”
“I got in.” She yelled this time, leaping up and wrapping her legs around my waist. She kissed me while I spun her around and Carly clapped and grabbed hold of my leg. My girls—my clever, beautiful girls.
“Let’s go home and celebrate,” she said, kissing me again.
I let her go, and she bent to pick up Carly, covering her face with kisses. “Mummy.” Carly laughed, shaking her head.
“They’ve got a week of performances in a month’s time and want me to play with them. It’s a lot of practice, but so exciting,” she said as we walked out together.
I squeezed her hand in mine, Carly holding onto my other hand.
Maddy, living her dream. I couldn’t be more proud.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
“So, what do you think?” She appeared in the bedroom doorway in a white, collared blouse and ankle-length black skirt—the orchestral uniform.
I couldn’t form words. It was similar to what she’d worn when she first met my parents, and memories of that night came flooding back. The night I knew I was in love with this beautiful woman. And she still obviously wore no underwear, the pink of her nipples showing as dark patches on her shirt.
“Andrew?”
I leapt out of bed, kneeling before her and gazing up at that gorgeous face. “You look amazing. One suggestion, though.”
�
��What?”
I stood, cupping her breasts in my hands. “Wear a bra. I don’t want anyone else looking at my property.”
“Your what?” She laughed, my hands moving to her face to pull her in for a kiss. “Andrew.” She gasped, running her hands down my back.
“I’m the only one that gets to see those.” I stroked her nipples with my thumbs, bringing them to attention.
She shrugged. “It’s a thick enough shirt. Only you would see.”
“Oh, everyone would see, especially after I dump a bucket of cold water over your head.”
Confusion crossed her face. “Why would you do that?”
“My own personal wet T-shirt competition.” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
Maddy pressed her body against mine. “How cold would the water be?”
I ran my tongue up her neck, pausing to suck on an ear lobe. “Very cold. From the fridge.”
She guided my hand around her back, low enough for me to realise she had no underwear on at all. I growled in her ear as she pressed harder against me.
“You know how hot I get when you talk about kitchen appliances,” she whispered.
I picked her up, placing her on the bed on her back and began unbuttoning her shirt. If she had to wear it tomorrow night, it had to be in perfect condition. “Toasters,” I said, after the first two buttons.
She laughed, closing her eyes and moaning as if the word had an affect on her.
“Food processor,” I whispered, leaning over to kiss those perfect breasts, now uncovered.
“The bigger the appliance, the hotter I get,” she murmured as I pulled her skirt down.
“Babe, your skirt might have gotten a bit wet,” I said, nuzzling the soft hair between her legs.
“There’s enough time to wash and dry my clothes before tomorrow. Pretty sure a bit of me isn’t going to cause too much mess.”
I kissed the tops of her thighs. “Washing machine,” I said. Plunging my tongue into her, she wriggled, moaning for real this time.
Too hard to wait, I moved up her body, trailing kisses up towards her breasts, burying myself in her. “Clothes dryer.” I waggled my eyebrows and she giggled, pulling me down to kiss her. She smelled so good, and I leaned in just to revel in that scent. Her eyes lit up as I thrust into her, and we moved together before I groaned, letting myself go.
“Vacuum cleaner,” she murmured in a voice so sultry and seductive. I lost it, laughing so hard the bed shook.
“Love you, Maddy,” I said once the moment had passed.
“I love you too. Even if you do have some weird obsession with appliances.”
~
She was fast asleep at three o’clock when I put her clothes in the dryer. She would wake in the morning to find them clean and dry.
Curling up beside her, I snuggled in as tight as I could get. She stirred, before relaxing against me. Whatever fuelled her nervousness over this whole thing was gone, I hoped. It was as if she were frightened of being a success.
That she had found the courage to put herself forward for this made me so proud, and I drifted off to sleep with her in my arms, content with the world.
“Andrew! Where is it?” she screeched.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes as she pulled articles of clothing out of the drawers, flinging them about the room..
“What are you looking for?”
“My uniform. It was on the floor and I can’t find it.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Clothes belong in the drawers, Maddy. Not on the floor.”
“That’s not helping.” She stood, clutching a pair of jeans as she surveyed the room.
“I washed and dried it after you fell asleep last night. Your shirt and skirt are both in the dryer. Cool cycle, too, so they don’t come out too wrinkled.”
She leapt on the bed, pushing me back onto the pillow and closing my lips with hers. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” she asked, forgetting her irritation with me.
I laughed again. “I never get sick of hearing it, so you can tell me however many times you like. I know you’re nervous. I wanted to help out.”
We both jumped as the door flew open and Carly came running in, jumping on the bed.
“What are you doing, my little monkey?” Maddy asked her, laughing.
