Wren and Hayes should be here any second, so I’m rushing the conversation that I realize we haven’t had but needs to be had. “We’re going to be married for what? A few months right? Just before the trade deadline…in case…you know…”
His glare shuts me up, and I still don’t know what to make of this rough and gruff side of Wendell.
“So what about the sex?” The sex. Not sure why it came out that way. I clasp my hands neatly in my lap to stop from fidgeting.
“I don’t expect anything.” His eyes and mouth soften. “It’s not like that.”
The racecars, otherwise known as my nerves, don’t like the sounds of that. “I know it would complicate things, but what are our options?”
He stares at me like I’m a book he’s trying to read. “What do you think our options are?” There. This is exactly the kind of question the old nice guy Wendell would ask.
“The options are limited.” I’m hoping he’ll jump in and list them, but when he doesn’t, I plow on. “One. We could abstain.”
In my pause he pipes up. “That’s fine.”
“Or, two, we could act like a married couple.” This time, in my pause he doesn’t answer, which, if I’m being honest, doesn’t feel all that great. “Three, we could have sex unexclusively—”
“Nope. That’s not happening.” He clears his throat and meets my eyes. “If we’re married and having sex, I’m the only sex you’re having.”
“What if we don’t like it?”
“Oh. You’ll like it.”
I can feel the blush rushing my cheeks like a stampede. “And you?”
“What about me?”
I gesture to no particular part of him but it happens to be around his groin area. “What if you don’t like it?”
His pupils dilate and he rasps, “I’ll like it.”
“But—”
“If for any insane reason” —he leans over the arm of his chair toward me— “one of us doesn’t like it, we’ll practice until we’re both obsessed with it.”
“Right.” I duck my head and reflect on the color of my socks. Are they the same red as my cheeks?
“Good?”
“Yup.”
“Good,” I mumble.
“Good.”
And we’re apparently all good just before the JP comes into his office. Only a few moments later, our witnessesshow up.
Hayes walks in first, which I thought was an interesting choice. But I guess because Hayes is the family man and often keeps to himself, maybe Wendell trusts him more to keep this secret. I mean, Hayes wasn’t even there after practice the other night because he had to help his kid with homework. The man is too busy as it is, but he made time for this so he must be a good friend.
Just as Wren blusters in, I catch Hayes’s reaction to her. His eyes scan her from toe to head. Very slowly. Until he blinks hard, expressionless, and lowers himself into the seat next to Wendell.
“Sorry, I’m late. Coffee. Donuts. Papers. Dogs. You know?” Nope. I don’t know, and I’m pretty sure no one else does. But this is Wren. A kaleidoscope of awesome randomness. To everyone, she flashes a smile full of sunshine. And everyone returns it except Hayes. He’s like the dark cloud that her rays can’t permeate.
Undeterred, Wren introduces herself to the room quickly. When it comes to shaking Hayes’ hand, the moment seems to linger, but Hayes’ only response is a grunt.
“Shall we?” The JP invites us to stand and hold hands. Before I know it, we exchange our vows, merely parroting the words from the JP.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
