Page 63 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“I didn’t call to argue. Putting you on speaker so you can meet Blake.”

Why did I feel like crap again?

And why did life have to be so complicated?

Chapter Fifteen

Ipressed said speaker button and my husband immediately said, “Hello, Mrs. Kowalski.”

“Hello, Mr. Parker.”

“Okay,no. Why are you being so… so…formal? His name is Blake.”

“Yes. But we were never introduced. Imagine my surprise when I turn on the television to see my only daughter campaigning for Brockton Parker, of all people, with a man the news states is herhusband.”

“I can only imagine it to be as shocking as meeting my mother’s boyfriendof a yearfor thefirst time, after only just learninghe existed.”

“You’re punishing me?”

“I’m—”

“Glory isn’t punishing you.” My husband had my back. “There are things we need to discuss with you concerning my brother, so I’d like to invite you to come to visit us in Vermont. I can have a ticket to you today. You just have to give me the dates.”

“You called her Glory,” she said softly. “Only her father ever called her that.”

“Her father and me.”

“I’d love to visit, but I’m not leaving Carl.”

“You don’t need to. He’s more than welcome in our home.”

I let Blake hash out the details of my mother’s trip and picked up my glass full of now slightly less frozen strawberry daiquiri, sipping and sighing in contentment. Blake watched me out of the corner of his eye, smirking.

After swallowing my drink, I blew him a kiss and sipped another sip—and yes, that was a lot of sips in one sentence. But when I started drinking, I sort of lost my ability to make evocative, thought-provoking sentences. The alcohol went right to my head. It always did.

Magically, the man not only confirmed my mother’s visit, but by the time they hung up, he had herlaughing. Loudly and somewhat shrill. My mother always had a shrill laugh, but my dad and I had both loved it. Letting out that particular laugh meant she’d really been enjoying herself.

Blake had that effect on people. By people, I meant me. And now my mother. Apparently, Blake Parker knew how to impress Kowalski women.

“That was harder than I wanted it to be.”

“You did great.”

“No, you did. But now I’m ready for my booty to be called upon.”

“We’ll clean up later.” He slid off the sofa only to put his shoulder to my gut, lifting me. The crazy man carried me like a damn caveman up to our bedroom where he broke out the alpha…andthe toys.

Two weeks later—yes, only two weeks. I’m unsure how she managed it—we stood in the airport waiting for my mother’s plane to land.

My mother and Carl.

I felt fidgety. Blake, to his credit, saw my fidgety and raised me a calming arm wrapped around my waist, giving me his full support. But why’d I even need it? The woman had given birth to me. She’d raised me. Picking my mother up from the airport shouldn’t have been this damn hard.

My stomach gurgled nervously. Not the ‘I have to vomit’ kind of gurgle—the other way. Downward. If they didn’t leave the plane soon, I was going to crap my pants from nerves. I’dneverbeen a nervous pants crapper.

“Your whole body is rigid and you feel like you’re clenching your butt cheeks together,” Blake whispered low out the side of his mouth.

“If they don’t get here soon… My bowels feel ready to erupt like Vesuvius.”

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