Page 128 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“You’re moving,” Maisie said, looking between my husband and me.

“We’re moving,” he agreed. “To Michigan. We have friends and Glory’s mom back there. With the baby coming, it just makes sense.”

“How long?” she asked.

“Well, we have a little bit of time. I have to find property to build on and get the house going. I want us to be settled before the baby comes.”

“Before? You only have, like, twenty weeks.”

“People can accomplish anything if you throw enough money at the problem.”

“I guess,” she replied and I could hear her heart breaking.

“You’ll still get your retirement—that was set up when you started here—and you’ll both receive hefty severance packages. You won’t have to worry about healthcare. I’ll take care of that, too. I see no changes to the plan you’re on.”

And that was something that I never stopped to think about. My husband paid for a healthcare plan for his employees. Ilovedthis man.

“Okay,” Dee said and I swore she looked ready to cry. Dee. Our Dee. That woman was sweet, awesome, but tough as nails. Dee didn’t cry. She did today as she turned around to walk back into the kitchen.

Our Maisie, on the other hand, she hugged me first, kissing my cheek, and then hugged Blake like a mother saying goodbye to her child.

“Excuse me,” I said, running upstairs throwing myself onto the bed. Pressing my face to my pillow, I sobbed and sobbed. Eventually, Blake made his way into the bedroom with Georgie and Miranda on his heels.

“You okay?” he asked. He walked over, dropping down on the edge of the mattress, pulling me onto his lap.

“It’s just the hormones,” I lied.

“It’s not. It’s my Glory’s soft heart showing. I’ll miss them too, but this is what’s right for our family.”

“It is. I know it is. That doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Since we have some time on our hands, I thought we might make another trip back to Michigan—try to find the perfect landto build on—and we’ll hire the designer who is supposed to turn the nursery into Wonderland to stage this house. Do you think she’d come to our new place to give us Wonderland?”

“If we paid for expenses.”

“Good. Then let’s get packed.” Blake pressed in to kiss me. “I love you, Glory. You are my only priority. You and” —he rubbed my belly— “the baby. Everyone else can?—”

“Suck salt,” I offered and he chuckled.

“What?”

“Suck salt. It’s an old saying. My dad said it all the time. He got it from his grandmother.”

“Right, well, everyone elsecansuck salt.”

Because Blake was used to keeping busy and didn’t currently have a job—he was still in the process of setting up his freelance business and getting the new contracts signed—I let him take the lead on the move.

He contacted the designer to get that ball rolling. He set up the meeting with the realtor, who gushed a little too much for my liking about working with a Parker. Then we hopped a jet. That was the day I found out how much a private jet cost. Really. We could’ve rented once again, but in the midst of moving—and he didn’t talk to me about this first—Blake bought us aGD(youknowwhat that GD stands for) plane. Because of all our traveling and the baby, and our furry children. It took me a hot minute to cool down from that.

“Gloria, we’re loaded and you’ll be happy once you get used to the idea.”

He was probably right. But in my GloriaKowalskimindset he not only bought us a private jet, but the pilots, flight attendants and maintenance crew to go with it.

“Do you know how many?—”

Blake covered my mouth with his hand. “Once we’re settled, we’ll start working on the charitable organizations. I know who I married, sweetheart.” And he did know me so well.

We waited inside until the driver texted us that he’d arrived.

---