The Perfect Husband

by Buffy Andrews

  ‘Eric, take this ring and place it on Michele’s finger and state your pledge to her, repeating after me. “This ring I give as a sign of our constant faith and abiding love.”’

  Eric looked at me as he spoke.

  ‘Michele, take this ring and place it on Eric’s finger and state your pledge to him, repeating after me. “This ring I give as a sign of our constant faith and abiding love.”’

  I pushed the ring onto Eric’s finger.

  ‘Eric and Michele, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be husband and wife. Congratulations, you may kiss your bride.’

  Eric and I kissed and then I hugged Jackie and Bruce and thanked the judge. The wedding was the quickest six minutes of my life.

  An hour later, we arrived at the Top of the World restaurant. En route, we managed to drink two bottles of champagne and had started a third.

  The maître d’ led us to a table by the window. Sunflowers in a crystal vase sat in the middle. I turned to Eric. ‘You thought of everything.’

  He kissed me and pulled out my chair. We had a bird’s eye view of the sprawling city below.

  ‘I bet this is gorgeous at night with all of the lights,’ Jackie said.

  Eric sat down. ‘It is. I was here once a long time ago. We’ll have to come back sometime at night.’

  Eric had pre-ordered our four-course dinner with paired wine. We started with broccoli soup accompanied by a Gruyère puff amuse-bouche. This was followed by a small crab cake amuse-bouche and then a rich lobster soup with curry.

  The waiter brought bowls to the table with a generous heaping of succulent lobster tail meat with arugula oil on the bottom of the bowl. We watched as he poured the soup around the lobster and then served us.

  I breathed in deeply, taking in the aromas of curry, sherry and cream. I tasted the velvety soft soup. I moaned. ‘This is absolutely amazing.’

  The entire dinner was incredible, from the Scottish salmon to the beef tenderloin. By the time the waiter served the cheese plate and petite desserts, I didn’t think I’d be able to eat another bite.

  Jackie lifted her glass. ‘How about one more toast?’

  We all lifted our glasses. ‘To Eric and Shelly, an amazing couple with an amazing future.’

  We gently touched our glasses and sipped our wine. Eric leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

  ‘Thank you for including Bruce and I in your wedding celebration,’ Jackie said. ‘It’s been incredible.’

  ‘I have one more surprise,’ Eric said.

  I looked at him. What more could he possibly do?

  He smiled. ‘Jackie and Bruce will return in the limo we came in. Please, enjoy the drinks and food.’ He handed them a key. ‘Here’s the key to the house. I made sure the guest bedroom was ready for you. I don’t want you driving home. Spend the night.’

  He turned to me. ‘You, my love, will come with me in another limo. I’ve booked us a night in the Honeymoon suite at Le Grand Hotel.’

  ‘But we didn’t pack anything,’ I said.

  ‘You didn’t but I did. I have it all covered.’

  I could feel the tears coming and I couldn’t stop them. I was so happy I’d found this man. He was everything I’d always wanted and more.

  ‘You love me more than I thought anyone could,’ I whispered.

  Eric ran his thumb down my cheek, wiping away a tear. ‘You don’t know how happy you make me.’

  ‘I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure I make you happy,’ I told him.

  He was my white knight and I was certain I’d found my happily ever after!

  Chapter 22

  After checking into the hotel, Eric and I took the elevator to the twelfth floor where the Honeymoon suite was located. When we approached the double doors to our room, he set down his satchel and the overnight bag and picked me up.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I laughed.

  ‘Carrying you across the threshold,’ he said, opening the door and carrying me inside. He placed me on the bed, next to two swans made from towels facing each other surrounded by red rose petals. He quickly retrieved the bags in the hallway.

  A beautiful sunflower arrangement sat on the small table in the corner along with a bottle of champagne on ice. ‘You thought of everything,’ I said.

  ‘I wanted to make our wedding night special for you,’ he said. ‘And I even bought you something special to wear.’

