The Bride
Page 13
That got his attention.
“What are you talking about?”
“Famous people do it all the time. You send out a statement saying what went down. That way there’s no speculation, it’s just out there.”
“We’re not famous.”
“We’re famous in Riverbend, Jake.”
He leaned back in the booth. “Okay. I’ll humor you. What will this statement say?”
“That because of the storm, circumstances require we continue our platonic marriage of convenience.”
He laughed. “You want to tell people we’re not having sex.”
“Yes. I know it’s one of the reasons you’ve been so mad…”
“I haven’t been mad at you, Ellie.”
“Well it feels like it, Jake.”
That had him snapping his mouth closed.
“Anyway,” I carried on, “I know it bothers you. That people might think that of you. Especially now that we’re going to stay married. If we tell everyone upfront, then it’s out there. As fact.”
Jake leaned forward across the table. “Ellie we make a ‘statement’ that we’re not having sex and everyone is going to think we’ve been fucking our brains out. We say nothing, then at least it leaves it open for debate.”
I was not going to think about how I felt after a statement like fucking our brains out. Nor was I thinking about what that might look like. With his naked penis.
“What are you going to do for three years?”
“About what?”
“Sex, Jake. Sex. Are you going to be making more trips to Missoula?”
“Ellie,” he said with a warning tone. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”
I held up my hands. “Sorry. You don’t get to pull that anymore. I’m going to be eighteen next week. You have needs. I get that. What about me? I have needs too, Jake!”
It was very unfortunate timing on my part, as Kathy chose just that moment to come by to take our orders. Her expression was as awkward as I felt.
“Like right now I need a tuna open-melt sandwich with American.” I smiled at Kathy.
“Got it. Open T with Am. You, Jake?”
“I’ll do the same.”
“Yep. Be back in a few. Minutes. It should only take a few minutes,” Kathy said, basically letting us know her schedule so we could plan our sex conversation accordingly.
Jake just gave me the look.
“Okay,” I said. “Awkward. Fine. But that doesn’t change anything. We’ve mutually agreed we’re not going to satisfy those needs for each other, so I want to know how we’re going to do this. For three fucking years.”
“You shouldn’t swear.”
“Fuck you.”
That made him smile. “Okay. You’re saying we need new rules. But do we have to do this now and here? At Frank’s?”
“No,” I allowed. “I only wanted to put it out there that we can’t run away from the conversation. And the kid card no longer applies. Next week I’m an adult and I want to be treated that way.”
“Fine.”
“Fine,” I returned. “Speaking of, what are you getting me for my birthday? We don’t have any money left, so you’re going to have to be creative. Like baking a cake would totally count this year.”
“I’m not baking you a cake.”
“I love cake.”
“I’m not baking you a cake,” he repeated.
“Because men don’t bake? Some of the world’s most famous pastry chefs are men.”
“I don’t bake because I burn stuff.”
“Well, you have to get me something. I am your wife.”
Weird. I used to throw that line around all the time as a joke. Now it didn’t feel anywhere as funny.
“I have an idea, but it’s a surprise.”
I clapped. I loved surprises. I especially loved guessing what the surprise was going to be.
“Just so long as it’s not practical,” I reminded him. Wire cutters for Christmas. What had he been thinking?
“Yep.”
Kathy came back with our tuna melts, and luckily we were back on to the basics of the ranch and the myriad of things that still needed to be done to clean up from the storm. There we sat. The two of us at Frank’s, where it was now officially concluded we would remain married for the next three years.
Yep. Me and my husband (not really), Jake. In our booth at Frank’s.
BUY IT NOW