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“God, yes, you do. I don’t know what it is about you, but I always feel better when I’ve been with you, and I know the others feel the same way.”
“That’s a really nice thing for you to say,” she says, sounding tearful.
I pull into the parking lot at the high-end Mexican restaurant Joy told us about and put the SUV in Park before turning to her. “I’ve told you that you’re my true north, and I meant it.” I reach over to stroke her soft cheek. “You’re always there for everyone. You need to let us be there for you when you need us.”
“I’m trying. It’s just hard for me to realize I need that kind of help. Just when I think I’ve come so far from where I was at first, something happens—in this case, two things happened—to set me back to day one.”
“You’re not back to day one. You’re nowhere near there.”
“How can you be so sure? You didn’t know me then.”
“I remember what day one was like for me, and you’re far too together and functioning to have gone back that far. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how we’re somehow stronger now than we were before, and that strength gets us through a lot of things that would’ve flattened us in the past.”
“That’s true.”
“You’re stronger than you think, Iris. Don’t let this stuff about Mike make you question yourself.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“If talking to Eleanor will wreck you, don’t do it. You don’t owe her anything.”
“Her child is the half sibling to my kids.”
“There’s no need for them to know about that half sibling right now if you don’t want them to. It’s up to you and only you.”
“Thank you for the reminder. It helps.”
“You ready to go in?”
“I am if you are.”
“And we don’t care if they know we’re more than friends these days?”
“I don’t care at all.”
I lean in to kiss her cheek and then her lips. “I don’t care either.”
IRIS
Everything about Gage is different,lighter, since he decided to take the plunge with me—and sell his business. He’s even ready to go public with the Wild Widows, which surprises me. He keeps a tight grip on my hand as we walk into the restaurant and ask for Joy’s table. We’re directed around a corner, where most of our friends are already seated.
They go silent when they see us holding hands.
And then Roni begins to clap. “Yes!”
The others join in.
“Stop it,” I say as I sit across from Roni and Derek. I’m almost afraid to look at Gage. He’s probably mortified.
“Tell us everything,” Joy says. “How long have you two been getting busy?”
Remember how I said nothing is off-limits with the widows? Yeah, so… “Not long, and that’s all we’re going to say about it.”
“Well, I think it’smarvelous,” Christy says, raising her margarita in a toast to us.
I’m embarrassed and flustered, neither of which happens very often. “Someone pass me the drink menu, please.”
“I recommend the margaritas,” Lexi says. “They’re to die for.”
