Page 12 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

Just like that.

Our room was gorgeous. We were literally in a floating hotel. Blake and I stood on the deck watching as the massive ship moved out of port. We waved goodbye to Gibraltar, along with the others on board. The people on the mainland grew smaller and smaller the farther out to sea we traveled. The placid water made for a perfect sendoff.

I found an empty lounge chair facing the open ocean and sat down, closing my eyes momentarily to take in the feel of the wind against my skin and the scent of seawater. When I opened my eyes, Blake had dropped into the chair next to me.

“Have you talked to your mother?” he asked. “I’ve noticed that she’s called several times.”

“I’m just not ready.”

“Glory—the woman made a mistake, but she’s still your mother. At least give her the chance to explain.”

Shrugging, I cast my gaze back out to the sea. “Maybe.”

“Okay, what about your friends? I know I’ve seen the names Penelope and Sierra pop up on your screen multiple times. Did they really do anything bad enough to be cut out of your lifecompletely? You said Penelope is a newlywed and Sierra made some friends at work…”

“They only want to talk to me now because I’m on this awesome adventure.”

“Or,” he started, with emphasis, “they enjoy your company and miss you since you’ve been gone. I knowI’dmiss you if we weren’t sitting on an incredible boat together.”

“But they?—”

He pressed a finger to my mouth to stop me. “Sweetheart, I know things have happened in your life, but you have to start trusting people.”

“I trustyou.”

“That’s because I’m here with you right now and haven’t screwed up. What happens if I screw up somehow? I’m not perfect?—”

“You’re pretty perfect,” I teased.

“Glory, I’m serious. Will you cut me out of your life if I make a mistake?”

I got what he was saying. It was just… trusting people didn’t come easily for me, so when I did put my trust in someone, they had a lot farther to fall. “Would you feel better if I called Pen?”

She frequently got laid by her incredibly hot new husband. It wasn’t like she’d hidden a boyfriend from me for a year after I’d rearranged my whole life so she wouldn’t be alone, or went out with new friends to see movies that she and I had already planned to see together.

He kissed the side of my head and smiled. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

Blake stood from the chair to go check out a riveting game of shuffleboard happening a few feet away, giving me privacy but not abandoning me. I could totally fall in love with this man. I think I might’ve already started.

Pulling my phone from the pocket of my pink, cotton shorts, I pressed Penelope’s contact. There was a time difference. I thought she might’ve been seven hours behind us. That sounded right. Okay, so I had to use my fingers to determine what time it was in Detroit and found that it should’ve been about lunchtime right now.

“Gloria?” she said into the phone.

“Hi, Pen, how are you?”

“Good, but worried about you. Why haven’t you answered anyone’s calls?” Rustling sounded in the background, as if she were getting comfortable.

“It’d be easier to tell you that Blake’s been occupying all my time, but I wouldn’t throw him under the bus like that. He’s been after me to call you back.”

“Blake? Is that the hottie who keeps showing up in your photos?”

“He is,” I said and I couldn’t keep the smile from my voice. “Most of the adventures I’ve been on have been because of him. Like, we’re on a cruise ship headed for Ghana right now.”

“Ghana?” Her voice rose in surprise. “Are you kidding me?”

“I amnot. We were at an outdoor market in Gibraltar and met these people who were taking a cruise to Ghana and he was like, ‘You want to go?’ Of course, I want to go. How many times do people like us get to visit Ghana in our lives?”

“I’ve never been,” she replied.

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