“You don’t need to live up to your reputation with me, Wayne. To the outside world you may be the ‘Beast’, but I know differently.” Lily took his hand in hers. They’d gone through so much together. The children, the business world, and the media. The press didn’t like her because she refused to get drawn into their world. She loved her husband and was more than happy being a mother and wife. The corporate world wasn’t for her.
She recalled the betrayal she had felt when he’d called in a few favours to get her a recording contract. He really believed she had a decent voice. Lily loved singing, but doing it for a living, she didn’t want to do.
Why was it so hard for people to believe she was happy with her life?
Lily got off the couch. She wanted to be with him, but sexually she’d gone off. There was too much between them to allow sex to interfere.
“Where are you going?” Wayne asked.
“I can’t do this.” She gathered his shirt from the floor and put it on before walking into the kitchen.
He followed her in after putting on a pair of briefs. She was thankful for him covering up.
Lily opened the fridge and pulled out some bacon and eggs before going into the pantry to grab a tin of tomatoes. Cooking always helped to clear her mind. Her hand shook as she snipped some bacon into a frying pan. She glanced at her wedding ring. The small ring suddenly felt so heavy on her finger. She never thought her wedding band would feel so odd on her finger.
“Don’t,” he said, covering her hand with his.
She pulled away from his touch to wash her hands. While the bacon sizzled she put the oven on to heat up.
“I’m not leaving you again, Lily. I swear.” He came up behind her. She saw his reflection in the glass of the oven.
“I don’t know that, Wayne. I don’t know anything anymore.”
She moved away from him to open up the can of tomatoes and poured them into the pan. Lily stirred the tomatoes adding some salt and pepper.
What was wrong with her? She felt odd. In the past Wayne always made it up to her.
Why did she doubt him?
You never expected him to leave you. You always put your faith in him, and he ruined it by leaving you.
Lily shook her head. When the pan bubbled with the sauce she cracked two eggs into the dents she’d made in the sauce, then transferred it to the oven.
“Lily, stop and talk to me,” he said.
She glanced at him and then at her ring.
“You gave me this ring and told me to sign a prenuptial agreement that pretty much sold my soul to the devil. I was blackmailed by the Beast.” She chuckled recalling the way he’d been when she was twenty-one and her family were in need of money.
“Lily,” he said. She didn’t wait for him to add more.
“But you were so sweet and loving. I know we’ve had our ups and downs over that recording deal and stuff. When are you going to realise that all I want is a family? How can I be any clearer? You didn’t ruin my life then, and yet now in one move, you did.”
And she knew it was down to his one move that made her so hesitant.
“I don’t know what to say to make it up to you,” he said.
Lily wasn’t listening. She removed her engagement ring and wedding band.
“Don’t do this, Lily.”
She shook her head.
“I think we need to do this.” Lily took his hand and opened up his palm. “This is not a divorce. I love you, Wayne, with all my heart. I want you to take these as I have a solution.”
Lily smiled as she thought about the problem between them. They were happy together, and she didn’t want to lose any of that. She gave a little chuckle as he squeezed them in his palm.
“I don’t want to take these from you, Lily. I made a mistake.”
“And you can rectify it. You feel you rushed things between us, right?” she asked.
He nodded his head. She knew he hated admitting it. Their romance wasn’t the most conventional, even though she loved the possessive way he’d claimed her. He’d seen her, wanted her, and then found every means to try to claim her for his own.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked.
“Seduce me, court me. Do everything you wanted to do in the beginning but were too impatient to wait for,” she said.
“And when do you want them back?” Wayne glanced down at the rings. His shoulders were slumped. She hated seeing him like this, but she knew it was the only way to get what they both wanted.
****
Wayne didn’t like seeing her finger empty. He regretted leaving her the moment he’d woken up after getting completely blind drunk with the whisky in his apartment suite. She was smiling at him, which gave him hope that he’d not completely destroyed their future.
“I love you, Lily.”
“I know.”
He reached for her wrapping his arms around her. Her supple body moulded against his so perfectly. Wayne didn’t want to let her go.
“I was an idiot.”
“I know, and now you get to make it up to me. We get to have the seduction a bit backwards.” She pulled away to look at him. In all of his forty-four years, he’d never doubted a single decision. His instincts were always right, and he rarely got anything wrong. This doubt he’d felt over Lily and their marriage had been wrong.
He couldn’t get over how quickly he’d almost lost her.
“I could have killed John tonight,” he said.
“Why? He’s our friend.”
“No one else puts their hands on you. You’re mine.” He stroked her cheek. “I don’t know what I’d have done if I lost you.”
“Maybe, you need to stop going with your gut when you think of me and start thinking with this.” She tapped his heart. “You can’t lose me, Wayne. I’d never have gone with John. He knows that. I know he cares about me, but love will never be on the cards.”
She leaned up and kissed him. “I look forward to your seduction.”
“Aren’t you a little worried?” he asked.
Lily shook her head. “I’m a little excited about our future. You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked.
Wayne shook his head. “This is going to be one strange courtship.”
“The kids have missed you,” she said, turning her back to him. He watched her open the oven to grab the saucepan of bubbling tomato and eggs.
He loved this dish. It was the meal she always made when they were alone together. Wayne went to grab some of the semi-stale bread to dip into the bubbling yolks. Lily made it to perfection. They sat at the dining room table. Wayne pulled her into his lap, took a chunk of bread and dipped it into the oozing egg. He fed it to Lily watching her eat. Wayne got so much enjoyment out of her pleasure for food. He loved to eat with her. There was something intimate about being seated together closely and eating or feeding each other. Lily dipped some of her bread then turned to feed him. He took the bread staring into her eyes as he did.