Page 69 of Doing It for Love

“Can we…” He clears his throat. “Do we have any savings?”

“It’s all for the honeymoon. I just transferred your bonus money.”

“Well, we’ll just have to make it up.”

“How?” I lift my head, looking into his gray hopeful eyes—and I’m at a total loss. “Your hours are restricted. I’m maxed out on overtime. I’m trying so hard, and I don’t know what else to do. We’re going to starve till payday, and even then I’ll only be able to buy Top Ramen and chicken noodle soup, and what if I spill those, too? We’re going to lose our honeymoon money and I never see you, and when I do, we go at each other’s throats, and I’m just not sure how we’re ever going to make it married if we can’t even do the engagement right, because it seems like everything was great before you proposed and then suddenly the money vacuums sucked us dry and I just want so much for you to get what you want in life, but how can we do that if we can’t afford it? I mean, you can’t get a second job because of your movies, and I want thatfor you.I’m just…how…how…how do peopledo it? How do they build a life? How do they have kids? Go on vacations? Take time off? Move into houses? Money just…it justsucks.”

The corner of Landon’s lip twitches, and I deflate against him and pinch his belly button. “You’re laughing at me.”

“I’m not laughing.” He picks my chin up. “You’re right. Money sucks. But we’ve been here before, and we get through it. Wealwaysdo. You’re the master of savings. So yeah, we don’t have the money for Sundance right now—”

“Bahamas.”

He grins. “But we will. Food kind of takes precedence, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, but…we’ll never get to buy the things we want. It’s alwayssomething.”

“Of course it is. We’re normal people. Shit happens, and we work our asses off, and we eat mac and cheese and never fill the gas tank up all the way and go on cheap dates.”

“Or no dates,” I tease, and he drops his jaw in mock shock. It’s true, though. I don’t remember the last time he took me out, and I don’t count the engagement party. Though maybe I should.

Landon sticks a piece of cheese to some butter spread across my forehead. And he kisses me. Kisses me soft and sweet, and I lied before…he’s making it better. Much, much better.

“We’ll be okay,” he says. Butter from my skin has transferred to his, so I reach around to the drawer behind me and pull out a washrag.

“Okay,” I say, wiping the butter off. “Even if we don’t go on a honeymoon.”

“Oh we’re going.”

“Make sure you pack a bathing suit.”

“You pack your coat.” He brings my ring up to his lips. “You know, we never talked about what’ll happen if we make it.”

“If neither of us gives in?”

He nods.

“I suppose…” I say, tapping his knuckles. “We could flip a coin.”

“Buy the tickets at the airport? Hope for a flight?”

“Why not?” I grin. Spontaneity is what I really want for our marriage anyway.

“Sounds like a plan.” He kisses my hand again. “I don’t want to leave you, but…”

“Work, I know.”

“Be happy.”

“I’ll try.”

“And I’ll pick up something on my way home. Not takeout,” he specifies when I give him a look. “Groceries that’ll last us till payday.”

“Keep it under fifty bucks.”

He nods and wipes my forehead before he places a kiss there. And even though we both know he needs to get his butt out of here, that I need to transfer money, we sit in the macaroni and hold each other for a few more minutes.

Chapter 22

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