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“Who asked you?” Aaron says, turning to me.
In what I can only assume is sheer reflex, Maddox throws a hand behind Aaron’s neck and slams his head against the table. He keeps him pinned there. Aaron wriggles and struggles for freedom. The weight of the eldest brother’s grip keeps him locked in place.
“You’re getting awfully lippy, Brother. It’s starting to piss me off,” Maddox says, his eyes turning to mine. Is this show of macho masculinity meant to impress me? If so, it’s working. “You best start wising up to where we are, if you want to keep your tongue much longer.”
Maddox’s face is stone cold; his words too. There’s no emotion, only calculated precision. I bite my bottom lip, watching him work. This glimpse of the monster Maddox is should terrify me, but it doesn’t. Instead, his outburst in defending my honor sends butterflies up my belly, leaving me ready to burst at the seams.
My dad suddenly bursts out into raucous laughter. Oswald’s face is distorted in anger, but he doesn’t dare speak. Unlike Aaron, Oswald knows his place. He’s just another peasant in The King’s palace.
Dad’s laughter continues for longer than it should, while Maddox keeps Aaron pinned. Even with the writhing body, it doesn’t look as if Maddox is straining at all. I guess if Dad’s right about anything, it’s that Maddox will always be there to defend me.
“Okay, okay.” My dad kills his cigar and pats Maddox on the shoulder. “Let the boy go. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.” Gleeful giggles accompany his words.
Maddox obeys, releasing the scruff of his brother’s neck. Aaron launches himself to his feet.
“I’m leaving,” he says.
“Sit down, Boy,” Oswald instructs.
“But Dad…”
“Sit down.” Oswald’s angry. Aaron doesn’t try again. He sits down again, beside his brother, while adjusting his suit jacket.
The tension’s so thick, I could practically cut it. Oswald’s furious and my dad’s got this child-like glee in his eye.
“What the hell’s this all about, if we’re not going to be working together?” Oswald asks again. Had it not been my father, he’d be demanding an answer. In the presence of The King, Oswald keeps things civil.
“It’s got absolutely fuck all to do with you,” Dad replies. “Never has and never will.”
“That’s why you agreed to this, then? So you could rub it in our faces that you’re working on another grand plan that no one but the closest is privy to?” Oswald asks.
Maddox focuses on me again, his emotionless eyes inspecting every inch of my face. I want to look away, but I don’t. I let him have this moment as payment for standing against his kin for me.
“No. I let you come over because I thought we’d all have a nice meal together, Oswald. Your son and my daughter are set to marry. Traditions of old dictate a certain routine in these events. You’re the one who brought business to a family gathering.” Dad leans back in his chair. “Now, is there anything else, or are you just going to sit there and pout all night?”
Oswald hops onto his feet, and so does the rest of the Braddock brood.
“Then there’s nothing more to say. We’ll see you at the wedding.” The five of them all shuffle along together. Atticus meets them outside the door and leads them away.
“I’m sorry, Mister Romani,” Maddox says, dropping his head, once it’s only us three left. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“No, Maddox, you did exactly what I hoped you would. You stood your ground against your father. If you can do that for my daughter, I’m damned sure you can do that for the family. Let’s face it. Oswald was bound to fuck something up tonight. Let’s call it another test, and once again, you’ve passed.” Dad stands up from his chair, gesturing that Maddox should join him.
“Now, come. You should get some rest. Tomorrow is the dawn of a new era,” Dad says, slinging an arm around Maddox’s shoulders. I watch as Maddox and my father walk through the door and disappear into somewhere in the house.
What the hell just happened? Why does it feel as if there’s a void inside me, with Maddox not saying goodbye before leaving? I try to shake the feeling, and chalk it up to his heroic actions against Aaron.
It can’t be anything else. I can’t let it be.
My plan is to run. I’ve got a desperate yearning to disappear from this hellacious life. Yet, the more I think about Maddox, the more I can almost see myself lost in the fairytale.
Tomorrow is the dawn of a new era and every fleeting second, I’m feeling less inclined to object.
