“I’m lucky to have you,” I said honestly.
“Says the guy flying me to Australia so I can see my family,” Maddy laughed. “Seriously though, I know we’re nowhere near marriage yet but I hope we get there.”
“Me too Mads,” I said, “Me too.”
***
Maddy hadn’t let me forget I lost the tennis bet which meant I spent the first couple of days when we were back making the dinner and doing the washing, cursing Maddy for lulling me into a false sense of security about her tennis skills. We maintained a really good routine over the next few weeks where we made sure we had some time apart given we lived and worked together and often socialised together too. We’d go to the gym together and separately, often based on who was working from home on a particular day. Maddy saw Jane a couple more times over the following weeks as well as friends from work. I did the same with my friends and the guys had made plans to meet up a few days before Christmas with Maddy and Jane joining us.
With Christmas the following week, our company had a big Christmas party where Maddy and I officially told our friends, under an oath of secrecy lest we shorten our time at the company further still, that we were together. We hoped it would have led to much more shock and chatter than it had. As Maddy’s drunk friend in the team, Chloe, put it:
“It looked like you’ve been together for most of the year, only difference seems to be he’s getting to put his dick inside you now.”
My work friends were not as blunt but there were still lots of knowing nods as though they suspected it all along. All in all, Maddy and I were pleased it had such a low-key reaction, mostly because the gossip was unlikely to spread too much that way. For appearances sake with senior managers at the party, we kept ourselves very professional.
When we got home Maddy cuddled into me the second we got home. “That bad?” I asked sympathetically.
“I’m in so much pain Adam,” Maddy said, letting herself go after keeping it together for the evening.
“I’m sorry baby, why don’t you go get changed and lay in bed, I’ll fix you up a nice hot water bottle,” I suggested with a warm smile, trying to offer her some comfort.
She nodded and we went in separate directions, worry filling me again faster than I could fill the hot water bottle. Maddy’s periods over the last couple of months had suddenly become pretty awful, this month even worse than last. I was adamant she needed to get it looked at as I was sure it was related to the contraception. She’d managed to get an appointment in just before Christmas.
Normally she’d be quite low energy for a few days but would generally be fine. Now she was in pain for a prolonged time leading up to her period and then for a few days after as well. She had even lower energy than normal and really low mood. I walked into bed a few night earlier after staying up a bit later than Maddy to finish a movie, and found her crying. Rushing over to ask what was wrong she admitted she hadn’t felt horny in days and was becoming extremely concerned. For someone with a sex drive as high as Maddy’s I could imagine this felt rather alarming.
I held my tongue given the state she was in but we had our first argument the next morning when I asked Maddy if she had faked being horny a couple of nights earlier when she gave me head before sleep after spending a few minutes beforehand turning me on. She nodded, not looking at me.
I kept my voice as normal as I could but told her firmly, “Maddy, never do that again. Seriously. You’ve made me feel like I’ve taken advantage of you and that is a really shit thing to think I’ve done to the woman I love.”
Maddy cried again which was totally unlike her and we later said that was definitely the point where we knew Maddy needed to see the Doctor.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling herself together. “I know it’s irrational but I’m just stupidly worried you’re not going to put up with me if this is what happens every month.”
I spent the rest of the morning comforting her to the point we both ended up having to work from home and Maddy wouldn’t go on camera for the first couple of meetings until her puffy eyes calmed down. Things improved dramatically after that and I made sure to increase my hugs and fussing of her so she felt as loved as she was.
***
As bad luck would have it, Maddy’s period finished a couple of days before her appointment so all she had to go on was a description of her symptoms and her mood. Thankfully the Doctor shared her concern and sent her to a woman’s health clinic the following day, which happened to be Christmas Eve. We had planned to go up to my parents on the 23rd but now couldn’t so we called the hotel to cancel the night and let my parents know we’d be up the following day in time for dinner.
I went with Maddy to have the contraceptive device removed from her arm and have a scan. The lady who did the scan was extremely friendly, assuring Maddy there’d be nothing to worry about. I drove Maddy home and let her have a nap for a couple of hours before we left, having packed the night before and that morning, unusually for us.
When we were a few minutes away from my parents, I sensed Maddy starting to become nervous from the way she kept checking herself in the mirror and shifting around.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about Mads, they already love you.” I said reassuringly.
“Yeah but they’ve met Jen, what if they like her more?” Maddy said. It was the first time she’d ever actually compared herself to my ex in any way or even mentioned her, as far as I recalled.
I squeezed her thigh briefly before putting my hand back on the gears to slow down around a corner as we approached their road, the coast just a little further down.
“Maddy, they’re going to love you. And they’re going to see how I am with you, how different I am when I’m with you and even just the way I look at you. Even I know I look at you differently,” I said honestly.
We parked up along their drive and Maddy took a deep breath before getting out. They were clearly looking out for us as the door opened while we were walking up the drive. My Mum let out a loud greeting and I hastened to make the intros before she got carried away. My Dad was quite a bit older and much more stoic so I didn’t have the same worry though he still greeted us warmly.
“Mum, Dad, this is Maddy. Maddy this is Susan and Charlie.”
Maddy went to shake their hands but my Mum ignored her, pulling her into a hug instead. My Dad shocked me and did the same. I even got a turn and then we followed them in, me giving Maddy’s hand a brief squeeze. It was reasonably warm out despite the time of year though it was extremely windy given the location.
“I’m always sad when it doesn’t snow at Christmas, it doesn’t feel right,” my Mum said as we went into the kitchen and sat at the dining table while tea was made for us.
“Well in Aus, it’s always the height of summer, that feels even weirder.” Maddy said smiling.
“You know, Charlie almost moved out there in his 20’s long before we met, you might never have been born,” my Mum said casually while my Dad nodded at her casual retelling of my potential erasing from existence.