Page 68 of Dearly Departed

“They must have.” I blink away the tears. At least—I try to blink them away. “Because we make such a great couple.”

“There’s a great couple, and then there’s the two of you.” He huffs, an exasperated smile on his face. “Jesus, bail us out on this one.”

Jameson pokes his head in the living room door, holding a very awake and alert Robin in his hands like a miniature airplane. “Did you call for me, loverboy?”

Gabriel collapses onto the sofa and closes his eyes.

“Blessed,” Jameson proclaims, then zooms Robin backward out the door.

18

JACOB

I’m in a soft bed.

That’s the only thought that crosses my mind for an eternity. The bed is soft, the blankets are heavy, and I’ve been asleep for a long time.

Waking up doesn’t seem urgent, so I don’t give it much consideration. I drift under the blankets and try to remember where I am.

I forget about where I am and go back to sleep.

I wake next to the sound of a door opening and soft footsteps crossing the room. The edge of the bed dips ever so slightly. And then someone strokes my hair.

“Hi.” It is my wife, Catherine. “I think you’re, like, almost awake. If you don’t want to get up, I can just leave again, but I think you’ll like the news I’ve brought.”

I open my eyes. Catherine sits on the edge of the bed, so the angle is odd, and I don’t care at all. She’s gorgeous from literally every angle and with my vision still clinging to sleep.

I catch her wrist, kiss her palm, and close my eyes again to gather my strength.

She goes back to stroking my hair.

When I open my eyes again—this time intending to keep them open—she’s watching me, love glowing from her face. It’s angelic. She’s angelic.

“News?” My throat sounds like a rocky beach. “What kind of news?”

“You know how we wanted to go to the villa in France?”

“Yes?” But we said we wanted to spend the summer at the villa. It’s winter.

“It turns out Gabriel also wanted to go to France. Why didn’t you tell me about your secret plans?”

“We didn’t—” My mouth is incredibly dry. I’ll have to do something about that. “WE didn’t make secret plans, kitten. He asked me if I’d rather go to France or Spain, because Elise⁠—”

“Yes! Elise was part of this, too. She wanted to surprise me and Lydia with a vacation. Can you believe that?”

“…I can. Is it supposed to be unbelievable?”

“No.” Catherine leans down and kisses my cheek. “It’s believable, because my sisters are the best. Of course Elise wanted to surprise me with a trip even though I was, like, kind of ignoring her while we were in London. Of course it was going to be a big trip with a bunch of people who are actually fun to be with. And the cutest baby!”

“Kitten.”

“Here.” Catherine offers a glass of water. Has she had that the whole time? “Wait, no. Let me help you up first.”

“I don’t need help getting up.”

She ignores me, sets the glass aside, and leans over me for a hug. “I love you.”

“You are a deceptress. This is a deception. You’re trying to help me sit up without me noticing.”