“Before you get famous, maybe you need to make me another piece.”
She squints her eyes. “No way. It would lose its sentimental value.”
Maybe she’s right.
I look down at the small anchor dotted along one side of the bead. If she only knew how much this one tiny bead means to me.
She made it with the decorative anchor for my love of boats, but I wear it every day because I feel anchored to her in ways I’ll never be able to understand myself.
Every morning I take that extra second to be mindful of how lucky I am that my life has turned out so much better than I ever thought imaginable, and Maddie is a huge part of that.
“You okay?” Maddie scoots over and positions herself between my legs with her back to my chest.
My arms instinctively wrap around her bare stomach, pulling her in closer.
“I’m good.” I lean forward and kiss her temple, letting my hand wander, grazing my fingertips on the underside of her bikini top.
“Nate.” Maddie’s breath hitches. “You’re so naughty.”
I reluctantly pull back, knowing we’ll be here a while, and if I start something now, I won’t hesitate to drag her off this lawn and take her home.
“Take a look at this.” I pull out my phone, open my photos, and pass it to her.
“Nateeee,” she groans and gives me a menacing glare over her shoulder.
“Just hear me out, Mads. I spoke to Harrison, and he says now’s the time to buy. You don’t know what the market will be like next year.”
She stays silent, flipping through the pictures of the apartments I’ve narrowed down to view when she gets to New York tomorrow.
There was a moment when I thought we should live apart once she got to New York.
Let her gain a little more independence without anyone, especially her parents, breathing down her neck.
But what’s the use? We both know that I’d be there, or she’d be at mine most nights, if not all.
She’ll still become a badass architect, and she’ll have free rein to do whatever she wants.
It’s Maddie’s world, and I’m in it, just living my dream life.
Maddie hesitates over one photo, and I make a note of it, not wanting to draw attention to it now.
It’s a quintessential SoHo cast-iron open loft, with floor-to-ceiling windows, natural light, and prewar charm.
It’s listed as industrial beauty.
Addie’s parents have a similar setup, and she’s always been a fan, so I knew it’d be her first pick.
She passes me back the phone. “You choose, it’s your place.”
“Ourplace.”
“No, Nate, I wouldn’t be contributing at all.”
I turn her to look me in the eye. “We’ve had this discussion a million times, and you’re starting to piss me off, Maddie. And that’s saying a lot since it takes everything in me to be annoyed with you. But, you know what’s mine is yours.”
“Well, I don’t needyours. I have everything I could ever want already. Money doesn’t make you rich, Nate. I should know because I have none, but I’m the richest girl in the world. I’m in love, and I’m loved deeply. I’m happy, and after so many years, I’m free. I want nothing more than that.”
I feel the same exact way, but funny enough, never from that perspective.
