When the cab pulled in front of her house, I saw her perched on a ladder, fixing something on the roof.
I paid the cabbie quickly, then called out to her, “Maddie? What are you doing up there?”
“A shingle is giving me trouble. I need to fix it, but I can’t reach it, damn it. I’m going to have to climb on the roof completely.”
“Baby, I’ll fix that for you. Get back down here.”
“It’s okay. Can you hold the ladder?”
“Baby,” I warned as I gripped the metal ladder with both hands. “You can’t climb on that roof. I’m taller. I can reach it from the ladder. Get down here.”
Instead of listening, Maddie climbed up to the last step of the ladder, propping her palms on the roof. I was half in a mind to grab her and bring her down, but her balance was precarious al
ready. I held the ladder tight, tasting bile at the back of my throat when she perched one foot on her roof. When she pushed off the other foot, she lost her balance.
“Shit!” she exclaimed, groping at the roof with both hands as she slid downward. She tried to stop her slide by gripping the ladder, but she was moving too fast to catch it.
I caught her legs when she was in my reach, stopping her fall, but the force of impact messed up my balance and I stumbled backward. We both sprawled on the ground.
“Shit! Ouch!” Maddie exclaimed. As soon as I was on my feet, I helped her up, inspecting her for any damage.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. Just a few scratches.”
“Why didn’t you listen? I told you it was dangerous to climb on that goddamned roof,” I yelled.
“Don’t yell at me. Don’t you dare yell at me,” she yelled back.
“You could’ve really hurt yourself.”
“Well, I didn’t. What’s the big deal? I slipped. Isn’t the first time and won’t be the last one. A shingle is broken, and I needed to fix it.”
I dragged both hands down my face, willing myself to calm down. “I’m sorry I yelled. I just—I panicked. I thought you were hurt.”
Maddie crossed her arms over her chest, but her expression softened. “I’m not hurt, Landon. Thank you for catching me.” She looked up to the roof. “I need to get back up. I want to fix that shingle today.”
“You’re joking, right? I’m not letting you go up there.”
“I’m not asking for permission.”
“I told you I can fix it.” I felt my temper flare again.
“I don’t want to get used to relying on you for stuff, okay?”
Her words slayed me. I pulled her into a hug. “Baby....”
“I sure sound like a baby now. I’m sorry, Landon, I don’t know why I’m getting so worked up.”
“Maddie, let me do this for you, okay?”
She nodded, snuggling closer to me. “And I had this great plan tonight to lure out what you’re planning for my birthday,” she said into my neck, making me chuckle. “I kind of blew that chance away, huh?”
In the beginning, Grace and I had wanted to include Maddie in the planning, then decided a surprise was better. I could just imagine her smile on that day.
“You can try,” I said on a wink. “I’m going up on the roof. You work on those persuasion skills while I fix your shingle.”
I didn’t want this woman to ever worry about a shingle again. I wanted to fix every shingle, paint every wall for her. I had a crystal-clear vision of our life together right at that moment. I sure as hell didn’t want to let her go, but I had no idea how to hold on.