Page 59
Story: The Golem's Bride
“The more we pack, the longer I have to keep you to myself,” he whispers, kissing my head as he comes to sit beside me.
I sigh, thighs clamping together. “Don’t get me all needy before the wedding,” I whisper. That’s the other thing that Mr. Minegold, the pastor, and the rabbi are bringing with them—a license and a quickie marriage ceremony. “Are you sure the license is going to be acceptable?”
“In New York, there’s a twenty-four-hour waiting period. I asked for it last night. It’s technically a day later.”
“How did Jakob Minegold get that?”
“He called a warlock lawyer who knows a judge who owes him a favor.”
“Everyone here really helps each other out, huh?” Looking back at the trophy wife I was last year, I can’t believe how much I want to trade margaritas and Manolos for a real community—a community where it seems like everyone helps each other and values each other—even if everyone is very different.
“They do. I’m doing free plumbing for at least five people for the next couple of years,” he laughs, but there’s pure joy in the sound. “I don’t mind.”
“You are so handsome when you smile,” I practically swoon.
“Don’t you get me started before the wedding, either.” He stands back up. “I won’t put the laptop in the car just yet, but is there anything else I’ve forgotten?”
I look around. “Nope. What does one do in Kullorsuaq?”
“Watch the night sky. Sit in the hot tub. Make love.”
“Start a family?” I hint, butterflies in my stomach fluttering through my middle, making my insides twitch with want.
Reggie’s eyes light up. “If you want to,” he whispers.
“I want to. I think. I mean... You didn’t pack enough condoms for a month-long trip to the middle of nowhere, did you?” I ask.
“No, I didn’t buy out the store,” he quips back. “Most couples wouldn’t start married life with a month in Greenland. Well, not unless they were already from Greenland, that is.”
“Maybe they should. I think we’ll see each other at our best and worst in the middle of nowhere, in the cold. Alone.” Thinking back, I don’t think I would have been comfortable with the idea of being alone, isolated from civilization with Matteo.
With Reggie, all I feel is excited. And horny. And wondering how many new things we can try while we’re all alone withoutinterruptions, without having to look over our shoulders. I think if I had tried a trip to Greenland with Matteo, he would have abandoned me to the polar bears and narwhals and escaped with a first-class ticket outta there.
Reggie just grins at me like a lovesick loon. I can’t get over how a smile changes his face. “Being alone with the woman I love? For a month? In the middle of the icy wastes, where no one is going to call me at one in the morning to fix a clogged toilet, where we could see bad guys coming for miles around? And again, I repeat—beingalone with you? That sounds like heaven to me—especially since this heaven comes with a fireplace and a hot tub.”
A sudden, grave thought grips me. Reggie says he has a soul now. That he can feel it. Would he have done so many wonderful things and never have seen heaven—if it weren’t for me and my love? That doesn’t seem right. Or fair. But it does seem humbling. “It sounds like the perfect little bit of heaven to me, too.” I sashay up to him and wrap my arms around his neck. Instantly, he puts his hands on my hips. My insides don’t flutter, they squeeze. His hands feel so warm and strong, and they fit me, straddling my waist and molding to my hips (perhaps literally). So perfect. I forget the lingering aches and bruises. “Did I thank you properly for saving me?” I lick my lips as I look up at him.
“You’re wearing my ring. That’s a lifelong thank you,” Reggie steps back, putting distance between our hips.
“Awesome, responsible husband.” I pout.
“Hey, if you want to give Pastor Fortnum and company permanent emotional damage when they see me without trousers, bending my wife over this kitchen table, I— Oh, who is it?” Reggie’s phone buzzes from the pocket of his pants, and he scowls as he retrieves it. In seconds, he’s beaming.
“What is it?”
“I get breaking news notifications. You made headlines, beautiful.”
“I did?” I squeak, taking his phone.
“Not directly, but you made them possible.”
I read the words on the screen in an incredulous voice. “Estrada’s Money Man Talks—Terrorist Leader Apprehended by Joint Task Force.”
Reggie slips his arm around me. “You did that, babe. You’re a hero.”
“They better not say my name in the article,” I sit back down, scanning the press release.
“They won’t. They won’t mention how they got Delgado to talk, either.”
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