Page 13 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“I’ll send pictures. Maybe you can talk that wonderful husband of yours into going sometime.”

“Oh, I don’t have totalkhim into anything,” she teased. We both giggled. Then she sobered. “I’m sorry for whatever I did to make you keep your distance. You’re such an important person in my life. I miss you so much. And?—”

“I felt left out,” I admitted, though I hated to do it.

“You what?”

“Felt left out. You had Ant. Sierra started hanging out with friends from work. My mom got a boyfriend. None of that included me. It sounds so ridiculous now that I say it out loud, but it just felt like everyone was moving on in life without me.”

“Gloria Kowalski, you are always a part of my life. From the day I pulled my head out of my ass and called you to be my bridesmaid forward, you’re in it. I’ll admit, Ant and I get caught up in the fun parts of being newlyweds, but there’s still that other hour a day to fill.” She was being cheeky. “Tell me, have you partaken in the horizontal refreshment with your fine gentleman?”

Oh, my god. I burst out a laugh. “What?”

“You know, ground your corn, rode St. George, shook the sheets?”

“Where do you come up with these?”

“I have more. Give a girl a green gown, do the deed of darkness, grope for trout in a peculiar river?—”

“Stop,stop,” I ordered, laughing even harder. “Seriously, how do you come up with these?”

“Ant found me asex euphemism a daycalendar for my desk at a novelty shop. He figured the families would blow a gasket if they ever saw it, and he was all about that reaction.”

“I love your husband, Pen.”

“Not down with sharing,” she teased.

“I’ll amend. I love your husband foryou.” See what I did there? Skirting the issue of sex. Just because Blake and I hadn’t made the beast with two backs yet and I didn’t really want to talk about why.

“Pen?” Ant’s voice spoke up in the background. “It’s lunchtime and I’m hungry… for mywife.” He must’ve been working from home today.

“You better let me go,” I said. “The way to a man’s heart is through his libido.”

We both laughed and before she hung up, she said, “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Okay,” I breathed because I felt that deep. She cared. She cared, but I’d been stupid, keeping her at arm’s length.

After shoving my phone back in my pocket, I pushed up off the chair to join Blake, who spun me into his arms the moment he saw me and danced us around the deck, even though there wasn’t any music.

I threw my head back, laughing like a maniac. “What are you doing?” I asked, still laughing.

“A beautiful woman approaches you, you dance with her,” he said and it was official: This man was too good to be true.

“There’s a name for men like you.”

“Suave. Debonaire. Classy.”

I bit my lip before spilling, “Cinnamon Roll.”

His face fell for a moment when he hit me with a “really?” face but shook it off to ask, “Do you like cinnamon rolls?”

“Love ’em,” I replied.

He showed me that dimple. “Good.”

“Good? Why good?”

“Oh, because I’m going to enjoy being eaten by you.” I could not believe he’d said that with a such a straight face.

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