“Shouldn’t she know by now that she wants to be with me?”
“And by ‘by now,’ you mean shouldn’t she realize that she wants to enter into a long-term relationship with the man she met three months ago?” Blaire asked. There was no judgment in her tone, but the question itself felt like it was loaded with it.
“What are you saying? That all mutual decisions should be made her way? That doesn’t seem fair.” He reached for the bottle and poured himself another. Then he topped off his mom’s glass.
“Relationships are like anything else that’s worthwhile. They’re damn hard work,” Blaire explained.
“Hard work?” Silas frowned. “You make it sound like I’ve never done a day’s hard work in my life.”
Mama B leaned forward and, with love in her eyes, said, “Honey, you’ve had a lot of things come real easily to you. Just because you work hard and play hard doesn’t mean you’ve had to try hard to get what you wanted. Until now.”
“I’m not sure how insulted I should feel.”
“Do you remember when you tried out for the soccer team in high school?” his mom asked.
“Vaguely,” he said.
“You’d never played the game. But your friends were on the team,” she continued. “You were a starter by the end of your first season.”
“A natural talent,” Mama B added.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a natural,” he complained, feeling defensive.
“Of course not, honey,” Mama B said. “The only time it’s a problem is when everything comes natural. The first time you brush up against something that doesn’t come easily makes it feel like you should just walk away, give it up.”
“What did it take to get Michelle to say yes to your first date?” Blaire asked.
“Michelle? I don’t know. I guess I asked her out. Or no. Wait. She asked me out.” It was a little cloudy.
“And every time you two broke up, what did it take to get back together?”
Silas shrugged. “I guess one of us would text. Ask if the other wanted to hang out or meet for drinks.”
“And you didn’t live happily ever after with Michelle,” Blaire noted. “You spent five years give or take in a comfortable limbo.”
“Easy. Simple. Uncomplicated,” Mama B observed.
“None of those words apply to Maggie Nichols,” he complained.
“Maybe that’s one of the things you like about her. She challenges you, and I think you challenge her, too,” his mom suggested.
“Maybe.” He was still feeling a little too raw to agree.
“And maybe while Maggie has to decide whether or not to take a leap of faith to choose you, you have to be willing to try to keep her,” Mama B said.
“That’s what I’ve been doing.” He thought about the gifts, the surprises. Whisking her away to play. “She needs time to slow her damn brain down and the space to step back and look at the big picture. And that’s what I’m giving her.”
“Is it possible that you two just aren’t speaking the same language?” Blaire asked.
“I think that’s damn clear,” he complained. “Why can’t we just figure it out as we go?”
“You can. She can’t,” Mama B told him. “If you were being wooed, you’d rather have a grand romantic gesture,” Mama B explained. “Maggie would rather have the research done and the case presented to her.”
“You’re giving her the time and space, but you’re also expecting her to do all the research and fill in the blanks on what a life with you would look like. You’re asking her to choose for you. That’s not fair to her.”
And through the bourbon haze and the frustration, things suddenly became clear.
“Well, fuck.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Blaire said.
“Cheers, my dears,” Mama B said, raising her tea.
“Do either of you know how to use that PowerPoint thing?” Silas asked.
45
Maggie gave passing consideration to throwing up but decided that wouldn’t get rid of the nerves, and she’d get too sweaty and ruin her makeup. Instead, she tiptoed to the stairs, hoping to stay invisible to the rest of the house for the next few minutes.
Downstairs, the caterer had commandeered the kitchen and dining room.
On the second floor, Dean was instructing Cody on the finer points of tying ties.
She made it to the third floor and, before she ducked into the spare room, overheard Dayana and Keaton in a serious discussion about why pants were important when socializing.