Page 32

THIRTY-ONE

JACK

NOVEMBER

“They’re going to love you,” I said, bending to kiss Mara’s cheek. “Besides, you’ve already met most of them.”

We stood on the Sorrentos’ porch, about to head into the belly of the beast with Mara’s first team Thanksgiving. Mara gave me a tense smile and shifted the green bean casserole in her hands. Though I was trying to soothe Mara, I couldn’t blame her. We were getting married the next day, and with each day we got closer, the tension grew.

“I know,” she said. “It’s just all getting real.”

I held Hazel on my hip, and Aspen held my other hand. My kids were spending Thanksgiving with Sydney, so it was just me, Mara, and her kids.

The door swung open and Jeanine greeted us with a broad smile. “Hey! So glad you all could come! Happy Thanksgiving!”

The scene inside was boisterous and loud, like always with our crew, and the nerves I felt on the porch melted away. No matter what the final result of this decision was, I knew these people had my back.

I helped Aspen and Hazel find other kids to play with while Mara looked for somewhere to put our dish. The next time I looked around, she’d found Gabi and was chatting her and Nikki up.

After some schmoozing, we sat to eat, and Jeanine stood. “Alright, you guys know the rules. I want everyone to say what they’re thankful for but I want to start with the kids.”

The kids had their own side table where they all sat on the floor, except the smallest ones like Hazel and Mikey’s daughter. The kids’ responses were cute as hell, from things like “friends and family” to “my doggie,” and then it came to Aspen.

“I’m thankful my mommy’s marrying Jack.”

A pause followed as jaws dropped and gasps sounded.

“Surprise,” Mara squeaked out with a flourish of her hands.

Mikey was of course the first to speak, or rather, shout. “Jackie baby, that’s amazing! Congratulations!”

Rome smiled and clapped with everyone else, but he widened his eyes and raised his brows at me. If someone was my conscience outside my body, it was him. He knew how quick my beginnings with Sydney were, and from the outside, this didn’t look much different.

“Isn’t this a little fast?” Obi asked and like someone’d sucked all the air out of the room, silence snapped back in. Obi looked around and shrugged. “What? What did I do?”

“Fast, schmast,” Mikey said, putting his arm around Jessie next to him and kissing her temple. “When you know, you know.”

Jessie leaned into his touch and turned to him for a kiss.

“I married Jeanine when we’d been together four months,” Sorrento shrugged.

It was true: other guys had moved fast too, and had much different results than Sydney and I had.

But they probably loved their wives. That wasn’t going to be a thing with me and Mara.

I was interrupted from my disassociation when I caught sight of Aspen, looking humiliated for causing such an outburst from everyone. I got up and crouched next to him.

“Hey, buddy,” I said, pulling him to my side for a hug. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Everybody’s just excited for us.” He still looked unsure, so I added more. “I’m thankful I’ll be your stepdad. We’ll have a lot of fun. And hey, I won’t tell your mom if you want to eat extra dessert today.”

That made him give up a reluctant grin.

“When’s the big day?” Jeanine asked. The room went quiet again waiting for our answer.

“Um, tomorrow, actually,” Mara said, her face flushed. More excited shouts followed her statement.

Stelle’s wife Kitty gasped. “Is this your engagement party? Bachelor and bachelorette?”

“Yeah, bachelor party! Right here, right now!” Mikey yelled, thumping a fist on the table. Jessie rolled her eyes and shook her head, and there was a chorus of groans from around the table.

Rome raised his glass to me, his expression still not fully joyful. “How about cigars on the patio after dinner?”

Sorrento raised his eyebrows at Jeanine, presumably asking permission. She grinned. “I’ll allow it, as long as the girls are allowed to smoke too.”

Rome took the first opportunity to get me alone when we were outside. “So, big news.”

I glanced back to see if Mara was nearby. Through the patio doors, I spotted her on the couch, talking to Jessie and looking like she was doing just fine. “Big news.”

“Congratulations,” he said carefully, snipping the end of a cigar and handing it to me.

“Just go ahead and say it,” I said, running a hand over my face.

He put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you. Truly.”

“But?” I asked.

“Mara is really great. I think she’s been good for you.”

“But,” I pushed him again.

“But it really is fast. And your last marriage . . .”

“Was also fast. I know,” I lowered my voice. “But it’s not quite how it looks on the surface.”

“How so?”

“You know how she was in the hospital last week?”

Rome nodded. “Yeah. She looks good today, by the way.”

Obi appeared at my side, butting into the conversation. I tried giving him a death glare, but he just stayed. Like he does.

“Thanks, yeah. She’s doing a lot better,” I said. “But she also lost her job the day of the emergency.”

“Oh, shit,” Rome said, putting his head back. “That’s awful.”

“And you know how I don’t have a nanny now . . .”

“No.” Rome’s eyes got big. “This is?—”

“An arrangement,” I sighed.

Obi’s eyes rounded. “Are you not in love with her?”

“I mean, we like each other,” I said, fidgeting with the cigar in my hand. “But love’s not really an option. We’re doing this so it’s not weird for our kids.”

Obi looked deeply offended. “You don’t love her?”

“It’s like . . . dating while married. To each other.” I shrugged. I didn’t feel as casual as a shrug. My stomach twisted thinking of how many ways this could go wrong. “But we both decided we can quit whenever. We’re helping each other out.”

Rome swallowed hard and looked at me with moisture shining in his eyes. “Jack, I’ve gotta say, this is one of the most selfless things you’ve ever done.”

“Selfless? I’m getting childcare out of it.”

He shook his head and looked away. “Well, yeah, but you’re really helping her.”

I scrunched my brow. “It’s not some pity party thing.”

“No, but . . . I think you actually care about her. Not just how she makes you feel, but just her.”

I let that hit me. There was some truth in that statement. I married Sydney because she made me feel a certain way. I was marrying Mara because I liked her as a person, who she was.

I nodded and struck a match to light my cigar. “About time, I guess.”