Page 89 of Marriage (Red, White &) Blues

“I figured. People have to be paid,” he replied. “I appreciate it. If you overnight it, I’ll reimburse you for everything.”

Just after onep.m.the next day, a courier showed up at our home to drop off the papers that Murielle, sent over. Right after we’d hung up with her, Blake called his father to ask for a meeting.

We opened the envelope, dumping the contents on top of the coffee table and the both of us began to rustle through the pages, each reading important passages out loud.

Page after page made me want to vomit, but soon enough, my embarrassment turned to outright anger. Okay, I shouldn’t have trusted someone I hardly knew with intimate details of my life. That was my bad. But she lied. Why should this be on me whenshewas the one who lied?

“What’s our next move?” I asked him after we’d read the last paper in the stack.

“We go to my parents and see what they have in mind to deal with this. From there we can figure out how to move forward.”

“Together, right?”

Without warning he cupped my face in his hands, kissing the crap out of me. Aromance-novelkiss of epic proportion. “No future without you, Glory. You’re my dik-dik.”

And I lost it. A wild, hysterical laugh bursts from me. “Wrong. You’remydik-dik. Blake Parker, bringingbigdik-dik energy into our home.”

He pressed his face to my hair. “I fuckinglovethose birds for stealing my lunch,” he whispered.

Loved them? I was forever indebted to them.

However, despite trying to convince myself that I was squarely in myIDGAFera where his family was concerned, I shrank right down when Maggie escorted us to the formal living room the next day. And yes, I know it was ableist, but I already felt small, stuck in this stupid chair, always feeling like people looked down on me. That was a character flaw I needed to work on, but not here amongst my enemies.

When we entered, Robert tried to use his furious eyes like burning lava to intimidate me, and Adair seethed with so much hatred that I shrunk even smaller. Tiny. Miniscule. A mere speck of Gloria. But when Robert opened his mouth to speak, Blake held his hand up and I remembered he had my back, so why fret?

“Father,” he said. “I’m sure you have quite a bit to say, and I’m sure it will be insightful, but I need you to see these first.” Then he handed the envelope over to his father.

Robert eyed the envelope as if it were a coiled snake that he was waiting on to strike.

“Glory was set up,” Blake explained.

The man squinted at us. “Set up?”

“Yes. It’s all there.” Blake pointed to the envelope again.

“That doesn’t change anything,” Robert spat with words full of derision.

“Doesn’t change anything?” Blake asked and I wanted to clap. A standing ovation for his performance.

“If she weren’t so desperate, none of this would’ve ever happened.”

“Would you listen to yourself?” Blake asked. “She married me and moved herefor me. Away from all her friends and other family. You forced us onto the campaign trail so she hasn’t had the chance to find her footing. And now, when she tried to find a job, no one wanted to hire her because of the circus media frenzy surrounding Brock.”

“If you hadn’t married some low-class?—”

Robert’s words got cut off when my husband lunged at him. I screamed and rolled myself between them, tugging Blake down to my level. I folded my good arm around his neck. “Honey,” I said in my most calming voice. “Don’t.Please. It’s not worth it.”

“Not worth it?Gloria.”

“Whoa,” I whispered in his ear. “The plan. Just let them think they’ve won for now.”

He nodded once but right at that moment Jupiter entered the room. “I rushed over as soon as I could.” Then she shot a chin lift to Brock. “Hey, Brock.” And one to Blake, “Hey, Blake.” And then to me, “Hey Vixen. Nice wheels.”

Vixen? Me? She started laughing.

“Control yourself, Jupiter,” Adair said. “This isnotthe time.”

“Oh, I think it’s the perfect time. What do you think, Blake?”

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