Page 20 of The Marriage Narrative
“I bought a ring.”
Sadie screamed and he yanked the wheel hard enough to swerve onto the shoulder. “Why didn’t you tellme?”
“I just did.” He spoke through his teeth, heart still pounding.
“No, I don’t believe it. You honestly expect me to believeyoubought someone aring? Mr.Commitment Phobia bought a ring? Mr.‘I’m Never Bringing Anyone Home’ bought a ring?”
He counted to five and braced himself for another scream. “Her name is Zinnia.”
Thankfully, she onlygaspeddramatically. “Well. I definitely didn’t see this coming.”
“I’m meeting with Zinnia this afternoon to finalize things. Hopefully.”
Her sudden laughter crackled though his speakers as he drove through a tunnel, quickly escalating into a full-bodied cackle. “Oh, Alfie. I didn’t know you had it in you. I’mlovingthis turn of events.” She laughed again. Supervillain vibes aside, it was good to hear it. “If we’re doing this, and we are, we’ll also need eyes behind the scenes. Mabel’s working as estate showrunner now. You can trust her.”
Mabel had always been Sadie’s right hand and storyline partner in crime, smack-dab in the middle of all the scandalousZaffre Hourschaos.
“She’s not helping Mom?”
“Mom doesn’t want help,” she said simply.
That sounded about right.
Jordan fit Zinniain by rescheduling a product designer consultation and pushing proofreading Tantivy’s revised action plans to when he got home. He arrived at the restaurant a little early to give himself time to work through his nerves.
Sadie hadn’t been exactly wrong about his dating life, but commitment wasn’t the problem—keeping his family a secret was. Trust was a risk he couldn’t afford to take…and his partners knew it.
Becoming a serial dater was the natural response to that because hewantedto be with someone. Making meals together. Taking spontaneous trips to flea markets. Endless text message threads filled with more memories than a photo album. Discovering new music on their living room floor with a mystery stack of used vinyls. He wanted to come home to an amazing relationship every night.
There was just no way for him to outrun the inevitable accusations of neversharingenough, neverbeingenough because they were right. He never did and he wasn’t. But things would be different with Zinnia.
She knew what he wanted, and he knew what she wanted—nothing but transparency between them. He was so convinced that her marriage-merger proposal would work that he felt damn near giddy watching her walk toward him.
“Look at us: we match. I had a feeling you were going to wear all black.” She greeted him with a cheeky smile.
Predictably, he had—a tailored suit this time. She wore a black sundress, violet heels, and her lucky bracelets. She’d explained their origin story over text. He was honestly a little astounded by how sentimental she was.
“This is for you.” He handed her a small jewelry box and card.
“What’s this for?”
“You.”
“Yes, obviously.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “But why? We didn’t talk about exchanging gifts tonight.”
“It’s not an exchange. You’ll understand after you open them.”
Jordan had reserved what he thought was the best table in the restaurant—a small private alcove that overlooked the bay. They slid in on opposite sides of the brown leather booth, meeting in the center, and her irresistible perfume swirled around him as she took in the view. The setting sun turned everything a brilliant shade of orange. Sailboats gently coasted on the waves. Seagulls soared overhead as the incoming tide overtook the rocky shore.
She sighed. “And to think, I almost suggested my favorite taco truck.”
“I love tacos. That would’ve been great.”
“Yeah, but this is better.” They shared a smiling moment as the server approached their table. Jordan literally had toforcehimself to stop looking at her—quietly clearing his throat and flexing his hands.
“Hello, my name is Brett and I’ll be your server this evening. Before I take your drink order, would you like to hear about the day’s specials?”
“You know what? I would. Tell meeverything.” She beamed a friendly smile at him, whole face lighting up with interest.
