Page 121 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“Cut?” he bit out. “As in a vasectomy? I don’t know that Glory and I are done having kids. We might want seven or eight more.”

Adair’s face turned positively green and it took every bit of my Midwestern constitution to not laugh at her pain, even if I wanted to agree with her—pushing out seven or eight babies? Bump that.

“There’s just no reasoning with you,” she said right before turning to walk out the door, slamming it shut. Well, I guess we wouldn’t be calling Adair to babysit.

Jupiter showed up at a reasonable time with an evil, evil smile just for me.

“I thought you were my friend,” I said,almostsnickering.

“I am. But I’m also a bitch. “And oh my God, you should have heard Adair. Honestly, youhave topop out eight more at the least.” She hooted and snorted at the idea of Blake and me having eight or more kids. So not happening.

“Instead of putting it all on us,” Blake said, his irritation showing, “why don’t you push out a few of your own? There has to be someone you know Mother won’t approve of.”

My sister-in-law’s face sobered. “That’s not remotely funny,” she said. “Why would you say something so hurtful?”

“Which part?” he asked and I held in my laughter. “The babies or the someone Mother won’t approve of?”

“Yes,” she snapped back, flipping her hand in the air. “All of it.Babies.” She shuddered and I lost my fight, doubling over. I got that children weren’t for everyone, but she acted as if babies equated to genital herpes.

“Listen, I did you two a favor. Entertainment for me? Yes. But a favor nonetheless.” She turned to face Blake. “I expect my ‘thank you’ sparkling and in a Harry Winston box.”

Thankfully, we avoided having to deal with Robert or Brock.

Two days after that fiasco, Blake and I were in his office on the computer, choosing furniture for the nursery. He received a call from Murielle, the woman who’d outed Raymond Hill’s camp with setting me up. He put her on speaker.

“Gloria,” she said in her Dolly Parton drawl. “I’d like to come see you. I have some unsettling news that I think you should know about right away.”

“Can you tell us now?”

“This isn’t the kind of news you give over the phone. If you don’t wish to see me, I’ll send my?—”

Blake cut her off. “Are you in Vermont?”

“I am. I drove here just for this.”

As I listened to them it hit me, Murielle was his inside man—or,woman. She’d been upset about Raymond Hill before, but this—people ended up in garbage dumps for this. What in the ever-loving hey-hey? You put your life on the line for me, that made us family. Without a second thought I said, “Come to the house. We’re having spare ribs.”

“You’re invitingmefor dinner?” she asked, evidently confused.

Oh, but what if she ate vegan or vegetarian? “How rude of me. Do you even eat meat?”

“Girl… I’m from Mississippi. Meatisthe four food groups.”

I rolled my lips to keep from laughing.

“Then yes,” Blake cut in, not bothering to hide his. “My wife makes a mean smoked spare rib. Any sides you’d like to see?”

“You get I’m from the South?” she asked.

“So, mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, and cornbread?” I asked.

“That’ll work,” she replied.

“Greens?” I asked.

“How many years you spend in the South?” she asked me.

“None. I’m from Detroit. They call it ‘soul food’ there.”

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