Chapter Forty-One
Jessica
We didn’t finish until almost five o’clock, and as we were cleaning up, Lainey said, “Let’s get pizzas and hang out at our house, maybe play some cards or board games.”
That sounded like fun. I’d had a great time that afternoon hanging out with women who treated me like a friend, not a pariah. And I loved playing games.
Still, my immediate go-to reaction was no, my parents won’t approve. But before I uttered the words, Alan said, “That’s a great idea.” He touched my arm and continued, “It’ll give you a chance to get to know your future in-laws better.”
Surely my parents couldn’t object to that.
Jade replied, “That sounds fun! I just need to pick Brian up at the station and take him home so he can change,” while Kristy shrugged and said, “I don’t have any plans.”
“Let me call my mom…”
****
Alan
Jess pulled out her phone and excused herself to Lainey’s office to call her mom. While the other ladies chatted about which pizzas to order, my brother quietly said, “I understand now why you don’t want to wait to get married.”
“The sooner she has her independence, the better.”
“Are you sure she’s going to view being married as being independent?”
I’d had that thought earlier—would she think she was just trading one devil for another?
My brother continued, “And more importantly, how do you know she wants independence? It sounds like she grew up in a pretty conservative household, where the man makes all the decisions. That might be what she wants because it’s what she knows.”
Well, fuck.
“I hadn’t considered that. I’d just assumed that once she tasted autonomy, she’d never look back.”
“Are you prepared to be that husband, if that’s what she needs?”
Was I?
When I didn’t answer right away, Adam shook his head and muttered, “Bro, you better figure that out. Before you worry about anything else.”
I sighed begrudgingly. “Yeah, I know you’re right.”
He grabbed a freshly baked cookie and took a bite with a cocky grin. “Of course I am.”