When We're Thirty

by Casey Dembowski

  He kissed her because he wanted to and because he could—she was his girlfriend and his wife. “You just like having someone to keep your feet warm at night.”

  There was a sheen in her eyes he’d never seen before. She shook her head, showing a bashful, adorable smile. “Let’s go see what he wants.”

  Will had walked the halls of Wellington Thorne his entire life—running through them as an unruly kid, handing out mail as a petulant teenager, and following around the project managers as an ambitious college student. Aloof employees became invested coworkers. Their attention wandered. Will wasn’t the heir—that was Jon, destined by a chance of birth order and a penchant for business and finance. The younger Thorne would be general counsel and would fix their mistakes, but he could also be one of them. Will had been one of them for years. Walking down the hall with Hannah, her hand wrapped in his and her punk-chic style clashing with everything Wellington Thorne stood for, he had their attention again. Not a single eye stayed on its screen. Phone calls and conversations paused as they passed. The prodigal son had returned with a wife.

  Sarah, Jonathan’s secretary for as long as Will could remember, sat at her desk outside his office. She glanced briefly between the two of them, her expression warming. Sarah had always had a sweet spot for Will. “He’s ready for you.”

  Hannah kissed his cheek. “Here goes.”

  Jonathan sat at his desk, flipping through papers. “Good, you’re here. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, as I’m sure you both have to get back to work.”

  “Of course,” Hannah said, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite Jonathan.

  “Well then, I would like to host a small gathering honoring your nuptials.” He folded his hands in front of him. “And I understand you two don’t want anything big, but there are certain customs we should still try and honor. We’ll need to run an announcement in the Times, and then a dinner at the house—I was thinking Thanksgiving weekend. A few of our closest friends.”

  Will knew that “closest friends” meant at least a hundred people and expected that the Times announcement was already in the hands of the social editor, awaiting approval. The Thorne name demanded action in those circles. The only problem with all of this was that Hannah hadn’t told her parents yet. Did they read the Times? And if they did, would they check out the social section?

  “Would that work for your parents, Hannah? I know all families have their holiday traditions, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”

  “I think the date would be fine,” she said with hesitation. “But it’s probably over three hours one way.”

  “I see. Well, they are more than welcome to stay at the house. Your sister too. Whoever has need.”

  That was generous. The same offer had never been extended to Madison’s family. Though perhaps Jonathan, knowing everything he did, had realized about Jon and Madison all along. Maybe he had given everyone an out by not offering to host her family that fateful weekend. Still, inviting Hannah’s parents felt like a trap.

  He knew Hannah felt the same way. Her affirmation that she would ask her parents about the party had held obvious wariness. She hadn’t even planned on telling them until Thanksgiving. A houseful of guests would have her parents on, if not their best, at least good behavior, she’d said. Will had asked for clarification, but she’d shaken her head and moved onto the next topic. He’d thought their biggest hurdle would be Jonathan. He hadn’t considered that Hannah’s parents might be anything other than supportive. They seemed like sitcom parents from all the stories Hannah told him over the years—loving, open, and progressive. But Hannah’s whole body shrank any time the topic came up, and each time her sister called, Will watched her visibly exhale whenever it wasn’t Stephanie saying she’d spoiled their secret. Now, the fierce woman, who had moments ago stared down the man who had tried to push her out, retreated into shadow.

  “This all sounds great, Dad.” He took Hannah’s hand securely in his own. Her palm was sweaty against his. “We were planning on visiting Hannah’s parents this weekend. We haven’t had a chance to share the news with them yet with Hannah’s work schedule, so can you hold the announcement?”

  He hadn’t wanted to give his father that information, but there was no other way out of the situation. Jonathan had laid down his conditions for his acceptance—or possibly the first phase of his war plan—and they couldn’t be circumvented. But Will would fight to get them on his own terms.

  “Certainly. Let me know when it’s taken care of.” Jonathan’s eyes alighted in the knowledge he’d received. Already, Will saw the wheels turning on how he could use this to his advantage.

