Page 22 of The Marriage Policy
“It’s a bad habit I picked up from somewhere. Your boyfriend rubs off on me.”
“I only rub off on Hayes.” Rylan gives his well-known smirk.
Hayes punches him in the arm playfully, which just prompts Rylan to pick him up and toss him over his shoulder, before heading back outside, followed by Mads and Anthony.
Eric’s lingering, and one look at his pouty lip is all I need to know something’s up.
“I don’t like not helping, D. I feel useless. Everyone is doing this for me.”
I walk over and press my forehead to his. “You’re too sweet for your own good. You’re the first person to be there for everyone else, yet you feel guilty accepting help from others. We’re here because we’re your friends. That’s what friends do. It’s not your fault you’re hurt.”
“Husband,” he says.
“Huh?” I pull away.
“You said you’re my friends. They’re my friends. You’re my husband.”
This is something he’s been saying. I thought it would be a joke on our wedding day and that’s that, but Eric has stuck with calling me his husband and seems to get a kick out of it.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Apparently everything.”
“Hey.”
“I’m kidding, D. I’ll make everyone something to eat.”
“Are you sure you can—”
“Are we about to have our first fight as husbands?”
I can’t help but shoot a glance behind me to make sure no one is close enough to have heard, but they’re all out by the U-Haul. It’s only been a couple of days, and I’m just not sure how I want to move forward. Part of me really wants to tell Anthony and Hayes, but I also worry no one will understand.
Is it bad that sometimes I’m not sure I understand either? I just know it was the right thing.
“Fine, but if you’re hurting tonight, it’s your own fault.”
“Yes, Daddy,” he teases. I shake my head and head back out to help the others.
Some of Eric’s stuff had to go into my shed. I didn’t have the space for a lot of his living room and dining room furniture. It’s shitty that his life is in upheaval like this, and all I want is to find a way to make everything easier for him.
When I get back to the truck, Rylan and Mads are playfully arguing again.
“They’re ridiculous,” Hayes says.
“Yeah, but they’re fun,” Anthony adds.
“Hey, before we go back inside, I just wanted to thank you all again for helping. I couldn’t do this on my own, and we’re not really looking to put out the extra money for movers.” I would have done it in a second if I didn’t think it would make Eric feel bad, but it looks like he feels bad anyway because he’s unable to help. “He’s going through a bit of a hard time right now.” I didn’t tell them he was fired or about the lack of medical coverage. That’s no one’s business but Eric’s, but I do want them to know how much this means to me.
“Of course. I’ve been through plenty of bad times in my life. I get it,” Mads says, and really, how fucking cool is he? He’s only here because he’s friends with Rylan. He doesn’t really know us.And he’s also a professional athlete, for God’s sake. I’m sure he hasn’t moved his own things in years, yet he’s doing it for Eric.
“We got’chu.” Rylan winks.
“One of the perks of being Jilted Exes,” Anthony adds. “A friendship we never would have had otherwise.”
“I know. And I want that for Eric too.” It’s my biggest fear—that he doesn’t have that because of me. That somehow his devotion to me holds him back.
And how do I repay him? By marrying him. God, please don’t tell me I’m the worst best friend in the world. But we can make this work. I know we can. It’s in name only.
