Page 9 of First Comes Marriage
She had argued with me, albeit briefly, when I told her she would be sleeping in my room. I’m not particularly worried since I havea California king sized bed and there’s more than enough room for the two of us to sprawl out and sleep without crowding one another. In another lifetime, or a different set of circumstances, things would be much different for both of us, but ‘a marriage in name only’ means just that, so no sex or intimacy of any kind.
I just wish I could tell my cock that fact and make him understand the predicament we’re in, because he’s got a mind all of his own where Jolie is concerned. I grab a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt to sleep in and head to the ensuite as she unpacks her small bag and gathers her own nightclothes.
“Be out in a few minutes,” I tell her, closing the door behind me. I don’t take long since all I need to do is brush my teeth, and I’m back in the bedroom in just a few minutes. “Take your time,” I encourage.
“Okay.” Her voice is soft, almost timid as she scurries into the bathroom and closes the door.
I check my phone, scrolling through social media to see that Mindy has already posted the wedding pictures that Brock took. He’s got a good eye, because quite a few of them are really good. I pick one of Jolie and update her contact information, then go ahead and do the same with both of my grandmothers and the three kids. They have phones as well because of the various activities they’re involved in, but theirs are literally only able to be used to make calls and send texts. While they do have tablets, mostly for school, my parents didn’t grow up with electronics, so they were tolerated as a necessary evil, but the kids were encouraged to get involved in sports and shit.
Arya and Anniston are in dance classes, and both play softball, while Thad enjoys baseball. All three also like to read, so they go to the library each week and check out enough books untiltheir next visit. They also enjoy playing board games and putting puzzles together, so I make a mental note to add some of them to the game closet.
By the time Jolie comes out, I have a cart full of things picked out and hit the purchase button as she slips beneath the covers. I smirk because there’s enough room for three or four other people between us, then turn to my side and ask, “You good with all of this?”
She chuckles and replies, “Kind of late to ask that now, don’t you think? The deed is done, Dex. I promise I’ll take care of the kids as if they were my own.”
“I appreciate it, Jolie.”
Chapter Six
Jolie
“Well, I hear congratulations are in order,” Ms. Davis jovially says as she crosses over the threshold and enters the house, glancing around and investigating to make sure things are on the up and up. “I don’t foresee any issues at all with the guardianship paperwork, I just need to do a quick inspection of the house and make sure the kids have everything they need.”
“Kids, why don’t you show Ms. Davis your rooms?” Dex asks. He looks at her and says, “We’ll be in the kitchen waiting.”
I know he’s giving her time to question the kids without us hovering, but it rankles a bit that this even has to be done. These kids have lived in this house their whole lives. Why is it now that it has to be inspected?
I must voice my thoughts out loud because Dex looks at me and tells me, “Because the state has gotten involved. They have theirpolicies and procedures and even though I don’t like them at all, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they stay together.”
Yeah, like marry me, I think to myself. Out loud I say, “I understand, it’s just frustrating is all.”
“I agree. Let’s go make sure the grandmothers are behaving themselves,” he states, holding out his hand for me to take.
I giggle because those two women are something else. When I told Nonna I wanted to learn Italian, she beamed with pleasure, clapped her hands together then went down to the dollar store, bought index cards and she labeled everything in the kitchen with the English word then the Italian counterpart. Not to be outdone, Abuela put what it would be in Spanish.
“You’ve known them longer than me, so what do you think?” I tease, falling into an easy-going banter with him.
I mean, it’s not like we don’t know each other exactly, it’s just that our circles never really crossed unless Brock was hauling me and Mindy to the mall or other places we wanted to be driven to and he was along for the ride. But I think because we’re both adults now, it’s different somehow. He’s at least ten years older than me, probably a year or two more than that, so there’s not much a man in his early twenties would’ve had in common with a teenage girl who was mired in grief.
As we enter the kitchen, I can smell the sour cream coffee cake that Abuela made, knowing the social worker was coming today. Nonna is bustling around getting stuff together for coffee. Personally, I can’t stand the stuff, but I love the smell. I walk over to the cupboard and pull down a glass, then fill it with ice as Dex hands me one of my diet sodas.
“Thanks,” I say, a light blush staining my cheeks.
Ever since we got married, I’ve been sharing his room with him, which is definitely a different experience for me. I’ve gone from living independently on my own with an occasional overnight guest when Mindy and I have a few too many margaritas during one of our movie marathons, but not having had siblings of my own, the constant chaos and conversation that sometimes overlaps is mind-blowing at times. Thank goodness he has a huge bed because those first few nights, I was worried that I’d encroach on his space.
The grandmothers set everything on the table, along with small plates for the cake and I bite back a smile as I hear the kids coming down the stairs like a herd of elephants.
“Get ready,” he whispers, leaning into my side, preparing me for the hustle and bustle of his siblings as they charge into the room.
“Dex!” Ms. Davis says my room is just what she expected it would be,” Arya exclaims. “She says she’s never seen so much pink and purple sparkly stuff in one place.”
I smile at Ms. Davis who grins back at me with a glimmer of satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “They even showed me, in detail, how they reorganized their closets and said you built the shelving, Jolie?” Ms. Davis asks.
I nod. “I did. I wanted them to have more floor space so they could play,” I admit. “Putting their dressers in the closet and building shelves for their clothes just made sense to me. I’ve got some other projects I want to tackle as well, but we’re still adjusting to me being here under the same roof.”
“I’m sure it’s an adjustment for everyone,” she replies. “Oh, my, this is lovely,” she says, looking at the cake and coffee waiting on the table.
“Please, sit and eat,” Nonna encourages. “Figli, you too.”
