Chapter 3
3
W e untangled our bodies and swayed into each other. I rested my head on Jack’s chest, weightless and boneless, letting the steady thrum of his heartbeat gently lull me back to reality.
We cleaned up our mess, showered, changed, and made our way to the kitchen. Our guests were supposed to arrive in forty minutes, which should have sent me into a tizzy, but I was too relaxed to worry about a thing. These were our best friends in the world. They wouldn’t care if the table wasn’t set. It would be, of course, but that wasn’t the point. This was supposed to be fun.
As usual, it was Jack who’d reminded me to slow down, relax, and smell the roses. Instead of being stressed after sitting in traffic after a long week at the office, I was feeling mellow and carefree, sipping Chardonnay and humming along to an old Springsteen song while I put together a charcuterie board.
Sidenote: I was a charcuterie maestro. No joke. My cheese to meat, fruits, and nuts ratio was flawless, and my presentation would have made a seasoned chef proud. Unfortunately, that was the extent of my culinary prowess. I’d tried to cook for Jack a few times over the years, and let’s just say, nothing had ever looked or tasted like it was supposed to.
My meatloaf had collapsed and smelled like mushrooms. I wasn’t sure what had happened there. I’d burned baked potatoes, reducing them to the size and weight of a hockey puck. Again…no idea. But that was nothing compared to the time my turkey had blown up in the oven. Blown the fuck up. Ka-pow!
To his credit, Jack took my kitchen mishaps in stride, laughing them off and wisely suggesting takeout instead. We’d developed a sort of unspoken agreement that Jack was in charge of meals involving more than two steps and oven time. Genius.
I plucked two grapes from my charcuterie masterpiece, fed one to Jack, who was busy assembling a salad, and popped the other into my mouth. “So you just happened to be in my neighborhood at work this afternoon?”
“Well…not exactly.” Jack flashed a lopsided smile. “Check my front pocket.”
I raised my brows as I complied, brushing his crotch in the process—because he was mine and I could. My fingernail scraped against metal. I cocked my head curiously and dug deeper, chuckling at Jack’s lascivious wink.
“ Ooh ! Our rings! You had them cleaned. Good! I felt naked without mine on today.”
Jack set the knife aside and clasped his hand over mine. “Allow me.”
He slipped the simple titanium band on my ring finger…on my left hand.
“Did we switch fingers?” I asked, my mouth suddenly dry.
We’d worn rings on our right hands for years—well before we’d made a trip to the city hall and exchanged vows.
Jack gave an uncharacteristically bashful shrug. “We don’t have to, but…I was wondering what you’d think about telling everyone.”
I opened and shut my mouth. Twice.
“Everyone,” I repeated in a barely audible whisper.
He kissed my fingers and nodded. “Starting with our friends.”
“Why?”
Jack twisted the ring on his right hand, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
“We promised to love, cherish, and honor each other in a private courtroom. We didn’t want frills or fuss or anyone’s opinion about our lives. I still feel that way…to a degree, but sometimes I find myself wanting to fucking claim you and tell anyone who’s listening that you’re mine. I love you, and I’ve loved you for so long that you’ve become my heartbeat, my reason to wake up in the morning, my sanity, my safe space. My man, my best friend, my very most important person in the world…my husband.”
I brushed a tear threatening at the corner of my eye. This was so Jack. He was Mr. Cool-Under-Pressure. Although he was always open and affectionate, Jack kept his deepest emotions well guarded. Very few people were allowed entry. To be his number one wasn’t something I took lightly.
But I had the memory of an elephant. My brain was a steel-trap vault of useless trivia, phone numbers of long-dead relatives, directions to the coffee shop I frequented during high school on the West Coast, and countless volumes of US law.
I also recalled a conversation we’d had a few years ago about marriage.
“What we have is no one’s business. We don’t need a ceremony or gifts or a party. We can travel whenever we want and call it a honeymoon. I’ll wear your ring, you wear mine…and we’ll be together forever. Sound like a plan?”
I’d agreed that it had been a perfect plan. I loved kids, but I didn’t want to be a father. I didn’t need an elaborate wedding or public recognition of our relationship. It was ours. But now…
“Why? I mean…I guess I don’t understand the change of heart,” I replied truthfully.
Jack glanced away briefly, pushing his fingers through his longish hair. The dark strands were now liberally streaked with silver, giving credence to the term silver fox.
“Unless I miraculously live well into my hundreds, I’ve got more winters behind me than ahead of me.” He held up a hand when I sputtered for him to stop. “ Shh , I’m not trying to be morbid, baby. I’m stating facts. No one lives forever, and if something were to happen to one of us tomorrow, I’d want the world to know who you are to me.”
“Wrong tense. It would be ‘were’ if one of us is kicking the bucket in this scenario,” I snarked.
He rolled his eyes. “We’re alive and well, and God willin’ and the river don’t rise, we’ll have a few more decades of wedded fucking bliss. But either way, I’m more in love with you today than I was three and a half years ago.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and smiled. “You are?”
His lips twitched as he pulled me close. “Madly in love, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“So in love that you made a special trip downtown to rescue me from traffic?”
“I know you better than anyone, Curtis. I know how stressed you get. I know your heart beats too fast, and I can picture you thumping your thumb on your desk or on your thigh and?—”
“I don’t do that,” I lied.
“You do. It’s an adorable nervous habit, and I want to make it better…to jump in and try to ease your load. You’re right. I made a special trip and even made up an excuse about having our rings cleaned. The truth is…I want you safe and happy. I want you to know you’re loved. I want you to know that I’m here for you.” Jack slid a hand along my arm, squeezing my biceps. “And I don’t think it would be so terrible if the whole damn world knew it too. This is, if you’re okay with it.”
I launch myself into his arms and held on tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
After a long moment, I sucked in a breath and straightened, dabbing at my eyes. “They’re going to be mad. Or worse…hurt.”
“No, I don’t think they will be. They’ll be happy for us.” He rocked me gently, kissing my temple and the top of my head. “Let’s leave it for now. We don’t have to do or say anything tonight. Think about it and if you decide you like everything as is, that’s that. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He reached for my hand. “Let me put your ring where it belongs.”
“No, not yet.” I studied the band thoughtfully. “It looks good.”
“It does,” he agreed in a low, husky tone.
“Give me your hand.” I switched his ring from his right to left hand and kissed our fingers. “With this ring, I, thee wed.”
Jack gathered me close, slanting his mouth over mine in a possessive, hungry, and oh-so-perfect kiss. He released me, ghosting his lips on my forehead. “You’re stuck with me forever now.”
“It was all part of my evil plan,” I smiled at his bark of laughter. “Now shoo…we have to focus. Our guests will be here soon.”
“You’re right. You need to fix that.” Jack gestured to my charcuterie board. “Your cheese is off-center.”
I gasped, smacking his ass lightly. “The nerve! This board is fucking perfection. Admit it.”
He hummed in grudging agreement—or maybe he was in his own world, thinking deep thoughts about the meaning of forever.
It was my nature to analyze new ideas from multiple angles, consider pros and cons, and strategize outcomes and effects. No one thought of me as a pillar of calm in a storm.
Oddly enough, there were no voices in my head questioning Jack or suggesting ulterior motives. Quite the opposite. My brain was static free.
Ours was already a beautiful story. I just hadn’t known there was any possible way it could get better.