  Will hated that he knew that about his father. He despised the chess game his life had become and that he was still only average at it despite years of experience. Jonathan had checked them into a corner.

  Chapter 26

  Hannah

  Hannah poured another round of wine—rosé, in memory of summer. Kate and Madison had come over for an evening cocktail since Will had a business dinner on her first Friday off in two weeks. They sat on the balcony, the sights and sounds of the city washing over them. Madison clinked her glass against Hannah’s and Kate’s.

  “What are we toasting?” Kate asked, though she didn’t wait to take a sip.

  Madison waved her glass toward the view. “Global warming, for giving us this fabulously warm day in November?”

  “But the polar bears,” Hannah said with a giggle. There’d been too much wine and not enough food or sleep.

  “We’ll make a donation,” Madison said. “In lieu of wedding favors, we’ll donate to the polar bears. I’m texting Jon right now.”

  Hannah snatched the phone from her hand. “They are at an important dinner.”

  Madison rolled her eyes. “Please. This is just another way for Jonathan to force the boys to spend time with him. He calls up some golf buddy and acts like he wants to invest, blah, blah, blah. He hasn’t invited Will to one in ages.”

  Hannah tried to keep her expression neutral, but inside, fireworks were going off. The pact was working.

  “Drama, drama, drama.” Kate took another sip of her wine. “I don’t know how you two deal with it.”

  “Wine, a poker face, and The Real Housewives,” Madison said.

  “The Real Housewives?” Hannah and Kate asked at the same time, causing another round of giggles.

  “Trust me, it will make you feel so much better about yourself and your life choices.”

  “Hannah prefers streaming Jersey Shore for that.”

  If she’d had something to throw at Kate, she would’ve. Hannah settled for giving her the finger. Kate stuck her tongue out.

  “They’re from New York,” Hannah said. “Do you think we Jerseyans like the New Yorker descent every summer?”

  “We talked about this.” Madison pointed her finger precariously close to Hannah’s nose. “You are a New Yorker—say it!”

  “What?”

  “Scream it from this balcony.”

  Hannah looked to Kate for support, but her best friend motioned toward the railing. “You heard her.”

  There was no way out of this. Both Madison and Kate stared at her expectantly. The longer she waited, the more likely one of them would make her yell something worse. Soon, they would be playing the Penis Game or yelling “tampon” at the top of their lungs. That wouldn’t endear her to the neighbors—not in this neighborhood. She put her wine glass down and stood up, setting her shoulders.

  Hannah gripped the railing and shouted, “I AM A NEW YORKER!”

  Hoots and hollers sounded behind her. Triumphant, she whirled around and found herself staring into the tired and confused eyes of her husband.

  “Hi,” she said. God, he looked hot in that suit. A part of her wanted to skip across the small space and wrap her arms around him, pulling him down into a much-too-public display of affection. The rest of her—the part not muddled by wine and warmth—knew that tonight was not the ti
me for that, not when he had that completely drained look in his eyes. “Everything okay?”

  He scanned the small party on the deck, his eyes hovering on the empty bottles of wine, on Kate and Madison, and finally making his way back to her. The night had been planned. He knew girls’ night was happening since both he and Jon would be MIA all night, and yet he still looked surprised—concerned?—at Madison’s presence.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, his tone not angry but not sounding happy either.

  “I...” She blushed. “Madison—”

  “She was owning her New Yorker status,” Madison said. “And it’s about time.”

  “I didn’t realize shouting from the rooftops was a way to own your New Yorker status.” Okay, that definitely held more than a hint of anger.

  Madison shrugged. “It was the best I could come up with on short notice.”

  After a too-long moment, Will’s eyes left Madison and landed on Hannah. They softened as he took her in—messy bun, Wilderness Weekend tee, skinny jeans—and then finally, he smiled. “And are you a New Yorker now?”

  Had she owned her status and shed her New Jersey? Could she be both? “I’m a New Yorker.”

  “Shall we show her the secret handshake?” Kate asked dryly.