“We got a present for you. Daddy said I had to wait.” She pouted, and Maddy’s face lit up in surprise.
“A present?” Maddy asked, rolling off me, and pulling Carly into a hug.
“It was supposed to be for later,” I said, screwing up my face at Carly.
She buried her head in her mother’s neck. “Sorry.”
“No point in holding back now. Hang on.” I opened the top drawer of my bedside cabinet, and pulled out a small package. “Carly.” I nudged her until she looked up at me, her little face lighting up at the sight of what I held. “Give this to your mother.”
Maddy cocked an eyebrow at me as Carly handed her the box. Her jaw dropped as she opened it and saw what was inside.
“Carly saw it when we were out shopping last week. She recognised the symbol from your sheets of music,” I said, watching Maddy turn the silver treble clef pendant over in her hand.
She smiled as she read the back. “Good Luck. Love A and C. I love it.”
She leaned over Carly to kiss me before hugging Carly tight and kissing her. “I love you two so much. I’ll make you proud tonight.”
“We know you will,” I said. Her eyes gleamed with happiness.
“With an awesome family like you guys, how can I not?”
“Mummy? Can we have breakfast now? I’m hungry.” Carly sat up, her curls flopping all over her face.
Maddy grinned, that iridescent smile that always made my day. “Of course, monkey.” She tapped Carly on the nose. “Then, we go and brush that mop of hair. You have to look pretty tonight too.”
Carly beamed. I loved watching the two of them together, the two loves of my life.
Today was going to be a pretty damn awesome day.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Our little group found its way to the seats set aside for us. Carly had special dispensation to be here, being Maddy’s first public performance. They didn’t normally allow children in for this type of performance.
She was also excited to have her grandparents there. Truth be told, I was sure she would have been content to stay home, basking in the attentions that Mum and Dad lavished on her, but this was a special night for all of us.
In the handful of years that Maddy and I had been together, I’d watched her grow into this woman who had the world at her fingertips. She’d always had that; she’d just never known it.
Rowan and Kyle sat on the other side of me, Rowan insisting on joining us for the evening. I think she was as proud of Maddy as I was, if that were possible. I knew she’d encouraged her to live her dream and shown my wife that she had gotten all she wanted while married with children. Her friendship had been a great boost to Maddy, even if she didn’t want to admit she needed it.
We’d invited Bob, and Logan, but Bob wasn’t one to be surrounded by people. Logan was buried in his own baby pooping and feeding fun. Listening to ‘that classical crap’ wasn’t his thing either.
He had no idea what he was missing.
My stomach flipped as the curtain rose, and the strains of the orchestra starting their performance floated over the audience.
Carly tugged on my arm. “There’s Mummy,” she whispered. She climbed awkwardly onto my lap from her seat and I hugged her as she watched, bug-eyed, staring at her mother on stage. No one else was there as far as we were concerned, just Maddy, concentrating on her music and playing just as she was always meant to.
She shone, and it was as if I’d never seen her before, the sweet music she played causing me to fall in love with her all over again. Silence fell over the audience as they played.
“Mummy clever,” Carly whispered in my ear, as enchanted as I was.
“She’s very cleve
r.”
A hand landed on my arm, and I turned my head to see Rowan grinning, tears creeping into her eyes. I nodded, turning back to Carly and nuzzling the back of her neck. My beautiful baby was up there, playing her heart out, and I couldn’t be any more proud.
As the music flowed into the next piece, Carly clapped and Maddy moved forward, playing her solo, eyes closed, feeling the music as it flew from her violin and over the audience. A grumpy-looking man in front of us turned to give us a filthy look. I just grinned back. “That’s her mother,” I said.
He gave me a faint smile, turning back to the music, and Maddy, my Maddy, won the crowd over with her talent, showing the world just how good she was.
And when she finished, the standing ovation told the six of us that we weren’t the only ones feeling that way.
~
I stood, waiting for Maddy as people filed past me on the way out. Mum and Dad had already taken Carly home to bed, but I wanted some time with my wife before we drove home together.
So many random faces went past, but not the one I ached to see. The pride I felt for her made my chest ache, as if it were going to burst. Tonight her talent had shone so bright, and whatever accolades came now, she deserved every one.
Finally, she appeared at the door, a smile lighting her whole being as she stood and looked at me. She ran, flinging herself into my arms, and I spun her round. I had a flash of memory of that day in the park, Kyle doing the same to Rowan. This was how that felt, to take the woman who meant more to me than life itself in my arms and revel in the simplicity of just holding her and knowing she was mine.
“So?” she asked breathlessly.
“You were amazing,” I said, kissing her and squeezing her tight.
“Not too tight.” She laughed, nuzzling my nose with hers.
“I’m so proud of you. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” she whispered.
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