  He opened the overnight bag and took out a semi-sheer chemise baby doll dress with a G-string.

  ‘But first, let’s bathe together. I ordered special bubble bath and we can soak and enjoy the champagne.’

  I’d never known any man as romantic as Eric, and I couldn’t believe I’d found him and that he was mine.

  I watched as he added bubble bath to the large soaking tub and filled it up. Rose petals like the ones on the bed decorated the tiles surrounding the tub. Then he opened the bottle of champagne, filled the two glasses and sat them on the tiles. ‘Ready?’

  I nodded. I stood to undress.

  ‘Wait. Let me do it.’

  Eric walked over and slowly undressed me, stopping to kiss my breasts. My whole body tingled and I wasn’t sure I’d make it to the tub. I wanted him so badly. I felt as if my body was going to collapse from so much desire. Eric picked me up and carried me to the tub, lowering me into the hot, sudsy water.

  ‘Ah, pure heaven,’ I sighed.

  Eric handed me a glass of the champagne and I sipped it while he undressed and slid into the tub, sitting across from me. He held up his champagne glass. ‘To the most beautiful wife in the world. To a lifetime of love and laughter.’

  ‘And to the most wonderful husband in the world,’ I said. ‘I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.’

  That night was the most magical night of all. We soaked in the tub for a long time and after finishing the bottle of champagne Eric dried me off and carried me to bed.

  ‘What about the lacey nightie you bought me?’ I whispered.

  ‘Forget the nightie tonight.’

  We fell asleep in each other’s arms and when I woke up, we were still twisted like a pretzel and Eric was staring at me.

  ‘Thank you for making last night so wonderful,’ I said.

  ‘I’m glad you liked it. I wish we didn’t have to go home.’

  ‘Me either.’

  We ordered room service and ate breakfast in bed. Since we didn’t have to be out of the hotel until noon, we took advantage of the time. We took another bath together and made love before riding home in the limo.

  When we got inside the limo, my phone slipped out of my bag. Eric picked it up and looked at the screen. ‘Did you know you have a missed call?’

  I shook my head. ‘My phone’s been acting weird lately. Calls have been going directly into voicemail.’

  He handed me the phone.

  I looked at the number. I didn’t recognize it.

  Eric narrowed his eyes. ‘Who was it?’

  I shrugged. ‘He didn’t leave a message.’

  ‘So, it was a man?’

  ‘No. I mean I don’t know. It might have been a man or it might have been a woman.’

  ‘But you said man first,’ he snarled.

  ‘I was using it to refer to both sexes. I don’t recognize the number.’

  Eric shook his finger at me as his face turned fiery red and the vein in the side of his neck bulged. ‘You’re lying to me. You’re seeing someone behind my back. You wouldn’t have said “he” if you weren’t sure it was a man.’

  ‘No, Eric, no! Never!’

  He was like a match that had just been lit, his rage just went poof! I’d never seen him so upset.

  ‘That’s it. I marry you, treat you like a queen and you’re talking to another man behind my back. Are you screwing him? I bet you are.’ He threw a bottle of water at me and I leaned to the side and it missed by inches.


  My hand flew to my chest. ‘Please, Eric. It was probably someone calling about a property. I love you. How can you accuse me of such a thing after last night and this morning?’

  He butted his face so close to mine our noses almost touched. ‘You’re supposed to honor and obey me.’

  My lips trembled. ‘I never said obey. I said love, honor, cherish and protect.’

  He grabbed my shirt and shook me. ‘You will obey me! I swear if I ever catch you with another man, I’ll kill both of you.’

  I swallowed hard. He was scaring me and I felt as if he was going to hit me at any moment. ‘Honest, Eric. I don’t want anyone but you. If I didn’t want you, I wouldn’t have married you. I’m sorry if I upset you. Here…’ I handed him my phone. ‘Call the number. See for yourself who’s on the other end.’

  He threw the phone at me. ‘Just leave me alone. You don’t deserve me.’