  Hannah rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored her friends. She walked the length of the balcony and pulled Will into a hug. “How was dinner?”

  “Long,” he said. “Madison, Jon is waiting for you downstairs.”

  Madison downed the rest of her wine. “Guess that’s my cue. Ladies, this has been wonderful. I’ll see you Tuesday, Hannah. Can’t wait to hear how your parents take the news.” She turned to Will. “William.”

  He didn’t respond, not even a nod of acknowledgment. Hannah eyed him. Tensions between her and Will had eased in the last few days—near-constant making out would do that. Had something happened at dinner?

  “Well, I better catch an Uber,” Kate said, peeking over the rail at the traffic below. “Hannah, William.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Will said.

  “Can’t I even try it out?”

  He shook his head. “Trust me, Will is a much better person than William.”

  Hannah shot him a look, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. What was going on with him tonight?

  “Are you sure everything is okay?” she asked after Kate had secured her ride.

  Will shrugged out of his coat and pulled her into a lingering kiss. There was an intimation of longing in the slow movements of his lips against hers. His hands tangled in strands of hair that had escaped her bun. She wondered if this was the moment he would slip her shirt over her head and let them move beyond kissing, but it wasn’t.

  He stepped back and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Just a long night, and I wasn’t prepared to see you shouting into the abyss.”

  She blushed. “Well, wine, a challenge, and—”

  “—Madison.” They said it at the same time, Hannah with amusement and Will with mild weariness.

  “Do you...” She paused. It was such a weird question to even have to ask. “You don’t like Madison?”

  There was an abnormally long pause where Will’s face tensed and relaxed. Hannah thought he might not answer. “I like Madison fine. Sometimes she’s just a little much. I worry that she’s... bigger than Jon.”

  “Well, yeah. But I think that’s probably their strength. Jon tempers her, and she brings him out of his comfort zone.” Hannah followed him into the apartment. Something about his answer was still off, but she saw the tiredness in his eyes and the set of his shoulders and decided to tread lightly.

  “You’re probably right,” he said through a yawn. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”

  “That sounds fun.” She placed a hand on his chest and fiddled with the top button on his shirt, popping it open. Will sighed as her finger slid just inside his shirt. “Can I join you?”

  His hand caught hers, stopping her from undoing another button. He kissed her again, pushing her back against the wall. It was hard and desperate, and she wanted so badly to touch him again, to slowly strip him of every piece of clothing he had on. But Will held her hands between them.

  This time, she broke the kiss. She glanced up at him, expecting his eyes to be wild after everything she’d felt in his kiss, but he was perfectly in control.

  He backed away, dropping her hand. “Ask me again when you’re sober.”

  HANNAH ROLLED OVER, her arm slamming into something solid and warm. Will. She’d almost expected him to sleep in the other room after her tipsy attempt to seduce him. But there he was, sitting in bed, reading the morning paper.

  She nudged closer to him, and he let her, even wrapping his arm around her. Maybe they didn’t have to talk about it. Maybe it could just be a thing that’d happened and never got mentioned again. Though it’s not like there was anything wrong with propositioning her husband, especially with Rule 3a in effect.

  “About last night,” he said.

  Or not.

  “I’m sorry.” Hannah pushed up until she sat face-to-face with him. “I know we’re supposed to be waiting until our hearts catch up.”

  He kissed her lightly. “If we’re going to turn our marriage into a real relationship—and I want to, Hannah, so much—let’s do it right. Our first time shouldn’t be when you’re tipsy and I’m frustrated.”

  “I agree.”

  “Well...” He paused and cut a glance at her. “You’re sober now.”

  Her heart pounded in her chest, and her whole body sprang to life. She throbbed with anticipation and desire. Her voice came out in barely a whisper. “But you just said—”

  “There are plenty of other things we can do.”

  She grinned and slipped out of bed, pulling him with her. “Will you join me in the shower, husband?”

