Page 24 of First Comes Marriage
“Fuck, Jolie, that looks phenomenal,” Dex murmurs. “You’ve taken pictures for your portfolio, right?”
“I did, yes, and Dale says he’ll add them to the website under my name so people can get an idea of what I’m capable of doing.”
“And all I am is a welder,” he teases, pouting.
“Yeah, yeah,” I reply, grinning at him. I miss him so much; it’s been difficult for me to sleep since he’s been gone, which is why I’ve gotten so much done. I’ve mostly been taking catnaps, which means I’ve got circles under my eyes, but until he’s physically here, I guess that’s how it’s gonna be.
Because apparently, he’s my person, the one my soul has longed for. I just need to tell him that my feelings have changed, and I want a real marriage and relationship. Not only is he now one of my best friends, but I want him to be my partner, my ride or die, my lover, and the father of my kids.
“Okay, we’re going to the kitchen now so Abuela and Nonna can nag you about how you look too thin,” I say. It’s what they’ve done to him on his daily calls. I just hate that the kids aren’t home because they love seeing him on the screen and telling him all about what’s going on and what they’ve learned, both at school and from me.
He huffs out a laugh then says, “I swear to God, my life was colorless until you came along, Jolie.”
As I jog down the stairs, I think,So was mine, Dex. So was mine.
After he gets his grilling from the grandmothers, he disconnects the call once he promises to call me tonight before bedtime. I like the second call most, because it’s just us. We’ve talked about so many things during those calls, and I feel as though he knows me better than Mindy does at this point, and she’s been around most of my life.
With lunch filling my belly, I return upstairs and get back to work. My goal is to have this completely done when the kids get home in two weeks as a surprise for them. I’ve already bought a small popcorn machine for movies, and some of the shelves are dedicated for board games so we can start having family game nights when the grandmothers go to bingo. Although… I want them to participate as well, so we might do that on Sundays too. I think it’ll be funny to watch them dueling it out, slinging insults in Spanish and Italian at one another. Yeah, I make a mental note to buy some games and some puzzles too since money is no object.
“This is what this farmhouse was missing,” I say out loud as I start the second coat once I ascertain the first one has dried. Technology and science sure have come a long way because I remember when I was younger and working with Grampy that it didn’t dry as quickly as it does these days. “A family complete with pets, kids, grandmas, and chickens.”
I mean, I don’t have the chickens just yet because the kids wanted to go with me and since they’ll be helping care for them, I told them we’d do it when they get home. While I hum along to the music I put on, I let my mind wander back to Dex. Not that it ever goes all that far if I’m being honest. I still worry that giving my love to him might backfire, but I thought about how Grampy was with Grammy, and I want that. Even though there’s a chance that something could happen to him, I want kids and since he’s my husband… I need to dive into this marriage fully.
My one and only concern, if I’m being totally honest with myself, like I was with Mindy the other day when she came by, is what if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if I admit that I’ve grown strong feelings for him and want to change the nature of our marriage from convenience to the real thing?
Shaking my head, I mumble, “It’s gonna work out the way it’s meant to work out, Jo.”
That’s something Grammy always told me when I was a little girl worried about something that was going on. Looking back, it makes sense now because anything I ever stressed over ended up not being a big deal in the long run. Even with Grammy dying, up until she was too weak to get out of bed, she taught me everything she knew with respect to gardening, cooking, baking, and keeping a home organized.
“Miss you, Grammy and Grampy. Pray you’re looking down on me and thrilled with how my life is turning out so far.”
“When you get home, can we talk?” I ask Dex. It’s later in the evening, he’s freshly showered since he finished what he was doing on this contract and will fly to the next one in the morning.
“Yeah, everything okay?” he questions, looking concerned.
“I think so, but it feels like we might have some things to discuss,” I admit, doing my best to hold eye contact.
“I do too and was going to say something, but you beat me to it,” he admits, smirking.
My heart rate speeds up at the look in his eyes. Maybe… just maybe, he’s starting to feel the same way. Since we’re going to talk about it once he’s back home, I carry on with the other stuff I wanted to tell him.
You’d think that with the kids gone there’d be no chaos, but you’d think wrong. “Guess what happened today after we talked earlier?” I ask.
“No idea, but if it involves Abuela and Nonna, do I have to worry that they’ve finally come up with a plan for world domination?”
I start giggling because the way they act sometimes, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had such crazy ideas. “Nope, it involves Mutt, Jeff, and Prissy. Oh, and some turpentine.”
He groans then says, “Tell me.”
“I was putting on the second coat of paint when I heard several meows. I didn’t turn right away, just started talking to them while I was painting, you know?” At his nod, I keep going and say, “Once I finished with the wall, I turned to find tiny paint footprints all over the tile. Thankfully, the three of them were sleeping in the cat tree by the window so I quickly cleaned them up, then worked on the floor. It was hysterical because you cantell Mutt and Jeff were chasing each other and rolling around based on the marks, while Prissy just walked through, decided she just wanted to be near me, and jumped onto the cat tree. I definitely took a video and a bunch of pictures, and I’ll send them to you when we’re done so you can laugh too.”
By the time I’m done, he’s laughing so hard he has tears rolling down his face and I’m not much different. Once he gathers his control he chokes out, “There’s never a dull moment anymore, is there?”
I shake my head. “Nope,” I reply, popping the ‘p’. “Thank you for bringing me into this family, Dex. I honestly didn’t know what I was missing.”
“Neither did I, sweetheart. I need to hit the hay because my ride’s going to be here at o’dark thirty. Getting too old to talk all night long on the phone and then get up and work.”
“Okay. Call me tomorrow when you get there. Please be safe, Dex.”