Page 35 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

When we parked, it became real. Not that it hadn’t been real before, but I meanreal, real. I, Gloria Kowalski, was about to become Mrs. Gloria Parker. That thought hit me in the chest. I let out a breath before climbing out. Jupiter met us inside. I didn’t know Blake invited her, too. But I was grateful for the support.

Let me just say, the woman oozed class. She wore a long, tight, black pencil skirt that stopped mid-calf and an emerald-green, satin, button-down blouse with cap sleeves. And she had on bright- red lipstick. She looked like a 1940s starlet and I couldn’t help thinking how Penelope would have approved of her attire. I felt the absence of my best friends this morning, but as bad as this sounded, not enough to want to wait to make this marriage official. When Blake reached his sister, he placed a hand to her waist, and bent in to kiss her cheek.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

“Are you kidding me? Not even a natural disaster could’ve kept me from seeing my brother simultaneously marry the love of his life and give a big ‘screw you’ to the family.”

They both laughed, commiserating on something I only understood because of Pen and her family. I’d grown up in a very loving family. Well, until my mother’s lies caught up to her.

“You look beautiful,” I told her and she eyed me up and down.

“Me? You’re positively glowing. I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride. And let me tell you, Emily tried. She wore this huge monstrosity of a gown. The whole cathedral wedding and gigantic hall for the reception. When I’m forced to marry, I’m doing it like you and Blake here. Maybe we’ll head off to the tropics for a destination wedding. You two would come to that, right?”

“Although I don’t like you being forced to marry,” Blake said, “yes, Glory and I love to travel. Have you ever been to the tropics, Glory?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I’ve been to Europe and Africa.”

“Well, I plan to change that when we take our honeymoon. We just have to put it off for a few months while I deal with work and family crap.”

“Blake, you know you don’t have to?—”

He grabbed me up into his arms, stopping my words by bending in for a kiss. “I know I don’thaveto, Glory. I want to. I want to give you the life that you deserve.”

“Okay, I can’t handle all this sweetness,” Jupiter said. “Let’s go get you two married so I have a reason to drink.”

“Maisie,” I turned to the woman standing to the other side of Blake. “You coming?”

Smiling, she stepped in next to Jupiter. “I think I’d like a drink, myself.”

Fair enough. We walked to the city clerk’s office to fill out our application for a marriage license. We both had to sign the application in front of the clerk and then we waited for her to file it. Blake’s parents and brother might have despised me, but it appeared that I had an ally in Jupiter. Score another win for Gloria.

Blake paid the $80 for the license to be filed and $10 for a copy to keep. We officially had sixty days to tie the knot before the license expired. The process took about twenty minutes. Next—and this was huge—we were escorted to a courtroom, where we waited our turn to be married.

“Blake,” I whispered.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“I’m not a legal resident of Vermont. I have to change my name in Michigan.”

“We’ll make it happen, sweetheart. Don’t worry. You’re still Mrs. Parker.”

“Right.” I sighed in relief. “Blake?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

He wrapped his arms around me as we waited. “Glory?”

“Yes.”

“I love you, too.”

Then it was our turn. We stood up in front of the bench and said our vows. He produced rings from out of the blue. From his pocket, not thin air but how? Where’d the rings come from? I wanted to ask, but in the moment we had more pressing things to get done. Like finishing our ceremony. Then we signed the certificate alongside the judge and that was it. Blake Parker and I were American legally married.

Chapter Nine

On the drive home, I finally checked my voicemail. It was Pen. “Girl, we put you on a redeye flight to Vermont and haven’t heard from you in two days. If you don’t call me back, I’m getting the FBI on your ass. With all our connections, you know I can.”

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