“Hmm,” Gabe mumbles and burrows deeper into my side. He starts snoring almost immediately as I look up at the ceiling and tears slowly leak from my eyes.
Jesus, Lo. Get your shit together.
“Tomorrow,” I whisper. Tomorrow, I’ll throw myself headfirst into my marriage with Gabe, but tonight, while he’s asleep and the quiet curls around me like a lover, I’ll mourn what could have been with Arturo, because I think now that maybe Clem was right. There is a part of me that might even love him too.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Lo
“You’re awfully quiet today, wifey.” Gabe darts his eyes from the road to glance at me. Despite last night’s festivities, we’ve been on the road since nine a.m. and I’m exhausted. My feet hurt from dancing, my ass hurts from this seat, and my heart is staging a revolt in my chest.
“Sorry. I’m just tired.”
“I get that you’re mad for the boys and the state of the house ... and the drinking when I said I was done.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not. I’m sorry, and I’m sorry I’m too much of a fucking idiot to see why you don’t let your bride go to bed alone on your wedding night.”
“I was pretty worn out after our bathroom Olympics anyway.”
“Well, you might be eight months pregnant, but don’t think I’m letting you off easy this weekend. I’m gonna run you plenty of warm baths, rub your feet, ply you with chocolate, and eat you out every day of this honeymoon.” He winks at me. “Gotta perform my husbandly duties.”
I laugh. “I won’t hold you to the terms of our stupid marriage pact we made a lifetime ago, Gabe. I’m sure once will be sufficient.”
“Not for me. And it wasn’t a stupid pact. Are you kidding? Up until yesterday, that was the best day of my life.”
Oh, Gabe. I came so fucking close to ruining everything last night. I still don’t know how to tell him, or what to say. I don’t think, “I left you on our wedding night to go kiss my boss would cut it.” Nothing I did last night was okay.
“How did I get lucky enough to marry my best friend?”
He takes one hand off the wheel and laces his fingers with mine, then he brings my hand to his lips and peppers it with kisses. He playfully bites my ring, and I pull away and shine the sparkly gemstone on my sweater. Then I hold my hand up to the light to admire it.
“It suits you.”
“I’m a little surprised you even got it over my fat sausage fingers,” I tease, and then glance at his bare left hand on the wheel. “I hate that I don’t have one for you.”
“We’ll get one. There’s no rush.”
“Maybe there will be a jeweler wherever we’re going. Where is that, by the way?”
“Nice try, Freckles.”
The ride to our destination is a combination of dozing, listening to music, and plying Gabe with snacks. It’s the perfect start to our honeymoon and I’m deliriously happy ... on the outside.
The sun is almost setting as Gabe turns onto highway fifty and I beam at my husband because while I might have had my suspicions about where he’s taking me, I now know for sure. “There’s snow!”
He chuckles. “I know.”
“I love snow!” I shriek like a little kid.
“I remember. You want me to pull over so we can make side-of-the-road slush angels like we did last time?”
I pout. “No. I probably won’t get back up if we do.”
“Well, there’ll be plenty of time for real snow angels if you change your mind. We’re here until Tuesday. And yes, I already cleared it with your boss.”
I swallow and turn back to the road. Tahoe is where Gabe told me he loved me for the first time, and he couldn’t havepicked a better place for our honeymoon. It’s the perfect getaway to be out of Venice, yet still close enough to home to not put the baby at risk or to risk the wrath of my OBGYN. Best of all, we’re far, far away from my lying, sweet-talking sexy boss who goes around ruining wedding nights and then sleeping with supermodels.