Marriage (Red, White &) Blues (Unexpectedly Married #2)

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

T he next day, Sierra wore her grumpy pants thanks to the massive hangover that we’d caused. Pete was helpful with her, but distantly so. With the rest of us, he was great. Pete and Blake got along like best buds, but given that they’d both majored in finance, Blake at Harvard and Pete at Brown, and both men ran—or in Blake’s case had run—their families’ companies, their burgeoning bromance made perfect sense.

At one point, while we prepped lunch, I asked Sierra, “Have you ever heard of Manfred Robie Wendel?”

She scrunched her nose up, really giving it some real thought. “Wasn’t he a poet?”

“I think you’re thinking of Oliver Wendell Holmes,” Pen corrected, then she looked at me. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Si said it last night when I was putting her to bed.”

“I did?” she asked. “Now I want to know who I was talking about.” She started laughing. “Ow—” she said, pressing her hand to her forehead. “Don’t make me laugh.”

Well, at least there wasn’t another guy professing his love, because if push came to shove, I was backing Team Sete. Pierra? I liked Pierra. Which made Pete the rogue ‘ I love you ’er. Wow. So, then what was her deal? She already admitted to him packing more than a cocktail weenie in his boxers. And that he didn’t suck at the coital rumba. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she pushed a good guy like Pete away.

All in all, this trip gave us the reprieve from our day-to-day that I, for one, needed.

Pen, Sierra, Ant, and Pete already boarded the boat. I stood on the pier, imprinting one more memory of the cabin. Blake pressed his body to my back, dropping his hands onto my hips.

“They’re waiting on us, Glory,” he whispered.

“I know. I just love it here.” I turned my head to look up into his diamond-flecked eyes, and he gave my hips a gentle squeeze. “I’m so glad I got to share this with you.”

He squeezed my hips one more time, then whispered, “Come on, we have to go.”

Ant held his hand out to help me up onto the deck while Blake helped steady me from the pier, climbing on behind me. The chilly wind scored through me, but I couldn’t get myself to go inside. I closed my eyes and let the fall sunshine heat my face.

Far too soon, Blake helped Ant navigate to dock back in the marina. The men unloaded us and our luggage, and then they unloaded the boat of any perishables to trash. Pen and Ant probably wouldn’t make it back until spring because once the weather hit, traveling over the water got treacherous.

I popped the trunk, and Blake loaded our suitcases in the back. “You driving, or am I?” I asked.

“I’ll drive,” he replied. “It makes me feel useful.”

I coughed out a laugh. “Useful? You’re my husband. How are you ever not useful?”

He shrugged.

“Do you have to leave right away?” I asked, thinking about how reality was a pushy bitch who liked cause trouble.

“The election’s getting close. I think going home might be the smartest course right now. I just feel like that smoking gun we’re looking for will reveal itself between now and November 5 th .”

“And you don’t think I should come? My presence might help draw it out.”

“ No ,” he said sharply. “I won’t put you in danger.”

“Fine,” I whined. “I just hate letting you go again.”

“It’s not forever and when this is over, think about where you want to go. There’s a good chunk of Europe that we missed. Australia. New Zealand. The entire Asian continent. Until I decide what to do about work, I’m a free agent.”

“I don’t have to work,” I teased. “I’m loaded.” He leaned in to kiss me.

“What will you do while I’m gone?”

I shrugged. “Hang out with Pen, try to figure out Sierra’s issues with Pete and maybe I’ll volunteer at the animal shelter again. We’ll see.”

The hours on the road flew by with small talk and singing songs on the radio. When he took the wrong exit, I cringed. “You’re heading to the airport, aren’t you?”

“They have to think they’ve won, babe.”

Shitballs… Dirty, smelly, unholy shitballs . I didn’t think it’d come so soon. “As long as you remember they haven’t.”

“Woman, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. The blowjob you owe me now—you want to talk dirty I’ll dirty that mouth.”

“What was that?” I blurted out because I wanted nothing more in this moment than to have him dirty my mouth.

His dimple showed again. “Why? You like it?”

“I do .”

“Good.” He laughed an evil, evil laugh. “Cinnamon roll in the streets and alpha in the sheets. Got to say, Glory, that was your best idea since offering to share your bread.”

I licked my lips. “This better end soon.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I had no doubt.

He made the turn to merge us onto the road that led to the terminal.

“No sense parking. You can’t go back with me.”

Fair enough.

We spent an exorbitantly long time making out in the drop-off lane. Several times the security slapped the hood or top of the car and yelled at us to get moving. “I’ll pay the fine,” Blake said, not letting me go until he absolutely had to. I climbed out of the front seat, laughing when the guard handed him a ticket. Blake looked at me. “Worth it.”

He lifted his bag from the trunk, then came around the car to kiss me once more. “Won’t be long, babe.”

“It better not be.”

Then I watched him leave me.

Again.