Rachel sat across the confident looking Maddison who placed her order like a pro. Probably no one could tell that Maddison had been living abroad for months now. She blended in with the socialites without much effort. It was a second nature to her. Maddison placed her menu down, flicked her sleek brown hair back and took her in.
“You’re different from Tiffany.” She leaned forward, “More refined, I suppose.”
It didn’t feel like Maddison was complimenting her so she kept her words to herself.
“I heard that woman tried to get rid of your sister.”
“Yes, Tiffany paid someone to get Valerie killed.” She noticed the glittering in Maddison’s eyes, the woman not only loved to be in control of the situation, she also loved to gossip a little, “Valerie survived while Tiffany went to prison.”
“I never liked that woman.” Maddison stated, leaning back in her chair again, “She was possessive over Ethan, but the unhealthy kind of possessiveness. And sometimes it felt like there was more going on between Gabriel and her.”
It was true, but Rachel didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. It was in the past, Gabriel chose to be happy with Valerie and that should be the end of it. When Maddison noticed she wasn’t speaking up she cleared her throat and continued.
“Well, at least things are settled down now, right?” She thanked the waiter who served them their lunch, “So this wedding, heard it’s going to be amazing.”
“Your mother did a wonderful job.” Rachel told her, “Caroline really knows how to put together a perfect wedding in less than two months.”
Maddison smirked, “Mom does know a thing or two about organizing the perfect social event. So Ava is what made my brother change completely? Mom says Ethan is behaving more sincere these days. That he’s lovely company.”
Rachel didn’t like the way Maddison rolled her eyes at that. She didn’t like the way the woman speaking about her fiancé at all. She didn’t want to cause a scene at a fancy restaurant either so she cleared her throat, squared her shoulders and forced a polite little smile.
“Ethan is indeed lovely company.” Rachel spoke calmly yet she made sure to be firm with her words, “A great father, a great friend and a very supportive fiancé. I’m very lucky to have met him. We make each other a better person and that’s all that matters.”
Maddison chuckled, “You have it bad for him, don’t you?” She didn’t look offended at all, she could brush it off like it meant absolutely nothing, “Well, I’m glad you two found each other then. I can’t wait to meet my brother and my niece sounds like I have been missing out.”
Rachel couldn’t quite understand Maddison, the woman was all over the place. She had two weeks to get to know her though. She was certain Maddison would be around all the time so they didn’t actually have a choice.
***
Rachel was propped up against the headboard of their bed, scanning through a romantic novel which she would have loved any other time, but at this moment she couldn’t power through it. She kept stealing glances at Ethan, trying to see similarities between him and Maddison.
“Why do you keep staring at me?” He asked her, looking up from his laptop.
She sighed, closing her book, “Maddison is the kind of person you need to get used to.”
“She’s selfish and thinks the world revolves around her. We’re the pawns in her world. When we don’t move the way she wants us to she loses it.”
Rachel frowned, “Is this the same as the weird chess game you play with Valerie?”
Ethan laughed, his laptop nearly falling off the bed because of how amused he was. She couldn’t laugh though, not when she spent the entire day worrying about Maddison and the two weeks she was going to stay around.
“I don’t want to say this, but I feel like I should be honest about my feelings.” She took a deep breath and just blurted out her honest feelings, “I don’t like your sister that much. She was very condescending when it comes to you and she’s interested in Ryan even though I told her he might be seeing someone else.” She did the hair flick Maddison did like ten times during a minute, “And her stupid hair flick!”
Ethan grabbed her hand and gently brushed his thumb over her knuckles, “I get it, no need to feel weird about it. I don’t like my sister that much either.” He released her hand, closed his laptop and placed it on his bedside table, “That’s why I love having your sister around. At least Valerie is cool.”
Rachel watched as Ethan was going through his drawer. She leaned closer to him, trying to see what he was reaching for, “If you’re searching for toys, you better not-”
She swallowed her own words when she noticed the velvet box he was holding up. When he asked her to marry him he didn’t have a ring. Time passed and she accepted the fact that there wasn’t going to be a ring at all. He overwhelmed her with the ring, she had no idea how to react to it at all. Ethan placed a hand upon her shoulder and slightly pushed her back. He opened the box, revealing to her a subtle diamond ring.
“I didn’t know when to give it to you, but right now seems like a perfect moment.”
She wasn’t quite sure about that, “Because we’re both agreeing that your sister is a horrible person?”
“Since we’re sitting in bed, sharing little things about our day while enjoying each other’s company. It feels like every other day and this is what I want for the rest of my life. Us, hanging out together just like this.”
He took the ring out of the box and slipped it around her finger. It wasn’t a romantic proposal, it wasn’t a proposal at all, yet it would be engraved in her memory forever.
“I love you.” She whispered when he let go of her hand.
He leaned in and kissed her temple, “I love you too. I’m going to get that.” He said when Ava started to cry.
She watched him head to the door, “You’re amazing!” She called after him, settling bed with a smile on her face. She raised her hand in the air and admired the ring around her finger. There were no similarities between Ethan and Maddison at all and she was grateful for it.