  Chapter 27

  Hannah

  As soon as they pulled off the highway and into the backroads of Ardena, Hannah had the sensation of being eighteen again. Eighteen because that was the first time she’d ever truly left home, and returning that first Christmas break, her car stuffed to the roof with her belongings, she’d realized she’d never really be able to come back. In twelve years, that feeling hadn’t gone away.

  “Kate said you were from the backwoods, but, um, where exactly do you live?”

  Kate would say that. She spared him a look of derision, keeping her eyes locked on the road. “We prefer rural-fringe.”

  It was true that Ardena didn’t give the best first impression from this direction, with its abandoned buildings and an old overgrown farmers’ market lane. But like so many exits, this was a crossroads. Going left would wind through small towns to the beach, the right would lead to municipal buildings and the business district, and straight ahead were farms and parks and endless developments. The light changed, and they continued straight into the heart of suburbia.

  “Did you just make that up? Rural-fringe?” He placed his hand over hers on the gearshift.

  “What?” She glanced over at him. “No.”

  “Rural-fringe, who knew?”

  “Anyone who lives outside New York City.” Hannah laughed and turned onto a road lined with horse farms.

  “Do you have horses?” he asked. “Should I have brought my chaps?”

  “If I ever see you in chaps, there will be divorce papers in the morning.”

  “Your loss, Mrs. Thorne. I look damn sexy in chaps.”

  “Please never tell me how you know this.”

  A few minutes later, Hannah pulled into the open spot in her parents’ driveway. They got out and saw Charlanie’s car parked on the other side, bags of groceries piled in the open hatch. Will grabbed all the bags at once as Stephanie walked out of the house.

  Stephanie wore loose clothing, but because she knew to look, Hannah could detect the tiniest of baby bumps under her sister’s shirt.

  “Hey, lovebirds,” Stephanie whispered as she got closer to them.


  Hannah enveloped Stephanie in a hug. “How’s my little niece or nephew?”

  “Good. Really good.” Stephanie’s smile spread ear to ear. Hannah was so excited for her. Stephanie would be a great mom. She was already a fabulous stepmom to Charlotte’s boys. “We’re finding out the sex in a few more weeks, and then if everything is still progressing well, we’ll tell Mom and Dad. I mean, it’s not like I can hide it much longer.”

  “Nonsense, sis,” Will said as if he’d been calling Stephanie that all his life. “You look amazing.”

  “Mom and Dad are in the back room,” Stephanie said, pulling some toys from the backseat. “How do you want to do this?”

  That was the one part of the trip Hannah hadn’t pinned down yet. Planning it had been hard enough. Neither Stephanie nor Hannah lived particularly close, and they weren’t ones to randomly plan visits, especially that close to Thanksgiving. But as it turned out, Stephanie and Charlotte weren’t going to be with the Abbotts for Thanksgiving, so Hannah had been able to angle a pre-holiday get-together in her favor. All that planning, but how to introduce Will? They would have only seconds. They’d be expecting Brian. Between Will’s wedding band and Hannah’s engagement ring and band, there were going to be a lot of questions.

  “Let’s just do it.” She held up her hand. “They aren’t going to miss this.”

  Stephanie pulled Hannah’s hand into her own, running a finger over the diamond. “Jesus, it gets more beautiful every time I see it.”

  “Funny,” Will replied, pulling Hannah into him. “That’s what I think every time I see your sister.”

  Hannah kissed him, letting his warmth and confidence seep into her. They could do this. She pulled away from Will at Stephanie’s overly loud throat clearing.

  “Ready, husband?”

  His hand found hers. “We’ve got this.”

  Hannah paused at the threshold and took a calming breath while Will followed Stephanie into the kitchen to drop off the bags. They were going to love him. She repeated it like a mantra, drowning out the sounds of the kids and her dad’s deep laughter, giving herself an extra moment to collect her thoughts and rehearse. Mom. Dad. This is Will. My husband. Straight to the point. Hi, everyone. Remember my friend Will from college? Well, we have some exciting news. That option at least framed Will’s connection to her life before the last month and maybe didn’t make her seem completely insane.