  I couldn’t stop shaking. I didn’t understand what had just happened. It was as if Eric had become someone else entirely. I’d seen glimpses of his jealous nature the night of my high school reunion, which I attributed to insecurity brought about by his ex-wife’s behavior. But I’d never seen him act like this. One minute he was the man I knew and loved and the next a stranger I feared. It was like being with Mom all over again. Only instead of an empty bottle of vodka thrown at me, it was a cell phone. With her, I could escape to Jackie’s or lock myself in my room. Instinctively, I wanted to get as far away from him as I could. I curled up next to the door and sobbed.

  When the limo driver pulled into our driveway and parked, I grabbed my stuff. I wanted to bolt as soon as the driver opened the door. I was embarrassed by Eric’s behavior and I was sure the driver had heard everything.

  I ran into the house and watched from the window as the limo pulled away – with Eric inside.

  I kept running through the incident, wondering how something so innocent could turn so volatile. I called and texted Eric several times but he didn’t respond. I checked the app on my phone and it looked like he was at his rental property. I thought about driving to the property and trying to talk to him, but I was afraid that would make things worse. Maybe he just needed time to calm down and realize how ridiculous his accusations were. So instead I took a shower, played with Izzy and went to bed.

  The next day, I tried to get in touch with Eric again but he continued to ignore me. The app showed he was still at his rental property, so I decided to go there before going to work.

  I parked in front of the house and walked to the front door. I took a deep breath and knocked. No one answered. I looked in every first-floor window but didn’t see anyone. In fact, the only things I saw were a wooden ladder and tool box sitting in the middle of one of the rooms.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Patty asked when I walked into the office. ‘For just getting married you seem down in the dumps.’

  I hated that I was such an easy read, but I certainly wasn’t going to confide in Patty.

  ‘I haven’t been feeling great lately.’ I put my tote on my desk and picked up my mail.

  ‘Are you taking vitamins?’ Patty asked. ‘You should take vitamins.’

  I really didn’t want to get into a lengthy conversation with Patty about vitamins or anything else, so I went into a small conference room to work.

  About an hour later, Patty knocked on the conference room door. I waved her in. ‘Luke Crenshaw has been trying to get in touch with you about a property he saw. He said he’s been calling your number but it goes directly to voicemail.’

  ‘Stupid phone hasn’t been working right,’ I told Patty. ‘Guess I’ll have to get it checked. Do you have his number?’

  Patty handed me a small piece of paper with his number on it. I ran into Mr Crenshaw at a builders’ association meeting a while back, and he told me he was looking for a property. I gave him my card hoping he’d call me if he found anything he was serious about.

  I looked at Mr Crenshaw’s phone number. It was the same as the missed call from the day before that Eric went ballistic over.

  I called Mr Crenshaw right away. ‘I’m sorry for not returning your call, Mr Crenshaw. I didn’t recognize the number and thought it might be the telemarketer that’s been bothering me.’

  ‘No worries, my dear,’ Mr Crenshaw said in a grandfatherly voice. ‘Might I be able to meet with you to discuss selling my home?’

  ‘Yes. Absolutely. When were you thinking?’

  ‘How about tomorrow morning. Say around ten?’

  I checked my schedule. ‘Ten is perfect.’

  I had trouble concentrating and went home early, using not feeling well as an excuse. When I got home and walked in the door, I screamed. I wasn’t prepared to come face to face with Eric.

  ‘Omigod! You scared me.’

  Eric jumped. I don’t think he expected me to be surprised to see him. He probably thought I’d check the app, but I hadn’t checked it since that morning so I had no idea he’d come home.

  ‘Eric, I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight. I love you so much. Please believe me that I am not talking to another man. In fact, I just learned that the missed call was a client who’s been trying to reach me about selling his home. I love you. Will you forgive me?’

  He took me in his arms and squeezed me tightly. ‘Just don’t do that again.’

