Epilogue
TWO WEEKS LATER
T his is Jilly G, and you are live on the air.”
Sam held the cell phone to his ear while he maneuvered his rolling luggage through the Boise Airport. “Hi, Jilly, I don’t know if you remember me, but this is Sam. My nephew called in just before Thanksgiving, and you dubbed me ‘Lonely in Mistletoe.’”
“Oh, the one all the girls couldn’t stop talking about?” she said, laughter ringing in her voice. “How are you doing, honey?”
The fact that she still thought what happened on air was funny needled him, but watching his wife walking ahead of him in a pair of ass-hugging jeans took the sting out of it. “A lot better than I was after your show.”
She had the nerve to pshaw . “You know how some of these live shows go. They can sometimes take a turn we weren’t expecting, but I’m glad you’re doing better. Did you ever find somebody? I know your nephew was awfully worried.”
“I did, actually. An old girlfriend came back to town, and we got married New Year’s Eve.”
Wren glanced at him over her shoulder, eyes sparkling. Their whirlwind romance had been the talk of the town, and people had started taking bets on how long it would last, but Sam was banking on forever. They’d spent the last two weeks moving him out of his duplex and into her house, and Sam had taken out a decent chunk from his savings to take his bride on a romantic honeymoon. When they got back, he would figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of it, but that could wait.
“Well, that was awfully fast! I guess the Jilly G Show did work its magic.”
“Something like that,” Sam said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know how grateful I am, because if I hadn’t come on air and listened to everything those women had to say, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. Which is getting ready to board a plane with my beautiful bride and spend a week on our honeymoon.”
“That’s right! You tell the world that Jilly G makes magic happen.”
“Yeah, you sure do.” Sam paused just before security, his arm wrapping around Wren when she snuggled close. “Oh, by the way, I noticed you wrote an article for the Mistletoe Oracle , and you have a very distinct and interesting tattoo. I saw the picture. What does it mean again?”
“It means ‘courage and strength’ in Japanese.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said. But actually, it doesn’t. It means, ‘I am loud and annoying.’”
Jilly G gasped. “No, it doesn’t.”
“Actually, it does. I had a friend of mine who grew up in Japan take a look, and he confirmed it.” Wren giggled against Sam’s chest, and he kissed the top of her head before adding, “It’s a simple Google search if you ever wanted to check.”
“I’m telling you,” she said, her voice tight with anger, “I don’t have ‘I am loud and annoying’ tattooed on my body.”
“I tell you what? If you discover that I’m right, you come see me at Inks, and I will give you ten percent off a tattoo cover-up.”
“I don’t need that because I don’t have that tattooed on me,” she shrieked.
“If you say so, but, just so you’re aware, there’s a viral video going around with your tattoo as the main focus. Have a great night. Thanks for all your help!”
“What video?” She screamed so loud, he moved the phone away from his ear before he ended the call, chuckling devilishly.
Wren smirked at his amusement. “Do you feel better now?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“To be fair, she wasn’t the one who dragged you,” Wren said, rolling her suitcase away from the sidelines and into the security line. “She just gave them the ammunition.”
“It’s the same thing I’m doing for her. She put the picture out there. I’m just sharing it with the world.”
“I never knew that you were vindictive,” Wren tsked.
“I like to think of myself more as Karmic.”
“Okay, Karma,” Wren laughed, stopping behind a couple and their young kids, “what’s next on your list of things to do while on our honeymoon?”
Sam pulled Wren into him, kissing her in the middle of security and ignoring the stares of other travelers. For the next week, it was just the two of them in paradise, and he couldn’t wait to soak up every minute of it.
“Make love to my beautiful wife as much as possible.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. “That is a good start. ”