Page 36 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

Okay, so I probably needed to call my friend.Oh—andmy job. Biting my lip, I threw my hand over my face. “Blake,” I said while partially laughing in a sort of horrified way. “I no called, no showed at work today.”

“You won’t be going back.”

“I know but I still need to call in my resignation. I’ll be lucky to ever get a job again.”

“Sweetheart, you’re loaded now. You don’t have to work another day in your life unless you want to.”

True. God, I wasloadednow. “I still have to do something while you’re at work.”

“We’ll figure it out. But I think it’s more important that you call your friend.” Pointing to the phone on my lap, he lifted his hand to his ear to mimecall.

I hit her contact and waited for her to answer. It took one ring.

“Gloria?”

“Hey, sorry I didn’t call sooner.”

“I’ve been worried sick about you,” she said, sounding very much like a mother rather than a friend.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been kind of busy.”

“Sex—evenamazingsex—isn’t an excuse for making your friends worry.”

“I got married.”

Silence.

“Like the legal kind, not just the semi-nomadic, Tanzanian tribe kind.”

More silence.

“Pen? Please say something.”

“Put him on the line.”

I offered the phone to Blake. “Pen wants to talk to you.”

He shot me a smile, nodding once and not looking one bit intimidated. “This is Blake, Glory’s husband.” I didn’t know what Pen said to the man, but his smile grew huge. “Yes. I’m looking forward to meeting all of Glory’s people.” Pause. “We’ll make it happen as soon as you’re all available.” Pause. “Thank you. She’s a wonderful woman. I can’t believe I’m the man lucky enough to have married her.”

Blake laughed then, the loud, boisterous kind, as he handed the phone back to me.

“Pen?” I asked.

“Love you. Be happy. You deserve it.” She sounded close to crying when she hung up. I didn’t even get the chance to say I loved her back.

“Friends or family?” Maisie asked from the behind Blake and I must admit, I’d forgotten for a moment that she was with us.

Laughing, I replied, “yes.”

“Families come to us in all different ways. The ones we’re born into and the ones we pick for ourselves.”

“I’m glad Blake picked you,” I said.

“I’m glad he picked us both.”

While my husband drove, the kind woman in the back seat and I bonded over the love of a very good man. This day couldn’t get any better.

The house staff, sans Maisie because she’d been with us, had a small reception waiting for us when we arrived home. I insisted they stop working and join us in the celebrations. Jupiter got her drink on pretty darn quickly. We ended our wedding day gloriously alone having sex in the pool.

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