  I wanted to ask what I’d done wrong, but I wanted to keep the peace more. I grew up apologizing to my mom for things I never did. Life was easier that way. This was no different. I wanted my white knight back, the one I’d fallen in love with. That night, he returned and I was happy in his arms once again.

  Chapter 23

  Eric held my hand as the surgeon explained the procedure.

  Dr Curry, who was bald and built like a linebacker, picked up the breast model on his desk. ‘I’ll make a very small incision in the inferior breast fold.’ He pointed to the fold under the breast. ‘I’ll insert the saline implant through the incision. Once it’s in position, I’ll fill it with a sterile saline solution. I’ll then close the incision. All of this is performed under general anesthesia.’

  ‘How long does the procedure take?’ I asked.

  Dr Curry sat the breast model on his desk. ‘About one hour.’

  Eric squeezed my hand. ‘What’s the recovery time like?’

  ‘Most women can return to non-strenuous activities in five to seven days and to their full range of physical activities, including exercise, in three to six weeks.’

  After discussing the procedure for over an hour, during which Dr Curry answered all our questions and shared before-and-after photos of his patients, we left.

  ‘Are you hungry?’ Eric asked.

  ‘A little. What about you?’

  ‘We passed a diner on the way here. It’s a couple blocks away. Let’s go there.’

  The diner looked like a throwback to the Fifties with its red and black retro booths complete with laminate countertops with metal banding.

  Even the waitress looked like she’d stepped out of the Fifties. She wore a black dress with a white collar and a scalloped white apron.

  I remember watching some of the old black-and-white TV shows popular in the Fifties on an oldies channel when I was young. The diner reminded me of those shows, which seemed to follow societal norms that encouraged women to stay in the home and out of the workplace. I never liked how the men were always right and the women, who always wore dresses, seemed submissive to them.

  We slid into the booth and ordered coffee while we looked at the menus.

  I glanced around and noticed the old-fashioned jukebox sitting in the corner.

  Eric looked up from his menu. ‘I hope the food’s decent. I’m starving.’

  We ordered the hot roast beef sandwich special and it was delicious. Eric even ordered apple pie à la mode for dessert.

  ‘Just one bite?’ he asked.

  I held up my hand. ‘I can’t eat another bite.’

  I drank my coffee while Eric finish
ed his pie.

  Eric wiped his mouth with his napkin and laid it on the table. ‘So, what are you thinking?’

  I hadn’t talked a lot since leaving the surgeon’s office. ‘Do you think a double D cup will be too big?’

  He shook his head. ‘Not at all.’ He pulled out his cell phone to review the photos he’d taken during the sizing session. He flipped to the photo of me wearing the sports bra with the largest sizers I’d tried. ‘I think you look terrific in this size.’

  ‘I don’t want to look like a stripper.’

  ‘You won’t, sweetheart,’ Eric said. ‘You’ll look terrific. You’re already beautiful. These will just make you more beautiful.’

  ‘How about the size below that?’

  Eric flipped to the photo of me wearing a smaller size.

  I pointed to the photo. ‘Yes, what about that size?’

  ‘They’re fine, too.’

  ‘But you don’t like them as much?’

  He put his phone away. ‘I like the bigger ones better.’

  I sighed. ‘Okay, I’ll go bigger for you.’

  The waitress returned to fill our coffee cups. ‘Do you know what today is?’ Eric asked.

  I smiled. I wondered if he’d forget. It was the one-month anniversary of our wedding. He reached across the table and held my hands. ‘Thank you for taking care of my heart, for always wanting to please me.’

  I called Jackie later that night to tell her about the appointment. Eric was in the office catching up on some work.

  ‘So, you’re really going through with it?’ Jackie asked. ‘Why is it we always want what we don’t have? You want bigger boobs and I’d like mine to be smaller. I mean seriously. My breasts bounce when I run, and I feel like at any moment one of my girls is going to cut loose and whack me in the eye!’

  I laughed. ‘You’re the only person I know who can describe running as a full-on contact sport.’